In the quest for flawless and radiant skin, face polishing treatments have emerged as a popular and effective solution. These treatments, whether performed at a salon or in the comfort of your home, offer a multitude of benefits, from improving skin texture and tone to reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This comprehensive guide delves into the world of skin polishing facials, exploring their benefits, different types, and how to incorporate them into your skincare routine for a truly transformative experience.
What is Skin Polishing?
Skin polishing is a type of exfoliation and rejuvenation treatment designed to remove dead skin cells, unclog pores, and restore the skin's natural radiance. It involves using mild abrasive materials to gently exfoliate the outer layer of dead skin cells, revealing the newer, fresher skin underneath. Think of it as a revitalizing treatment that buffs away imperfections, leaving your skin smooth, bright, and healthy.
Benefits of Skin Polishing Facials
Incorporating skin polishing treatments into your skincare routine can offer a multitude of benefits, transforming your complexion and enhancing the overall health of your skin.
Improving Skin Texture
One of the most significant benefits of face polishing is the remarkable improvement it offers in skin texture. By gently removing dead skin cells, skin polishing treatments result in a smoother and more even complexion. Skin polishing works like magic to gently remove those dead cells, revealing fresh and healthy skin underneath. It evens out the texture of your skin, leaving it soft and silky smooth. No more worrying about dry patches or bumpy skin.
Evening Out Skin Tone
Many individuals experience issues with uneven skin tone and pigmentation. Skin polishing services aid in improving skin tone, helping to achieve a more uniform complexion. Skin polishing is an effective way to lighten dark spots or scars that won’t go away.
Read also: Gentle Anti-Aging Routine
Reducing Fine Lines and Wrinkles
As we age, the skin's natural ability to shed dead cells slows down, leading to a rougher texture and accentuated wrinkles. Skin polishing helps boost collagen production, which is essential for firm and youthful skin. Microdermabrasion stimulates the skin’s natural healing process, which involves an increase in collagen production. This helps the skin regain the firmness and elasticity it initially lost. New collagen can also help fill in the fine lines on the face, smoothing them out and making the skin look younger. Aside from this, it certainly makes deeper lines softer and less visible.
Unclogging Pores
Clearing clogged pores is essential for maintaining healthy skin, and this can be achieved through face polishing. It helps reduce the risk of blackheads and acne breakouts. Skin polishing thoroughly cleanses your pores, leaving them clear and free of dirt and oil. Acne is caused by the blockage of hair follicles, usually by a combination of oil and dead skin cells. When bacteria enter these clogged follicles, inflammation can occur, resulting in acne. With skin polishing treatments, particularly microdermabrasion, this threat is reduced because microdermabrasion removes dead skin cells and reduces sebum production, acne-causing factors are minimized. The result? You become less susceptible to acne breakouts.
Promoting Relaxation
Professional face polish treatments, especially those that include a soothing massage, can transport you to the ultimate haven of relaxation. There is no better way to de-stress and pamper yourself than by incorporating face polishing services.
Restoring Natural Glow
Thanks to face polishing services, there is a remarkable range of benefits that can genuinely transform your skin and overall well-being. These services aid in improving skin texture, evening out skin tone, reducing fine lines, unclogging pores, and providing relaxation. Everyone dreams of radiant, glowing skin. Skin polishing helps you achieve exactly that. By improving your skin tone and reducing dullness, it gives your complexion a beautiful, natural shine.
Boosting Blood Circulation
Skin polishing also boosts blood circulation. This means your skin gets more oxygen and nutrients, which helps it stay healthy and vibrant.
Read also: Reducing Sagging Skin
Enhancing Skin's Absorption of Products
On top of removing dead skin cells, face polishes also work to promote skin renewal and visibly improve skin texture and tone over time. By gently buffing away impurities and unclogging pores, your skin is left better equipped to effectively absorb the other products in your regimen so you can reap the many brilliant benefits of each. The exfoliating process that microdermabrasion utilizes helps in increasing skin permeability. Because dead skins are buffed out, dead skin cells do not get in the way of the skin becomes absorbing products applied topically. In addition, microdermabrasion temporarily weakens the skin’s protective barrier, which allows products to readily penetrate deep into the skin.
