Does it hurt? Does it work? We go hands-on with Homedics' Radiance Microdermabrasion device

Microdermabrasion is an intimidating word, but if you break it down, it makes total sense: a micro (very small) device to remove derma (skin) via abrasion (grazing away).

That's exactly what Homedics Radiance Microdermabrasion with Cooling purports to do. By gently scraping at the surface of your face and whisking away the particles of skin, this device aims to reveal the fresh, smooth, and radiant skin below – much like a deep exfoliation.

We got our paws on one to give it a try.

What's in the box?

In the Radiance package, you get the hand-held device itself, its charging dock and cord, two diamond-tipped heads (one for normal skin and one a little less rough for sensitive skin), 100 black wool filters (a new one of which you need to affix to the device each time you use it), a cleaning brush, a soft little travel pouch, and an info booklet.

How does it operate?

Click the device into its charging dock, plug the dock in, and the 4 LED lights will shine in sequence to show you the Radiance is charging. Ours took about 45 minutes to reach full charge, at which time the lights stopped flashing. Conveniently, the Radiance will already have a wool filter fitted, but you can firmly pull the diamond head off to see where the new filter needs to sit once it's time to change it.

Before you begin using the Radiance, thoroughly cleanse and dry your skin so it's totally bare. You should also read the handy booklet to get to know which level of intensity is suggested for different parts of your face.

Press and hold the power button to turn the device on, start at the lowest intensity setting (press the power button to cycle through settings), and then... try pressing the diamond tip on the back of your hand! This little trick gives you a really good idea of the strength of the device's suction and allows you to get a feel for how to move the diamond tip across contours. The device is super ergonomic, but it will take a bit of practice to get the right angles of suction.

Now – showtime! Starting on the lower half of your face, pull your skin taught just in front of your ear, press the diamond tip to your outer cheekbone, and move it inwards. Return to where you started, move down a little, and repeat, line-by-line – as if you were 3D-printing your own face.

From there, follow the booklet's diagrams of recommended movement arcs and treat your face section by section, changing the intensity setting as needed. Make sure you don't re-treat the same area more than twice – if you do, you could damage your skin. But you will likely know if you've already hit a particular spot because your skin will be tingling – and look a bit red!

This brings us to an important point: redness is a very common reaction to microdermabrasion, and that's where the device's new cooling plate comes in. Hit the little snowflake button, and the metal cooling plate – on the device's base – will fire (ice?) itself up. Press the plate against whichever part of your face is feeling hot or looking pink, and you'll feel relief immediately.

First-time users will find the sensation of microdermabrasion odd – but you definitely should not feel any pain. If you do, lower the intensity setting and/or swap to the sensitive diamond tip head.

Our results

After literally one treatment with the Radiance, our skin was noticeably smoother – as if we'd been at it with a high-quality exfoliation facial to remove surface impurities. After two weeks at two sessions a week, the visible texture of the skin was refined, and some persistent bumps along the chin had flattened out.

More sessions will be needed to see whether the Radiance will have an effect on sun damage – and we can't wait to see how it turns out because our initial impressions of the Radiance's effects are sparkling.