Oct 7, 2017 by Tatianna
I would like to continue on a subject of anti-aging and share a few more treatments which I think can really transform someones skin. I’m not a believer in injections of any kind, but I do think that some exfoliating treatments are a way to go if you want to keep your skin fresh.
Over many decades, the face of anti-aging treatments has changed radically. What first began as a treatment afforded only by celebrities and the wealthy became more affordable over time. Originally, surgery was the only choice and it came with lengthy hospital stays and to my personal opinion not always such great results. Now, many options are completed in about an hour and you’re able to head back to work right away. Before randomly trying different methods, this is what you need to know about the more popular exfoliating options.
Different Types of Facials
There are so many different kind of facials now days but to my personal opinion the only one worth doing is an extraction facial. An extraction facial is where they steam your face and extract all the dirt out of your pores, some areas of your face is done manually by hand and other areas ( that are more flat ) they use a machine. When I was 18, I used to have the most amazing facial extractions lady, she literally did my facial for 2 hours straight, my skin looked as clean as a baby when I would leave her office, ahh good times, cause I was never able to find anyone as good as her as far as cleaning out my pores.
Last year I’ve tried the very popular by celebrities and very expensive facial called Hydrafacial, tried it twice and was very disappointed, it did nothing but gave me a healthy glow which I already had when I came in, it didn’t even cleaned out my pores. So, to my opinion a Hydrafacial is a waste of money.
Facial Peels
This procedure is also called a chemical peel and it’s a personal favorite of mine. Different acids applied to the skin (generally the face but you can also get peels on your neck, chest and back), the acids are left on for a short time, then neutralized and rinsed away. Dead skin cells peel away afterwards, revealing the healthy cells beneath them. There are varying strengths of chemical peels using different acids and each has varying recovery times.
The mildest of these is nicknamed a lunch hour peel as it can be done in a very short time (like a lunch hour), and you can return to work right afterwards. This is the one I personally prefer, they also call it a Sensi Peel, because it was originally created for sensitive Asian skin.
The mild peels are the most affordable of the chemical peel options and can be repeated every 6 weeks to keep the face looking freshly rejuvenated. I suggest to start doing chemical peels after about 25-27 years of age, I started doing them when I was 32 and I wish I started earlier. The earlier you start the less harsh of peels you will need. The recovery from a Sensi Peel is about 5 days, your face will look like you’ve had a very mild sunburn and the peeling will begin about 2 days later, and last for 2-3 days.
Deep peels use a much stronger application of chemicals and takes the longest to recover from, for example the TCA peel. This peel looks very scary after you get it done, and it’s only recommended to people with really deep wrinkles and sun damage. The skin will peels over the next couple weeks, meaning you won’t want to go out in public for that duration. My personal opinion is to start with mild peels first if you are new to chemical peels, you want to go slow while introducing this procedure to the skin, otherwise you will create more damage.
There is also an option to do chemical peels your self in the comfort of your own home. There are so many options available for home kits, some of them are light peels and some deep peels, I wouldn’t recommend to do a deep peel like TCA at home, although I know a lot of people do that because it can be very costly if you get it done by a professional, still I do not recommend it.
When purchasing an at home peel kit, make sure to read reviews and follow the instructions.
Laser Procedures
I am personally not familiar with these my self, but from my research I found out that a lot of people have great results. There are many differing laser devices for anti-aging including skin resurfacing and skin tightening treatments. Skin tightening procedures generally use non-ablative lasers to bypass the skin’s surface, instead targeting the dermis layer without harming the epidermis in any way. The skin is heated which results in it contracting (tightening) while also stimulating the skin’s natural production of collagen to regenerate the skin cells. This method is effective on mild to moderate skin laxity and wrinkles.
Skin resurfacing uses an ablative laser to vaporize the targeted cells on the skin’s surface in order to exfoliate the skin. Ablative devices cause damage the surface of the skin, which in turn carries the risk of infections due to the raw skin. This also means a longer recovery time. In this way, they are similar to deep chemical peels. As with all types of medical laser machinery, technicians are trained in the proper techniques for using the lasers safely on their clients. This procedure works on mild to moderate wrinkles and effectively smooths the skin.
Microdermabrasion
The microdermabrasion procedure uses micro-sized exfoliating crystals which are sprayed onto the surface of the skin to exfoliate or buff away dead skin cells. It is similar to the light chemical peels or even lighter, in that it freshens the skin to look healthier and rejuvenated. Right after treatment, the skin may be pink as if sunburned for a short time. It only works on mild lines and wrinkles. I’ve personally never tried this procedure cause I love my mild chemical peels.
Ultherapy
Using ultrasound technology to target the dermis layer of your skin, ultherapy heats the skin cells and smooths out the skin. It is only FDA approved to work on mild wrinkles, lines, and sags in the face, neck, and upper chest areas. This treatment has become more popular in recent years. After going through before and after photos of this procedure it looks like it works good for some and for others there was no difference. You would need to discuss this with a professional to see if it’s right for you.
My Personal Advice
I always suggest to do any kind of procedures at a dermatologist offices, NEVER IN SPA SALONS. Estheticians at dermatologist offices have more experience and require extra education. Honestly I would never trust a spa salon to perform a procedure such as chemical peel on my face, maybe a light facial. Always do your research, read reviews, don’t just jump on the first procedure that seems good to you and don’t go overboard with them.
Stay healthy and glowing,
Tati