Microdermabrasion Facial in Chicagoland

A microdermabrasion facial is a professional exfoliating treatment that mechanically removes the layer of dead cells on the outside of your skin, called the stratum corneum. That dead layer is what makes skin look dull, feel rough, and stop absorbing skincare. Taking it off leaves the surface smoother, brighter, and more receptive to products, and you see the difference the same day. It is a surface treatment: it works on the epidermis and does not go deeper. At Express Med Spa it is performed with a Nano Tip cartridge on the CytoPen S2, a needle-free, crystal-free, suction-free polishing head, so nothing punctures the skin and no crystals are sprayed at it. A visit is booked as 60 minutes, with about 30 to 40 minutes of active treatment, and it is $175 at all four Chicagoland clinics.

It polishes the surface. Your provider passes the Nano Tip over the skin 2 to 4 times, which lifts away dead cells, loosens surface congestion, and evens out rough texture. The face is prepped with a hyaluronic acid serum first and finished with a hydrogel mask, moisturizer, and SPF. What you see afterward is a brighter, smoother, more even looking surface. What it does not do is change anything below the epidermis, so it will not lift, firm, or rebuild collagen.

Dead skin cells, mostly, along with the surface oil, sunscreen residue, makeup traces, and loosened debris sitting in and around pores. That is the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis, which your skin sheds naturally anyway over roughly 3 to 4 weeks. The treatment removes it on your schedule instead of the skin’s. With the Nano Tip there are no crystals sprayed at the skin and no vacuum pulling debris away, so nothing is being blasted or suctioned. Living tissue is not removed, and the treatment is not meant to draw blood at any point.

Five honest ones. First, it is superficial: it treats the outermost layer, so it will not touch deep wrinkles, indented acne scars, significant laxity, or melasma. Second, results are temporary, lasting roughly 3 to 4 weeks before your skin regenerates the layer that was removed, so it needs repeating. Third, it is not for everyone, and active acne flares, infections, rosacea or eczema flares, and recent peels or laser treatment all mean waiting. Fourth, it leaves skin temporarily more sensitive to sun and to strong actives, so SPF and a short pause on retinoids are genuinely necessary. Fifth, traditional crystal and diamond tip systems that use vacuum suction can cause stinging, lingering redness, and irritation on thin or reactive skin. The Nano Tip used at Express Med Spa is needle-free, crystal-free, and suction-free specifically to remove that fifth problem, but the first four apply to every form of microdermabrasion, including ours.

Yes, and it is worth knowing before you book. The main downside is that it is a maintenance treatment, not a correction. It gives you a genuine, visible improvement for about 3 to 4 weeks, and then your skin has regenerated the layer that was removed. If you expect one session to permanently change your skin, you will be disappointed. The second downside is its ceiling: surface exfoliation cannot fix problems that are not on the surface. There is also a short window of increased sun sensitivity afterward. For most people none of that is a reason to skip it, but it should shape what you expect from it.

A microdermabrasion facial is $175 at Express Med Spa, and the price is the same at La Grange, Frankfort, Shorewood, and Mount Greenwood (Chicago). That covers the full appointment, including the hyaluronic acid serum prep, the Nano Tip passes, the hydrogel mask, and the finishing moisturizer and SPF. Prices nationally range widely because the equipment and the protocol vary so much between providers. Our price is subject to change, and your treatment plan is based on a planned consultation with staff.

Generally about 3 to 4 weeks. That figure is not arbitrary. It is roughly the time your skin takes to move a new set of cells to the surface and let them die off, rebuilding the layer the treatment removed. Most clients who want to hold the result book on a 3 to 4 week rhythm. If you are treating a specific occasion rather than maintaining a baseline, a single visit 1 to 2 days beforehand is the usual approach. Individual results vary.

Your provider will postpone treatment or suggest a gentler alternative if you have an active skin infection, inflamed or cystic acne in the treatment area, an open wound or an active cold sore, or an active rosacea or eczema flare. Recent chemical peels, laser treatment, or waxing in the area, sunburned or windburned skin, and recent isotretinoin (Accutane) use are also reasons to wait. This is general guidance rather than a complete list. Your provider reviews your medical health history and your current skincare at your complimentary consultation and confirms whether the treatment is appropriate for you before anything is done.

