There are many of us with mature skins, as well as more youthful skins, who have regular facial. Some of us have a facial just as a treat with the rest of the time surviving on home treatments we do ourselves.
Are there any benefits to having a professional salon facial?
Well, there are numerous reasons to treat you and your skin to a facial, and these are:
· Relaxation – it’s a time to just lay there, cocooned in warm blankets, with gentle sounds enveloping you, and be pampered with no interruptions for an hour or so …… bliss!
· The consultation – it’s a continuous check on your skin health and progress, or lack of, with your home care, plus whether your own health, medication or traumas are affecting your skin’s condition. Also, a time for the facialist to provide your treatment plan including the modalities the facial treatment will include and for you to agree on them,. Remember, it’s your face!
· The aromas – the natural scents of the ingredients in the products can transport you away to warmer climates – let your imagination flow.
· The warm confident touch of the facialist – their warm hands, contouring and applying the therapeutic skin care products to your face, neck and decollete – just thinking about this and I’m there!
· The massage – to me this is the heart of the facial. Nothing can beat a good facial massage, and you know if it is going to be good by the first time the facialists puts their hands on you. If they are confident and understand your needs, you can tell. The massage will help relax your facial, neck and shoulder muscles, that helps with facial expression lines. The circulation and lymph (waste fluids) are stimulated into action, muscle tone is improved, and the skin’s surface is mechanically exfoliated throughout leaving the skin looking fresh and clean, lifted, plus stimulation new cell production at the base of the epidermis. So, why wouldn’t you have a facial massage?
· Electrotherapy – some facialists carry out electrical modalities during the facial treatment – these can be simple like facial steaming or more intense such as sonic spatula, galvanism, microcurrents, LED lamps, etc. This would have been discussed and agreed on during your consultation. Always ask about each modality at that stage so that you know what is about to happen and what it involves, as some have a strange feel or sound that may make you anxious. Some facialists rely on electrotherapy modalities and are less about the hands-on massage, so ensure that you have the treatment that you want and chose your facialist on your choices.
· Face masks – like everything to do with the facial treatment, there are different types of masks for different skin types and conditions, and the facialist should select which one is best for you. Again, always discuss the chosen selection – some masks are a clay-based, a light gel or a cream that are applied to the skin with a brush and left for a set time, others are sheet masks, where a fabric or cotton tissue is laid on the prepared skin with holes for the eyes, nose and mouth (the eyes are often protected underneath).
Another type could be a ‘peel-off’ mask, which can be applied all over the face, including the eyes, and it is a gel-like rubbery product usually applied with a spatula – if it covers the eyes some of you may find it claustrophobic, so again this is the reason for the discussion at the consultation stage, and usually the facialist will always be present during this stage of the treatment due to the possibility of panic, often massaging your hands or scalp to help relax you while lay there with their presence.
· Conclusion of the facial – this is when the skin is bathed on moisturisation, you're disapponted as it is coming to an end! The facialist will then provide you with aftercare and homecare advice, and may even present you with the opportunity to purchase skincare products to support this. At that stage that is your preference, but if you are looking for an update on your skincare then this is the ideal opportunity, if it fits within your budget. A good facialist will listen to you and then maybe just try and support you by helping you fill in the gaps in your products or where you are running out of your original product, but not pushing the whole range on you, plus giving you a few samples where they can to help your selection.
Although this may appear to be the stages of a professional facial treatment this will vary in every salon or with the various professional skin care products available. Some perform the massage after cleansing, steaming, sonic spatula, and exfoliating or the mask is applied before the massage and the super-active serum/elixir is left on the skin at the end of the facial and the moisturisation is added to seal it in to continue to do its work! To me, each facial I’ve had is just a little different, which makes having a facial an exciting experience.
Hopefully that helps you understand the professional facial treatment better, and enjoy the facial that you want. You need to be involved in the selection process, and not just sat on a bed or couch and the facial just starts.
Love,
Shirley-Louise xx
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