HydraFacial is a revolutionary four-step, medical-grade skin resurfacing treatment that has taken the skin health and beauty world by storm. There are numerous benefits associated with this treatment, and at Athena Plastic Surgery in Stuart, FL, it is one of our most popular treatments. But not everyone is familiar with this incredible, revolutionary device and what it can do for them. Today, we reveal everything you need to know about convenient skin rejuvenation with this convenient device to help you determine if you should experience the astounding benefits for yourself.
What Is the HydraFacial?
This facial is far more than just a trendy treatment. It is a safe, effective, FDA-approved method for the pursuit and maintenance of long-term skin health. Treatment with this revolutionary device is performed every 15 seconds in 80 countries around the world. It’s perfectly customizable, too. Whether you’re looking to address fine lines and wrinkles or dry skin, this treatment can be customized to fit your needs.
How Does It Work?
In effect, there are three components to this treatment: cleansing and peeling, extracting and hydrating, and fusing and protecting. The magic begins during the resurfacing step when your skin is exfoliated. Medical researchers have long understood the benefits of removing the dead skin cells from the outer layers of your skin.
Once you remove the dull, ruddy, dead skin cells, the top layers of your skin consist of living, healthy skin cells. The result is brighter-looking skin, unclogged pores, and an increased collagen production rate.
Cleanse and Peel
The cleanse and peel, or resurfacing step of the hydradermabrasion system is achieved by the HydraFacial tip, which generates a fluid vortex over the skin, dislodging impurities and skin cells gently. The extraction and hydration portion of the treatment also uses the tip. During this step, gunk is removed from your pores at the same time as topical moisturizers are delivered to instantly hydrate your skin.
Fuse and Protect
The final step of this treatment is the step where “boosters” or serums are infused into your skin to protect it. These can be customized to achieve whatever skin imperfections you are trying to correct. Some of the most common boosters used include those designed to further brighten the skin, shrink enlarged pores, correct hyperpigmentation or eliminate fine lines and wrinkles.
How Convenient Is It?
A skin rejuvenation treatment with HydraFacial is incredibly convenient. Combining four skin-healing treatments in one, you essentially get cleansing, exfoliation, extraction and hydration at the same time. In fact, this incredible four-in-one-treatment takes only 30 minutes. And, unlike more invasive skincare treatments and procedures, there is absolutely no downtime. You are free to apply your favorite makeup and return to your daily routine as soon as treatment is done.
What About an IPL Photofacial?
An IPL, or intense pulsed light, photofacial is a photo-rejuvenation cosmetic treatment that uses non-coherent light pulses to address some of the same problems a HydraFacial does. Examples include sun spots, age spots, enlarged pores, blotches and a few others.
However, an IPL photofacial also takes around 30 minutes to perform, and it doesn’t work on all forms of discoloration, such as dark age spots, deep freckles and acne scars. Therefore, while both treatments last around the same amount of time, an IPL photofacial may not address all your cosmetic concerns.
How Does It Compare to Chemical Peels?
Both of these treatments exfoliate the skin by removing dead skin cells through the use of acid. Chemical peels can range in strength from superficial peels to deep peels. Acids used may include alpha hydroxy acid, salicylic acid or a combination of several acids depending on the skin imperfections you are trying to treat and how sensitive your skin is. Chemical peels are often used to treat shallow, light scars, freckles, light age spots, mild-to-moderate wrinkles and fine lines.
A standard medium-depth chemical peel requires you to wait three to five days before you see the results. A deeper peel containing phenol can require up to seven to 10 days of recovery and extensive skincare. However, it is important to understand that chemical peels are not for everyone. They are most effective for people with lighter skin tones. Here are a few cases in which a chemical peel may not be right for you:
- Nursing
- Pregnancy
- Darker skin tone
- Psoriasis
- Dermatitis
- Rosacea
- Eczema
- Sensitive skin
How Does It Compare to Microneedling?
Microneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy, is not nearly as convenient as this treatment. It only takes around half an hour to complete, however, there are visible side effects for five to seven days after treatment and it can take several weeks to experience the full benefits of treatment. Moreover, depending on the skin conditions you are trying to treat, you will need between five and 10 treatment sessions to achieve your desired results. These treatment sessions have to be scheduled four to eight weeks apart. Thus, it could take you a whole year to achieve your ideal aesthetic with microneedline, and it requires three months of downtime.
Microneedling has its benefits, of course. The “micro-injuries” triggered when the tiny needles penetrate the outer or middle layers of your skin promote your body’s natural wound-healing process. This wound healing process occurs when your body produces extra collagen. Collagen heals the skin, tightening and lifting it while reducing the appearance of acne scars.
