Facial Treatments That Leave Your Skin Glowing: Our Top 10

What Causes Dull Skin?

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The answer to what causes dull skin is a combination of environmental and lifestyle factors. Long days, stress, environmental pollutants, dehydration, smoking, alcohol and an unhealthy diet all contribute to dull, gray skin, as well as accelerating premature ageing.

Of course, not all of these factors are within your control. If you live in the city, there isn’t much you can do about the air quality, for example. However, what you can do is make the time to pamper your skin with a well deserved facial treatment to restore your glow.

What Are The Benefits of Facial Treatments?

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Facial treatments are a form of heaven for dull, tired skin which needs some rest and recuperation to find its glow.

Facial treatments can take a variety of forms, depending on the specific issue you present with. In most cases, they will include a deep cleanse, exfoliation, treatment, mask and moisturizer. They can be specifically engineered for young, damaged, sensitive, acne prone or ageing skin. There truly is something for everyone.

Facial treatments can help to detox and purify the skin. This encourages it to heal itself by stimulating collagen production and cell renewal. The result is a “brand new you” for your skin, revealing a fresh, glowing layer of skin cells hiding beneath the surface.

Are Professional Treatments Best?

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Nowadays, you can go into any store and find a huge variety of skin care products and home based treatments on the shelves. It is certainly good practice to take care of your skin at home. But there are some things that cannot be accomplished outside of the estheticians office.

One of the top benefits of visiting an esthetician in your quest for glowing skin, is their skills with extractions. Not all clogged pores become huge, red pimples. Some sit flush with the skin and create the appearance of an uneven texture.

Estheticians are trained in removing these blockages without causing damage to the surrounding area. This is something that is impossible to achieve at home. Once all the clogged pores are cleared, your skin will look and feel much healthier. You will also be fully prepared for your treatment.

Another benefit is the higher quality of the products professionals have at their disposal. Exfoliants used in professional spas are much stronger and effective than those you can buy in the store. This is to protect un-trained people from using them incorrectly and damaging their skin. As a result, you will experience much more noticeable results after visiting a spa than you can achieve at home.

Lastly, when you visit a professional esthetician or spa, they will provide you with a thorough skin consultation and analysis. This enables you to receive the very best facial treatment for your skin.

Taking care of your skin with drugstore products is essential to maintain skin health day-to-day. However, when it comes to stubborn dull skin, professional treatments are best.

Benefits of professional treatments are:

Top 10 Best Facial Treatments

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If you are looking to restore your glow, you cannot go wrong with our list of the top 10 best facial treatments. Take your pick of the following high quality skin procedures and leave the estheticians office with the luminous, youthful skin you have been yearning for.

1. Oxygen Facial

Oxygen facials are perfect for city-dwelling individuals who are exposed to high levels of air pollution on a daily basis. Such an environmental lack of oxygen and increase in air pollutants can wreak havoc on the skin. Just like every other cell in our bodies, skin cells need oxygen to be healthy.

The trendy oxygen facial is an all natural, painless treatment that works to improve the appearance of your skin by infusing it with oxygen into its deeper layers. Oxygen is directed at the skin alongside an atomized treatment serum or moisturizer. This is performed using a specialized machine that directs this pressurized stream of goodness into the facial tissues of the skin's surface.

An oxygen facial immediately hydrates the skin, effectively unclogs pores, encourages a boost in circulation and kick starts dermal regeneration. As a result, skin appears instantly more smooth, youthful and glowing.

2. Blue Light Acne Treatment

Blue Light Acne Treatment is a great option for long-term acne sufferers who have tried everything without any lasting positive results. This treatment uses high intensity blue light, directed at the skin to effectively treat cases of mild or moderate acne.

Free from lasers and ultraviolet light, this treatment is completely safe and pain-free. The blue light effectively destroys p.acnes, the form of bacteria that are responsible for those embarrassing breakouts. During the treatment, the patient sits or lies down comfortably. Then blue light lamps are simply placed close to the face and neck for around 30 minutes.

After the treatment is completed, patients can immediately return to work and leisure without any downtime required. For the absolute best results, treatments should be repeated every seven to 10 days for a number of weeks. The number of treatments required will depend upon the severity of the patients acne. But this treatment is one of the most effective at transforming acne riddled skin into a smooth, beautiful complexion.

3. Laser Skin Resurfacing

Laser skin resurfacing is one of the most popular facial treatments available among models and celebrities. This procedure works to rejuvenate and plump the skin. Efficiently reducing the appearance of sun damage, uneven pigmentation, acne scars, wrinkles and fine lines.

While the use of the word “resurfacing” may sound harsh, this treatment is entirely safe. A laser is used to accurately and successfully break apart the molecular bonds of the top layers of damaged skin cells, removing them completely and revealing the smooth, healthier-looking skin beneath.

The action of this treatment also stimulates production of collagen within the new skin, further enhancing the youthful effects.

4. Microdermabrasion

If you are want glowing skin but don’t have much time, microdermabrasion is one of the quickest and effective treatments on our list. Because this procedure is so beneficial and can be completed in 30 minutes, it is sometimes referred to as the “lunchtime facial”.

Microdermabrasion works by scrubbing the surface of the skin free from the dull and dead cells that contribute to a lacklustre appearance. Once these unhelpful cells are removed, the bright, radiant skin beneath is exposed. The action of sloughing away the surface layers also encourages the manufacture of more collagen. Thus plumping the skin from the inside out.

