Do You Go For Facials—And Have You Tried Any With Electricity?
A few days ago I did something I haven’t done in ages: I went for a facial.
I’ve had a mixed history with facials. As a teenager I got one that left my face in such a mess that it scared me off them for years. Later, in my early twenties, I became a devotee of Kate Sommerville here in Los Angeles. I went for almost weekly facials there that—while draining to my bank account—seemed to help the cystic acne I’d developed around my jawline at the time.
Whether the effects were placebo or not is unclear, but I loved the ritual, and my facialist was kind and gentle (and I’m convinced a closet energy worker). Maybe her soothing neck massages were the true cure for my acne. Aside from the products (which, while not totally clean, did feature a lot of natural actives), she also used all kinds of blue and red lights and things that vibrated. There were also extractions.
Extractions are controversial—but I’m convinced that people who are against them can’t possibly be prone to same surface clogging that I am.
Let’s just put it this way: There are people in my life, who shall remain nameless, who actually beg to do my extractions. Yes, I run with a disgusting lot at times.
And while healthy skin oils and good clean products help, because I don’t believe in peeling and over-exfoliating, I’m starting to think extractions (done carefully by a professional) may be a more viable option in helping my skin breathe better, so to speak.
Fast-forward several years to a few days ago. After something of a grueling work week in New York’s 100-degree humidity, followed by an almost-as-muggy, feeling-filled family visit near Montreal—I came back to Los Angeles with skin in need of some serious help.
A friend had recently told me about Marianne Kehoe who does a facial using warm cotton strips soaked in mineral and vitamin-loaded waters as opposed to products and peels. Marianne also does extractions, after which she uses something called a “galvanic electrical current” to help heal the skin. Has anyone tried this before? At this point my skepticism is healthy when it comes to any treatment, but the experience was completely non-aggressive and in desperate times a girl wants to believe.
According to Elle, these facials have been a thing for some time (centuries), but I plan to do more research. For now, my skin is feeling better—and clearer.
Where do you sit on facials, extractions, and a lil’ electroshock therapy?
Image via Elle
I would never go for a facial, I’m too sensitive and would feel the need to look critically at every procedure and product used…it would not be relaxing and I’d feel like I was being difficult for the practitioner. But I buy that something electrical could help prompt healing of the skin. Our bodies have their own electricity and respond to electricity applied – for example, bone stimulators can be used to help heal fractures. I’m not aware of specific evidence that this would work for skin, but I don’t find it hard to believe.
I also believe that extractions are sometimes needed for some people. I’ve had clogged pores that no product or process was going to get rid of – there’s only squeezing the damn thing out. As long as I choose carefully what will be helped by this and what to leave alone, it works.
I had a facial done once where she did the extractions the usual way, and then she used a pulsed light laser beam to \zap\ the bacteria near where she had done extractions. I hurt a bit, but I didn’t have any breakouts afterwards.
I used to be wary of facials since usually my skin would be a red, blotchy hot mess afterwards. But this past birthday I got an ayurvedic facial at Pratima here in NYC & my skin never looked better (and yes, they did some extractions). I almost felt guilty taking the nasty subway home & walking around in the dirty city air – I wish i could’ve transported myself home in a hermetically sealed bubble after that facial. My skin felt so clean & pure, much like a baby’s. I would go every month if i could afford it!
I’ve gone for facials at Tammy Fender which are heaven. It is an experience.. The facialist will present you a number of essential oils for you to chose the one that calls you on the day of your visit and will use it later during the treatment(relaxing phase). Extractions will be involved with absolutely no redness at all. knowing that all products used are theirs, no worries there. If money wasn’t an issue I would be there more often.
I’ve had facials before. Have you heard of hydrafacials? yep, done it 5 times and it did help a lot with my acne and scars (ughh) I also had 2 peels.. yuckkk! do not do it please, you will look like a monster and cannot even get out of the house. She did some extractions and did use a light laser to zap bacteria in the area.
I have heard of organic facials and i would love to try the dr.hauschka, evan healy ones or ones at nubo nau.
Facials are amazing. My skin gets super-clogged and even though I try to clear things up myself (ahem!), but sometimes the grossness reaches critical mass and I require professional internvention. I do tend to be skeptical about magical cures, but the electricity thing does seem to work. When I lived in Romania, I went to a lady that used an Italian system that included electrical current and I must say, my skin never looked better.
I’ve been an esthetician for 7 years so I’m pro-facials obviously but only if done by a qualified esthetician that uses healthy products. I spent years of trial and error with both products and procedures. I got into the biz because my skin was so bad and break-out as well as freak-out prone. My go-to favorite is a facial using ultrasound technology (a much more high-tech infusion process than galvanic and it involves a non-invasive exfoliation) Extractions are good if they are done correctly, but they are not for everyone. If they are done wrong they can be very painful and traumatizing to the skin as well as risk the spread of infections. Some cystic acne should not be extracted because it can be very deep and could be the symptom of other internal health issues. High-frequency electrical treatment after extractions is a must to promote healing and kill bacteria.
