DiamondGlow
DiamondGlow does three things in one pass. It exfoliates, suctions and delivers serum.
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
Diamond Glow vs Microdermabrasion
DiamondGlow is diamond-tip microdermabrasion with a branded serum added in the same pass. It is one company's machine, with set serums, set tips and a set protocol. Microdermabrasion is the same abrasion without the serum step. No trial has compared the two.
At a glance
| The difference | DiamondGlow | Microdermabrasion |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | No reliable published price | Two weak survey figures |
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion sands the top layer of skin with a wand and suction.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What you actually do
DiamondGlow
A wet diamond tip, plus a serum
The tip sands the skin inside a film of fluid. Suction pulls the debris and used fluid away. A named SkinMedica serum is left on skin that has just had its outer layer disturbed.
Microdermabrasion
A crystal or diamond tip, then vacuum
Crystal machines fire tiny crystals at the skin and vacuum them back. Diamond-tip machines use a grit wand and vacuum. Either way, the machine takes off dead cells and debris. You apply whatever the clinic stocks afterwards.
How it works, illustrated
Microdermabrasion
Conditions treated
Microdermabrasion
Keratosis Pilaris
Sanding the surface has the same problem as a body scrub: the plug sits inside the follicle, below where it reaches. Any smoothness is short-lived, and it adds redness. On deeper skin tones the irritation can leave dark marks, so it is one to skip.
1 / 6→
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Sands off the very top of the skin, which is above where the pigment actually sits, so it does little for brown marks and nothing for gray ones. Repeated sessions add friction and inflammation to skin that marks easily. Money spent here is better spent on daily sunscreen and a treatment that reaches the pigment cells.
←2 / 6→
Sun Spots (Solar Lentigines)
Polishes off the very top layer of skin, which makes it briefly smoother and brighter. The pigment in a sun spot is held in ridges below that layer, so it is not reached. It is often sold as a treatment for spots and it is not one, and repeated sessions can irritate skin enough to leave marks of their own.
←3 / 6→
Stretch Marks
It polishes the surface layer, and the tear that made the stretch mark is well below that. It is commonly sold as a stretch mark treatment and the published results are minimal. If a clinic is offering this as their answer, it is worth asking what else they do.
←4 / 6→
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Sands off the outer dead layer, so skin feels smoother and looks brighter for a few days. It does not reach the dermis, which is where wrinkles are, so it does not change them. Pleasant, safe on most skin, and frequently sold as an anti-aging treatment when it is not one.
←5 / 6→
Acne Scarring
Polishes the very top layer of skin, which is nowhere near deep enough to reach the collagen that makes a scar. It can leave skin looking brighter for a few days. It is widely sold for acne scarring and it does not change acne scarring.
←6 / 6
What you can expect to see
DiamondGlow
Smoother, brighter skin
In the largest study, 29 women had six treatments over 12 weeks with a growth factor serum. Raters said fine lines, smoothness and radiance all improved. But the maker ran the study and there was no control group. The same women also used the serum at home twice a day for 12 weeks. So it cannot tell you how much the machine did.
Microdermabrasion
The same surface smoothing
Microdermabrasion has a much bigger published record. One study found three passes did no better than two.
What it will not do
DiamondGlow
Not a drug, by the maker's own account
The maker says its serums are meant to be cosmetics. They are not drugs, and are not meant to treat disease. Its own site calls the machine a general dermabrasion device. It takes off the top layer of skin and puts serums on it.
Microdermabrasion
Limited for pigment problems and acne
A review found microdermabrasion can smooth rough texture. It can also help skin take up some medicines. It does little for dark marks or acne.
Related topic illustrations
Microdermabrasion
Microneedling
Moderate evidence. Aimed at indented scars and texture, which microdermabrasion does not touch. More downtime per session, more cost, and usually done once active acne is controlled.
How long before you see anything
DiamondGlow
Six sessions, two weeks apart
That is the schedule every published protocol used. Skin looks smoother and brighter the same day.
Microdermabrasion
About six sessions, often weekly
Weekly is the most common published gap, usually six sessions. On a generic machine, the interval is set by whoever owns it.
The downside
DiamondGlow
Stinging, then tightness and redness
The company describes a scratchy, stinging feeling during treatment. After it, skin can feel tight and look red or a little puffy. It calls serious problems uncommon. The rare ones it lists are bad irritation and allergic reactions. Two FDA injury reports are on file. One was red streaks on the neck and under one eye. One was an allergic reaction to a serum used during treatment.
Microdermabrasion
Redness for a day, plus crystal dust
Redness is usually gone within a day. Crystal versions spray loose dust near the eyes and airway, so eye protection is standard.
Cost
DiamondGlow
No reliable published price
No professional society reports a fee for it. The maker publishes no price. Clinic menu prices are set by the businesses selling the treatment.
Microdermabrasion
Two weak survey figures
One consumer survey put the average at $177. A 2020 survey of providers put it at $167. Neither tells you much about the machine you will be treated with.
The at-home or drugstore version
DiamondGlow
No home machine does the serum step
The whole idea is a serum put onto skin at the moment it is sanded, inside a film of fluid. No home device does that. Rubbing a serum on after a scrub is not the same treatment.
Microdermabrasion
Scrubs and handheld vacuums
A home scrub or small suction wand works on the very surface. It has far less power and no controlled tip.
Who tends to be happy with it
DiamondGlow
- Best for — Someone who wants a set plan, a named serum and a maker that posts safety information.
- Best for — Someone whose goal is immediate radiance and smoothness, not a structural change.
