Facials: The Maintenance Plan for your Skin
If you ask us, and millions of other facial-lovers worldwide, there are few things more relaxing than getting a facial. The soothing music, the comfy bed, the essential oils, and the delicate touch of a trained esthetician massaging, stroking, and kneading our face and neck for an hour…swoon! And, while facials are touted as a treat for relaxation, they actually provide real benefits to the skin!
We often tell our clients to think of getting facials like you do getting your twice-yearly teeth cleaning. You’re (hopefully) maintaining at home by brushing and flossing, but you can never get your teeth as clean as the dentist using professional tools, bright lights, and the expertise that comes from years of training and practice. And a couple of hours in the dentist chair each year will likely mean few cavities and less work down the road as you age.
It’s the same with your skin! An hour with your esthetician (we recommend once a month) will not only give you a glowing, dewy look today - but can support skin as you age and mitigate issues before they occur! Here’s how it works:
CLEANSING
You probably spend 30-60 seconds cleansing your face each day (or, like, a lot of people, think the shampoo in the shower does the trick!). Facials offer deep cleansing to really clear our pores from make-up, dirt, and general pollution. Clean skin feels softer, is less likely to break out, and pores looks smaller., Getting a facial once a month will give you a deeper cleanse than regular products, which means that your skin will feel (and look) better.
EXFOLIATION
A huge part of facials is the exfoliation step. This can be done manually, with a mechanical exfoliant like a scrub with jojoba beads or micro-dermabrasion, (Note: apricot scrub is too rough for your face! it tears and rips skin leaving it open for bacteria and pollution to enter and makes you look older!!!), or chemically with a alpha-hydroxy or beta-hydroxy acid. Commonly, enzymes such as papaya and pineapple are used and are ideal for most skin types. Exfoliating makes skin look radiant by revealing fresh, newer skin. It helps encourage cell turnover and collagen production, as well, and also offers the benefits of allowing other products to penetrate more easily and work more effectively!
INCREASE CIRCULATION
Facial massage is incorporated in several steps during a facial. Specific massage strokes and techniques are used to stimulate muscle tissue and activate lymph draining to reduce puffiness and redness. As facial muscles are activated, they can be toned and lifted to actually re-contour the face and neck and reduce sagging jowls, cheeks and the forehead! Massage also stimulates collagen products to help fill in those fine lines and wrinkles, with monthly facials keeping them at peek levels!
DETOXIFY AND FORTIFY
Your body and the environment are full of toxins that affect your skin. Deep cleansing and exfoliation helps to remove those toxins topically, while massage moves them within your system. Just as important as removing the bad stuff, though, is putting good stuff back in! Anti-oxidants fight pollution and environmental stressors, while ingredients like hyaluronic and lactic acid help the skin retain moisture. To address specific skin issues, a variety of masks and serums with active ingredients such as amino acids, peptides, growth factors, brightening agents, and stem cells are infused into skin during a facial. These active ingredients can help with a variety of skin issues including pigmentation, anti-aging, rosacea, and acne, or just to maintain radiant, healthy skin!
CALMING THE MIND
With our hectic lifestyles today, one of the key features of getting a facial is peace. Time spent calming your mind benefits every part of your life. We have so few opportunities to just clear our minds and let go of our worries and getting a facial helps with these efforts. No phones, no laptop, no to do lists… it’s the most rejuvenating part of these treatments!!
Learn more about our facials at Plum Natural Nail and Skin Spa in Austin, TX.