Facials for relaxation are a must for some people. So many don’t get a chance to relax so getting a facial is a great way to do that. Having time to relax is essential to your health, never apologize for it!
If I could afford it I’d do it once a month.. as it is I get them MINIMUM four times a year, and usually a few in the summer when my skin is freaking out (like now!). I find the blue/red light does help heal extractions and prevent anything bad from happening post-facial. And I do think extractions are absolutely necessary, anyone who says otherwise needs to meet my face.
I used to get facials in my teens and 20’s. I’m now 30 and living in Orange County, California and can’t for the life of me find a reputable esthetician in OC, they are all up in LA – too far for my bz schedule. I desperately need to do extractions because I have seriously clogged pores. I’ll clear out the easy pores on my chin and they’ll be clogged again before I go to bed the same day. Ridiculous.
@Nancy We are so jealous that you’ve had a Tammy Fender facial! I’ve thought of going to Miami just for that. ;)
I have only had one facial and it was done with only natural and gentle substances. I still had a reaction to it. I have ridiculously acne prone and sensitive skin. Lately, in the midst of smoggy heat, I have actually been coating my skin with straight up aloe before bed prior to putting on moisturizer. I am also using Dr Haushka clay masks regularly. My skin is actually looking less clogged than ever. I should also mention that I am flooding my system with Omega 3s that are high in the fishy good stuff and eating no dairy.
I go to Six Persimmons in Boulder, CO, about twice a year, and I LOVE their Hauschka facials. They are all about holistic health there as well, so they ask me about diet, all these sorts of things that are so important. One of the estheticians, who hates to exercise (a lady after my own heart), is all about trampolines to get your blood flowing. :)
@Alexandra, I actually went to Tammy Fender in West Palm Beach and not to the Elle Spa @ The Eden Roc in Miami.. Worth the drive north! May work or pleasure bring you to Florida soon:)
I couldn’t agree with this quote “I’m convinced that people who are against them can’t possibly be prone to same surface clogging that I am” more. We all know that you should not try to do extractions on inflamed acne, but for blackheads and small, hard whiteheads, let’s get it on!
If I had the money, I would have a facial every month. The skin clinic I go to, Jill Bucy in Seattle, uses Biologique Recherche (um, not clean, but very effective) and they are very very gentle and believe the less you do to your skin, the better – a rarity in the business, especially in clinics where they sell products.
Although my skin is incredibly oily (mid thirties without a glimmer of a fine line), I rarely have inflamed acne, but the pores – ugh. Get that crap out of there. I do my own at home on a regular basis, and I use the same method: after steaming (i.e. warm shower), with a tissue on either side of the pore and clean hands and face, squeezing and pressing with the “pad” of the finger, not the tip/nail – this is where I think a lot of people mess the process up. If it hurts – you stop, no matter what. If it’s truly just a clogged pore, you won’t feel anything except your own pressure. After the extractions, my esthetician applies an antibacterial toner (again, very unclean – the beloved p50) and then spends about ten minutes going over my face with some sort of device that feels like tiny shocks – not painful, but I wouldn’t call it pleasant, either.
I refused facials for years after several really bad experiences (why don’t they listen? And what’s with all the moisturizers?), but now I have seen the light. I walk out of there feeling and looking better – not red, no underneath the surface acne brewing, not greasy, just refreshed. I can’t help but trust the staff there that talk me out of products I don’t need.
My suggested regimen from them:
Wash face with warm water, apply 4 drops of p50, use oil around eye area. Same at night, only with a Clarisonic. Mask once a week. That’s it. They are not into sunscreen…
These are very expensive products and they could easily talk me out of a lot of money, but they don’t, so I believe in their method. At least until I can find comparable clean products, that is:)
Side note for Seattle folks, they also sell Tata Harper and will give you a gentle facial using her products if you ask when you book. My first time I did ask, but once I got there and they saw that I had clog-prone and oily skin, they said no way – the only product from her facial line that is appropriate for oily skin is the Hydrating Floral Essence. Of course everyone’s skin is different, but just thought I would share.
I only do facial at a salong that have a ecological skin therapist. The do not do deep pore cleansing since they think – like I do- that it will damage the inner wall of the pores and making them bigger.
I love facials and if I could work it into my budget I’d get one every month! I always want extractions – I’m lucky not to suffer from actual acne, but my pores are like little vaccuums and they are no sooner emptied than they look to suck dirt right back in again. (Although quitting smoking has MASSIVELY improved this!) I will admit I am not overly fussy about what products are being used when I get a facial, but I’ve found that, for me, it is all about the facialist and her technique when it comes to effectiveness, actually making my skin better, and my having a relaxing experience. I have left a facial looking like I’ve had a week’s worth of good sleep and also the other extreme, where I look like someone has thrown acid on my face, it’s so red and irritated and awful. I have never thought it was about the products but about how the facialist performed. I’ve had the electric stuff a couple of times but I find it uncomfortable (prockly, like someone is giving me a bunch of tiny electric shocks) and those facials were also ones where I looked irritated afterwards – not sure if that had anything to do with it or not.