Preparing Skin for Special Events
Ever wondered why your skin doesn’t look as flawless as you’d like before an important event? Skin polishing is your secret weapon to looking flawless! It enhances your skin’s texture, removes tan, and gives you a bright, fresh look.
Removing Tan
Spent too much time in the sun? Skin polishing is one of the best ways to get rid of tanning and restore your natural skin tone.
Diminishing Pore Size
Pores usually get enlarged because of acne or constant sun damage. Oil and product build up can also clog the pores, making them more obvious. Luckily, microdermabrasion can help with this because of its ability to remove dirt, debris, and excess sebum on the skin and in the pores, microdermabrasion can reduce pore size. It directly addresses the causes of enlarged pores-so, it makes sense that it can make pores look smaller!
Reducing the Appearance of Acne Scars
Superficial acne scars typically develop as a result of collagen degradation where acne breakouts are healing. This usually results in atrophic scars-indentations that develop when the skin is unable to regenerate enough. With microdermabrasion, though, these scars can easily be treated. Because this treatment boosts collagen production, the indentations left by atrophic scars are easily filled in and smoothed.
Read also: Weight Loss & Excess Skin: Surgery Costs
Helping with Stretch Marks
Stretch marks result from sudden fluctuations in weight, causing collagen fibers in the skin to get damaged. Microdermabrasion addresses this problem through stimulating collagen production. This helps the skin in repairing itself, causing stretch marks to look less visible.
Making Other Cosmetic Procedures More Effective
With skin polishing treatments’ exfoliating properties, it becomes the perfect precursor to other cosmetic procedures for the skin, as it boosts their effectivity.
Types of Skin Polishing Treatments
Skin polishing treatments come in various forms, each with its unique approach to exfoliation and skin rejuvenation. The most common types include:
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure that involves the removal of the skin’s top layer through the use of a handheld device. This gently exfoliates the skin and removes its top layer, triggering the body’s self-healing mechanism as a response. This results in brighter, younger-looking skin with a more even complexion.
Microdermabrasion targets skin issues such as dullness and rough skin. Additionally, it is effective in improving the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, acne scarring, and sun damage. Generally, this treatment renews and rejuvenates the skin to make it more youthful and radiant.
Microdermabrasion treatments are suitable for most skin types and complexions. They have also been proven to be quick, painless, and effective. Though the principle behind them is the same, different microdermabrasion treatments utilize different methods to slough off the skin’s topmost layer. Here’s how each one works:
Crystal Microdermabrasion
This treatment makes use of fine particles of aluminum oxide to sand away the skin’s dead cells. A handheld device sprays aluminum oxide crystals onto the skin at high speed, allowing it to efficiently and effectively exfoliate the skin. At the same time, an attached vacuum sucks away the dirt and dead skin, keeping the face clean!
This procedure requires very little downtime, and shows visible results just after one session. It’s also the perfect choice in removing acne scars, as well as wrinkles near the nose and mouth. With aluminum oxide’s antibacterial qualities, this treatment performs well in controlling acne, too!
However, people with sensitive skin types may want to be a bit careful with this treatment, as it can be a tad too strong and sensitizing.
Diamond Microdermabrasion
This microdermabrasion treatment uses a handpiece with a diamond tip instead of crystals. This makes for a gentler exfoliation process, since the depth of exfoliation can be controlled depending on how much pressure the aesthetician uses.
This is perfect for sensitive areas that have thin skin, such as the area around the eyes. if you have sensitive skin, you may want to opt for this one, too!
