What You Need to Know About Facial Treatments

For many, their knowledge of popular facial skin care treatments begins and ends with the classic face mask everyone knows – think cucumber slices. However, there’s quite a bit to know when it comes to using facials to effectively care for your skin. For example, mask or a peel? Also, what benefit do facial treatments provide to your skin and what are the consequences of not using them properly? And finally, what is the difference between seeing a professional, using an at-home facial, and using a homemade facial? Let’s find out.

The Basics

Simply put, a facial is designed to cleanse, moisturize, and rejuvenate the face (hopefully!). While a facial treatment procedure is not the best treatment for severe skin issues like acne, many suggest they can help you relax while improving the look and feel of your skin.

Some of the benefits of regular facials include a healthier complexion, fewer breakouts, and smoother skin. I mean, who doesn’t love to feel pampered every now and then?

Types of Facial Treatments

• Simple: the most common, basic, and well-known cleansing facial mask treatment
• Bio-lift: treats problem areas under your eyes
• Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) facials: this is actually a chemical peel that uses a variety of acids like citric and glycolic acid to remove dead cells on the skin’s surface

For beginners to facials, it’s crucial to know the difference between facial masks and chemical peels. Chemical peels require a little bit more care than a simple facial mask, and administering them too often can be damaging to your skin.

That said, chemical peels do work for a lot of people – it’s just about knowing your skin and ensuring that you trust the person providing the treatment.

Extractions

One aspect of facial treatments that are less frequently discussed are extractions. Typically done by an esthetician, extractions involve a professional removing blackheads and whiteheads from your skin. While this process is beneficial for your skin, it is crucial to ensure that the person doing the extractions is wearing gloves, using the proper equipment, and is taking care not to make too many extractions at once (too many in one sitting can be damaging to the skin). Done incorrectly, extractions can harm your skin and leave you looking and feeling worse off than when you sat down.

Taking Care of the Skin

While seeing a professional is often the best way to make sure your facial mask or facial peel is administered properly, there are a number of at-home options available – both kits for purchase and homemade recipes. Many often wonder if they really if the benefits of a facial are necessary or worth it. Of course, it depends entirely on your skin. For many, facial masks and peels will mainly improve the look of their skin by clearing pores, stripping away dead cells, and softening the skin.

Facial treatments do not work well for everyone – some individuals will experience breakouts, drier skin, or adverse reactions to products being used. If your skin feels increasingly irritated or you experience high levels of pain (typically, a burning sensation) at any point during the procedure, it is likely harming your skin. Again, knowing and observing your skin will be the best indication of whether these facial treatments will work for you.

At-Home Facials

While seeing a professional is often the best way to make sure your facial mask or facial peel is administered properly, there are a number of at-home options available – both kits for purchase and homemade recipes.

At-home facials are great if you are short on time, or want to treat your skin while in the comfort of your own home. They are often simpler and less expensive than paying for an expensive spa facial, and your skin still feels refreshed afterwards.

However, incorrectly using a prepackaged at-home kit can be disastrous for your skin. All it takes is a quick Google search to see some of the horror stories of individuals who using glycolic acid chemical peels at home without properly following the instructions.

Homemade Facials

On the other hand, homemade facials are rising in popularity because the you have more control over what ingredients go into the facial and thus, onto their skin. There are countless recipes for at home facials online – including chocolate, banana, acai berries, and sandalwood. One major plus is that  homemade facials tend to be gentler and can be used by people who have more sensitive skin.

The downside to homemade facial treatments is that they can be expensive and time consuming to prepare, and if you are choosing to implement acidic components like glycolic or citric acid, it is imperative that you know what you are doing. Make sure to follow the recipe exactly and test the treatment on a small area of skin before applying to your entire face.

What’s the Peel?

When done right, facials can leave your skin feeling and looking fantastic and glowing. However, knowing your skin and having someone who knows exactly what they are doing are obviously two key ways to ensure that your facial treatment does not harm your skin’s health.

Whether at the spa, at home, or homemade – keep all of this information in mind before you break out the cucumber slices! Facial treatments specifically designed to work in tandem with a regular skin care routine can make for the best overall results to thoroughly clean the skin and keep it healthy long-term. Facials are not a suitable replacement for an overall skin care routine. Like anything, the benefits of facial skin treatments are not permanent.