beauty treatment reviews

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Beauty Experiment: At-Home Microdermabrasion Machines
My bathroom looks like a high-tech control station (mission: silky, glowing skin). Next to my Clarisonic skin-cleansing brush, which stands next to my Tria hair removal laser, now stand a trio of microdermabrasion devices. They mimic the action of the popular spa treatment: loosening complexion-dulling dead skin cells with a crystal-encrusted disc, then vacuuming them away. Each has several levels of suction that let you customize the intensity of your exfoliation. (Trust me: Start slow.) The Rodan + Fields machine (above) is the most elaborate, with an LCD screen that indicates where to glide the tool and a timer that beeps when I need to move on to a new area of my face. It also has the most intense suction—after my five-minute treatment, I'm beet red. The next morning, though, makeup glides over my incredibly soft, clear skin. The Riiviva and PMD Microderm have similarly silkening effects. All three are meant to be used no more than once a week, and all three do the job. But because it's light, cordless and left my skin only slightly pink, the Riiviva is the one that's going to score a permanent home at my personal skincare operations center.

Verdict: Do it if you don't have sensitive skin or rosacea. —Jenny Bailly, executive beauty editor