It’s human nature to want to do everything yourself, especially if that means saving time and money. Do-it-yourself activities are usually fun and rewarding, but there’s always room for mistake. When you’re reupholstering your sofa, painting your house, or making holiday wreaths, an error may be frustrating but can usually be corrected. However, there are certain things you just shouldn’t do yourself like at-home spa treatments. As recently reported by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), people are purchasing do-it-yourself kits for treatments like microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and laser hair removal online.

Unfortunately, doing skin treatments at home often causes more harm than good. Without experience, cosmetic skin treatments can cause long-term skin damage. In fact, second-degree burns have been reported as a result of at-home chemical peel treatments. At-home laser hair removal systems have also been reported to cause burns, skin damage, and even scars. Likewise, over-exfoliation is common with at-home microdermabrasion, which can lead to bleeding. At-home skin treatments can not only be dangerous, but also the equipment and skin care products used are not medical grade.

You should be leery of websites selling prescription-strength products without a prescription as many chemical peel ingredients are prescription-strength. The prescription is needed for a reason. Certain prescriptions can interact with other medications and can cause allergic reactions, so it is important to be seen by a medical professional and discuss any medication (including herbal supplements) before receiving prescription medication. It is also important to understand that at-home spa technologies are not as advanced as the technology used in a medical spa. For instance, since AYA Medical Spa is owned and operated through Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C., we are able to house top medical-grade technology and products. As the ASAPS article explains, at-home laser hair removal systems boast a 50-70% hair reduction after 5 treatments, while med spa hair removal laser technologies can produce a 70-100% reduction.

The list of reasons why you shouldn’t perform spa treatments at home is endless. There is too much room for error, and since a majority of these treatments are performed on the face, it’s not worth the risk. It is also important to seek the skilled experience of professionals at a reputable medical spa for these services. There are different types of skin care spas with providers of varying credentials, so do your research and make sure you are seeing a licensed provider with ample experience to maximize your results and minimize complications.

The licensed providers of AYA Medical Spa safely provide a variety of cosmetic skin treatments at our Phipps Plaza, Northside, and Alpharetta locations. By performing a skin analysis on each patient before treatment, we are able to discuss any concerns, answer questions, and ensure we are pursuing the proper protocol based on the patient’s skin condition. We strive to help patients make the best skincare decisions by providing helpful information on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, so be sure to connect with us if you haven’t already.