Home microdermabrasion products used to minimize wrinkles, fines lines, acne scars and blemishes are rapidly growing in popularity. Rather than relying on professionals, consumers are taking matters into their own hands. But as more and more products jump on the bandwagon, consumers are getting confused. In many cases, they choose the wrong product or use the product in the wrong way, and end up without the results they expect, or in the worst cases even damaging the skin.

Retail outlets are successfully marketing these skin care products as low-cost alternatives to medical and spa products. It is part of a major shift toward giving consumers the power to treat themselves for a variety of conditions with over-the-counter products, some of which were formerly only available by prescription.

Microdermabrasion is part of the trend for people to do more and more professional procedures at home for less money. However, there are so many new products in the market, with varying degrees of effectiveness, that consumers are confused. Not all home microdermabrasion products truly emulate in-office doctor visits, and some don't work at all, giving microdermabrasion a bad name.

Office microdermabrasion is performed by a dermatologist or a licensed skin care specialist with extensive training. The high-priced machine they use varies the intensity of the aluminum oxide crystals being blown onto the skin to exfoliate it and enhance cell turnover, minimizing fine lines, wrinkles and evening out the skin tone. These treatments are to be performed every 3-4 weeks for the first 6-8 sessions, and then every 4-6 weeks.

Most at-home microdermabrasion products, such as creams and application machines, are really just a fancier exfoliation method, not true microdermabrasion. Some microdermabrasion creams do contain aluminum oxide crystals like the microdermabrasion machine uses, but are not very effective at applying the crystals since they lubricate the skin. When using microdermabrasion creams, you cleanse your skin, apply the cream and massage in, rinse off and apply your moisturizer. Over time, you will notice some superficial improvement in the appearance of skin. The problem is that professional microdermabrasion relies on the friction, or the abrasion, of the crystals to remove a layer of dead, damaged skin cells, and creams, though easy to apply, actually reduce friction as well as reducing the effectiveness of the product.

A couple of home microdermabrasion products provide a means to safely apply aluminum oxide crystals directly to the skin, more accurately emulating office microdermabrasion systems.