Hydradermabrasion
A fairly new method of microdermabrasion, this method involves the use of dermal infusion products along with crystal-free exfoliation. The goal of this treatment is to stimulate collagen production, and maximize the skin’s ability to absorb different products.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels are also a form of skin polishing treatments - these make use of high potency acids to improve the skin’s appearance. Also a type of skin polishing treatment, chemical peels use acids (rather than mechanical exfoliants like crystals) to gently exfoliate the skin. This treatment affects both the skin’s epidermis (outer layer) and dermis (middle layer), which makes it perfect for conditions that go deeper into the skin.
Just like microdermabrasion, this procedure is great for targeting issues like acne, enlarged pores, hyperpigmentation, and scarring.
However, this treatment may later cause redness and (literal!) peeling of your skin for around 1 to 2 weeks, so make sure to keep that in mind before booking a session.
Body Polishing
Body polishing is a type of full-body exfoliation that removes dead skin cells, promotes cell regeneration, and moisturizes the skin. It’s typically found on spa menus as a way to prepare skin for other treatments, like wraps. Think of it as a facial for the body. Body polishing has numerous benefits for your skin, including:
- Exfoliating your skin to remove dead skin cells
- Unclogging pores to prepare for a body treatment
- Promoting cell regeneration to encourage healthy skin
- Moisturizing and hydrating dry skin
- Promoting blood flow with invigorating exfoliation
Body polishes and body scrubs are very similar. Both exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin cells. However, body scrubs cleanse the skin while body polishes only remove dead skin cells and hydrate.
DIY Face Polish
You certainly can bypass the hefty price tag of salon body polish treatments by creating your own at home. Keep in mind that for an optimal DIY body polish, you’ll need an oil base and a physical exfoliant. The physical scrub, such as salt or sugar, helps remove dead skin cells and increase blood flow.
First, jump in a warm shower or steam your body to prepare the skin and open up your pores. Now, it’s time to exfoliate. Apply your scrub mixture to the skin and use a loofah or sea sponge to rub in circular motions. For particularly rough areas, like the elbows and knees, you can use a pumice stone to firmly scrub. Once you’ve polished all over, take another warm shower or bath to fully rinse off the mixture. Avoid using soap the day afterward to minimize skin irritation.
When DIY-ing it start by selecting your exfoliant. This can be things like:
- salt
- sugar
- rice bran
- coffee grounds
- ground nut and fruit shells, avoiding ground stone fruit pits, such as peach or apricot, and nut shells, such as ground walnut shells
Then, you’ll want to select your oil base. Body polishes typically contain olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil. To finish, you can add extras that provide skin benefits, such as:
- honey
- aloe vera
- fresh fruit
- essential oils
- herbs
Choosing the Right Face Polish
Selecting the right body polish depends on your preference and how your skin reacts to certain ingredients. If you’re buying a pre-made product and have dry skin, look for body polish with a milk and honey base like Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Body Polish, which you can find online. If you have sensitive skin that’s easily irritated, try a body polish with a less aggressive exfoliant, such as the First Aid Beauty Cleansing Body Polish with Activated Charcoal, which you can find online. This is also a popular pick for those with oilier skin types, thanks to its absorbent activated charcoal formula.
Physical vs. Chemical Exfoliation
Did you know not all exfoliation is created equal? In fact, you actually want to pick your product, like any other, based on your skin type and overall concerns.
Physical Exfoliation
As the word suggests, physical exfoliation is a type of manual exfoliation from a granular scrub or brush tool. This manual process of buffing away skin cells, dirt and debris makes this type of exfoliation perfect for instant results. For the same reason, it’s best for those who have thick and/or oily skin as it is often more drying and harsher than other types.
Chemical Exfoliation
Though it may sound intimidating, chemical exfoliation with products like a peel, simply uses acids and/or enzymes to chemically rid the skin of dead cells. This type of exfoliation is excellent at delivering both instant and long-lasting benefits that address scarring and concerns of aging, including pigmentation, dark spots, sunspots and the like.
