Facial acne comes from dead skin cells containing keratin clogging hair follicles or pores around your face. Every day, your face accumulates those dead skin cells along with other debris like oil, dirt, and makeup inside your pores. Whiteheads, blackheads, and other eruptions or blemishes are common, but many people feel like they can detract from a person’s visual appeal. Is it prudent to get facials for acne? We’ll talk about it.
If you have a mild case of acne with occasional breakouts, you might look for ways to reduce blemishes and give your face a youthful appearance free of blemishes. At-home skincare products could work. However, combining facials for acne with an effective skincare regimen could help you get the results you desire faster than using at-home products alone.
Despite this treatment’s benefits, it isn’t appropriate for everyone. On one hand, the benefits of professional facials for acne-prone skin can make the treatment worthwhile. Conversely, the products and treatments in some professional facials could irritate the skin, worsening your acne.
Consider the guide below for more details about acne-related facials and whether the service may be right for you.
What Is an Acne Facial?
A facial is a spa treatment that a licensed and experienced esthetician performs. The service involves a series of smaller treatments that exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin, debris, and impurities while adding hydration back to the skin.
A facial for acne is a treatment that can improve the look and feel of your skin by reducing the appearance of pimples or whiteheads and blackheads. Though acne is a natural and common occurrence, having it can impact a person’s self-esteem and confidence. The blemishes can influence how they look and how they perceive themselves.
However, facials for acne can improve a person’s skin health and visual appeal over time. The treatment’s results depend on many factors, such as the type of acne you have, your at-home skincare routine, and your esthetician’s experience and qualifications.
Who Should Consider Acne-Specific Facial Procedures?
The best candidate for professional acne-fighting facial treatments is someone with a mild case of acne. If you have periodic breakouts or a stubborn patch of blackheads or whiteheads on your face, this type of facial is worth considering. Adults and teenagers who have mild acne and need help managing it can benefit from this service.
If you’re unsure if you have a mild case of acne, consider how your blemishes look and feel. Small black and white pimples or comedones that don’t cause pain and small red patches usually indicate a mild, noninflammatory form of acne. However, you likely have inflammatory acne if your pimples are red, painful, or swollen.
The treatment is safest for those who fit the first acne category. The latter category should not get the treatment without consulting a dermatologist first because it can cause preventable complications.
Potential Problems With Facial Spa Services for Acne Management
One of the primary procedures trained estheticians use during acne facials to minimize blemishes is extraction. Extraction is the manual emptying of clogged pores and comedones using gentle pressure. The procedure can improve acne because it smoothes the skin and removes some pesky pimples.
Comedonal extractions are helpful, but they come with several concerns. First, the treatment relies heavily on the esthetician’s skills and technique. When these experts do extractions correctly, they can clear clogged pores and minimize acne.
However, using the wrong technique or applying too much pressure around the hair follicle could create an acne scar. In the best-case scenario regarding extraction technique, the esthetician won’t remove the pore blockage. The worst-case scenario could produce a painful deep cyst at the extraction site that a licensed dermatologist must treat.
People with inflammatory acne shouldn’t get comedonal extractions during a spa treatment. They would need to visit a dermatologist who can assess the blemish and provide the appropriate treatment, which may include medication or a strong topical treatment unavailable at spas or drugstores.
Even if your esthetician doesn’t extract your inflammatory blemishes, you could still experience complications that may worsen your acne or cause new blemishes. Some of the ingredients in the products that estheticians use during facials for acne can cause side effects like:
- Skin irritation
- Scarring
- Skin sensitivity
- Dryness or oiliness
- Burns
- Infections
When To Consult a Professional About Your Acne
The unfortunate truth about acne is that it’s a dermatologic problem. It’s not just something that causes your skin to look poorly. You might want to visit a spa to get better results for an acne problem, but a dermatologist may be better in some cases.
It may be time to seek medical intervention if you suspect you have moderate to severe acne. If you display one or more of the following problems, visit a dermatologist who can look beyond your skin’s upper layer to determine the underlying cause of your condition:
- 20 to 100 comedones or more
- 15 to 50 red, inflamed bumps
- 30 to 125 total lesions
Even if you must take prescription medication or topical treatments from a dermatologist, you could still enjoy an occasional standard facial. Estheticians and dermatologists can work together to provide complementary treatments that’ll improve the health and appearance of your skin over time.
Can Acne-Fighting Facial Treatments Clear Your Skin?
A common misconception about facials for acne is that they can cure the condition. The likely reason for the assumption is the immediate improvement these facials can provide due to extractions, exfoliation, and cleansing, along with the use of serums, balms, oils, and lotions.
