Howdy Y’all,
Happy Friday, wow this week has flown by, yesterday I took a timeout and went for a little pampering. I love a facial and it would be my desert island beauty treatment. A facial can transform your skin and how you feel. When your a mum or have a busy life making time to have a little pampering is often difficult so you want it to be good. My thoughts on those who don’t like facials is you either haven’t found the right treatment or the right person. It is that simple. I have come out before feeling a little let down by the money taken and the result and that is not a good feeling. So when you get the right combination keep it up. I have wanted to try a HydraFacial for an absolute age but hadn’t had the time or inclination to do the research, well now I have.
What is a facial?
A facial is a multi step beauty treatment for your face conducted by an esthetician. A facial generally includes cleansing, exfoliating ,extracting, masking and nurturing the skin. The objective is to assist with skin concerns which can be a wide range from skin complaints like acne or rosacea etc. to anti-ageing with a primary focus on creating clear, clean and hydrated skin.
Why Facial?
A good facial is an essential part of an effective skin regime. It clears pores in a way cleansing at home can not , diagnoses skin issues which can change with age, climate and lifestyle. A skilled esthetician can help you with a skin regime suited for your skin type. The lights and equipment make them able to see your skin at a microscopic level and assist in diagnosing issues and guide you on effective products more than a person at a beauty counter. Finally they can perform extractions properly, whether it is blackheads (we all have them,) milia or regular spots they can assist in their removal without scaring and no God awful pore strip in sight.
How Often?
A good facialist will say to see great results you should visit them monthly and honestly that is not always practical financially or schedule wise, so my answer is get them when you can. An annual facial is better that no facial, plus they make awesome gifts.
Why HydraFacial?
A HydraFacial is a new gentle treatment, it is the latest offering in non laser skin resurfacing. It combines cleansing, exfoliating, extracting and hydrating products into your skin. It does this with the use of a small machine with high suction which works like a vacuum. The suction absorbs dead skin, clears and extracts blocked pores. The HydraFacial is effective for all skin types including sensitive skin and can assist and treat all skin needs and issues. It leaves you with clearer, cleaner and more beautiful skin with a limited recovery time.
My thoughts and results.
After doing lots of research and reading reviews I decided to visit a med spa within walking distance of my home. I was not disappointed, my esthetician Heidi was a lady older than me who had terrific skin, looked and dressed well. I always feel more comfortable when the person performing procedures looks like I would like to. She was not heavily made up with too many procedures and her professionalism in her work was similar to her appearance, excellent. She was incredibly knowledgeable and careful. I really appreciated the time she took to explain each step of the procedure and she did extra extraction without the machine (removed a few of those beastly milia.) The extraction pain was minimal discomfort. The whole procedure was painless, it is not as relaxing as other facials mainly because of the noise of the machine but that did not concern me as I could feel the benefits. I got particular satisfaction from the machine extraction because it feels a little like a scrubber on a saucepan and I knew it was cleaning and clearing those pores. At times I could feel my cheeks flushing in particular and you will see that in the pictures below, that is expected for me as I have sensitive skin and slight rosacea. Heidi talked me through and explained how I could change and add to my regime to help with the issues. I was pleased to hear she felt my regime was working very well and that my skin was hydrated with minimal lines. All the hard work is paying off, I enjoyed chatting through some of my skin care concerns and how I felt my skin had changed since we had moved to the more humid climate of the Houston. One thing I found remarkably satisfying is to see the dirty liquid sucked from you face, I enclose a photo for those of you mad enough. The sediment is things stuck in my pores – gross. As I left my skin felt warm and I did have redness, but my skin felt glowing and it never felt dry or tight. The redness went down very quickly and I attach photos immediately after, after about an hour where you can see some dried skin cells on my face and then about two hours later when I had washed my face and reapplied sun screen. I am writing his approx six hours later and my skin feels clean and wonderful. I can’t wait for the next one!
Before the procedure, my skin was looking a little dull, tired and I had some minor congestion.
A closeup on a problem area, milia, sun spots and pigment.
The gunk taken from my face, Heidi is highlighting the sediment.
The color of the extracted liquid
The amount of liquid
My face straight after the procedure. Lots of redness in the cheekbone area.
About one hour after, you can see a few dead skin cells and white stuff left on my face.
A closeup after treatment, still a little red but it is glowing and looks cleaner and more hydrated
Picture about three hours later, after I washed my face in cool water and added sunscreen, Thrilled with the results. Skin looks cleaner, fresher and more hydrated. I could almost pass as 50- lol.
Have any questions please get in touch. Have you tried a HydraFacial? Have I inspired you. It is so important to take care of our skin.
Happy Weekend Friends.
Kx