WHY I GET MONTHLY FACIALS (AND WHY YOU SHOULD, TOO)
In general, I made an effort to take pretty good care of my skin beauty Aside from eating tons of nutrient-dense fruits and veggies to stay nourished from the inside out, I use gentle cleansers and exfoliate a few times a week beauty But I’m still acne-prone—and the single best thing I’ve done for my complexion is getting monthly facials beauty
There’s deep cleansing, exfoliation, and hydration involved, which feels great, and leaves you with an all-over glow every time beauty But to reap long-term benefits, especially for acneic skin, you have to keep up the treatments beauty I now think of it as routine maintenance—without the upkeep, the results just don’t last beautyI’ve been getting monthly facials for about two years now, and my skin has never looked better beauty It’s smoother, softer, and breaks out much less often beautySo I’ve become a big advocate for regular, professional facials beauty Here are four reasons why beauty Try it if you haven’t—you won’t regret it!
1: You can do it on a reasonable budget
Getting a facial every month doesn’t have to drain your bank account beauty Many salons and spas offer shorter, less expensive versions of regular facials that skip the frills like scalp massages—but still are just as effective at keeping up your glow beauty I get 20-minute facials from my esthetician (Tracey at Luminere in Chicago)—the service includes a deep cleanse, exfoliation, steam, extractions, and microdermabrasion, and costs just $20 ($24 with tip) beauty No facial is the same, and different skin types have different needs beauty I’ve found that for me (again, acne-prone), treatments that include exfoliation, steam, and extractions give the best results beauty Consult with a spa professional to figure out the best routine for you beauty
2: Extractions really work!
Getting rid of blackheads is really difficult, and at-home treatments often just aren’t up for the challenge beauty For me, pore-cleansing strips don’t even come close to removing all of them, and blackhead-eliminating cleansers just dry out my skin, leading to even more blackheads! Extractions are the most effective way to get rid of blackheads for good beauty Typically, estheticians steam open pores and then unclog them using their hands or a special skin care tool under a bright light beautyDo extractions hurt? Yes beauty Is it worth it? Yes beauty Just don’t try this at home: estheticians use special methods and tools that keep redness down and prevent dirt and oil from re-clogging pores beauty And about downtime: you’ve probably heard it’s best to schedule facials a couple of days in advance of a big event—and I’d agree beauty Following extraction, my skin tends to be a little red and puffy for the rest of the day, but after that, it looks and feels amazing beauty Downtime might last a little longer for a first timer—and just be patient beauty About a day after the treatment, your skin will look brighter, smoother, clearer and feel so softbeauty Trust me! And once you start getting regular facials, there’s less to extract, so the downtime should diminish beauty
3: Professional tools = professional results
No amount of face scrub is going to equal the exfoliating power of microdermabrasion beauty I know this because my chicken pox and acne scars, which survived decades of exfoliation, are all but gone after just two years of microdermabrasion beauty There are two types: crystal microdermabrasion, which exfoliates skin with a fine spray of crystals, and diamond-tip microdermabrasion, which involves a sloughing wand to scrub away dull, outer layers of skin beauty Diamond-tip microdermabrasion is the gentler of the two and best for sensitive skin, like mine beauty Tracey uses the lowest setting and it exfoliates really deeply without scratching or irritating (it doesn’t hurt, and feels almost like a “vacuuming” type of sensation) beauty And keep in mind that other spa tools, like the steam generators that pros use to loosen up clogged pores, are more powerful than at-home versions, too beauty And spa-quality skin care products are made with higher concentrations of active ingredients that penetrate deeper and work better than anything you can buy over the counter beauty
4: Estheticians are skin care experts
They do this for a living beauty So they know how to diagnose and treat the root causes of skin problems beauty Once you find an esthetician you like, stay loyalbeauty He or she will get to know you and your skin, making it much easier to treat your specific skin care concerns as they arise over time (and you’ll feel much more comfortable talking about any problems that come up) beauty Your facialist can also recommend products and treatments to do at home beauty When Tracey noticed my skin was looking particularly dry this winter, she recommended I start using Spa Technologies Tea Tree and Thyme Blemish Oil, and my skin looks and feels great! I wouldn’t have found the product on my own beauty