When you go for a professional facial, is it OK to +
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

free skin care · Fri May 09, 2008 4:24 pm

... ask the aesthetician to focus on a couple of particular spots/bumps when she does extractions? Or would that be insulting to them (as if I don't trust them to find it/them on their own)?

free skin care · Fri May 09, 2008 4:27 pm

ABSOLUTELY. I tell my gal, hey can you look at this spot or that spot...I have had it for a while, or it hurts...or it appears hard....Can you extract it, or in some cases, I say..."hey I already tried to extract it last night (per say) and it would not budge, can you not touch it, I think it will make it worse.
Although, my new gal, knows exactly what type of skin I have and what she can extract and what she can not. Sort of like probably all of us. Don't you gals know exactly what type of zit you have...what you are going it get??? I do. Sad

free skin care · Fri May 09, 2008 4:39 pm

In my opinion you're definitely entitled to tell the professional what you want him/her to do, no matter what kind of service or treatment you have asked for.

I think that's a matter of course when you pay someone to do a job. Smile

free skin care · Fri May 09, 2008 4:59 pm

I think so - after all, you ARE paying them. I would think that they would want you to be happy with the service as well.

free skin care · Fri May 09, 2008 10:51 pm

Who's in charge???? They're not paying you. Right off - I'd let her know what you've seen, what you're concerned about - how She can help you - that's why you're going after all..

Sat May 10, 2008 1:29 pm

Amen to all the other posts - it is ultimately your skin and if she does something you don't like, you're the one who will have to live with it. It's a mark of an educated customer to sit down beforehand and tell her your concerns and comments, and she'll probably appreciate that you know what's going on with your skin and you're giving her a heads up about how it will act!

free skin care · Sat May 10, 2008 3:18 pm

My biggest problem with facials is that whenever I had them I always wanted to ask the woman to do everything to my upper chest in addition to the face. On one hand, this is probably too much to ask for, but on the other hand, my most problematic area is my chest and that's where I have the pimples that are that hardest to get rid of. So an expensive treatment just for my face seems like such a waste to me... I think I'm much better off spending my money on high quality skin care products and doing a routine at home.

I've never really had good experiences with facials, and for me I don't think they're worth it. I've only had 3 facials and they were on the inexpensive side, but still. I even did not redeem a freebie facial as part of a laser hair removal package because I just did not want to get it in case it messed up my skin. After one of the facials I had, my skin actually got worse.

Besides that unredeemed facial at a laser hair removal place (it's probably too late now for it) my sister swears by these (expensive!) oxygen facials she gets and she offered to pay for one of them for me. I refused because I think it's a waste of money, even though it's not my money. Also, I'm no longer trusting enough to just let someone put stuff on my face without knowing exactly what is in it. (And according to some brief research on oxygen facials, the facials give the skin an instantaneous but temporary plumped look because of irritation)

free skin care · Sat May 10, 2008 3:39 pm

Nimue wrote:

(And according to some brief research on oxygen facials, the facials give the skin an instantaneous but temporary plumped look because of irritation)

Would you post the info you found on this, please? TIA!

free skin care · Sat May 10, 2008 4:12 pm

vonstella wrote:

Nimue wrote:

(And according to some brief research on oxygen facials, the facials give the skin an instantaneous but temporary plumped look because of irritation)

Would you post the info you found on this, please? TIA!

I'll try! (I didn't save/bookmark anything)
Here's an article by the NY Times on oxygen facials:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/06/fashion/thursdaystyles/06skin.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

In case the link doesn't work I've copied and pasted the article below.

Does the Quick-Fix Oxygen Facial Really Work?

EVIE EVANGELOU, a spa publicist and consultant in New York City, has scoured the world for new and unusual beauty regimens to lure clients to Now, a spa that is scheduled to open on Madison Avenue in May. Last week Ms. Evangelou discovered a treatment courtesy of Madonna that she says could be the next big thing: the hyperbaric oxygen facial. Madonna has recommended it on her Web site and in an interview with Harper's Bazaar.

