Hi Francine,

I also apologize for the delay, as I have not been receiving notifications of questions in my email  .  I echo Rebecca's response, in the sense that it is important to protect yourself and the client from inhalation of the aluminum crystals.

There have been concerns and mixed opinions on the safety of using aluminum oxide crystals for microdermabrasion throughout the years, though FDA investigations are currently showing no evidence of concern. If you yourself are having concerns about the safety of using aluminum oxide crystals, the best decision might be to seek out another crystal for performing microdermabrasion.

Some other options include baking soda as well as salt crystals. However, neither is as hard as aluminum oxide, which is used because it is almost as hard as diamonds to provide efficacy in exfoliation. My personal preference is DiamondTip microdermabrasion, for a crystal-less option, or a Hydrodermabrasion machine that incorporates water, suction, and acids for deeper exfoliation and congestion removal, as Rebecca suggested.

I hope these suggestions are helpful and wish you well moving forward.

Kind regards,

Brian Goodwin

Hello Francine, 

Thank you so much for writing in! I apologize for the delay in this response. 

Aluminum oxide is safe to use for microdermabrasion, however, there are some precautions that need to be taken. You will want to protect your eyes as well as your client's and also ensure neither of you are inhaling the crystals. As far as causing cancer the concern often arises at levels of exposure that are more than what we would ever come across in the treatment room as estheticians. As always though, you have to go with a method that you can stand behind in the treatment room. 

There are a lot of new devices out there that will get you similar results to microdermabrasion. I am a fan of the hyrdrodermabrasion options where a diamond textured tip is used with the combination of acids or water with suction. A lot of them also include oxygen infusion options as well. I have found the results from these devices to provide a more customized and user friendly experience. 

Warmly, 

Rebecca