mySKiN&CO

What is a Facial?
In short, a facial is a treatment for the face, where the face is cleansed, steamed, any blackheads are removed, the face is treated and massaged, a mask is applied and finally a moisturizer and a sunscreen. It usually lasts 60 – 90 minutes. And at times, machinery can be used. At the end you will have a healthy glow. When facials are done as a treatment to treat a particular concern such as ageing, acne, pigmentation, etc, a series of treatments need to be performed. (more…)

Popularity: 2% [?]

Usually the answer depends on what results you are expecting from the facial. Facials are often a deep cleansing and / or a treatment on it own. So first you would need to ask yourself what is it that you really want to achieve out of your facial. Your expectations have to be realistic though. In this article I intend answering the frequency of facials within specific expectations.

Regular Maintenance:

If you are a person who has a regular homecare routine, then I would recommend a facial once every season i.e. 4 facials a year. Now by regular homecare routine I mean cleansing at least once a day, ideally twice a day; applying a moisturizer at least once a day, preferably morning and night; applying sunscreen, exfoliating twice a week, and applying a mask once a week. Sometimes a routine might vary depending on your skin’s condition.
Having a facial once every season, would prepare your skin for the next season, and maybe your therapist can guide you whether you need a lighter or a heavier moisturizer for the coming season.

Deep-Cleansing Facial:

If you are treating a lot of blackheads, then you might consider having a facial once every 6 – 8 weeks, so that you can keep on top of the blackheads. With this is necessary the correct home care program, to try to eliminate the blackheads.

Concentrated Maintenance:

For those people who are ‘too busy’ to have a proper homecare routine, then I would definitely suggest a facial once every 6 – 8 weeks. However, it is imperative that you ‘find the time’ to do a simple 5 minute a day homecare program. It is just cleanse, tone and moisturize – morning and night. Even though during a facial you get an intensive treatment, however the results don’t usually last 6 weeks. Hence, taking care of your face in between facials is necessary for healthy skin.

Intensive Treatment:

If you are after a specific result, then most likely you would need more intense treatments. The frequency would depend on the result you are after – could be you are treating acne, or pigmentation, or acne scarring, or you are after a ‘skin tightening’ result. Since these are special treatments, the therapist would guide you as to the exact number of treatments necessary, and how far apart you would be having these treatments. During these treatments sometimes special products are used, and / or machinery such as Microdermabrasion, Lift 6, Thermage, IPL, and so on. One has to note that sometimes these treatments do not always include a full facial treatment i.e. in some cases you’ll just go for the machine, and there won’t be any products such as an exfoliation or a mask involved. In addition, a specific homecare routine is usually prescribed to get the results that you are after.

P.S. If you have enjoyed this article, make sure to join this community by subscribing to the free wealth of information.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Stop to think about your last facial treatment, and see if you agree with me or not.

So first the therapist cleansed and exfoliated your face and décolleté, did the treatment stage and now it is time for your massage. You are all there relaxed and the therapist starts massaging. Unfortunately, a lot of therapists begin massaging your shoulders and upper back, then they might move to your upper arms, and lastly to your face. The idea behind this is excellent, because we tend to hold a lot of tension in our shoulders, and it is important to relax those muscles to let the blood and oxygen flow to your face, resulting in a more beneficial facial massage and a vibrant look.

However, this is where I do not agree – in the beginning the therapist only cleansed your face and décolleté, so technically at the moment, your shoulders, upper back and upper arms are not at their cleanest. Consequently the ‘dirt’ from your shoulders is brought up to your face!!!

The solution to this I found is to do the shoulders and arms separately from the face, washing my hands in between each step. So, when the steamer is on, I massage the arms making sure that I go up under the upper arm and dig into those tensed muscles in the shoulder, to melt any tension. Then after removing any blackheads and waxing if required, I start the face and neck massage. While the mask is on and working, I then go on to massage the décolleté, shoulders and upper back, and on to a dry, relaxing, deep- pressure-point scalp massage.

So my advice is, when you go for your next facial, discuss the above with your therapist before the treatment starts, so the therapist can adjust her steps accordingly.

Popularity: 2% [?]

The other day I had a client who was telling me that before coming for her treatment, she was trying to explain to her 8 year old son what a facial is – well, the son couldn’t understand how someone can spend an hour ‘cleaning mummy’s face’!!!

So for those 8 year olds, for the first-timers, and for the seasoned client, I am going to go over the procedure of a facial step-by-step, and why each step is necessary. As many of you might be aware, on a spa’s menu of services there usually is a plethora of options under Facial Treatments. However, for this article’s purpose I am going to focus on a ‘basic’ facial, which is the foundation of many facials – it is usually one hour long and no treatment machinery is generally used.