The facial involves a machine that sprays atomized moisturizers onto the skin using a stream of pressurized oxygen. The treatment is supposed to hydrate skin immediately, making the face appear smoother and plumper.

"So many celebrities are doing the treatment because it temporarily diminishes all the tiny imperfections that would otherwise be visible on high-definition TV," said Michelle Peck, a masseuse from Los Angeles. Ms. Peck is referred to as Madonna's personal oxygen treatment facialist on the Web site madonna.com. She came to Manhattan last week to demonstrate the facial on Ms. Evangelou and other spa managers, a trip sponsored by the maker of the oxygen compressor used in the facials.

As trendy as the oxygen facial may be, there is no hard evidence of its effectiveness, and academic experts are skeptical. Dr. Christopher B. Zachary, a professor and the dermatology department chairman at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, bluntly labeled it "snake oil."

"The concept that high-pressure oxygen would do anything to help the skin is such nonsense as to be laughable," said Dr. Zachary, who has not examined the oxygen-compression machine himself.

He suggested that the plumping or swelling effect might be mild inflammation caused by the blasts of compressed oxygen. "If you wanted puffy eyes, you could also go out for a hard night's drinking," he said.

The status of oxygen facials — embraced by some doctors, spas and beauty mavens with little or no scientific evidence — is typical of many cosmetic treatments that do not claim to alter the skin. Manufacturers are not required to conduct studies or submit such devices for approval to the Food and Drug Administration. Consumers are on their own in deciding whether to embrace the treatments, or rather, they are influenced by marketing, magazines, celebrity tastes and in some cases early-adopter doctors.

The lack of clinical evidence on oxygen facials has not prevented prominent dermatologists from offering them for up to $500. Six weekly treatments, followed by monthly "maintenance" treatments, are recommended to keep the face looking dewy and juiced up, Ms. Peck said.

Dr. Bradford R. Katchen, a dermatologist in New York City who just bought an oxygen compressor for his office, said the treatment is most appropriate for film or television actresses or for people who plan to attend a special event.

"It's the ultimate hydration therapy that makes your skin look better instantly and stay that way for a few days," said Dr. Katchen. The facials may provide a moisture boost that makes skin smoother so that it is easier to apply makeup, he said.

Since the 1930's doctors have used hyperbaric — meaning high-pressure— oxygen inhalation chambers to force pure oxygen into the blood stream and tissue of oxygen-deprived deep-sea divers. The spas and dermatologists promoting these facials describe them as a way to force oxygen and moisturizers temporarily into aging skin.

"We hope that the oxygen is creating a pressure bubble that drives vitamins and nutrients into the skin," said Dr. Fredric Brandt, a dermatologist in Miami and New York City. "But we have no data to support that." After he learned about the treatment from one of Madonna's personal assistants, Dr. Brandt ordered the machine for his Miami office, where aestheticians began offering oxygen facials last month, he said.

Americans have had about 20,000 oxygen facials in the last year, said Anthony McMahon, the chief executive of Intraceuticals, the Australian company behind the oxygen compressor and its treatment products.

The theory of the facial is that pressurized oxygen speeds the skin's absorption of moisturizing agents like hyaluronic acid (a carbohydrate that attracts water), Mr. McMahon said. But Intraceuticals, which has sold the $10,000 oxygen compressors to about 100 spas and dermatologists in the United States, has not run any clinical tests to see how the treatment works on the skin's top and underlying layers, he noted.

"We haven't run any medical-style clinical trials because we are not making any biological claims," Mr. McMahon said. "The instant results speak for themselves."

Last week in a hotel room in Manhattan, Ms. Peck demonstrated the facial on the right side of Ms. Evangelou's face. First she poured a protein solution into the nozzle of the compressor and carefully sprayed it around Ms. Evangelou's right eye and along the creases that run from her nostrils to the outer corners of her lip. As the treatment progressed, these areas seemed to swell slightly.

Then Ms. Peck poured a hyaluronic acid solution into the compressor and sprayed the mist in short parallel strokes all over the right side of Ms. Evangelou's face and along her jaw line. After Ms. Peck was finished, she led Ms. Evangelou into the bathroom so that they could both examine her face in the mirror.

