Results vary between patients. What this treatment can be expected to do for your skin is discussed with you at your consultation, and is not promised here.
The treatment
HydroLux is a hydrodermabrasion treatment. The surface of the skin is exfoliated and cleansed with gentle suction, and treatment solutions chosen for your skin are applied as it works, to improve how the skin looks and feels.
It is carried out by our dermal therapists as part of a plan that starts with an assessment of your skin and your medical history, rather than chosen from a menu.
Your care team
Dr Pedro Valente
Registered medical practitioner, MED0001201428Specialist general practitioner (FRACGP), with substantial experience in non-surgical cosmetic proceduresThe Skin Wellness Hub, Gledswood Hills NSW
Dr Pedro Valente founded The Skin Wellness Hub to bring medical oversight to skin health and aesthetic care. He graduated in medicine (MBBS) from the University of Tasmania, has been a registered medical practitioner since 2007, and holds specialist registration in general practice as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP).
Being doctor-led means every treatment plan here starts with a medical history: your health, your medications, and anything that changes which treatments are appropriate for you. That is the difference between a clinic run by a doctor and one that only has a doctor’s name on the door.
This page was reviewed by Dr Valente in September 2026
You will be looked after by Dr Valente and the dermal and medical team from your first visit. A HydroLux treatment is carried out by our dermal therapists, working together under Dr Valente’s clinical direction, and a doctor reviews your medical history as part of your assessment before any treatment is booked. Your plan and notes are shared across the team, so whoever you see knows your skin and your history, and you can book your treatments directly with the dermal team.
Where it comes up
These are the concerns people most often bring to an assessment where HydroLux is one of the options discussed. Raising a concern here does not mean this treatment is the answer to it. Which option suits you, if any, is decided after your skin has been assessed.
The mechanism
Hydrodermabrasion combines exfoliation with liquid. A handpiece is moved across the skin while a controlled vacuum removes dead surface cells, oil and debris, and a treatment solution is drawn over the skin at the same time. The suction strength and the solution are both set for your skin, and can be made gentler for skin that is more reactive.
Depending on your skin, the treatment may also include a mechanical exfoliation step using a textured treatment tip, before the hydrating stage. Which steps you have, and in what order, is decided by your therapist from your assessment rather than set as a fixed routine.
The clinic uses the HydroLux system, and what it is supplied for is the limit of what this page will tell you it does. HydroLux is a different system from other branded hydrodermabrasion facials, and this page describes only the one the clinic owns.
It works on the surface layers of the skin. It does not reach the deeper layers that treatments such as microneedling work in, and it is often discussed as part of a wider plan rather than on its own.
It is carried out by our dermal therapists under Dr Valente’s clinical direction.
Step by step
01
Your skin is assessed, your medical history, current medications and skincare are taken, and whether this treatment is appropriate for you is decided. If it is not, you are told so.
02
Your skin is cleansed, then exfoliated and treated in stages with the handpiece, working across the face and, if it is part of your plan, the neck and chest. No anaesthetic is needed. Most people describe a cool, wet sensation and a light pulling from the suction.
03
Allow around 45 minutes in the clinic, depending on which steps are included in your treatment.
04
Your skin may look pink and feel tight or slightly warm, usually for a few hours. Most people go back to their usual activities the same day.
05
Some people notice their skin feels smoother after a session. Any change in the appearance of the skin over time is gradual, varies between patients, and is discussed with you rather than promised.
06
It can be a single appointment or a series spaced a few weeks apart, with the number and spacing decided at your assessment rather than set in advance.
Important information
Outcomes vary between patients
This treatment does not produce the same result in every person, and it does not produce a result in every person. No particular outcome is promised. What is realistic for your skin is discussed with you at your consultation, based on your own assessment.
This is a clinical exfoliating treatment and it carries risks. The following are discussed with you in full before you consent.
Common, and expected:
Less common, and requiring treatment:
This list is written for this treatment specifically and is not a complete account of everything that can happen. Contact the clinic if anything concerns you after treatment.
There is usually no downtime. Any redness is mild and temporary and may last a few hours, occasionally up to a day, and swelling or bruising is not expected. Any dryness or light flaking settles over the following days. Some people settle sooner and some take longer.
You can generally return to work and everyday activities the same day. Make-up, active skincare, exfoliants, heat, swimming and sun exposure are restricted for a period that is set out in your aftercare instructions.
If you have an event coming up, tell the team at your consultation so treatment can be timed around it.
The effect of a single treatment on how the skin looks and feels is usually short lived, which is why it is often planned as a series or as part of ongoing skin care. How long any change lasts varies between patients and depends on your skin, your skincare and sun exposure. This is discussed with you at your assessment, in relation to your own skin, rather than stated as a general figure here.
Nobody is treated on a first visit without assessment. Suitability is determined at an individual consultation, with your medical history reviewed by a doctor, and any treatment plan follows that assessment.
Dr Pedro ValenteRegistered medical practitioner, MED0001201428Specialist general practitioner (FRACGP), with substantial experience in non-surgical cosmetic proceduresThe Skin Wellness Hub, Gledswood Hills NSW
Suitability
This is not a complete list. Bring your full medical history and every medication and supplement you take to your consultation, including anything you buy without a prescription and any skincare containing retinoids or acids.
Afterwards
You are given written aftercare instructions before you leave, and they are specific to what you have had done. In general terms they cover keeping the skin clean and moisturised, avoiding exfoliants and active skincare for a few days, avoiding heat and swimming, and wearing sunscreen and staying out of the sun for a stated period.
Follow the instructions you are given at the clinic in preference to anything you read here or anywhere else.
Questions
Cost is discussed with you at your assessment, once it is clear what you would actually be having and how often. We do not publish prices, because a figure quoted before anyone has looked at your skin is not a real figure.
The treatment follows an assessment of your skin and a medical history, it is carried out by dermal therapists working under a doctor’s clinical direction, and it is planned alongside anything else you are having. The device and the solutions are chosen for your skin rather than from a set menu.
No. HydroLux is its own system. It works on a similar principle to other hydrodermabrasion treatments, but this page describes only the equipment the clinic actually uses, and your therapist can explain the differences at your consultation.
Most people describe it as a cool, wet sensation with a light pulling from the suction, and some find the exfoliation step slightly scratchy. People differ, so if anything is uncomfortable, say so and the settings can be adjusted.
That depends on your skin and what else is in your plan. Some people have a single treatment, others a series spaced a few weeks apart. It is decided at your assessment rather than set in advance.
Often, but the timing matters. It is not done on skin that has recently been peeled, needled or treated with laser, and some treatments are spaced around it. Bring a list of anything you have had done recently to your consultation.
One of our dermal therapists carries out the treatment, working under the clinical direction of Dr Pedro Valente, registered medical practitioner MED0001201428. Your medical history is reviewed with a doctor as part of your assessment, before treatment is booked.
Also at the clinic
Where a treatment plan starts. Your skin is photographed and measured, and Dr Valente goes through what he is looking at with you.
A light-based treatment that does not break the skin, sometimes planned in the same visit as a facial.
A treatment that works deeper than the surface, discussed for concerns about skin texture and scarring.
Next step
Every treatment plan here starts with the advanced skin assessment, a 45-minute consultation in which your skin is photographed and measured and your medical history is taken. Whether HydroLux is right for you is answered there, properly.
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