Skincare 101: Facials, Exfoliation, Maintenance

By: Ashley Pettrie – Revive Med Spa Esthetician

I love skincare and I love being an Esthetician at Revive Med Spa in San Diego.

As a skin care professional, it is my duty to make sure that when you come in for your facial treatment that your skin gets exactly what it needs and for you to be relaxed and comfortable during the entire process. Facial treatments have the “happy place” reputation and for very good reason!

I love that my clients feel pure bliss and relaxation following their appointment!

When you arrive at Revive Med Spa you will be welcomed into the spa room where a cozy bed awaits. My job as your Esthetician is to help you wind down, decompress, and get comfortable before we complete skin analysis. Figuring out your skin type, tone, texture, and concerns ensures we get the best treatment results possible!

Some of the main questions and concerns I hear regularly from my clients are:

What are good anti-aging treatments and products?
How do I correct past sun damage and hyper-pigmentation?
I have acne and acne scars, what do you recommend?
How can I get better skin texture?

You may feel like there are a lot of steps during a facial treatment, but each part has its own unique purpose.

An hour-long facial usually includes a double cleanse, a form of exfoliation, extractions (for the willing, the wanting and the brave!), a facial massage, a mask, the recommended serums, and lastly, hydration!

Exfoliation

I recently did training through one of my favorite medical-grade skincare brands, Skinceuticals, that focused on the importance of exfoliation.

So what is exfoliation and why is it so important? Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the surface of your skin using a chemical, granular substance, or exfoliation tool.

There are 3 main forms of exfoliation:

Chemical
Mechanical
Physical

Chemical Peels & Chemical Masks

These use either an acid or enzyme-based formula like alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) and glycolic acid, or beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) and salicylic acid. A wonderful exfoliating cleanser I always recommend to my clients is the AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser from SkinMedica to reveal brighter, more youthful-looking skin.

Mechanical

The form of using a machine to create exfoliation on the skin by buffing away dead skin cells and create a cellular turnover. One mechanical treatment option I offer at Revive Med Spa in San Diego is Microdermabrasion.

The other is our HydraFacial, which is a blend of both mechanical and chemical forms of exfoliation because of the serums used in the treatment process.

Physical

I tend to categorize facial “scrubs” into this exfoliation category because of the texture, the grit, and the physical sensation of “scrubbing.”

Eco-friendly jojoba beads and coffee scrubs are some of the most commonly used physical exfoliants.

All three forms of exfoliation are beneficial, but it’s important to work with your Esthetician when deciding which form will work best with your skin type and desired outcome.

Maintenance

An at-home skincare routine and maintenance schedule are incredibly important for your skin, even after a facial treatment.

You don’t want to lose the progress your skin has made! The best at-home treatment plan I recommend includes a cleanser, exfoliator, toner, serums, hydrators, and sunscreen.

I advise a different morning and night routine for my clients based on their skincare needs and goals. I make a plan with my clients to come in once a month for their facial treatments as part of a maintenance schedule.

After all, we are working towards an overall skincare goal!