Facial Massage |
Treating yourself to a facial once every 4 to 6
weeks can benefit your skin in many ways. Besides promoting relaxation, regular
facials provide many benefits, including noticeable improvements to your skin
tone, texture and appearance.
Facials performed by an experienced, well trained
esthetician can delay signs of aging, eliminate black heads, increase collagen
production, improve skin elasticity and leave your skin with a healthy glow.
Please note, depending on the
type of skin you have, your product selection is very important. Using natural
products sourced from plants, the sea and clay tend to have little to no
adverse effects on sensitive skin.
Healthy skin is our body’s first line of defense
against illness, bacteria, and disease, so taking care of it is extremely
important. Especially with the change of seasons during an entire year, the
skin has to adapt to the weather changes, diet changes and more. It is
important to understand how your products can help you maintain the look of
your skin and apply them regularly to feed your skin with essential nutrients.
The first part of a facial is a deep pore
cleansing. A licensed esthetician has access to products and equipment that can
assist in deeper cleansing of the skin without disrupting the skin’s natural
barrier function, which has a balanced pH and oils & lipids that are
essential to skin’s health.
Skin
Analysis
The second portion of a professional facial is a
thorough skin analysis. This is an important part of the facial, as this step
will determine not only your skin type and any skin conditions you may have,
this will also help your esthetician decide what products and treatments she
will use for the rest of the facial. An esthetician is trained to “see” the
skin with their fingers, so she will touch the skin as she looks at it under a magnifying
lamp. While the skin analysis is being conducted, she will be asking questions
and discussing with you what she sees.
Facial Massage |
Exfoliation
In step three, the outer layer of the dead skin
will be removed. This is called exfoliation. Exfoliation is important because
skin is generating new cells all the time. However, these cells become old and
die and need to be replaced with new healthy cells. The older we get, the
slower this process becomes. When this process is slowed, it causes the old
dead cells to build up on our skin. This is what gives our skin a dull, dry and
rough appearance. Exfoliating removes the old built up cells and allows the new
healthy cells to emerge, giving your skin a healthy, youthful, fresh look.
Extractions
The next step of the facial is extractions. Any
congestion of the pores will be removed, such as blackheads or whiteheads.
Having extractions done by a licensed professional is important because they
have been trained on how to remove these impurities and how to handle the skin afterwards.
Having extractions performed will help keep the skin looking smooth and your
complexion clear.
Massage
Finally, it’s time to relax! Massage is a very
necessary part of the facial as it stimulates circulation and helps bring
oxygen to the skin and promotes relaxation. Having a facial massage on a
regular basis can lead to firmer, more radiant skin by minimizing fine lines
and wrinkles, moisturizing, and releasing tension.
Mask
After the massage, your esthetician will choose a
mask appropriate for your skin type. Masks are important because they target
specific skin conditions. They can be soothing, calming, moisturizing,
purifying, or stimulating and can work in different ways. Clay masks, for
example, are good for removing impurities and excess oil from oily or acneic
skin. Masks with aloe or alpha hydroxy acids work by penetrating deep into the
skin for hydrating and anti-aging benefits.
Tone
and Hydrate
As part of the last step of the facial, your
esthetician will use a toner to restore the skin’s natural pH, and to help
prepare the skin for proper absorption of moisturizer. After the toner, she
will apply a moisturizer suited to your skin type. Moisturizer is imperative to
any skin care routine, regardless of skin type, as it is putting much needed
water back into your skin.
Remember, even if your skin is oily, your skin
still needs water. If your skin is oily, usually an oil-free moisturizer works
best. Moisturizers work by putting water back into the skin and keeping your
skin hydrated.
Facial Massage |