efficacy of professional facials on acne/break outs
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free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:23 am

I almost went into get a facial a year or so ago and didn't for some odd reason or two. I have really been wanting to since. But I just wondered about the effectiveness of them in treating and preventing break outs. I spoke with an aesthetician one day in a medspa (where I would go to purchase products) and she said she could really improve my skin by clearing the pores and evening out skin tone, that having a facial at least once a month is very important in treating acne. I know it wasn't the situation where she was BSing me to get business (the medspa is located in a very affluent area and is always busy with clients).

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:40 am

i think it is somewhat effective.. keeping you clean.. but it may not target the acne itself to prevent it. i consulted a couple doctors about this topic this week and all of them gave me an icky face like "dont waste your money on those tricks" attitude. they say you have to address the actual cause of the acne to prevent it from comming back up.. that can be too much bacteria in your system, reactions to products, climate/enviornmental changes, blah blah.. you know what i mean. but facials will assist in keeping you from breaking out but not preventing completely.

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:45 am

oh and i dont think that they do much in treating them. unless you go to a derma clinic or a 5 star spa or something. i went to a 3 or 4 star spa last year to treat my acne and it didnt help in ANY way. it irritated my skin and left me red for weeks! and made me waste 130$ their hook is it will take a SERIES of treatments to treat your acne (forcing you to buy package sets to treat your acne) to be successful, and they told me this AFTER my facial was done, not while i was booking my appointment specifically for acne. lol.

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 4:25 am

I will have to agree that facials are a waste of money when it comes to treating acne. I tried it for years - it didn't help any, just gave me (even more) irritated skin - but somehow I had been convinced that they were necessary. I've been much happier about my skin's condition with Roaccutane (for 6 mos), OCM, aspirin mask.

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:23 pm

i have not had a facial in ages..i agree that when i tried them before they were a waste of money...and steaming my face (they all seemed to torture me with that till i was lobster-like) is guaranteed to give me a rash.

however, tomorrow after some good recommendations for improving skin (not specifically for acne which i dont have - just a few hormonal spots) i am going to claridges for a caviar facial (la prairie)..

i am apprehensive but plan to give it a go and will let you all know how it turns out..

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:19 pm

Facials are the key for me in controlling my acne but I can't afford them right now. I think it's important to get the right facialist though. When I go, I find my skin clears up and then I keep my hands off of it which, in turn, helps keep it from breaking out again. They really work for me. The person I go to, though, is not into selling me products and she does what I need -- she doesn't follow the same formula for everyone.

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:29 pm

I think facials are helpful, IF you have a well trained, knowledgeable, experienced facialist.

I think it's also important to be patient. My facialist does not put me on any treatment packages, instead, she assesses the condition of my skin on each visit, and may do something different. She doesn't sell any products to me either. Going to see her is like a treat for myself!

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:34 pm

Facials feel good but I've never noticed a big change. That being said, my boss's wife credits her luminous skin to weekly facials. I'd go whereever she goes, if I could afford it.

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:52 pm

c4ward wrote:

my boss's wife credits her luminous skin to weekly facials. I'd go whereever she goes, if I could afford it.

Can you imagine the luxury?! My skin would be gorgeous if I could do that!

free skin care · Fri Sep 22, 2006 5:05 pm

Thanks for the feedback- I really appreciate it.

I guess I should have been more specific and clarified what I meant (sorry!). I was wondering if a good facial can truly augment the effectiveness of prescription treatments (I use Tazorac gel) and other skin caring treatments (like aspirin mask, DHCC, etc) in keeping pores and skin clear. Not simply that a facial would be a total and complete solution to treating acne.

Nonetheless, your input is still valuable thus far. So thank you again. Smile

Perhaps I will repost a poll and be more specific Embarassed

Sun Sep 24, 2006 4:17 am

Poll re-posted at: http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=16409

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