Wondering if a new trending facial is actually worth your cash, or if fillers are for you? Our ‘I Tried’ franchise trials and tests all the latest treatments to provide honest, frills-free recommendations.
When it comes to choosing which type of facial to get, I have always felt overwhelmed. There are so many options out there and being a facial virgin makes it even harder to choose. Each one comes with a hefty price tag, and even though investing in your skin is the right move, it needs to be the correct treatment for you.
This is why I was drawn to the HydraFacial, thought of as “beauty’s best kept secret,” which can be completely tailored to your skin’s needs. Elena Cudworth, who performed my treatment, thoroughly assessed my skin before we began and tweaked the experience accordingly.
So, having tested the HydraFacial at Elenique Skin Clinic, here is my honest encounter of the whole experience, how it left my skin feeling post-facial and most importantly, the long-awaited results.
What is included in the HydraFacial?
The HydraFacial is an advanced medical grade facial, and the only machine of its kind to use technology that offers six treatments in one. The six stages are: Detox, Vortex-Cleansing, HydroPeel Exfoliation, Vortex-Extraction, and Vortex-Fusion plus LED.
After thoroughly cleansing my face, the first stage was aimed at detoxifying the skin to remove impurities, toxins and pollutants. Then, we moved onto reducing puffiness and tension. This was done by gliding a glass cap over the skin. It was a strange sensation, but felt really cool and refreshing.
From there, we embarked upon a deep cleansing and exfoliating ritual. A serum was applied to my skin containing lactic acid and botanicals to increase cell turnover in order to eliminate the build-up of dead skin cells. This was followed by a gentle glycolic and salicylic peel, leaving the skin brighter.
The extraction stage was by far the most exciting. I always struggle with blackheads around my nose, chin and forehead, so having these areas targeted in the treatment made a huge difference. After using a small tool to suck the blackheads out of my skin, Elena, who calls herself a “perfectionist,” manually worked on the more stubborn blackheads.
Now that my skin felt much cleaner, it was time to hydrate it with hyaluronic acid and antioxidants. If, like me, you have dehydrated skin, a further step can be added; I had a deep hydration gel mask placed on my skin for 20 minutes, which Elena advises on an ad-hoc basis after assessing how your skin feels.
The final stage consisted of LED light therapy. You can choose between a red or blue light; the red (which I chose) calms and rejuvenates the skin, while the blue reduces inflammation associated with acne.
What results can you see after having the HydraFacial?
After the 90 minutes was up, I was given a mirror to see my new and improved skin. It was as if someone had peeled back the outer layers prone to harsh conditions and revealed the youthful skin that was hiding behind it. I was seriously impressed.
My face was quite red post-facial and I was described as a “delicate flower” due to having such sensitive skin, but I was reassured that this was a normal reaction.
Straight away, I noticed a huge change in how much cleaner my skin looked. The visible blackheads around my nose were significantly reduced leaving my pores smaller, which in turn made my face look fresher. I would definitely recommend the HydraFacial if you have congested skin.
Another obvious change was how much brighter my face seemed. It was even better the next day, with friends and family commenting on how my skin was glowing.
With such sensitive skin, most products can cause my skin to break out so I was worried that I would have a bad reaction to these new products. Even in the week following the treatment, I just had the occasional small spots on my chin and around my mouth; a great turn out if you ask me!
How should you look after your skin post-facial?
As someone with combination skin and rosacea, I have to be careful not to overload my complexion with lots of different products. After discussing my skincare routine with Elena, I decided to invest in a cleanser from Codage, (Cleansing Gel, £28, Palm Tree Skin), a moisturiser from iS Clinical, (Moisturising Complex, £78, iS Clinical) and a hydrating serum also from iS Clinical, (Hydra-Cool Serum, £52, iS Clinical). I was also advised to use SPF daily (something we should all do) for my rosacea.
In order to recreate the LED light therapy used in the final step of the HydraFacial, I use the Skincare Wand With Red Light Therapy, £122, Solawave three times a week as an additional step.
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How much does a HydraFacial cost and where can you have it done?
Elenique Skin Clinic in Fulham offers a range of HydraFacial treatments targeting different parts of the body. Prices start from £170 for a HydraFacial Single Treatment. There are also different add-ons which you can incorporate into your HydraFacial for a more targeted experience. These include a hydrating mask, rozatrol booster for rosacea, brightening britenol booster, anti-ageing dermabuilder, retinol or chrono-peptide booster.
There are also lots of other skin clinics which offer HydraFacials across the country, including Thames Skin Clinic in Twickenham, D.Thomas Specialist Clinic in Chelsea, HenleySkin in Henley-On-Thames and AL Aesthetics in Birmingham.
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