#GetYourGlowOn: Hydrafacial

THE HYDRAFACIAL Fun fact(s): did you know that about 50% of the dust in your home is dead skin? Every minute, your skin sheds about 30,000 dead cells. In case you needed motivation to vacuum…now you have it. Our skin renews itself every 28 days, so those dust bunnies are just small, fluffy versions of you a few weeks ago. Have fun with that thought! #sorrynotsorry If you follow me on Instagram, or if you follow Infinity Wellness Center, where I work, (@laylarazpearl and @infinitywellnessspa, respectively) you probably saw that I was the model for a Hydrafacial demo back in March. I had been begging Dr. Messina for months to bring the Hydrafacial into Infinity’s practice because I felt like it would be a huge hit, and is something our clients would benefit from. Luckily, she ended up agreeing and we couldn’t believe what we saw during the demo! My skin has always had issues as far back as I can remember, including acne, hyperpigmentation, and dullness. I have very thick skin (literally, but definitely not metaphorically. I’m a sensitive flower. Please be nice to me or I may cry). This means my skin needs extra exfoliation. I also have what is suspected to be a mild form of hyperkeratosis, where the skin wants to thicken instead of shedding normally. Basically, my skin is just as high-maintenance and grumpy as me when I haven’t been fed in a while. #hangry Due to all of the above conditions, I had high hopes for the Hydrafacial. Even though everyone raved about it, I was worried that my sensitive + sensitized skin wouldn’t cooperate (if you don’t know what those terms mean, I’ll explain a bit later). I situated myself on the treatment table, feeling equal parts nervousness and excitement while Ed, the rep, got everything prepped and the rest of the staff attending gathered around me like I was the Mona Lisa, chattering excitedly. #nopressure First things first, let me outline the general technology of the Hydrafacial. You know when you go to the dentist, and they have all of those different tools that spray out water, and some suck out all the gross stuff, and some whirl around doing who-knows-what? The Hydrafacial is like that, but for the face. I feel like I’m not doing it justice through words, so I’ll include a picture below as well. This picture came up under Google photo results and it’s from Trip Advisor so I’m pretty sure I can repost it here, but if you see this picture and it’s yours…please don’t sue me. I’m only a lowly medical assistant, trying to make a difference in the world via skincare, you know? When you look at the picture below, you can see how it all hooks up and works. If you’re still confused…come see us for a treatment and we’ll show ya! The Hydrafacial works in in four steps, as follows: 1. The Cleansing & Exfoliation. I like to think of this as the basic sweep of all the “stuff” we accumulate on our face. This is just your skins introduction to the Hydrafacial. You’re getting everything cleaned off, and getting a little more exfoliation to give your skin a touch up. This felt a bit like I was getting microdermabrasion, but wetter. I could feel liquid coming out of the tip of the machine, as well as a gentle “scrubbing”, almost like a toothbrush. Also, PSA: there are different tips your practitioner can use according to your skin type, so this treatment is highly customizable! 2. The Peel. This is customizable as well, so it can be pretty intense if you want, or fairly gentle if you just want a mild solution used. The rep used the standard solution on me, which I believe was 7.5% glycolic, and normally I have a lot of stinging from peels (sensitive flower, remember?) but this felt like just the slightest tingling, and overall felt really nice. 3. THE EXTRACTIONS. Oh, my goodness. Y’all. I’m the type who loves to watch pimple-popping videos so I’m already kind of a weirdo about extractions, but as someone who gets blackheads really easily, this made me so happy. Instead of doing manual extractions, the tip turns into a wee little vacuum that sucks your pores clean. Every time I start complaining I stop myself because I remember this technology exists, and all I should be feeling is gratitude that someone came up with a “vortex-extraction nozzle”. GENIUS. 4. The Serum. This is the “infusion” and rehydration portion, where now that your pores have literally been sucked clean, the machine works to infuse your skin with good stuff instead. I asked Lori G., our magical esthetician who is trained in Hydrafacials and has given them for many years about this last step (during the treatment I was so filled with joy about the pore-sucking thing that I don’t really remember anything beyond that). She said that the practitioner can also apply a moisturizer at this step to really help seal in all of the hydration. So, there you have it. Those are the four basic steps! Well. Let me tell you. WHAT a cocktail. All of those steps culminated in glowing, hydrated, shimmery, baby-butt-soft skin. Everyone who witnessed this was freaking out a bit, especially because it was such a rapid transformation. My forehead in particular has always had texture issues, but suddenly it was smooth and shiny. However, I will include that after the third step, my skin was a little red and irritated, just because my skin gets red and irritated at virtually anything and everything. Ed (the rep performing the treatment) used some LED light (both red and blue, and you should know what those do if you read my post on LED light!) and my skin calmed down immediately. If you have particularly sensitive and/or sensitized skin I recommend this step. I’ll probably talk about this another time, but if you don’t know: sensitive=you’re born with easily irritated skin, sensitized=the environment is bothering your skin & making it reactive. Either way, LED light is a great choice. In terms of upkeep, if you have particularly acne-prone skin, I’ve heard it recommended that you should receive treatments every two weeks until your skin is balanced, and then move to every 4-6 weeks. Everyone else should just jump straight to a 4-6 week treatment plan since this is generally enough to treat milder issues. The Hydrafacial also has other treatment add-ons, like one for the eyes and lips (those include take-home products, wheee). These are customizable, so as always, chat with your practitioner about what treatment options you have! For those of you in the area, we’re expecting the Hydrafacial to be open for appointments mid-to-late May. My hope is that you’re now super-duper excited to get your glow on with the Hydrafacial, but have patience! Good things take time, and before you know it you’ll be booking your appointment. In the meantime, if you have any questions, reach out to us on our Instagram or call our office at (707) 652-2928. Stay glowing, ladies!

The author of this blog, Layla Hanson, is a writer and project manager for Infinity Aesthetics, specializing in holistic media production. You can see her popping in and out of the office from time to time to snap photos for our Instagram and website. Feel free to say hi and offer to pose for a picture!