We all know by looking in the mirror that our skin needs a little pick me up now and then. You’d be surprised how much healthier our skin would be if we scheduled our pick-me-ups regularly. Call Rejuvu Day Spa and Beauty Haven in West Point, UT to talk about how often you should be getting facials.

What Is a Facial?

Think of a facial the same way you do getting your teeth cleaned, except much nicer and more relaxing. A facial is a professional checkup. You do your normal skincare routine at home for maintenance, but a facial will pay special attention to new or ongoing issues your skin has.

We can see the signs of having too much fun over the weekend, dry winter weather, or the stress of our jobs play out on our faces. Facials are a great way to sit back, relax and let a professional treat your skin to the specific treatments it needs at that time. Facials include several steps to keep your skin looking and feeling its best.

Consultation

Every facial starts here. This is when you and your esthetician will go over your areas of concern, any ongoing issues you have, and what you’d like to accomplish. For your first visit, you might fill out a questionnaire that will let your skincare special know a little more about you and your habits. They may want to know:

How much water you drink
Any allergies you have
Tobacco, alcohol or drug use
What your diet is like
How often you get facials
What skincare products you use at home
Any special events you have upcoming

They’ll want to know this information so they can tailor the facial around your needs. That’s the great thing about this treatment: no two are exactly the same. What your skin needs in the summer could be very different than in the winter. You’ll then get cozy in a robe or under a warm blanket on a special, comfortable table.

Cleansing

Your aesthetician will start by wrapping your hair in a towel and getting it off your skin. She’ll then cleanse your skin using a mild cleanser and cotton pads or sponges. This step ensures the facial starts on a clean surface.

Skin Analysis

Your esthetician may ask you to close your eyes or place a cloth over them while she turns on a bright lamp and looks at your skin under a magnifying glass. This is so she can correctly determine your skin type and identify any conditions you have. The skin types are:

Normal
Dry
Oily
Combination
Sensitive

Based on her analysis, she’ll choose the products she will use and will have a quick conversation about why she’s choosing what. The next steps will involve products and treatments that will address your skin type, what you’ve told her are your areas of concern and any conditions she’s identified in this step like:

Blackheads
Acne
Whiteheads
Large pores
Aging
Sun damage
Dehydration
Uneven texture

Steam

We love this part, and it’s included in most facial treatments. A machine that delivers warm steam to your face will soften your skin and loosen any sebum or debris you have in your pores. This step may be skipped if you have very sensitive skin.

Exfoliation

This can be mechanical, chemical or both. Mechanical exfoliants are products like scrubs that have a gritty texture that sand away the top layer of dead skin cells. Chemical exfoliation is the use of products that have certain acids and enzymes that loosen the bond between the cells, allowing the dead ones to be wiped away.

Some places will include a mild chemical peel in certain facials, but it depends on the condition of your skin and the spa. Often, you can schedule a deeper chemical peel as a stand-alone treatment at another time.

Extractions

Nobody likes to admit it, but your pores are clogged, and that stuff needs to come out. It’s during this step that your skincare specialist will remove blackheads or whiteheads if you choose it or need it. She will use the magnifying lamp again to see which pores need to be cleaned out and will either use cotton pads or a special tool to do the job.

This step can be uncomfortable if you have a low threshold for pain, but most clients say it’s a very satisfying experience. It’s important to have chosen a reputable day spa to ensure the person performing these extractions knows what they’re doing and won’t cause your skin any harm.

Massage

The best part of any facial is when your skincare specialist applies some cream to her fingers and gives your face and neck a wonderful massage. This isn’t just to relax you, though it certainly does. It also increases blood flow to your face. When blood flow is increased, it floods the area with oxygen and your circulation improves.

Masks

This is perhaps the most customizable step of all. A mask will be chosen based on your skin type and the condition that most needs attention. Once they apply the mask, they should stay with you and give you a scalp, hand or foot massage.

