There are so many amazing facials to choose from but how do you know which one is the right one for you? Here’s a mini guide on the latest facials for modern day skin issues….
ACTIVE ACNE definition; sore, white/yellow heads. Inflammation around spots. Redness, sensitivity. Blackheads.
The first instinct with spots or acne is to ‘strip’ the skin, using strong, oil absorbing cleansers and toners- this is the LAST thing you should be doing! Our sebaceous glands produce oil to protect our skin and have a bit of a ‘supply and demand’ system going on, so, if the surface is stripped of oil, it’s like an alarm going off in the sebaceous glands to quickly produce more oil! Resulting in clogged pores and a dehydrated surface.
Instead, you should concentrate on keeping the skin calm and supple with easily absorbing moisturisers and oils (yes really).
The Facial: Oxygen facials are fantastic for acne sufferers. Oxygen is anti-inflammatory which will soothe the skin and reduce swelling in the spots, it also stimulates collagen which really helps with the healing process and can reduce the appearance of scars. Most importantly, Oxygen is antibacterial, so it will help to keep the pores clean and gently reduce the spot-feeding bacteria.
Where? Try the Crystal Clear Oxygen Therapy @ Skin Health Spa from £90.00 www.skinhealthspa.com www.crystalclear.co.uk
CONFUSED SKIN definition; skin is looking dull, isn’t responding to skincare products the way it usually would, experiencing breakouts and generally just isn’t looking it’s best.
Often at times of stress or sometimes at the change of season, we’ve all experienced a time where our skin starts behaving out of character and nothing seems to help to improve it. This is the time that it’s really worth investing in a skincare specialist to assess your skin, otherwise you will often end up doing your skin more harm than good if you try to correct it yourself and prolong the ordeal.
My recent ‘specialist-of-choice’ was Cristina Coelho, an Environ expert, skincare guru and generally lovely person! Christina advised the Environ Collagen Lift facial and within 10 minutes of her magic hands touching my face, I was asleep! Only to wake with the most glowing, hydrated skin I have had in a while! It was that type of hydration you can feel without actually having to touch your skin! I had been very dehydrated (making it difficult for my skincare products to absorb) and I was having strange breakouts that wouldn’t heal. Within hours of the facial, my face looked calmer and was generally happier. After a couple of days, it looked even better; lifted, brighter, softer and healthier! Cristina is a great advert for herself- her skin is incredible and she has just been shortlisted for an FHT Excellence award for Beauty Therapist of the year! High praise indeed!
Cristina Coelho, Wimpole Therapeutics, Environ Facial, from £105.00 www.cristina-coelho.com
AGEING SKIN definition; (I know as an industry we are rightfully moving away from the term ‘ageing’ but I am using it as a way to describe skin that isn’t functioning as well as it used to) skin that isn’t yet “old” but is starting to lose volume, tightness and youthful brightness.
Well, this issue requires something hard-hitting but non-aggressive as you need to reignite your skin to behave like it did in your younger years without aggravating its sensitivities. Step forward the CACI Synergy Facial, a massively updated version of our favourite lifting and toning facial! This is a real 360◦ treatment, starting with a thorough cleanse, an ultra-sonic peel, microdermabrasion with light therapy (anti-bacterial blue light or anti-ageing red light), muscle toning also with light therapy, plumping ‘Wrinkle Comb’ and Hydro Mask with lymph drainage using positive and negative polarity to push the ingredients deeper into the skin! Phew!
This sounds like a lot (and it is) but think of it like a gym session with your warm up, cardio, resistance training and cool down- each step of the treatment is working on different properties of the skin and the results are amazing. I had the Wrinkle Comb on my lips (it stimulates collagen, bringing it to the surface to plump the area) and I had 3 people ask me if I’d had my lips ‘done’! No trout pout, just nice and puckered. And like the gym, the more sessions you have, the better and longer lasting the results!
CACI have stood the test of time and with good reason, they have kept all the elements we love them for and added some extras to suit modern day life- and it’s much less scary than filler!
Where? Seduire Soho , CACI Synergy Facial from £150.00 www.seduireclinics.com www.caci-international.co.uk