Can Getting Facials Regularly Improve Your Skin?

What’s not to love about a facial? You’re horizontal for an hour while someone massages your face and tends to your pores. Not to mention the resulting glowing skin.

But the smoother skin and smaller pores, among the many benefits facials can offer, tend to fade after a few days or weeks. And aestheticians will often say that if you want longer-term improvements, like an even skin tone or fewer wrinkles, you’ll need to get facials regularly.

Is this true?

What are the benefits?

“Facial” is really more of an umbrella term. You can get one at a medical spa, salon, or a dermatology office. For this reason, they come in a lot of forms.

Standard facials include some type of deep cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, massaging, and sometimes extraction. They can also be tailored to address specific skin issues like discoloration or acne. 

When your skin is cleansed, exfoliated, and massaged, dead skin cells are removed from the epidermis, the outermost layer of your skin. This speeds up the skin’s cell turnover rate, which may help smooth your skin’s texture, shrink your pores, and brighten your complexion.

The massaging can also boost circulation and lymphatic drainage, which may minimize puffiness.

Beyond skincare, the relaxation effect is real. It’s an hour focused on wellness and taking care of yourself.

Does frequency affect those results?

You can expect the benefits of a single facial to be short-lived, lasting a few days to a couple of weeks. That’s because the epidermis naturally renews about once a month. With this, dead skin cells build up and can clog your pores, which could lead to acne and dull skin.

A sound skincare routine will take care of this buildup. But getting regular facials – every month to two months, for instance – can continuously support healthy skin cell turnover, potentially enhancing collagen production and leading to more firmness and elasticity in the long term.

Regular facials tailored to your particular needs may carry additional benefits. If you have dry skin, you might get one with extra moisturizing steps. If you’re prone to breakouts, you might seek one that incorporates extraction.

Some facials incorporate treatments like LED light therapy and chemical peels, which, when done regularly, can provide longer-lasting results than conventional facials.

Still, facials alone will not improve some skin qualities, such as deep wrinkles or skin sagging.

Alternatives

Regular facials are safe for most people, though you should avoid them if you have an active skin infection or facial wounds that are still healing. If you have rosacea, psoriasis, eczema, or sensitive skin, consult a dermatologist before getting one.

For many, the cost of a facial can be prohibitive. In which case, focus on maintaining a good skincare routine that includes cleansing, moisturizing, and wearing sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 daily. Also consider incorporating an over-the-counter retinol or a prescription retinoid. It’s a more effective and longer-lasting option for increasing skin cell turnover, brightening the skin, and improving collagen production.

These steps are much more effective for anti-aging than facials alone, although facials can complement these habits.

The bottom line: Facials can be fun, relaxing, and beneficial to your skin. But don’t rely on them as your sole source of skincare.