Monday, December 19, 2011

Facials - Good for Your Skin or Not?

Well last Friday was my husband's work Xmas party and to make sure I had a nice glow about me I decided to treat myself to a facial and massage at my local beauty salon.

Please bear in mind that I have only ever had about four facials in my entire life and this visit made the second massage ever. I'm not really much for having strangers touch me in intimate ways. I tend to get a little self conscious and uncomfortable in these types of situations. Strange I know, but I'm trying to get over it.

Anyway, prior to this treatment my skin was in the best condition it has literally ever been in my 32 years on this planet. I don't know what I've been specifically using that has improved it so much but it has never been softer or more clear and blemish free than it was last week. This was one of the reasons as to why I booked the facial in as I thought it might be a good way to keep my skin looking as good as it was for a little longer.

Well, wasn't I wrong. I now have the most pimpled chin and forehead known to man. I started breaking out on Saturday and this morning I have woken up with the most irritated skin ever.

My skin has always been quite oily and very laden with blackheads, especially around my nose and cheek area. I was hoping that the treatment I had would reduce these a little bit but I must say that I think I was doing a better job of it myself at home now after seeing the results of this facial a few days later. I now feel as if I have to go into a bit of damage control to try and get my skin back to a reasonable state again. Something I'm a bit disappointed about after spending so much money on Friday thinking I was doing something good.

This has of course made me seriously question as to whether facials really are any good for your skin or are just an expensive way to irritate it with products you normally wouldn't be using?

The following is a little blurb that I found on a blog called 'My Skin' which I think it quite interesting:

"While these treatments may feel good, dermatologists note that facials and microdermabrasion have no long-term skin benefit, beyond relaxation. The results you get from facial treatments depends on many factors, most importantly the condition of your skin. If your skin is acne-prone, the results of your facial or microdermabrasion treatments can vary depending on the severity of your acne, how often you have either procedure performed, how consistent you are with your skin care routine at home, and the expertise of the esthetician conducting the treatment.
In addition if the ingredients used in your facial are wrong for your skin type, that facial can actually cause acne (if you haven’t had it before) or cause it to worsen. That is because the treatment has to stay on the skin for an extended period of time to ensure that it gets deep down in the pores."

Personally, I guess I really haven't had enough experiences in my time to really answer my question above. I'm just wondering if the actual experience of getting the facial and being pampered is what really draws people back to getting them again and again or whether they really do end up being beneficial in the long run?

I'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts on this subject. Do you love facials just because of the pamper value or do they really achieve good results for your skin?

(P.S. I was going to put up a photo of my disgusting chin but then decided against it. I don't want to scare anyone away. It's bad enough that I have to look at it!)

3 comments:

  1. I think you skin was purging. If you apply a new treatment or a mask. It brings out all the pimples that are sitting under your skin waiting for them to come out. If I go out for a special occasion. I do treatments a few days before hand.

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  2. yep, the first poster took the words straight out of my mouth, your skin may have been purging, maybe contact your esthetician?

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  3. Hmmm, interesting. Maybe I need to make a conscious effort to go more often for a while and see if it makes any difference.

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