The Complete Guide To Advanced Clinical Facials
Advanced clinical facials can be a great way to take the next step in your personalised skincare journey. Unlike regular facials, they can also target your specific concerns and give a healthy and glowing complexion. However, how much of this is hype vs reality? In a growing field of professional skin treatments, its fair to ask if they work. In this guide, we explore what advanced clinical facials are, how they work and what they can do for you.
What is an advanced clinical facial?
An advanced clinical facial needs to be done by an aesthetic practitioner with specific medical training. They’re able to use medical-grade products and techniques to give you the best results.
During the facial, the doctor will analyse your current skin condition and assess any issues or problems. They’ll then provide you with individualised treatment recommendations to boost your skin’s health and refresh your complexion.
Advanced clinical facials are great for anyone looking to boost their skin’s appearance and condition. However, they can work particularly well for those with sensitive skin. They’re also a good option for those who want to target specific concerns like acne. They can also help with fine lines and wrinkles as well as sun damage. Hence this particular type of facial is a bespoke treatments. It is fully personalised to meet your skincare needs and as such no two advanced clinical facials are identical.
What treatments are included?
An advanced clinical facial involves a number of different steps that work together to improve your skin’s health and condition. These treatments can be tailored to meet your skin type and needs. That means you don’t have to have something done that won’t benefit your skin.
Whilst techniques and protocols vary from clinic to clinic, there are generally some common features. Let’s take a closer look at the steps in our signature advanced clinical facial.
Superficial skin peel
A superficial skin peel is where a chemical peel solution is applied to the skin to exfoliate the top layers. This then reveals the new layers underneath. It should leave you with smoother, brighter and fresher-looking skin. Chemical peels have many benefits for a whole range of skin problems. This includes acne, scars, fine lines and wrinkles and even discolouration. Having a superficial skin peel can also help reduce the appearance of pores and work to refresh dull, tired-looking skin.
There are a wide range of chemical peels. That makes it easy to personalise the peel to suit your skin type, concerns and goals. The peel forms the resurfacing step of most advanced clinical facials. These peels rejuvenate skin to create a healthy glowing complexion. They can also address specific concerns like wrinkles, acne or hyperpigmentation. In addition, they also prepare the skin for the nourishing, hydrating treatments that follow.
Bioactive serum
Advanced clinical facials, usually involve a cocktail of bioactive serums. These are chosen to help improve the hydration and condition of your skin. A good bioactive serum blend should be customised specifically to your skin concerns and goals. This personalised mix will work to brighten the skin, instantly moisturise and create a smoother appearance. This part of the facial can also be specifically tailored to your individual skincare needs and skin type. If done correctly, it allows you to get the most out of this treatment.
Nourishing face mask
The advanced clinical facial is normally completed with a nourishing face mask. Again this should be tailored to your skin needs and to target any specific concerns. This step helps to refresh the skin giving a brighter, firmer and smoother complexion. Some masks are also oxygenating. These help boost the blood flow in your face, which is vital for creating a youthful, radiant-looking complexion.
Advanced clinical facial benefits
There are many benefits to getting a good advanced clinical facial. These are some that can make the most significant difference to your skin.
- Improved circulation – having good circulation in the face is important as it allows the body to produce more collagen and elastin. Both of these are needed if you want the skin to stay wrinkle-free and youthful in appearance for longer.
- Resurface the skin – your skin can be subject to the build-up of old cells and secretions which over time can cause the skin to appear dull, flakey or congested. Having an advanced clinical facial can be a great way to resurface the skin and keep it feeling (and looking) healthy.
- Boost collagen – increasing the amount of collagen in your skin is needed to keep the elasticity in the skin and smooths fine lines and wrinkles.
- Treat skin conditions – advanced clinical facials can work well for a range of skin conditions like acne, hyperpigmentation, texture and skin ageing. These can be hard to treat on their own. Regular personalised advanced facials alongside at-home treatments like Tretinoin and bespoke skincare can help you treat acne and other skin conditions.
Advanced clinical facial procedure: how does it work?
On the day of your treatment, you’ll have a consultation with the practitioner who is performing your facial. This allows them to assess your skin’s condition, discuss your skincare needs, and create the right advanced facial for you. The consultation doesn’t take too long, but it gives our experts the time to design a facial which targets your specific concerns and gives you the results you’re looking for.
