Maybe you have your daily skincare routine down to a “T”. You cleanse, rinse and hydrate on a regular basis. Or maybe you bought every single product your esthetician recommended and haven’t touched one of them since adding them to your medicine cabinet. And still maybe you have no skincare routine at all, no moisturizers or serums and no idea what you should be doing to properly care for your skin.

Regardless of what at-home products you have and how consistently you use them a monthly facial is a crucial aspect of your skincare routine and here is why…

The skin is made up of multiple layers, however the top layer naturally sheds itself every 28 days. Monthly facials and professional exfoliation helps expedite this process and helps increase the efficacy of your skincare products.

1. MONTHLY FACIALS…MAKE SKINCARE MORE EFFECTIVE

Feeling like your products are seriously underperforming? A big factor could be the layers of debris your products are unable to get past. Professional cleansing, extracting and purifying will rid your skin of dead cells, contaminants and oils. Each of these factors plays a role in creating a barrier that can block the deep absorption of skincare products. Monthly facials help remove those stubborn layers of contaminants and allow your products to penetrate even deeper into your skin providing the most benefits possible.

2. MONTHLY FACIALS…ALLOW MAKE-UP TO LOOK EVEN BETTER

Let’s be honest, the ultimate goal is to get a point where make-up becomes a frivolity rather than a necessity. With the deep layers of dead skin, oils and environmental contaminants gone your pores will begin to shrink, your skincare products will be absorbed even better causing them to be more effective and your skin will tighten. All of these efforts combined will create the smoothest palet possible for your make-up to be applied to.

MAKE-UP OPTIONAL = MONTHLY FACIALS MANDATORY

3. MONTHLY FACIALS…REDUCE AND PREVENT WRINKLES AND FINE LINES

First, a moment of silence for those hard earned lines. Regardless of the cause you will soon be saying your goodbyes to years worth of wrinkles. Professional strength exfoliation clears up congestion and the build-up of free radicals. Intentionally designed treatments provide necessary nutrients, allow pores to shrink, skin to tighten and cells to rejuvenate at a faster rate. All of these factors combined work together to keep your skin healthy and glowing your entire life.

4. MONTHLY FACIALS….SHRINK PORES

I hate to admit it, but when my pores start capturing the attention of those around me I get a little jealous. Can’t you guys just relax for 30 minutes during this interview so my future employer can focus on my impressive resume rather than my impressively large pores??

Layers of dead skin cells, toxin build-up and environmental contaminants fill our pores. Without proper exfoliation these contaminants will continually stretch our pores making them more visible to the naked eye. Monthly facials clear out the hard-to-get layers of debris allowing your pores to finally breathe and begin to shrink back down.

5. MONTHLY FACIALS…EVEN SKIN TONE

Sometimes it feels like I have a literal rainbow on my face. One day my skin wants to be yellow, the next blue, the next a bright pinkish-red…. unfortunately, the colors don’t look half as good on my face as they do painted across the sky. Factors like sun exposure, hormones, hyper-pigmentation, and environmental pollution can cause uneven skin tone.

The treatments received during monthly facials paired with a proper at-home skincare routine can reverse the harmful affects of each of these. Professional, monthly facials provide the exfoliation and nutrients necessary for your skin to be well armed against everything trying to negatively affect it.

6. MONTHLY FACIALS…CLEAR ACNE AND PREVENT SCARRING

We are all guilty at one time or another of trying to take matters into our own hands (literally) when it comes to dealing with acne. By now we all know that trying to extract our own pimples can cause the acne to worsen by pushing the congestion even deeper in our skin.

Touching our faces with un-sanitized hands or tools can also introduce more bacteria into an already infected area. Along with this, using our own nails or tools can cause micro-tears that lead to scarring and discoloration. Professional extractions done right clear up congestion underneath the skin without causing acne flare-ups, broken capillaries and scarring.

7. MONTHLY FACIALS…ADDRESS SEASONAL SKIN CHANGES

Just like nature, our skin changes with the seasons. As humidity levels fluctuate, the air becomes colder or warmer, winds begin to pick up, etc. so too does the intricate dynamic of our skin. A Fall or Winter facial may focus on providing extra hydration in preparation for dry weather. Summer facials might focus on calming the skin and repairing sun damage. A monthly facial done with someone who understands the seasonal needs of your skin will be able to advise you on what changes need to be made in your routine in order to keep your skin glowing year round.

