First Impressions | The HydraFacial Experience

It's been over 24 hours since my first HydraFacial experience.  After first learning about this hot new facial that promised to treat multiple areas with problem skin, I jumped at the opportunity.  My intention was to see if this was a treatment that I would partake in on  a regular basis and if the Hydrafacial could give me even toned, glowing skin.

My appointment was set extra early making me one the first client of the day.  Because the Hydrafacial isn't your typical run of the mill spa treatment, it's mainly offered at plastic surgery centers.  While I waited for my name to be called, I flipped through a book of before and after pictures of various procedures ranging from nose jobs & tummy tucks to laser resurfacing.  Minutes later, I was escorted to a small, comfortable room where my eyes immediately landed on the Hydrafacial machine.

The woman assigned to conduct the treatment attempted to explain the process to me.  I, however, was fully aware of what laid ahead after watching hours of demonstrational video on Youtube.   After answering a few questions about my skin concerns, the facial began.  The Hydrafacial occurs in layers.  First they apply a solution to the skin that loosens up the dead skin. Then the exfoliation occurs using a tip that feels a little bit like my Riiviva microderm machine (only gentler).  Karen described it as a "wet microderm" because it applied a light solution to my skin while exfoliating.   Finally, she used another tip to apply a serum "deep into the layers of my skin."

After the HydraFacial

The entire process was only around 20 minutes.  Once the Hydrafacial was complete, I opted to finish off with a LED light treatment.  The LED treatment is an additional $25.00 but she was generous enough to throw it in at no additional cost as a birthday gift.  Once I made it home, I checked the mirror to examine my skin.

Normally, after a facial, I can see an immediately difference in my skin.  Particularly when I had troubled skin. After extractions and exfoliations, the difference in my skin would be night and day.  Nowadays, the Clarisonic Pro and the Riiviva helps keep my skin exfoliated and there is little need for extraction now that my acne is at bay.  So, in the end, I could see no real difference in my skin.  To be honest, I felt a little disappointed.

Then, hours later,  I touched my face and noticed how deeply hydrated my skin felt.  Last time I received a traditional hydrating facial, I left the center looking like I had a ton of serums on my face.  With the Hydrafacial, my skin looked absolutely normal but it was as if the serums were laying underneath the surface.  It felt amazing.  Like I was drinking a gallon of water a day for weeks.  Not a dry patch in sight.

I woke up the next morning and reassessed my skin which was still hydrated and soft.  But when I looked closely, I saw signs of something else going on with my skin.  Purging.  There were whiteheads on my nose and I noticed a little purging elsewhere on my face.  Instead of worrying, I took it as a sign that the impurities were fleeing so my skin could truly glow from the inside out.  After realising what my skin was doing, I simply walked over to my nightstand and grabbed the jar of GlamGlow clearing mud which is made for moments like this.  The GlamGlow did a fine job.  

The more time that passes, the more I like this facial.  The one attribute which I identified as a flaw is actually a benefit.  The fact that you walk out of the place looking very similar to the way you walked in (at least in my case), makes it a perfect facial to fit in during a lunch break or before a night out.  Lord willing, I'd like to incorporate this into my monthly regimen.  More importantly, I'd like to see if there's a way to emulate this at home between visit.  I'm bouncing around ideas like simultaneously using my Riiviva and Panasonic Facial steamer to recreate the "wet exfoliation" experience. We'll see how that turns out.  I'm also looking for an at home tool that has the ability to allow for better penetration of the product deep within the skin's layers. Will let you know what I find.