This exfoliating process is usually followed by an application of a soothing and intensive moisturizer, to really calm the skin and bring out the glow.

Microdermabrasion is great for people with:

5. Fruit Acid Facial

Fruit acid facials utilize the acids found in our favorite fruits to obliterate age spots, wrinkles, acne scars, and improve tone, texture and hyperpigmentation. These acids dissolve the top layers of the skin, actively stimulating the production of collagen.

Many different acids can be used during this treatment, all derived from fruits such as lemons, oranges, apples, grapes and pears. It truly is like five-a-day for your face!

The fruit acid facial is a particularly good alternative for people who are not completely comfortable with strong chemical peels, or treatments that employ the use of lasers. There is usually little downtime involved in this procedure, unlike more intensive peels. However, it is advised that you use a strong sunscreen to protect the new skin for a period of time after treatment.  

6. IPL Photofacial

Intense Pulsed Light or “IPL” is one of the most recent advances in dermatological technology. Intense high energy light pulses are directed at the skin surface, penetrating deep beneath the layers and diminishing the effects of ageing, uneven skin tone, redness and sun damage.

Like many other treatments on our list, IPL works by encouraging the production of more collagen. The treatment usually lasts for around 30 minutes. Full benefits gradually emerge after a few weeks have passed. For optimal results, five sessions are recommended. This can vary depending upon the severity of your skin concerns.  

The treatment is not completely pain-free. With each pulse of the light it feels as if you are being “snapped” by an elastic band. But, this sharp sting is over as quickly as it arrived. There isn’t any recovery time required with this treatment. Patients should be careful to protect skin from the sun for around two weeks afterwards.

7. Chemical Peels

Chemical peels are a popular facial treatment which completely remove the damaged, aged and dull outer layers of the skin. Estheticians usually apply trichloroacetic acid (TCA), phenol, or alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) to the skin to achieve this.

These intensive peels smooth and enhance the appearance and texture of your skin, abolishing wrinkles, blemishes and uneven pigmentation. New layers of skin beneath are revealed in all their radiant glory. Such peels have been used throughout history, with records of similar procedures being carried out in ancient Egyptian times.

The incredible results are almost immediate, depending on the strength of the peel you have. In some cases, there may be some downtime while the skin heals. It is advised to check with a physician or esthetician which strength of peel will be the best for you.

8. Facial Acupuncture

This facial treatment works as an extension of the benefits of traditional acupuncture. The process of inserting fine needles into the skin is said to naturally encourage renewal, making the skin look younger and rejuvenated.

The acupuncturist will gently insert 50 to 70 very fine and sterilized needles into the skin. The insertion is skillful and painless. As these needles puncture the skin, they create tiny wounds, known as “microtraumas”. These microtraumas kick start the body’s repair process, stimulating increased cell turnover and collagen production which results in bright, beautiful skin.

Many people liken the immediate glowing results as being akin to waking up from a deep, restorative sleep.

9. Lymphatic Drainage Facial

The lymphatic system is something that isn’t often associated with facials and cosmetics. It is crucial part of our immune system, working to eradicate toxins and harmful waste from the body. Much of this cleansing takes place in partnership with the vascular system, which circulates a fluid called lymph around the body, fighting infection everywhere it finds it.

“Lymph nodes” or “lymph glands” act as filters, situated around the body. They filter the lymph fluid, cleaning it of bacteria and other nasties to be destroyed. If there is a blockage in the these glands, the whole filtering and cleansing system can become disrupted – wreaking havoc on your skin.

If the lymphatic system is suffering, this will become apparent in your complexion. It most often shows as puffiness under the eyes, or the dreaded dark circles. Because many of the lymph glands are situated around the chin, neck, ears and chest; they can be easily stimulated with a targeted facial treatment.

Lymphatic drainage facials involve massaging the face, neck and chest in a outward motion from the centre of the body. The intention is to break up any blockages, while also enhancing the circulation of toxins away from the facial area to be excreted.

This facial can feel a little firmer than other facials, but your skin will truly thank you for it.

10. Vampire Facial

Last, but not least is the truly unique “vampire facial”. This designer procedure was made world famous by celebrity instagram accounts posting images of blood smeared faces in the name of beauty.

This facial procedure intends to boost the plumpness, elasticity and general volume in the face by using a combination of hyaluronic acid and the client’s own blood, which is drawn at the start of the procedure. This blood is put into a centrifuge and spun at high speed to separate the constituent fluids.

After it has been separated, the clear “platelet-rich plasma” section of the resulting formula is then extracted for use on the face. This platelet mixture is extremely effective at stimulating cell turnover and skin renewal. The patient’s face will either be intensively exfoliated with microdermabrasion, or micro-needled, before the platelet mixture is applied to the face.

While it may look a little frightening, vampire facials are relatively painless. Aside from the pinprick when blood is taken and a slight burning sensation during any microneedling, it really does look much worse than it is.

Clients will need to be careful of the sun and avoid makeup for a few days post procedure. There may be some slight bruising, but this will diminish quickly to reveal glowing, dewy, tighter and younger-looking skin.

There is certainly a wealth of facial treatments and skin care products out there to choose from. However, as we have seen here, while you can take good day-to-day care of your skin at home, nothing can truly beat a professional facial treatment when it comes to restoring your outer glow.