Neither is better in general terms. They do different jobs, and at Express Med Spa they run on the same CytoPen S2 device with a different cartridge fitted. Microdermabrasion polishes the epidermis with no needles, minimal downtime, and a result you see the same day, at $175. Microneedling creates controlled micro-channels into the dermis to prompt new collagen over the following weeks, involves a genuine recovery window, and is $295 for the face. If your concern is dullness, rough texture, or congestion, microdermabrasion matches it. If your concern is indented scarring, enlarged pores, or lines with a structural component, microneedling is the one that reaches. Many clients use both on separate schedules.

Honestly, only a little, and only for certain kinds. Microdermabrasion can improve the look of post-inflammatory marks, the flat brown or red discoloration left behind after a breakout heals, because that pigment sits near the surface. What it cannot do is fill or remodel true indented acne scarring, which is a loss of tissue in the dermis well below where the Nano Tip works. No amount of surface exfoliation reaches that. For indented scarring, microneedling is the more appropriate tool because it works at the depth where the scar actually is. If acne scarring is your primary concern, say so at your consultation so we can point you at the right treatment rather than the gentler one.

Yes, and this is one of the treatments where a single session is genuinely worth it. Most clients see and feel a difference the same day: brighter tone, smoother texture, and makeup sitting more evenly. That is exactly why it works so well 1 to 2 days before an event. What one session will not do is produce a lasting change. The result fades over roughly 3 to 4 weeks as your skin regenerates its surface layer, so a repeat rhythm is what holds it. Individual results vary.

No, and mature skin is one of the groups that tends to appreciate it, because cell turnover slows with age and dead cells linger longer on the surface, which is a large part of why skin starts to look dull. Removing that layer restores light reflection and lets moisturizers work better. The caveat is that mature skin is often thinner and drier, which is exactly the skin type that traditional crystal and diamond tip systems with vacuum suction can irritate. The Nano Tip is needle-free, crystal-free, and suction-free, which makes it a more comfortable fit for that skin. Be realistic about the ceiling: it improves surface quality and will not address laxity or deep lines.

Most people describe it as a light buffing sensation and find it comfortable. No numbing is used and none is needed. The internal protocol our providers follow specifically calls for no bleeding and no discomfort during the treatment. Downtime is minimal. Mild redness is possible for a few hours afterward and settles on its own, and there should be no peeling or flaking in the days that follow. Leave makeup off for the first 12 to 24 hours, wear SPF daily, and you can go back to your normal routine the same day.

Every 3 to 4 weeks is the usual maintenance cadence, and it lines up with your skin’s own turnover cycle, so you are treating a freshly rebuilt surface layer rather than over-exfoliating one that has not recovered. If you are treating a specific occasion instead of maintaining a baseline, book 1 to 2 days beforehand. More often than every 3 weeks is generally not useful and can leave skin sensitized. Your provider will suggest a rhythm that fits your skin at your consultation.

Wet versus dry, essentially, and they are two separate treatments rather than two names for one. A microdermabrasion facial at Express Med Spa is a dry mechanical treatment: the Nano Tip cartridge physically polishes the dead cell layer off the surface, and it is $175. An AquaFacial is wet hydradermabrasion, which is sometimes described as wet microdermabrasion. A fluid based tip loosens and lifts debris while hydrating serums are infused during the same pass, and it is $150. Choose microdermabrasion if your main complaint is rough texture, dullness, and congestion, and you want a firm mechanical polish. Choose the AquaFacial if your skin is dehydrated and you want exfoliation paired with hydration and serum infusion in one visit. Prices are subject to change and are based on a planned consultation with staff.

No. Traditional microdermabrasion systems either spray aluminum oxide crystals at the skin or drag a diamond-coated wand across it, and both pair that abrasion with vacuum suction that pulls the skin into the handpiece. The Nano Tip cartridge on the CytoPen S2 uses none of those elements. There are no crystals, no suction, and no needles. It is a non-abrasive polishing head that glides over serum-prepped skin to lift the dead cell layer. The category of result is the same, superficial exfoliation of the epidermis, but the mechanism is a modern, gentler one. Nano Tip is also not the same thing as nano-infusion or nanoneedling, which are separate procedures that happen to share the prefix, and it is not microneedling. Nano Tip is the name of a cartridge, not a class of procedure.