Professional exfoliation for smoother texture and brighter skin.
Most skin plans start with exfoliation. Dermaplaning and microdermabrasion both remove the dull surface layer, but they do it differently and they suit different skin. Both are performed by our experienced estheticians alongside physician-directed treatment plans, and both can be performed on their own or built into a customized facial.
Dermaplaning gently removes dead skin cells and fine vellus hair (peach fuzz) using a sterile surgical blade. The result is smoother, brighter skin with improved product absorption and flawless makeup application. Dermaplaning may be performed alone or combined with customized facials, chemical peels, regenerative treatments, or JuvaSonic® needle-free serum infusion.
Microdermabrasion uses controlled mechanical exfoliation to improve dull skin, enlarged pores, uneven texture, mild acne scarring, and sun damage. Following exfoliation, treatments may be enhanced with JuvaSonic® technology to infuse physician-selected ingredients such as hyaluronic acid for hydration, GHK-Cu copper peptides to support collagen production, or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for regenerative skin rejuvenation — without needles.
On its own, exfoliation is maintenance: it keeps the surface clear, helps your medical-grade products reach skin that can use them, and makes makeup sit properly. That is a perfectly good reason to book it, and for a lot of patients it is the whole appointment.
It also does useful work in front of other treatments. Clearing the surface first is why dermaplaning is so often paired with a peel, and why exfoliation sits early in a plan that goes on to include microneedling or Aerolase and IPL. What it will not do is correct pigment, laxity or scarring by itself — if that is what is bothering you, your provider will say so and route you to the treatment that will. Patients come to our Flamingo Road practice from Cooper City, Davie, Weston and Pembroke Pines, and the sequencing is decided at your first appointment rather than sold up from the chair.
Neither treatment involves a needle, and both are more often described as unusual than as uncomfortable. Dermaplaning is a sterile blade drawn across taut skin at an angle: the sensation is a light scraping, closest to a dry shave, and first-time patients tend to notice the sound more than the feeling. Microdermabrasion is a gritty, sandpaper-like pass combined with suction, so the skin is pulled slightly as the applicator moves.
Both leave the skin pink and a little sensitive for a short while, and products applied afterward can tingle on freshly exfoliated skin. Skin that is inflamed, sunburned or actively breaking out reacts more, which is one reason it is assessed before anything is done. If you are unsure which suits your skin or your tolerance, that is settled at your consultation rather than in the chair.
Dermaplaning and microdermabrasion are available on almost every spa menu in Broward County. The difference here is what surrounds them: an esthetician working to a physician-directed plan, medical-grade Circadia and Mesoestetic products chosen for your skin, and Dr. Ivy Lawson available when the answer turns out to be medical rather than cosmetic. If exfoliation is going to be a monthly habit, the Radiance membership covers a facial or peel each month and the Renewal membership includes microdermabrasion treatments.
Dermaplaning removes dead skin cells and peach fuzz with a sterile blade, while microdermabrasion mechanically exfoliates the skin to improve texture, congestion, and sun damage.
Yes. Dermaplaning is frequently paired with customized facials, chemical peels, PRP, and JuvaSonic® serum infusion.
No. Dermaplaning removes fine vellus hair at the surface of the skin. It does not change the follicle, so the hair returns with the same texture and color it had before.
Most patients schedule exfoliation alongside their professional facial, roughly every four to six weeks. Your provider will set the interval based on your skin.
Cost depends on whether the treatment is performed on its own or added to a facial or peel, and on any enhancement such as JuvaSonic infusion or PRP. The Radiance membership includes a monthly facial or peel and member pricing on additional treatments.
Neither involves a needle, and both are usually described as unusual rather than uncomfortable. Dermaplaning feels like a light scraping, closest to a dry shave. Microdermabrasion feels gritty, with mild suction pulling at the skin as the applicator passes. Both leave the skin pink and a little sensitive for a short while, and products applied afterward can tingle. Skin that is inflamed or sunburned reacts more, which is why it is assessed at your consultation first.
Book dermaplaning or microdermabrasion on its own, or as part of a facial built around your skin.
Reviewed by Ivy Lawson, MD · Physician — Vascular & Interventional Radiology · Last reviewed September 2026. About Dr. Lawson