THIS IS THE DETAILED CONSULTATION PART
1. Filling out a Skin Health Form
The front-desk or the skin treatment therapist will greet you, settle you in ‘their home’ and ask you to fill out a Health Form. This is done, so the therapist would know whether you have any particular skin concerns, any allergies, any contraindications (when particular procedures can’t be done because of some medication, particular home-care products that are used,…), what are your expectations, and other relevant details to the treatment.
2. Greeting
The skin treatment therapist escorts you to the treatment room. The therapist would greet you, clarify some information that was written on the Skin Health Form, ask for your expectations, and would give you a brief outline on what treatment will be performed on you and the products used during the treatment. You are then given instructions as to how to prepare for the facial

THIS IS THE CLEANSING PART OF A FACIAL ROUTINE:
3. Cleanse
The therapist begins by cleansing your eyes and face. At this point, therapist can judge the best cleanser for your face, since it is best to do a skin analysis after face is cleansed. Note: Before the facial cleanse is performed, at times the therapist can start with a short welcome massage.
4. Skin Analysis
Usually under a magnifying lamp or using other skin diagnostic equipment such as a Woods Lamp or a skin scanner, your skin is analyzed. Therapist might ask you questions as to your lifestyle, nutrition and home-care routine, which would lead to a better skin diagnosis, and hence a better, customized treatment plan.
5. Exfoliation
This is the deeper cleansing stage, where a facial exfoliation is performed to remove the dead skin cells, to achieve a more radiant look and for the following products to penetrate even more.
6. Steamer or Hot Towel
Heat on the skin will help to soften to pores, so that it will be easier for the removal of blackheads. However, some people can’t have heat on their skin, mainly if they have dilated capillaries, unless the steam’s purpose is to bring hydration to the skin.
7. Blackheads (comodones) Removal
Some people ‘don’t mind’ this stage, because it is a necessary evil, while others want to get it over and done with or not have any extractions at all. Unfortunately, most of the time the only way to remove blackheads is during a facial, where the trained skin therapist will remove the blackheads correctly without scarring or damaging the skin. Note: an appropriate product and a regular facial routine can help minimize the amount of blackheads.

THIS IS THE TREAT AND CORRECT STAGE OF A FACIAL ROUTINE
8. Massage
This is the best part of the facial for most and it is this stage which makes a huge difference between a ‘home’ facial and a facial performed by a skin therapist. Massage helps to stimulate the muscles, remove any toxins, tighten the skin, and because you are in a relaxed state the products tend to penetrate more. Different types of massage exist to treat different skin conditions – a lymphatic drainage can be performed on sensitive or acneic skin, while a more invigorating facial is usually chosen for mature skin.
9. Mask
The appropriate mask is chosen usually according to the outcome of your skin analysis, although sometimes this might change during the course of the facial, after the therapist would have worked on your skin and might realize that a different mask would be more appropriate. Sometime a choice of 2 masks can be done of different parts of the face – say a clay based mask for the oily t-zone, while a hydrating mask for the rest of the face, or a different mask for the face and the neck. In addition, at times the mask can be done before the massage, with the valid reasoning that your mask is always removed, while the massage cream chosen can be left on the skin and serve as a continuous treatment long after the facial is over.
10. Tone
Toning the skin is done to rebalance the pH of the skin and to make sure that there is no residue left from the mask. Toning can be also done at different stages throughout the facial.
11. Final creams + Sunscreen
Your eye cream goes first, then an appropriate ‘moisturizer’ is chosen. And at the very end a sunscreen is applied. (I prefer a separate product for a sunscreen, rather than having a moisturizer with an SPF.)

THIS IS THE PLANNING PART FOR THE ‘COURSE OF ACTION’
12. Assessment, Recommendations & Prescription
Here the skin therapist will do a sincere evaluation of your home maintenance – namely your skin treatment routine and products. A realistic skin care routine is jointly planned, and if appropriate new products are prescribed, based upon the thorough skin analysis and how the skin reacted during the facial.
This step is essential as doing a facial once every season or one every six weeks, and then not having a proper home care routine will get you nowhere.
13. Treatment Planning
A course of action is planned for the treatment room. Typically one is advised to have a professional facial once every six weeks, or at least one every season, to prepare the skin for the next season. Most of you have noticed that the skin changes with the seasons – hence a different facial is performed, or rather, a different choice of products is chosen. In addition, even the home care routine should adjust to the seasons, example one might need to add a mask targeted to a specific problem or change one’s day cream for something lighter in summer. However, if a condition is being treated, then a sequence of customized treatments is recommended within a specific time frame.

At the end of the treatment, the skin therapist will note in your Client Record Card:
 the skin analysis outcome,
 the products used during the facial,
 how your skin reacted to the different steps, and
 the best treatment plan for you.

So during your next facial, enjoy all the steps, knowing that every step chosen has its purpose.

Popularity: 13% [?]