How often do you really need a facial…That is the question everyone asks their aesthetician.  The answer is different for everyone.  So, if you are blessed to have no specific concerns with your skin and you have a good regiment at home which includes an exfoliation step, you can get a facial once a month to every 6 weeks max to keep your skin healthy and you happy!   However, if you have specific concerns such as sun damage, acne, dryness or texture issues then corrective facial treatments are for you.  To correct issues, it is best to get your treatments closer together, say every three weeks.  There are many variables that come into play.  The obvious one is the “issue” itself. For example, Melasma. Melasma is an overproduction of pigment most commonly brought about by hormones; pregnancy, thyroid conditions etc. The condition worsens with sun exposure, medication such as birth control pills and even heat.  It is best to be treated with a series of peels set 3 weeks apart.  Patience is required along with an excellent home care regiment that includes a lightening serum, an antioxidant to serve as protection from the damaging effects of free radicals and a Retinol at night to aid in the exfoliation process. And here’s the rub…if you are serious about ridding your beautiful face of melasma, the most important step of all is an SPF of 30 or higher. If you are going to be out and about for an extended period of time, reapplying is key!  The peel of choice to treat melasma is going to be determined by your skin type, skin complexion, hormonal influences, and ethnicity.  Aggressive is good but not for everyone so rely on your skin care expert to advise the best treatment plan for you. Be sure your aesthetician is experienced with doing peels. It’s truly best to go to a medical aesthetician for corrective treatments.

If anti-aging is your concern, a facial once a month to exfoliate and nourish your skin will be sufficient.   Just remember, your home care products and regiment are as important as the professional treatment itself, if not more.

So just to re-cap, of the many variables that lead us to the real answer of how often you should get a facial, comes right down to personalization. It cannot be a general answer because it is according to the particular issue of each individual. But to simplify it, most people are in one of two categories.  You are either in need of corrective treatments in which case you are looking at a likely answer of treating once every 3 weeks until you reach a satisfactory goal or you are in the proactive category, which means anti-aging. In which case once a month to every 6 weeks is sufficient to keep one step ahead of Father Time.