OK, so I care about my skin and I've always tried to
treat it right (if you forget about all that stupid tanning
I did in high school). I'll do a lot to make my epidermis
happy--regular exfoliation, eye cream--but even for me,
a facial has seemed extravagant. Yes, I'm cheap--of necessity.
I've tried to convince myself that Oil of Olay, the occasional
home mask, and drinking lots of water is all I need for
clear skin. In the course of researching this article,
I learned that this skimpy regimen wouldn't suffice for
even someone with the genes of Isabella Rossellini. A
facial is the key to healthier skin--and well worth a
fortnight of brown-bagging it.
In Europe, facials are as routine as haircuts. And not
just in Paris and Stockholm. Joy-Marie Peterson, an up-to-the-minute
aesthetician who runs Joie de Vie Institute of Aesthetic
Medicine, recalls a trip to Hungary and Poland, where
she noticed that all the women had beautiful skin.
"There, it's a rite of passage," she says. "When a girl
turns, say, 13, her mother or grandmother takes her to
their aesthetician for her first facial. It just continues
from there."
So what, exactly, is the goal of a facial? Amber Patterson
at Salon in Vogue puts it succinctly: "to gain and maintain
a healthy pH balance." What this means is that if skin
is dry, hydration needs to be restored. Oily or acneic
skin screams for oil control. Reactive, sensitive skin
seeks soothing. Sounds simple, right? The trick is discerning
how to treat your face correctly.
That's where the pros step in. A well-trained aesthetician
is able to assess your skin's needs in an instant. I had
scheduled a facial at Bellini's using Phytomer, a European
skin-care line based on marine products, because a friend
told me how great it was. However, after a quick once-over,
aesthetician Debra Marsh announced that what I needed
was a deep cleansing (75 minutes, $65), not a more expensive
hydrating facial. And God, was she right.
My skin leans to the oily side, and although my face
wasn't exactly swarming with visible blackheads, I had
been having the sort of breakouts I experienced as a teen--but
at 26. Not only were my pores horribly clogged, but salon
owner Sonia Bellini later explained that a person's skin
changes at age 25.
"It stops exfoliating naturally, as part of aging, and
your skin gets a masky feeling," she says.
A facial isn't really as pampering as it sounds. It hurts.
It feels more like a medical procedure than a lavish escape.
This will help as you rationalize your scrimping and saving
to cover the expense. Yes, my hands and feet were lotioned
and massaged, then stuffed in mitts and booties. Indeed,
the pleasant fragrance of various essences filled the
room, and the hot washcloths felt divine on my face. But
this was all a lead-in to the extractions. With strong
fingers and a needle, Deborah coaxed out the yucky stuff--it
was as if my face had never been cleaned before. My skin
was red and blotchy for the rest of the afternoon, but
the next day I was exhilarated. My face felt as smooth
as my stomach. I could actually feel the air entering
my epidermis, circulating and making my cheeks glow.
It makes sense: If the pores are sealed up, your face
does feel a bit like a mask, and no amount of at-home
cleansing, scrubbing or moisturizing can help if your
skin is too clogged to respond properly. It would be like
trying to baste a turkey sealed in wax.
Like turkeys, the meat of a facial varies wildly. I also
went to Salon in Vogue, which uses Aveda products exclusively.
I had what's termed a treatment facial, a quick fix (45
minutes, $45) to treat ailments and refresh skin. Patterson
steamed, cleansed, toned, massaged, applied a masque and
only made two extractions as compared to the 20-odd squeezes
I received from Marsh. She adds the wonderful treat of
hairbrushing and pressure-point massage (I went gloriously
limp).
I've been won over by the not-so-frugal facial. As far
as I'm concerned, this is as important to my health and
well-being as going to the dentist, but perhaps riskier.
It would help if there were some training standards.
"The status of aestheticians in general is very poor.
Some salons only require two to three months of training
for their staff," says Bellini, who apprenticed with Sylvie
Archenault, the woman responsible for establishing aesthetician
training standards in New York City. You know you're in
good hands if the aesthetician analyzes your skin and
has been trained by the companies whose products she uses.
In the long run, regular facials could save you some
serious cash. "Several years ago," Peterson says, "one
woman who came regularly decided she no longer needed
a facelift. She and her husband bought a condo instead."
Joie de Vie Institute of Aesthetic Medicine,
715 SW Morrison St., Suite 905, 224-8636, www.joiedevie.com.
Bellini's European Skin and Bodycare, 2326 NW Irving
St., 226-1526.
Salon in Vogue: Salon and Day Spa, 2340 NW Westover
Road, 228-8280;
Salon, 1721 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 239-5395, www.saloninvogue.com.
