Most estheticians would describe a basic facial to include cleaning the face and neck with a cleanser twice, analyzing the skin under a magnifying lamp for any skin irregularities. Gently exfoilating the skin with a mild exfoilator. Massaging the face and neck while steaming the face. Extracting whiteheads, blackheads, sebaceous filaments and milia. Applying a mask ( I am going somewhere with this) Applying an eye cream, lip balm, moisturizer with sunscreen.
Now ask yourself this question, Do I clean my face like that everyday? No, right? Well when you go along for weeks with maybe cleansing and moisturizing your skin without any real exfoilating or extracting of things like sebaceous filaments (oil & dirt). The dead skin cells that our skin sheds daily piles up on the surface of our skin. This causes you to look dull and can lead to breakouts from clogged pores.
Now there are some sophisticated women out their that have stepped up their game to include exfoliating and using corrective serums, and this is a testament to the skin care professionals out their (estheticians included) that educated their clients about regular exfoliation. However if you are prone to breakouts, dry flaky skin, milia and hyperpigmentation you can get more bang for your buck by getting at least a basic facial. At a minimum you need to go once a month, consider it like getting your teeth cleaned. When the esthetician extracts your skin she is pushing out impurities that does not belong in your pores.
It's like the plaque that builds up on your teeth.You know how the dentist tells us to floss daily and get our teeth cleaned every few months. We tend to miss hidden areas in our mouth because we can't reach those tight areas in our mouth . The dentist does a thorough cleaning because when you are lying in the dental chair with your mouth open the dentist can reach in from an angle that we can not.
When getting a facial the esthetician has the same vantage point, especially when extracting the skin. The pores on our face sits at an approximately 35 degree angle and depending on where your whitehead or any other skin impurity lies on your face. You can not successfully extract without causing more harm than good. for example: If you don't get all of the whitehead out it can spread to neighboring pores spreading the bacteria. You could also cause major scaring of the face.
Well for those of us that either have very oily skin, dry flaky skin or combination skin with hyperpigmentation you need to create a routine of getting a facial at least once a month. For those with more chronic skin conditions you should go every two weeks until your condition becomes more manageable like acne.Over time and these are keywords, your skin will become more balanced and even toned. This does not mean that your natural skin type is cured. This means that you have conditioned your skin to behave in a more healthy manner for a period of time and your skin begins to conform to the new routine.
Healthy skin is normal skin. Normal skin balances the sebum (oil) and water on it's own. This means that the skins' acid mantle( this is a light layer of film on the top of our skin that protects it from bacteria,viruses and inappropriate chemicals) is healthy. I'll talk more about this in another blog. Normal skin has a Ph between 5 and 6.5. keeping the skin properly cleaned, hydrated, exfoliated and properly protected from the sun plays a role in how healthy it is.
Until next time, love the skin you're in!