How Does It Compare to Microdermabrasion?
This treatment is so similar to microdermabrasion that it is often called hydradermabrasion. Microdermabrasion uses a special abrasive device, such as a DermaSweep, to exfoliate the skin much like you would sand wood. This removes the thick, outer layer of dead skin cells and can even be used to sand down stretch marks. Some devices even inject serums during treatment. However, microdermabrasion requires manual extractions of impurities from pores.
“Hydradermabrasion” is far more gentle and effective, using a vacuum tip to deeply cleanse your pores and remove impurities. While microdermabrasion is often touted as the “30-minute miracle cure” for skin, it takes seven to 10 days to heal from treatment and requires six to 12 treatments spaced two to four weeks apart to see your desired results. Once again, you are looking at a year to see results with 84 to 120 days of downtime.
Am I a Good Candidate for a HydraFacial Treatment?
Another thing that makes this type of treatment so convenient is how accessible it is. In fact, nearly everyone is a good candidate for this type of treatment. This treatment is designed to be safe for all skin types. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you have dry skin, oily skin, thin skin, extremely sensitive skin or normal skin.
However, the best way to determine if this treatment has a place in your skincare routine is to come in for an initial consultation. We will perform a skin evaluation and skin sensitivity test to customize your treatment, providing you with the most effective serums to address your unique skincare needs. General signs you are a good candidate for this treatment include suffering from the following skin concerns:
- Mild acne
- Oily skin
- Enlarged pores
- Clogged pores
- Dark spots
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Hyperpigmentation
What Injectables Complement This Treatment the Best?
Hydradermabrasion combines the best of three worlds when it comes to skincare treatments. The experience is even better than traditional cosmetic treatments because it doesn’t require any downtime at all. Of course, no single cosmetic treatment is perfect. So, which injectables complement this treatment the best? At the end of the day, it comes down to personal preference. However, we have found that Botox and Belotero are two of the most popular injectables used to complement hydradermabrasion.
Botox
At Athena Plastic Surgery in Stuart, FL, your Botox treatment is injected by a board-certified plastic surgeon to ensure the most comfortable, effective placement. Treatment only takes 10 minutes and is FDA-approved for dozens of indications. To complement hydradermabrasion, Botox is most often used to address fine lines and wrinkles.
If you are at least 18 years of age, neither pregnant nor nursing and do not suffer from a neuromuscular disease such as myasthenia gravis or multiple sclerosis, there is an excellent chance that you are a good candidate for Botox. Even better, the anti-aging results of this treatment last between three and six months.
Belotero
Belotero is another extremely popular complement to hydradermabrasion. While not as well-known as other hyaluronic acid (HA) treatments like Restylane or Juvederm, Belotero is just as effective. This uniquely formulated dermal filler features a synthetic form of HA, an essential chemical compound that keeps your skin moisturized, hydrated and supported. This FDA-approved injectable differs from alternative hyaluronic acid treatments in that it features a smooth, cohesive gel. This guarantees balanced, smooth results every single time.
Belotero instantly integrates with your skin’s natural structure without the need to gently massage the treatment site to kick-start the process. Among the most popular benefits of Belotero is that it addresses chin wrinkles, smile lines, vertical lip lines, nasolabial folds and correcting lines that form around the corners of the mouth. This gentle treatment is powerful enough that it can add volume to moderate-to-severe regions of volume loss.
What Can I Expect During Treatment?
Belotero is a simple, painless treatment that requires no downtime. As soon as your treatment session is done, you are free to apply all your normal cosmetics and go back to your daily routine. The length of treatment will depend on the size and extent of your skin concerns. During your initial consultation, we will review your aesthetic goals to give you a better idea of how long you can expect this treatment to take.
Am I a Good Candidate for Belotero?
The best candidate for Belotero is in fairly good health, has realistic expectations about the results of treatment and is not quite ready for an invasive medical procedure that would provide more dramatic anti-aging results.
Experience Convenient Skin Rejuvenation for Yourself
HydraFacial is one of the most incredible advancements in medical science when it comes to the health of your skin. But the best way to understand its skin rejuvenating benefits is to experience them for yourself. If you’re interested in learning more, we strongly encourage you to contact the knowledgeable aesthetic experts at Athena Plastic Surgery in Stuart, FL today to schedule your initial consultation.
We will evaluate the current health of your skin, review your aesthetic goals and tailor a treatment plan that achieves your unique goals, fits in comfortably with your lifestyle and stays within your budget.