Unfortunately, acne facials won’t cure your skin condition or prevent treated noninflammatory blemishes from returning. Still, you can keep up your appearance by getting a facial once a week or every two weeks.
For optimal results, you must keep up with your skincare at home. That may include using over-the-counter products for treating acne, taking prescription medication, and having a specific face-washing routine. Acne facials alone aren’t enough to sustain a rejuvenated, youthful appearance.
What To Expect When Scheduling Facials for Acne
Every esthetician and spa has their own way of approaching facials for acne. Still, the treatment will generally start with a deep skin cleansing. After cleaning your face, the esthetician might open your pores by laying hot towels on your face or carefully exposing it to steam.
Exfoliation usually comes next. The professional providing the service may use chemical peels, scrubs, microdermabrasion, or other techniques. Afterward, they may extract whiteheads and blackheads from your skin using their fingers or a comedonal extractor.
Sometimes, these sessions include additional services like a deep skin massage, light therapy to stimulate cellular growth, and facial masks to treat acne, discoloration, or other concerns. The use of special serums and moisturizers usually concludes the treatment.
Types of Facials To Combat Acne
Facials for acne come in many varieties, with spas and estheticians specializing in multiple treatments. The purpose of these facials is to create brighter, healthier-looking skin. Skilled estheticians have several ways to achieve those results.
Common facials that could help minimize the appearance of acne include:
- Classic Facials: This traditional spa treatment may include exfoliation, a face massage, hydration, and a deep cleansing.
- Decongesting Facials: With this option, the esthetician will focus on extracting minor skin eruptions like blackheads and whiteheads using strategic manual pressure with their fingers or a tool like a comedone extractor.
- Microdermabrasion: The esthetician will carefully exfoliate your skin’s top layer using a handheld tool during a microdermabrasion session.
LED light therapy and chemical peels are other treatments that may improve the look and feel of acne-prone skin. Though professional estheticians have several ways to approach facials for acne, their main purpose is to thoroughly cleanse the skin, exfoliate the skin’s uppermost layer, extract comedones, and hydrate the face.
The types of facials you can get will depend on the spa or esthetician you visit. Not everyone offers the same services or has similar skill sets.
Best Ingredients for Facials for Acne-Prone Skin
The reason facials for acne produce such wonderful immediate results is the inclusion of specialized topical products in the overall treatment. From exfoliation to hydration, the esthetician will use a series of products to improve skin health while minimizing comedonal blemishes.
The products and ingredients a professional will use during a facial will vary. However, the most common and effective ingredients for combating facial acne are:
- Salicylic acid
- Resorcinol
- Exfoliating enzymes
- Retinol
- Sulfur
Be sure to ask your esthetician about the types of products they use for acne facials before getting the service. Knowing this information could provide insight into the products’ effectiveness based on ingredients. It can also alert you to possible problems if you’re using a prescribed acne medication that could interact with specific facial ingredients.
How To Care for Your Skin Between Facial Appointments
The effectiveness of an acne facial depends on many factors, including how well you treat your skin before and after the treatment. The esthetician must clean your skin with a facial cleanser or antibacterial acne toner before and after performing comedonal extractions. They may conclude the spa session by applying a serum to soothe or hydrate your skin.
After the appointment, your skin may feel more sensitive than usual. The sensation may last for a couple of days.
During this time, it’s best to limit your skincare routine at home to a gentle facial cleanser, a moisturizer or hydrating serum, and sunscreen. Using at-home skincare with lots of chemicals can make your skin feel worse or cause a pimple breakout.
Can You Have a Facial for Acne at Home?
Do-it-yourself at-home acne facial products are plentiful. Most topical treatments will require you to put specific products on clean, toned skin for up to 20 minutes. Sometimes the instructions will recommend using steam baths to open your pores and make it easier for products to clean inside them.
Though you should certainly have a skincare routine at home to manage your acne and maintain the effects of an acne facial, performing at-home facials can be risky. They might not produce the desired effects due to using the wrong products, improperly cleaning your skin, or incorrectly exfoliating your face.
You could also create additional skin problems if your at-home facial treatments are harsher than you expect. Worsening acne, scarring, irritation, dryness, and bruising could occur, especially if you try popular homemade face masks without knowing what the ingredients could do to your skin.
Trust Advanced Skin Solutions for Quality Facials for Acne
If you have mild to moderate acne without painful sores, you may benefit from facials for acne as part of your beauty regimen. At Advanced Skin Solutions, our professional team can revitalize your skin and minimize blemishes with specialized esthetician services like microdermabrasion, facials, and skincare products.
Our trained and professional estheticians in Fair Oaks, California, offer some of the best facials for acne-prone complexions. Book your appointment with Advanced Skin Solutions today. Learn more now.