- The mindset — You are paying for consistency. You are not paying for a proven edge.
- Ask — Which serum is being used, and what is in it. That is the part you are paying extra for.
Microdermabrasion
- Best for — Someone who wants the same abrasion for less and is happy to bring their own aftercare.
- Best for — Someone with dull or rough skin who wants a longer track record, not a brand.
- The mindset — Quality varies a lot here, and the FDA paperwork does not sort it. The operator and the clinic are what matter.
- Ask — What machine it is, whether the tip is single-use, and how the settings will be chosen for your skin.
The fine print
DiamondGlow
There is no 510(k) for DiamondGlow, and the manufacturer does not claim one. There is none for Dermalinfusion or SilkPeel either. Allergan Aesthetics holds Class II clearances for unrelated products, and those belong to those products, not to this one.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
What is the difference between DiamondGlow and microdermabrasion?
DiamondGlow is diamond-tip microdermabrasion with a serum infused during the same pass, sold as a branded system by Allergan Aesthetics. The abrasion itself is the same technology a generic diamond-tip machine uses. The differences are the branded SkinMedica serums, the defined protocol, the single-use tips and the price, not the way the skin is exfoliated.
Is DiamondGlow FDA cleared?
No. It is registered as a Class I powered dermabrasion device under 21 CFR 878.4820 and is exempt from FDA premarket review, so there is no K-number and no reviewed indication. The manufacturer does not claim clearance anywhere on its own product page and describes the machine as a general dermabrasion device. General controls still apply, meaning registration, listing, manufacturing quality rules and a ban on false labeling.
Is DiamondGlow better than a regular microdermabrasion facial?
Nobody has tested that. There is no trial comparing DiamondGlow with a generic diamond-tip machine or with conventional microdermabrasion. What DiamondGlow reliably gives you is a known serum, a documented protocol and a manufacturer behind the device. Whether that produces a better looking result than a good operator on a cheaper machine is unknown.
What does the research on DiamondGlow actually show?
The largest study is 29 women followed for 12 weeks with six treatments every two weeks, showing significant improvement in fine lines, smoothness, radiance and hydration. It was open-label with no control group, the authors were affiliated with the manufacturer and a contract testing company, and subjects also used the same serum twice a day at home for the whole 12 weeks. The device effect cannot be separated from the home serum.
Which costs more?
DiamondGlow, usually. There is no reliable published price for it, because no professional society or government source tracks it and the manufacturer publishes no list price. For plain microdermabrasion the citable figures are a consumer survey average of $177 from 90 self-reported reviews updated June 2023, and $167 from a 2020 professional society survey.
Which is better for dull, congested skin?
Neither has been shown better than the other, because they have not been compared. The strongest evidence for the wet, serum-plus-suction approach is a randomized study of 23 women where a mild acid solution applied with suction reduced whiteheads and blackheads more than the same solution alone, though the difference between the two sides was significant only at one week. That supports the general idea rather than a particular brand.
Does DiamondGlow hurt, and what are the side effects?
The manufacturer describes a scratchy, stinging sensation during treatment and temporary tightness, redness or slight swelling afterward, with serious effects described as uncommon and rare serious effects listed as severe skin irritation and allergic reactions. FDA injury reports on file for this device include one allergic reaction that spread from the jawline to the neck, face and eyes, and one case of inflamed red stroke marks from tip pressure.
How often would I have it?
Every published protocol used six treatments spaced two weeks apart over 12 weeks. That is what the studies did, not an interval anyone has tested. No study has compared intervals or measured what happens with ongoing maintenance treatments.
Safety to keep in mind
You are buying consistency, not a different mechanism. A known serum. A written plan. Single-use tips. Published safety information, and a company big enough to answer the phone.
A known formula is worth something. Professional serums do not have to list their ingredients for you. At many clinics you do not know what is going on your skin. The maker publishes what its serums are.
So is a service network. FDA reports in this device category include damaged power supplies and bare wiring. A maker that services its own machines is a real check on quality.
None of that means a better result. No study shows the branded machine does more for your face than a well-kept generic one in good hands. That comparison has never been run.
Tell your provider about any allergy, including to skincare ingredients. A serum goes onto skin that has just been sanded.
Say at booking if you get cold sores. Antiviral medicine is started in advance, so it has to be prescribed before the appointment.
Skip either treatment if your skin is broken, sunburned or inflamed. The maker warns against treating damaged skin.
Ask what machine is used, whether the tip is new, and what goes onto your skin. If a clinic calls the machine FDA cleared or FDA approved, that is not accurate for either device here.
Both machines are the same class of FDA device, and that class is exempt. Allergan lists DiamondGlow with the FDA as a Class I powered dermabrasion device, product code GFE, 21 CFR 878.4820, exempt from premarket review. Every generic microdermabrasion machine sits in the same place. Powered dermabrasion devices were exempted from premarket notification in 1998, and manual ones in 1994. No microdermabrasion machine has FDA-cleared indications for use.
Ownership. DiamondGlow is the rebrand of Dermalinfusion, which began as SilkPeel from Envy Medical. Allergan acquired Envy Medical in March 2019, and the platform now sits under the SkinMedica brand inside Allergan Aesthetics. The FDA listing still carries the earlier names.
General controls still apply on both sides. Those are registration, product listing, manufacturing quality rules, adverse event reporting and a ban on false labelling. Roughly 158 devices are listed under this product code, from large aesthetics companies to imported skin scrubbers and blackhead vacuums. The branded platform and the cheap imported machine have the same regulatory status.