Love that some specific salons have been mentioned above – I will check these out!
Hmmm… no, zero facials for me, neither dermatologists. I don’t actually like the fact that facialists do extractions, use hot water/warm water, steam, lights, and all that kind of things that actually age you even more, and if you have ridiculously sensitive skin like me, it’s hell. I found this the other day while playing around: http://www.dailyglow.com/blogs/the-skin-doctor/heat-a-new-cause-of-premature-aging
Nobody touches my face except for me, and no product or gadget touches my face without my seal of approval, and almost no product passes out the test, I make 95% of the products of my routines with my own little hands because I never like anything. I think I would be a facialist’s worst nightmare LOL. That’s why I’m right now reading all kinds of dermatology books and journals, to can avoid them as much as can, and to can take care of my skin much better on my own.
Apparently Sophia Lauren is one of the few celebrities that have not had a face lift. She has been going for Galvanic treatments for over 50 yrs. So yes I have heard of it, I have done it, I’m not sure how safe it id to put electric current on your skin but it does work very well for acne and wrinkles.
I am a clinically internationally trained and qualified CIDESCO esthetician and have been for 9 years. High Frequency current and Galvanic currents are two electrical methods that can be used in facials and on the body (in other spa treatments). High frequency is the treatment that is applied after extractions are done or can be done on it’s own with out extractions. High frequency creates ozone on the skin which, most know is highly antibacterial / antimicrobial. A complete facial massage can be completed with the high frequency as well. There are various methods that can be used and applied with the high frequency which have all been practiced on myself and know the benefits before I go touting them to the world. Galvanic current uses atoms and positive and negative electric currents for product penetration and stimulation of the muscles of what is happening beneath the skin. (Do you recall the ‘Dr. Ho’s commericals for the muscle toning pads — that is a dummy proof user friendly to the galvanic current — the contraction and relaxation). In the spa the galvanic current is used in a slightly different way but more so like I said for product penetraction to assist serums and anti aging products effectively into the deepest layers of the skin.
As a practitioner see no harm in either treatment as long as the practitioner communicates each step along the way to the recipient and that there is full knowledge, understanding of the treatment and everything is applied in good measure.
Personally the High Frequency is my best friend whenever I get a little breakout…. I don’t do anything other than give it a little zap when it pops up and it’s gone quite soon after.
I use to never get facials because I never trust the products they are using. Then I discovered Tammy Fender salon in Palm Beach. I love her holistic products and use them everyday. I get monthly facials there too. My 42 year old self has never looked better.
As a 27-year-old with acne-prone and somewhat oily skin, if you’re looking for something to clear up skin at home, I can recommend uncoated aspirin dissolved in a little witch hazel. I can’t afford professional services, but it helps a lot.
I do my own \facials\ at home, once a week:
- Rub some oil (I use the Oil Cleansing Method) for a few minutes to clean the face
- Go through 5-6 warm compresses
- Apply a green clay mask (I sometimes mix it with witch hazel instead of water, and add a few essential oil drops)
- Let it dry completely
- Wash the clay off with lots of warm water
- Take the wash cloth and gently rub it on the expanded pores. You can actually see the blackheads that have come up to the surface with the help of the clay. So I basically just rub them off with the wash cloth, taking extra care on the problem areas (T-zone etc)
- If needed, I do some extractions on the larger pores afterwards, using some clean tissue on my fingers, and being careful not to use my nails
- Rinse with some more cold water or spray a hydrosol. If I feel some areas are irritated from the extractions, I pat some pure alcohol on them
- Pat some DIY oil without drying my skin (this seals in the moisture): argan + rosehip seed + jojoba + apricot kernel oils with lavender + geranium essential oils
Tried and tested!
As an Esthetician, I use electricity on clients! Sometimes they think it is a little scary (the sound of the machines can be intimidating) but when they see the results on their skin they LOVE it! There are a few different types of electricity you can use on clients to suit their needs. Thats why I love what I do because, for one, I am a green everything user so I try and teach them the benefits of natural products, and another reason, they see results with electricity!
As far as extractions, I believe if you don’t know what you are doing, 9 times out of 10 you can do more harm than good. And never, ever, pick!! Thats where the scarring comes into play!
I want to thank both of you for writing your brilliant book! It inspired me over a year ago to go “green” with everything from hair care, to deodorant, to make up! Which led to me going to esthetics school, I want to teach the world about the harmful chemicals in your everyday products!
-Emma