Let’s talk facials/aesthetic procedures

This post was inspired by a patient that I saw recently(and I told her I was going to do this). Let’s talk about ‘facials’. A popular procedure done by spas. You’re unlikely going to find a proper aesthetician or dermatologist talk about just that without telling you the EXACT procedure they need to do.

When the word “facials” is used…it can mean a wide variety of procedures from an extraction of whiteheads to a hydra facial, to a microdermabrasion, microneedling, antiging facials where some serums are used after deep cleansing the skin. Note that any procedure done on the face is aimed at reducing signs of ageing and sun damage and ultimately rejuvenation.

This patient that inspired this post had a clear face before going for the said facials. The person doing it used a comedone extractor (on an acne free face) and said she was extracting some whiteheads from “inside”. Inside where is what I don’t understand. What she ended up gifting this patient with is something we call acne excoriée. So the patient ended up with an induced acne that she’s now going to spend a lot of money to take care of.

Dear people….please do not use your own hands to do yourself. That can be so painful that you spent your hard earned money to cause your own issues on your skin. Comedone extraction is something that has different schools of thought around it. Some advocate it while others don’t…I belong to the latter group. The less you fiddle with the face, the better. If it must be done…it should be done by trained hands. And definitely not on someone that has no acne on the face. It’s done for those closed comedone (whiteheads) that look ripe enough to pluck😊

Black skin is particularly prone to hyperpigmentation. I had a procedure done a few months ago and I developed rebound hyperpigmentation. Just imagine seeing patients in the clinic with patches of hyperpigmentation on my face. And you know we’re Nigerians, “mafilomindasi” is what we do best without any solution at hand😁. So I got a lot of questions. I did all the repair by myself (which I’m still doing by the way) over a period of months not days. No quick fix when it comes to the skin.

Have a good skin routine. A good cleanser to wash your face, a great moisturizer with at least SPF 30 in the morning, exfoliate once a week (for normal or dry skin) or twice if you have oily skin (chemical exfoliation with things like glycolic acid is preferred over physical scrubs), use a vitamin C cream/serum or retinol cream at night. You can get professional chemical peels, microdermabrasion or microneedling when needed (speak to your trained aesthetician or dermatologist about this).

Let no one deceive you. You cannot change the type of skin you have. E.g an oily skin cannot become a dry skin and vice versa. You can only manage the type of skin and the issues that come with it. E.g oily skin is more acne prone and they’re more likely to have visible pores. I have very oily skin and adult acne so I still break out at times (dermatologist is not immune to skin issues)

Genetics play a huge role in the type of skin you have. Don’t see the ladies used in advertising the beauty soaps and think that’s where they got it from. You’ll be unpleasantly surprised when you start using that white and gold soap and all you’re having is breakouts.

It is extremely easy to damage the skin. But the repair is expensive and takes time, patience and a lot of by the grace of God for it to go back to a semblance of normal. The mistake most people make is that when they damage the skin, they start to look for a quick fix. You’ll get into more trouble that way. A word/post is enough for the discerning wise.