Final Steps

All the things your skin needs to face the world outside will be applied during this step. This step may include, based on your skin type and issues:

Toner
Serums
Moisturizer
Sunscreen
Spot treatments

Parting Advice and Recommendations

Some people make the mistake of thinking this is the “hard sell” of the facial. If you’ve picked a reputable place, this is truly professional advice. Your esthetician has seen your skin, both before and after and knows how it has reacted to what she’s just done. If there are glaring holes in your home skincare routine and you can afford it, you might want to buy a few products.

She’ll also give you aftercare instructions. You’ll want to drink lots of water to flush out the toxins that were massaged out of your soft tissues and muscle. Resting is always a good idea as is resuming your normal skincare routine when she suggests it. If it’s the end of the day, you may just want to leave your face alone until the morning.

Choosing the Right Facial

You may wander onto a site and see a lot of different facials being offered. This can be overwhelming and confusing. You might see options like:

European
Anti-aging
Oxygen
Revitalizing
Mini
Facial named after the spa
Facial named after different product lines they offer

Don’t worry about choosing the perfect one for you. Ask questions or say you’re not really sure which one you need. A great esthetician will let you know if she thinks you booked the wrong one for your skin type or issues.

How Often Should I Get a Facial?

There’s no perfect answer for everyone, but a good rule of thumb is once a month. That’s because our skin cells regenerate every 28 days, so it takes that long for cells in your dermis to make their way to the top layer. That also means you have a layer of dead skin cells every month or so hanging out on the surface of your skin.

Your perfect timeline for how often you should get a facial depends on a few factors:

Skin type
Skin condition
Your goals
Age
Budget
Your environment

Skin Type

If you have very oily skin and are experiencing a lot of breakouts and blackheads or are constantly fighting clogged pores, you will definitely need a targeted facial monthly and may need them a little more often until your flare-ups resolve and your skin calms down. As your condition improves, you and your specialist can develop a realistic schedule to keep your skin in good health.

Normal and combination skin types should do really well with the once a month schedule while drier skin may need treatment less often.

Skin Condition

You and your specialist will have talked through the areas of concern you have about your skin and its overall health. She will have seen up close what she believes to be the main issues to tackle first. If you both decide you could benefit from deep hydration treatments or even light chemical peels to address fine lines and wrinkles, this may change how often you make an appointment.

Your Goals

If you have a year before your 30-year reunion and you want to look your very best without the use of needles or other invasive measures, be sure to express that. There may be a very specific timeline of treatments you’ll need to reach your goal.

Age

Younger people without many skin issues should get on a regular schedule of treatments as soon as possible, even if your budget can only afford four a year. If you start young, these are a great preventative measure for warding off early signs of aging. It’s also a great way to get to know your skin and how it adapts or doesn’t to changing weather, stressors in your life, etc. You’ll be able to better course-correct than someone who isn’t in tune with their skin.

If you’re older, your routine will need to be different because your goal may be to stimulate collagen and attack those fine lines and wrinkles. This may mean your esthetician could recommend other day spa treatments to help you with your anti-aging campaign. Other great, supplemental treatments could be:

Light therapy
Laser skin resurfacing
Microdermabrasion
Microneedling
Intense pulsed light (IPL)
Botox
Dermal fillers

Budget

Obviously, you can only afford what you can afford. Be honest with your specialist and see if there’s a way to pare down treatment so you can have more sessions or ask what you can do at home to supplement your time in between appointments.

Your Environment

Where you live plays a role in how often you need facials. If you live out in the open with fresh mountain air on your skin all the time, you’ll need fewer treatments. For those of us that live in cities and suburbs, we will be exposed to more pollutants and toxins that can damage our skin, so we may have to come in a little more often.

Get the Best Facials

Facials are a must-have addition to any good skin care regimen. They help keep our skin healthy, radiant and smooth. It’s also a great way to develop a relationship with someone who knows your skin and can help you manage changes in your life and what they can do to your skin.

Call Rejuvu Day Spa and Beauty Haven in West Point, UT and schedule your facial with us. We believe in helping each of our clients live to their full potential by looking and feeling their best. We look forward to helping you too!

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GET FACIALS?