Are Medical Facials Good For Your Skin? Expert Tells

Facials are no longer gender specific, nor are they confined to the parlour aunty coming home with a steam machine and her secret creams. These work wonders for some while many feel that their skin is worse than before after 2-3 weeks. Many are not aware of medi-facials which help in improving texture, skin tone and higher collagen production. They tend to be focused towards specific conditions, like anti-aging, acne, pigmentation, post acne spots, sun damage, dehydration, rosacea etc.

The benefits of medi-facials are many folds, the most important being that it is safe and effective. It is much longer lasting than any ordinary facials. It has no downtime, which means you go home with mild redness which settles in a few hours. It's non-surgical process.

Medi facials are of many types, some popular treatments are:

• Water or Oxygen jet technology exfoliation: This uses high pressure air and water to exfoliate the skin, and simultaneously infuse skin solution to improve your skin's hydration.
• In anti-ageing medi-facials: We use radiofrequency, micro current or ultrasound waves for toning, lifting and firming of the skin.
• The Vampire or PRP medi-facial incorporates the process of drawing your own blood, and the derived purified platelets are re-injected back into the face to repair fine lines, uneven skin tones and to improve quality of the skin.
• Hydrafacial: It offers cleansing, exfoliation, extraction of blackheads, hydration and infusion of different serums as per patients need.
• Hollywood Facial: Involves the use of Q switch Laser for brightening the combined with a carbon peel to target deep layers of the skin to stimulate collagen production and it also works on tan.
• LED facial: Along with the standard facial, red and blue LED therapy is added for anti-ageing or anti-acne benefits. These lights help amplify your treatments

During winter people who have a dry skin usually choose more hydrating facials. After doing any medi facial you should stay hydrated, cleanse gently and most importantly use a sunscreen. Avoid activities which cause a lot of sweating as it may irritate the skin for 48 hours. Avoid going for a swim or using a stem/sauna for a week. Do not pick on your skin or go for threading or waxing of the face for a week. Avoid using any creams which contain retinoids, glycolic, salicylic or any other actives for 4 to 5 days.

(Dr. Reshma T. Vishnani, Consultant Dermatologist, Trichologist and Aesthetic Dermatologist, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai)

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