6 weeks later...
The PMD Personal Microderm* is a skincare device that I have heard nothing but good things about. It consistently has great reviews, and was even named on InStye's list of Best Beauty Buys in 2014 and 2015. When I got the chance to try it out for myself, I was seriously excited to see the game-changing results it would have on my skin. I've never had a professional microdermabrasion treatment, so I'm not in a position to compare it to the clinical results, but I'm going to be giving my thoughts on it as someone new to the treatment, which may prove useful if you are thinking about the PMD instead of forking out to see a professional. It's been a few weeks since I finished my treatments, but the PMD has been a product that I simply couldn't make my mind up about. I thought I would just throw down some of my thoughts into this post, along with some of the pros and cons so you can make up your own mind about it. If you want to see my first impressions, unboxing and 6 week review, you can watch that video here.
What is the PMD?
How to use the PMD
There is a DVD enclosed, with instructions, which the brand recommend watching before you use the product for the first time. This ensures you know exactly what to do by the time your first treatment rolls around, and is super important as the PMD could potential cause you harm if misused. In the box is the device, a lead and plug (which comes with an adaptor for your region), as well as the cap and the heads. You have 4 different levels, differentiated by colour, and two different sizes, one for the face and one for the body. The first step is to cleanse and fully dry the skin. Then, pull your skin taut, and move the device quickly in an upward motion, making sure you don't go over a single area more than twice. Once you've done the whole face, then you can rinse the face and apply a soothing toner and moisturiser. Simple as that, and done in just a few minutes!
My 6 weeks with the PMD
I began with a road test on my forearm. I soon realised that it is impossible to test out when you need one hand to hold the device and the other to pull the skin taut. I then tried on my neck, which was pretty tricky to do in comparison to your actual face, but it just gets you used to the suction action. I was a bit taken aback at first - it isn't painful in the slightest, but the best way to describe it is like when you put your hand over the nozzle of the hoover...
At first I found the device quite hard to manoeuvre on the face, and one thing I found throughout the whole six weeks was the fact that it is so much easier to move across flabbier areas of the face. The cheeks and chin areas are the easiest, but then as soon as you get to the forehead where the skin is more taut, it loses suction so you can't really get a smooth movement. I also found it really hard to get in around the nose - I'm not sure if it's my nose shape, but I cannot get it to suction down the bridge of nose, only the sides, so it is not effective on any nose blackheads you might have.
The treatment lasts a couple of minutes at best, and it gets a lot easier the more you do it. You begin to learn which areas of your face work best with the PMD, and get into a bit of routine with it. I didn't find any part of the treatment painful, although be aware if you have any active spots. A couple of times I went over areas of skin where I didn't realise I had a spot, so I would avoid these areas. My skin wasn't overly sensitive post-PMD, only a little red but that tends to go down within 10 or so minutes.
Cons of the PMD
Mains powered | Not battery powered, and the cord is quite short. This can prove an issue as I would usually want to use a skincare device in the bathroom, which for me has the best mirrors and lighting. The first couple of times that you use the PMD, you probably will want to have a mirror to hand. You need to be able to have two hands free to use the device, so you really need to have wall-mounted or table mirrors, and the short cord length can prove quite tricky without using an extension lead.
Difficult to manoeuvre | One of the main things I found was that it definitely works a lot better on more flabby skin like the cheeks. It doesn't really work as well on areas like the nose, and the top of the forehead as there isn't enough loose skin for the suction to grab on to, which is something to bear in mind if these are your problem areas.
Pros of the PMD
Painless | When I first got the email about trying out the PMD, I was initially a bit scared as I'd heard that microdermabrasion can be quite invasive. I was worried it was going to be painful, but it wasn't in the slightest (unless of course you went over a blemish, in which case it hurts like a bitch.
Quick | Once you get used to the action, you can have your whole face done in a few minutes, and that's it all done for another week.
Design | It is sleek, easy to handle and very attractive with the pink banding.
Design | It is sleek, easy to handle and very attractive with the pink banding.
Results
As you'll see from my video, I did end up prolonging a few of my treatments because of having breakouts, so I wasn't as consistent as I could have been with using it every week. This may have impacted the results I had, as I didn't notice a great deal of difference in the skin. I did notice that there was an increase in oil production for a day or two after each treatment, and overall the only real difference was my pores looking more clear, and I only realised this from comparing the before and after images (watch the video to see those as I've compared different areas of my face).
As I mentioned previously, I've seen nothing but great reviews about the PMD Personal Microderm, so would I recommend it? Honestly, I don't think it's worked for me. Whether consistency had something to do with it, I'm not sure, and it is something I might go back to in the future, but it is expensive for something that so far has given minimal results. That's not to say it won't work for you as everyone's skin is different, but I just wanted to put my cards on the table and share my experience with it.
As I mentioned previously, I've seen nothing but great reviews about the PMD Personal Microderm, so would I recommend it? Honestly, I don't think it's worked for me. Whether consistency had something to do with it, I'm not sure, and it is something I might go back to in the future, but it is expensive for something that so far has given minimal results. That's not to say it won't work for you as everyone's skin is different, but I just wanted to put my cards on the table and share my experience with it.
Have you tried the PMD? What were your results?
