The Big Feature / Saving Face

Even the best makeup artist in Lincolnshire can’t account for poor quality skin. This month, the importance of regular facials, and what products to use in between visits to your favourite spa.

It’s easy to dismiss your local salon or spa’s recommendation of a regular facial as being mere salesmanship... but in fact, a facial can benefit your skin greatly as part of a good health and beauty regime that begins at home.

Skin Health
Any spa and salon would advocate drinking plenty of water and giving up smoking, plus ensuring you enjoy plenty of sleep, as part of your efforts to improve the appearance and firmness of your skin.
Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles.

Smoking
narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which
decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients, such as vitamin A, that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin - fibres that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking - such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke - may contribute to wrinkles.
Conversely, healthy diet can help you look and feel your best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.
The association between diet and acne isn't clear — but research suggests that a diet rich in vitamin C and low in fats and carbohydrates may promote younger looking skin.

To have a good, healthy skin one should also drink lots of water - at least 8-10 glasses of water in a day. Some skin and health
specialists say that this should be in proportion to your weight as for every 10kg of weight... this can be substituted with fruit juices (but not cordials) too.

Facial Treatments
If you want the most benefit from a skin care routine you need to invest in a professional facial at least four times a year. Since a facial includes multiple skin-healthy steps you get better results than from just exfoliation alone.

Many facials will start with deep cleansing or scrub. This will remove dirt from deep within the skins pores and prepare the skin for the remaining steps. The next step involve a masque or steaming treatment that softens the skin and allows for the extraction of blackheads or whiteheads that block your pores with sebum plugs. This step may also include a further cleanse to clean out clogged pores and to remove dead skin cells on the surface that can trap unwanted dirt and oil.