8. MONTHLY FACIALS…PROVIDE IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENT FOR UPCOMING EVENTS

It really is incredible what clearing out congestion and providing some critical nutrients can do for your skin. If you are anxious to prep for an upcoming event a facial can provide immediate improvement to your skin in a multitude of ways. Based on your needs your esthetician can design a facial to help even your tone, tighten the skin, reduce pore size, decrease puffiness, clear up congestion and leave your skin ready to impress at your big event.

9. MONTHLY FACIALS…DECREASE PUFFINESS THROUGH LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE

We all have those days when we look in the mirror and think “Did I just gain 10 pounds in my face overnight??” That bloated and puffy feeling can be caused by toxins and fluid retention. Scalp, neck and chest massages help drain the lymphatic system resulting in an instant slimming of the face. Draining the lymphatic system also promotes increased blood circulation which delivers fresh oxygen to the cells of your delicate facial skin. Likewise, increased oxygen allows for quicker healing and rejuvenation of skin cells.

10. MONTHLY FACIALS…UTILIZE HIGH-TECH TREATMENTS

Although we have a host of products and tools available to us at home, monthly facials provide access to a range of high tech treatments that are unavailable to the average consumer. Infrared saunas, cryotherapy, microdermabrasion, body wraps, dermaplaning, microcurrent, etc. Sometimes I want the treatments just to play with the shiny new toys (thank God my esthetician never leaves me unsupervised). While not necessary on a daily basis these treatments can provide incredible benefits when utilized on a consistent, monthly schedule.

11. MONTHLY FACIALS…DIMINISH SCARRING

Just like morning coffee breath, scars linger….Peels, face masks and treatments like microdermabrasion all help to remove deep layers of dead skin cells paving the way for fresh skin to surface. This exfoliation paired with increased blood circulation creates the perfect blend of necessary ingredients to allow your skin to heal and rejuvenate at a much faster rate. Microdermabrasion can also help smooth the edges around raised scars making them flatter as well as decrease any superficial hyper-pigmentation that may have occurred.

12. MONTHLY FACIALS…DE-STRESS AND PROVIDE RELAXATION

Whether you are looking for a solid hour of silence, meaningful conversation or some much needed girl-talk, monthly facials are a wonderful way for you to carve out some “you” time. Detoxing your skin will help rid the body of chemicals. Lymphatic massage can not only decrease puffiness but also decongest the sinus areas allowing you to breathe easier and be free from pesky sinus headaches or infections.

Neck, shoulder and hand massages relieve built-up tension allowing your body to relax and recover. And, if done properly, will keep you away from your phone for at least an hour allowing you to get in touch with your inner thoughts, self-evaluate or simply find silence for a brief moment.

Photo of Woman Relaxing in a Bath by Monstera on Pexels.com

13. MONTHLY FACIALS…ALLOW FOR REGULAR CONSULTATIONS WITH SKINCARE EXPERTS

If I could have any medically trained professional on speed-dial it would be my highly esthetician. Oh wait, she already is. As previously noted, our skin changes on a fairly regular basis due to weather, but other factors can dramatically affect the skin as well. A stressful week, poor diet, low-water consumption, vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Monthly facials allow for consistent consultations with a skincare professional who can provide insight into what may be causing a specific issue you are suddenly dealing with.

14. MONTHLY FACIALS…LESSEN THE EFFECTS OF HORMONAL SKIN ISSUES

Despite overwhelming back pain and ridiculous mood swings, I can act relatively normal when my hormones are raging out of control. But even with my perfectly composed behavior, my skin always likes to announce to the world what time of the month it is for me. Hormonal issues can lead to frustrating and embarrassing skin problems in both men and women of all ages!

For women specifically, scheduling your monthly facial around your menstrual cycle can help calm the skin and diminish any negative effects that may be a result of the changes in your hormones. Teens dealing with the aggravating effects of puberty will find that monthly facials can significantly change the chemistry of their skin and counteract the imbalances caused by fluctuating hormones.