Let's Talk Spa by Le Petit Spa

A spa blog offering spa information, skin care and make-up tips and beauty advice, and spa relaxation massage by Nancy Mudford (Owner of Le Petit Spa) at Vancouver’s Le Petit Spa, www.lepetitspa.ca We offer facials, waxing, microdermabrasion, pedicures, manicures, and mineral make-up applications.


Saturday, October 21, 2006

Steps of Professional Spa Facials and Benefits


Steps of Professional Spa Facials and Benefits

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between you cleansing your skin at home and a professional spa facial? Or what steps a professional facial includes?

Many people don’t realize how different the two processes can be, or what important information you can find out about your skin from a professional esthetician.

Spa Facials are not only to deeply relax and soothe the worries of a tired soul; they treat and prevent skin conditions, and can identify skin changes before they become problems. Professional Estheticians are trained to identify skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema, acne, psoriasis and hormonal changes in the skin so that they may make an educated decision as to which skin type their clients are so that they may design a home regimen to help with preventative skin care at home.

Listed below are the steps of a professional Basic Spa Facial and why each step is taken:

1. Skin Analysis Your Esthetician will look at your skin through a magnifying lamp to see if any conditions (such as milia, comedones(blackheads) or broken capillaries) exist. This also helps the esthetician determine which products they will be using during your facial service. The client’s skin concerns and issues will be discussed at this time as well so that the esthetician may address the concerns during the service.

2. Cleanse After determining the specialized products for the client’s skin, a superficial cleansing of the skin is done. This removes any makeup on the skin.

3. Tone Toning helps to remove any residue left by the water and/or cleaser. Toning the skin also helps to return the skin to its natural Ph level after touching water during the cleansing stage or after any product removal.

4 Exfoliation Exfoliation can be applied chemically or mechanically (scrubs). This is where the facial steps from superficial to deep cleansing. This removes the layer of dead skin cells on the surface of your skin to help the following products penetrate into your skin better and into the underlying layers of the skin.

5. Extractions Extractions allow the esthetician to remove built up dirt and impurities from pores. The chin, nose and forehead are common areas of where extractions may be done. A metal implement is gently pressed against the areas needing extractions and distributes pressure to the surrounding pores, causing dirt and impurities (such as blackheads) to exit the pores. This step is totally non-invasive and safe, and does not leave any scarring as the implement does not enter the skin.

6. Massage Ah! Massage is a highly relaxing part of any professional facial, but it serves more of a purpose to be served for just relaxation! Swedish Massage and Digito-Drainage Massage are two different types of facial massage your esthetican may decide to use on you.

Swedish is preferable for clients with dry to normal skin. It is quite stimulating and increases blood flow and stimulates oil production. If the client has a condition such as acne, or a sensitive skin, your esthetician will probably perform Digito-Drainage Massage.

DDM (digito-drainage) is a massage that stimulates your lymphatic system, helping toxins and excess fluid drain from your skin. It helps flush any bacteria in your skin away from the areas that may have breakouts. The lymph system is also responsible for nourishing and healing your skin, therefore; skin nourishment is stimulated and the healing process takes place.

7. Mask and / or Serum A mask is used to help penetrate active ingredients into the deeper layers of your skin. A serum is a concentrate of 70% active ingredients. Together, these two steps are customized for each client to aid in certain skin conditions such as hydration, acne, soothing for sensitive skin, anti-aging or a combination thereof. This is the “treatment” part of your facial and will always be a major step in any Professional Spa Facial Service.

8. Finishing Cream Your finishing cream is one of the most important steps of your facial. Your esthetician will customize this for your skin type. Finishing creams are moisturizers that will protect your newly exfoliated and cleansed skin from environmental factors when you step outside the spa. They deliver the same benefits that are provided to you during your facial and help to seal in moisture well after you finish your facial service.

9. Home Care Recommendations Your Esthetician has now worked with your skin, has identified your skin concerns and any problems that you are having with your skin. She now can recommend a skincare regime for you to follow at home. This is an important step in facial care; if you do not treat your skin with care at home, the results achieved with a facial will not last and your money spent on a professional facial goes down the drain!

To book a Professional Facial or skincare analysis, or to find out more about this service or any of Le Petit Spa’s services, click here.

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