It’s a classic beauty rule: Undergoing a facial right before a big event is a rookie mistake. And it makes sense, extractions and exfoliation notoriously leaves skin red and bothered. So how do celebs like Beyoncé go from treatment to red carpet ready on the very same day? The powerful skin-softening, pore-minimizing, age-erasing HydraFacial of course! So when my go- to spa, Organic Elements Spa started offering this service, I had to try it.
The HydraFacial is a genius idea for people who want to see results but don’t want to spend two hours at a spa or medical office. The machine’s tip cleanses, it exfoliates, it does a light glycolic/salicylic peel, and it performs extractions with a vacuum tip before delivering a hydrating serum. Yep, it actually sucks the clogs out of your skin which I very much enjoyed seeing. The painless treatment takes about 30 to 45 minutes and leaves your skin looking much brighter and clearer. It is well worth the $100 price tag.
Of course, if you have easygoing skin, a facial is a nice treat, but it's not a necessity. For those of us with breakout-prone skin, facials can be life-changing-no exaggeration. I didn’t want to believe it, mostly because deep down, I am a penny pincher. But when I saw how much smoother and clearer my complexion was, I decided monthly facials just might be worth it.
First, It employs a double helix like vacuuming action to exfoliate dead skin cells and rid the skin of excess oil. But unlike a microdermabrasion, this machine deposits a medical-grade serum to help loosen dead cells and debris, while simultaneously vacuuming its surface with a soft silicone tip. “When you’re extracting, you’re also infusing,” Marcia (my esthetician) explains.
The same concept is used to perform hands-free extractions. As glycolic and salicylic acid is deposited onto the skin through the tip, the pore opening is widened, allowing the vacuum suction to dislodge and suck up nastiness from deep inside. Unlike with some manual extractions, strong pressure isn’t used, making the whole de-gunking process a heck of a lot more gentle and completely pain-free.
After cleansing my skin and giving my face a killer massage, Marcia set the machine to cleanse my skin again, then performed lymphatic drainage, something that helps flush toxins beneath the skin.
Then came time for the big guns: exfoliation and deep cleaning that typically employ abrasion and lancing. Sure enough, when the wand touched my skin, only a very light sucking sensation was felt.
The treatment seemed so gentle that I worried it wasn’t actually doing much. But afterward, when Marcia showed me the debris that had been collected from my pores, I could see exactly how much progress had been made.
Afterward, my face gleamed from the deep cleaning, with absolutely no redness in sight, an effect that explains why this relaxing but results-driven treatment has become a go-to for celebrities.
Facials are generally a good way to give your skin a little more TLC than usual, so don’t fear them. Tell us about a time you had a facial. What were your results?