First facial: the good, the bad and the ugly
So after writing in this post about my desire to start a "spa piggy bank" to save up for a facial, it turned out I didn't have to wait long. A friend forwarded me some e-coupons for a local beauty spa that was offering a "Euro-Facial" for $45. Since it was payday, I decided to try it out. My very first facial!
When I got there, I filled out a short questionnaire about my skin type and history, what products I use, and the results I was hoping for. To be honest, I had fantasies of miraculous, overnight improvement: a more even skin tone, an end to all breakouts, and even eradicating the tiny red spot on the end of my nose that mysteriously appeared three years ago. The esthetician was young and friendly. She didn't spend a lot of time examining my skin, but she explained the treatments she'd be doing, including steaming, extraction and a clay mask. She told me to get ready and lie down, and I started to blurt out, "On my back or stomach?" then caught myself and started laughing. "I guess that'd be a challenge to give me a facial face-down," I said. (Clearly I've gotten more massages than I have facials!)
My next blunder was with the little robe. I had no idea how it worked. There were no armholes, just two strings to tie in back. I undressed and tried putting it around my neck like a bib, figuring the point was to prevent spillage on my chest and shoulders. Well, when the esthetician returned and saw me, she burst out laughing. "Oh, that is too funny," she said (not unkindly). She composed herself long enough to tell me that it was supposed to tie around my chest, right above my breasts, so that she could massage my neck and shoulders after the facial. I felt really silly, but she sweetly said I'd made her day.
The one-hour facial was relaxing -- or most of it was. The steam got pretty hot and the extractions were not totally pleasant. After years of getting it drilled into me that picking at your face is one of the 7 deadly sins of skincare, having someone squeeze and poke my skin seemed kind of bizarre. I kept thinking, "I hope she does something to calm down the redness and irritation after this!" I had plans with friends later and didn't want to look like I'd been, well, picking and prodding at my face.
In the end, I passed up the products (they used all Dermalogica brand), opting to wait and see how my skin reacted. They gave me a bunch of free samples and sent me on my way. Once in my car, a glance in the rearview mirror was a little frightening. Every pore and flaw looked magnified, way more so than before the facial. I told myself it gets worse before it gets better, and drove home to pretty myself up. I knew it probably wasn't the best thing to cover up my newly-pampered skin with makeup, but I couldn't help myself. (Note to first-timers: don't schedule anything important on the day of a facial. Let your skin breathe for a couple days.)
My skin did feel really soft and smooth, but it was also incredibly slick. Foundation slid right on, but throughout the day my face was so shiny I had to keep ducking into bathrooms to blot with tissue. And I also noticed a couple new blemishes instantly appeared.
It's been about two weeks now and I can't say I notice any dramatic results. My skin does feel smoother, but I've been breaking out a bit more than usual. I also just changed my skincare regimen, so I'm in that transitionary period where my skin is adjusting. Overall, I'd say the experience was worth it for the relaxation and deep cleansing, but I wouldn't make it a regular habit.
What about you guys? Have you had positive/negative facial experiences? Does it depend more on the esthetician or the products they use? Any tips for how to treat your skin post-facial?