"Look how smooth and more awake you look on that side," Ms. Peck said. "Do you see how one of your eyes looks a lot more open than the other, and the apple of your cheek is plumped up?"

Cecilia Brown, the manager of the Now spa, who works with Ms. Evangelou, agreed that she could see a marked change. "You look lopsided," Ms. Brown said as she pointed to the right side of Ms. Evangelou's face. "This side looks swollen."

Ms. Evangelou seemed please with her plumped-up look. "We are buying this machine for the spa right away," she said.

Others are taking a more skeptical approach to high-pressure oxygen facials. Dr. Katchen said he sees it as a new technology that in the absence of scientific data from Intraceuticals he plans to test on himself.

"It's a spa device with limited benefits," said Dr. Katchen. "It has no more and no less validity than a facial."

free skin care · Sat May 10, 2008 4:27 pm

Here's another source:

http://www.beautymagonline.com/pages/oxygen_facials.htm

I'll just quote part of it:

But does it work?

The mild inflammatory response caused by the forced breaching of the lipid bi-layers of the epidermis is the most logical reason why the “instant” smoothing effect is achieved, however there appears to be no scientific evidence to date that substantiates if the therapeutic compounds find their way to the target area at the dermal/epidermal junction. If there is any evidence, then it is not widely available for public scrutiny.
Other than the immediate inflammation effects discussed previously, there is potential that there could also be a limited longer-term restructuring of the collagen matrix due to stimulated fibroblast activity caused by the inflammatory response. As the level of fibroblast stimulation is directly proportional to the level of non-ablative inflammatory response created, it could be concluded that the effect is likely to be less than a peel or Microdermabrasion. There is however, no conclusive evidence of this occurring to any significant degree either.

The mild inflammatory response caused by the forced breaching of the lipid bi-layers of the epidermis is the most logical reason why the “instant” smoothing effect is achieved

That the oxygen used during the facial actually provides therapeutic effects from a topical application, and the premise that we can increase the energy in the skins cells by topical application of oxygen is flawed for a number of reasons. We need to consider the following factors:

The human skin does not respire to any perceptible degree; in fact the skin does not require being in an oxygen environment other than respiration via the lungs.
The skin barrier defence systems effectively render the skin waterproof, as nature limits our exposure to a specific concentration of oxygen for good reasons.
Although the skin can absorb some substances (some drugs are typically administered through a skin patch, humans do not absorb any substance through the skin that is important to life function. So from that perspective, we can logically live without air on the skin. (Except for temperature regulation)

Marketers of oxygen therapies often refer to the proven effects of oxygen on unhealthy or damaged tissues to state their case, with the vasoconstrictive effects, reduction of inflammatory cytokines, increase in growth factors, and antibacterial effects often mentioned.

There is indeed a degree of truth to those statements, as oxygen has been successfully used to assist wound healing for over fifty years.
It is however, the increase in oxygen concentration in the cells via the pulmonary vascular system introduced by the oxygen rich environments in hyperbaric chambers and oxygen tents rather than direct contact of the wound with the oxygen.

free skin care · Sat May 10, 2008 5:08 pm

I hope that helped!

I didn't really research the oxygen products offered at EDS (ex: PSF O2 serum) but I'm pretty sure these are unrelated.

I'm mostly skeptical about the oxygen facials because, hey, anything that works instantaneously is too good to be true, right? Also, although my sister has nicer looking skin immediately after her facials her skin's not improved in any way the rest of the time. By contrast, when she was using high quality products (dermalogica) on a regular basis, her skin was nice practically all of the time.

free skin care · Tue May 20, 2008 8:05 pm

I havce the same problem. I'm alwasy embaressed to say 'DO this Do that' Even when I'm at the hairdresser. But if you have the guts to do it then there's no need not to. At the end of the day you are paying for it.

free skin care · Tue May 20, 2008 8:10 pm

Absolutely. Afterall you are the client and you are paying for the service. As long as you told her up front and not keep on bucking her, I dont see any problem. And if she doesn't like it, find someone else.

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.