The facial itself will then begin. The length of time the treatment can vary slightly, but it won’t typically take any longer than 20 to 30 minutes. You’ll be able to see the results of your facial right away. So the advanced clinical facial procedure is the perfect treatment for you if you want an instant boost to your skin’s appearance. Its a good treatment before a special event. However, if you’re prone to redness, then leave a few hours for this to settle. If you want to maintain these results, you’ll need to have the treatment done regularly. Every four to eight weeks is best. This gives the skin a chance to recover and repair in between treatments. Also make sure that in between, you are using a good personalised skincare routine.
Advanced clinical facial recovery and aftercare
After you’ve had your advanced clinical facial, you’ll need to take good care of your skin. This will ensure you get the best results.
Here are some advanced clinical facial recovery and aftercare tips:
- Avoid makeup – you want to keep your skin free from irritants or products that could clog it for at least six hours afterwards.
- Don’t pick or scrub the skin – picking or scrubbing with exfoliants can damage the delicate skin that just had treatment.
- Don’t have another facial soon after – after your advanced clinical facial, your skin will need to recover from the peel, and any other treatments you’ve had. Having another facial right away could cause you more damage than good. That’s why it’s best to wait 4 weeks before having another one.
- Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol – cigarette smoke can clog your open pores, and alcohol has compounds that can damage the skin. This is why avoiding them for 24 hours after your facial is best.
Possible side effects
Although rare, there are some side effects that may appear after having an advanced clinical facial too. These include:
- Dryness
- Peeling
- Irritation
- Redness of the skin,
However, these should clear up on their own fairly quickly with no long-lasting effects. If you are concerned about any of these side effects, speak to your consultant for further guidance.
Advanced clinical facial vs regular beauty facial
An advanced clinical facial is very different to a beauty facial, though they can both have their benefits. The key difference is that an advanced facial is usually done by someone with medical training. This is because they’ll be using medical-grade products and equipment. The products they use may contain higher concentrations of active ingredients. This means that they need to be used carefully.
Clinical facials will be more targeted to your skin concerns and medical conditions as well, whereas a beauty facial in a salon will most likely be more generic. The goal of an advanced clinical facial is to resolve the root cause of your skin problems — not mask them with temporary beauty treatments.
Other types of facial include the hydrafacial and laser facial. A hydrafacial uses water-assisted dermabrasion to deeply cleanse the skin, before infusing the skin with a variety of nutrients. This method of facial is very popular and allows a degree of customisation though not to the extent of advanced clinical facials.
A laser facial can also help resurface the skin. This allows fine lines and wrinkles to lessen in appearance. However, this treatment is not as readily customisable as the advanced clinical facial and may have a longer downtime.
Can you combine this facial with other treatments?
An advanced clinical facial is a great place for someone to start who is new to aesthetic treatments, as the practitioner will examine your skin condition and personalise the treatment to your needs. They may also be able to suggest other treatments that can complement this type of facial, based on your own skin concerns.
After your advanced facial, you’ll want to keep up with a good skincare routine to maximise your results. However, it’s important to note that exfoliants like retinoids can cause your skin to be overly sensitive after just having an advanced facial. We generally recommend stopping retinoids and exfoliating acids for a couple of days before and after any chemical peels or advanced clinical facials.
When it comes to prescription medication, it’s best to speak to your doctor or practitioner so that they can advise on the best course of action.
Combining treatments
You can also combine advanced facials with other treatments like Botox and fillers in the same sitting. Having a facial before or alongside get these kinds of treatments can enhance your outcomes as it boosts the appearance of the skin and maximises the effect of injectables.
Normally its best to have these treatments at the same clinic as they will decide the best order of the treatments. This is because you need to be careful about getting Botox or filler shortly before a facial, as the pressure and movement of the skin could disrupt the newly injected Botox or filler and cause it to move about the face. If you have any concerns or you are unsure about combining treatments, speak with your Botox provider for further guidance.
At City Skin clinic, we are devoted to personalised skincare which we centre around healthy skin. Our virtual skin clinic provides safe and effective skin boosting personalised treatments using actives like Tretinoin and Hydroquinone where appropriate. We treat a range of skin conditions including acne, hyperpigmentation, melasma and skin ageing. Book a virtual appointment or use our online consultation form so our doctors can help you today. The journey towards great skin starts here.