If you’re looking for a product that provides both physical and chemical exfoliation for instant and long-lasting results, keep reading as we’ve got you covered. Our Vitamin C Ester Brightening & Exfoliating Polish is a particularly brilliant option as it uses both physical and chemical exfoliation - ultra-fine, granular silica and our enzymatic fruit complex, a blend of antioxidant-rich papaya and mango fruit extracts. These two modes of exfoliation gently yet effectively exfoliate while Vitamin C Ester and ferulic acid work to minimize the look of dullness, dark spots and uneven tone.
How to Use a Face Polish
Before you use a polish, you’ll want to start by cleansing your face to remove makeup and excess dirt, debris and impurities. After cleansing, wet your hands and massage the product between your fingertips. Scrub in circular motions on wet skin, avoiding the eye area. Exfoliating in this way helps you achieve the full benefits of your skincare to maintain a consistently smoother, more refined complexion with fewer imperfections.
Potential Risks and Side Effects
Skin polishing treatments - and microdermabrasion in particular - have their benefits. But they have their risks and side effects, too, despite their non-invasive nature.
Microdermabrasion, for instance, is not recommended for people who have taken isotretinoin in the past six months, as they have added risk of post-treatment complications such as scarring.
Additionally, while microdermabrasion requires no downtime, some people who undergo the treatment may experience redness after the treatment. More serious side effects include skin swelling, bruising, and a burning or stinging sensation.
Since skin polishing treatments are all about exfoliating the skin, it’s also imperative that moisturizer and sunscreen be used post-treatment. This ensures that the skin is taken care of, especially since it may become increasingly sensitive to the sun.
Professional vs. At-Home Treatments
While you can get similar results from an at-home body polish, salon treatments can be more personalized to your individual skin needs. Most salons offer a variety to choose from, including:
- anti-cellulite polish, which uses invigorating ingredients to help improve circulation
- “glow-enhancing” polish, which uses certain oils to leave the body feeling soft and nourished
- tan-optimizing polish, which prepares the skin for optimal spray tan application
Here’s what you can expect at a salon appointment. First, the technician will ask you to undress to your underwear. Most of your body will be covered during the treatment, so don’t worry if you feel shy or modest. Then, they’ll have you lie face down on a massage table, covering your body with a sheet. The technician will uncover small areas of your body at a time, keeping the rest of your body covered by the sheet. To begin:
- Your technician will use a steamer to open up your pores and prepare your body for application.
- Then, they’ll massage the body with warm oil.
- Next, they’ll apply the exfoliating mixture to your skin, rubbing gently but firmly in circular motions.
- Once the mixture is applied to the back half of your body, they’ll ask you to turn around and they’ll repeat it on the front half of your body.
- Once your entire body is exfoliated, your technician will rinse everything off. Sometimes this is done on the table with a bucket of water. Other times, they’ll ask you to rinse off in one of the salon’s showers.
- To finish, you’ll return to the massage table so the technician can apply moisturizer all over the body. This will seal in moisture and prolong the results from the exfoliation.
Frequency of Treatment
Body polishes are more rigorous in nature, so you should stick to once a month at most. Between treatments, you can use an at-home body scrub to lightly exfoliate dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. It’s important to not overdo body polishing. Using a body polish too often can overexfoliate your skin, leading to irritation or redness. Keep in mind that you should skip polishing or exfoliation if you have open sores, cuts, or sunburns. You can resume your usual schedule once your skin has healed. Wondering how often you should go for skin polishing? It depends on your skin type and needs, but most people benefit from getting it done every 4-6 weeks.
Is Skin Polishing Worth It?
Judging simply from the benefits and side effects of getting skin polishing treatments, the answer to this question is a resounding yes!
Skin polishing treatments will do the skin a lot of good, and they’re also proven to be effective. It’s because they show results that microdermabrasion remains one of the most commonly used anti-aging treatments worldwide!