How Often Should I Get a Facial?

Did you know that almost 3 million Americans had four or more facials in 2020?

There’s no denying that when it comes to our skin we love to treat ourselves. From a luxurious Hydrafacial MD to a detoxifying dead sea clay mask, visiting the spa for a specialized treatment is a great way to relax and unwind!

However, facials are about more than their peaceful properties. The right facial can give your skin a beautiful boost, helping to reverse damage and prevent future issues, leaving you with skin you can be proud in.

If you’re wondering how often should I get a facial to maximize these benefits? then read on for everything you need to know.

Your Skin Regenerates Every 28 Days

The first thing to note if you’re wondering how frequently to get a facial is that your skin regenerates every 28 days. By that, we mean that the basal layer – which is the deepest layer of the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin) – creates new cells every 28 days. The new cells then divide in half, with one half moving up through the layers of the skin until they reach the surface.

By the time these cells reach the surface, they’ve lost their nucleus and are essentially dead. They create a layer of what we know as dead skin, which is shed in a process of constant renewal.

You might be wondering why we’re talking about cells, but it does play a large part in answering how often should you get a facial! Let’s move on so that you can see what we mean.

How Often Should I Get a Facial?

Okay, so your cells are regenerating and rising to the surface every 28 days. This means that if you have facials too often – especially those that rid your skin of its outer epidermal layer to slough away dead skin cells – you could start damaging perfectly healthy cells. That definitely isn’t what you want!

Instead, you want to find a happy medium between having facials done frequently enough that you see the best results and not so frequently that you damage or aggravate your skin. In general, this is around 28 days so that your skin can go through a new cycle of cells before you treat it again.

To understand more, let’s take a look at the cycles your skin goes through after a facial.

Immediately After a Facial

The first one to two days after a facial are when your skin is at its most sensitive. Impurities continue to be removed and plenty of work is still going on, and you might see some pinkness to your skin (especially if you’ve had a peel).

48-72 Hours After

Around this time, you’ll still be seeing that post-facial glow but you may also have a couple of breakouts as your skin is purged. This is more common for facial newbies.

5-7 Days

Your skin should be almost – if not fully – healed from the facial by now. Redness will fade, purging will stop, and your skin should be starting to see some real benefits from your treatment!

28-48 Days

As the new skin cells move to the outer layer of your skin, you’ll start to see the long-term benefits of your facial. This could be glowing, younger-looking skin, less acne, or a more even complexion.

Different Times for Different Skin

How often do you need a facial will also change depending on your skin concerns and the sort of facial you’re having. For example, someone with severe acne may be recommended more frequent facials than someone who is just after a healthy glow. To help you understand more, we’re going to take you through some of the different types of facials you can have and how long you should wait between treatments for each.

Facials for Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation facials treat areas with dark spots, areas affected by injury, melasma, and skin inflammation. We’ll use chemical peels to rid your skin of the outer layer of cells and reveal newer cells beneath, encouraging regeneration and repair. You may also have laser therapy to treat these problems.

For severe hyperpigmentation issues, you’ll usually have one treatment a week for around four or five weeks, after which your skin will be given time to recover before another cycle begins. This will be repeated as necessary.

Facials for Acne

Around 40-50 million Americans struggle with acne, making these facials some of the most popular! Acne facials are designed to rid your skin of the excess skin cells, oils, and sebum that block pores, and unclog pores that are already affected. This is done through two methods; chemical peels and extractions.

The chemical peels remove dead skin cells and a light peel will probably be done once – or maybe twice – a week for a period of between 4-8 weeks for severe acne. Extractions clean your clogged pores, which will either be blackheads or whiteheads and remove built-up impurities for smoother, clearer skin. These will be done during every treatment.

After you’ve received your cycle of treatments, your esthetician will assess your skin and usually follow up with monthly visits to keep acne flare-ups at bay.

HydraFacial MD

HydraFacial MD is a 30-minute long facial that incorporated cleansing the skin, chemical exfoliation, and extraction through a microdermabrasion procedure. It can work on all skin types to reduce wrinkles, minimize pore size, reduce acne outbreaks, and keep your skin glowing and properly hydrated. The steps your skin go through will be:

• Cleansing and peeling to exfoliate the skin and uncover new cells
• Extract impurities from clogged pores and hydrate the new layer of skin
• Add peptides and antioxidants to the skin to promote cell growth and create a healthy glow

Usually, HydraFacial MD is done once every 4 weeks, though your esthetician can recommend your treatment routine based on your skin.

Oxygen Facials

The oxygen facial was inspired by deep-sea divers. When they rush to the surface, their tissue and blood are suddenly pumped full of pure oxygen, leading to brighter, glowing skin when they hit the surface. During the facial, oxygen infused with beneficial vitamins and minerals is sprayed into the epidermis layer of your skin. Afterwards, your skin will be plumper and smoother, giving you an instant lift.

You can have an oxygen facial every week to keep up the glow without damaging your skin.

LED Facials

LED was actually first used on wounds by the US Navy SEALs, who found that it sped up healing time and reduced pain. The skincare industry then adapted LED light for its own purposes, giving you the same benefits but for your face instead! LED is used to target acne, stimulate collagen production, soothe inflammation, and heal spots and scars on the surface of the skin.

One of the reasons LED has become such a popular facial is because it can penetrate deep into the skin, doing real work below the surface for younger-looking, smoother skin, but it’s minimally invasive. In fact, it’s so gentle that some skin types can have an LED facial once a week!

How Should You Deal With Sensitive Skin and Facials?

Sensitive skin and facials don’t always mix well. But just because your skin needs to be treated a little more gently doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all of these amazing treatments and their benefits! If you have acne and sensitive skin, for example, you’ll still want the acne treated.

This does mean, however, that you may not be able to have treatments as often as the above-mentioned times. Sensitive skin will often need more time to recover. You may also have to build up to more frequent treatments, starting once every two months and working up to once a month as your skin adjusts to the facials.

The best thing to do if you have sensitive skin is visit our facial spa and speak to an esthetician. They can assess your skin and keep your sensitivity in mind during treatments, tailoring your facial cycles to suit your skin.

Tips for Skin Recovery After a Facial

If you’ve just had a facial, there are ways you can speed up recovery. These tips should be followed after every facial unless your esthetician recommends otherwise:

• Don’t use any exfoliating products for a few days after your facial
• Apply sunscreen daily (you should always do this, facial or not!)
• Avoid irritating products containing acids, fragrance, or other harsh ingredients
• Stay hydrated
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol immediately after your facial if you can to avoid dehydration

Book in for a Facial Today

How often should I get a facial? The answer is different for every skin type and every treatment, but this guide should help you! Remember, though, that your esthetician should always have the last word on how often your skin will handle facials and you should always listen to them.

If you’d like to treat your skin to a specialist treatment, book in for an appointment at Indulgence Medical Day Spa today!