The truth is, no matter how good your daily skincare routine is, a professional treatment can take your skin to that next level. If you've never experienced a facial treatment before, or if you only get one a couple of times a year, you may want to reconsider. Let's break it down and go through all the benefits.

Here's what you can expect from a facial treatment:

- Immediately afterwards, your skin is going to be glowing from boosted circulation.

- In 48 to 72 hours after the treatment, your skin will be feeling well hydrated, and possible breakouts from purging. A facial treatment is not going to cause your skin to break out but it will bring up to the surface what was underneath.

- In 28 to 48 days after the treatment, long term benefits of a facial treatment kicks in as new skin cells come to the surface.

- Finally, in about four to six weeks after a treatment, dead skin cells start to accumulate and it's time to get back in for another treatment.

While facial treatments are not a miracle in one session, they do give you a fresh start to a healthier and balanced complexion and a regular monthly facial treatment will help you maintain optimal skin health. These treatments slow down the process of aging, slow the onset of wrinkles, reduce puffiness, keep occasional breakouts under control, and reduce stress. Regular facial treatments are also deep cleansing, exfoliating, and increase circulation.

What does post treatment redness of the skin mean?

A slight redness after a professional skin treatment is not a bad thing. A lot of people are afraid of the redness afterwards.

Slight pinkness in the skin is not a bad thing. It happens because we have to kind of "break down the barrier" and disrupt its current state to build it back up. So of course, there's going to be a bit of redness. Let's put it this way, pretend you're wanting to remodel your house, but you don't want to make any mess. Impossible!

The type of facial you need is up to your esthetician to assess your skin and recommend the best treatment for your skin type and needs taking into consideration your skincare goals. That's why I always tell people, even a new client of mine, you need to try different places, try different estheticians, until you find a person you like, can click with, and stick with them. So find that person you like and trust and can ask questions. It's golden. Just like any other provider: your massage therapist, your hairstylist, your doctor.

Finding the right esthetician for your needs

At Urban Skin Care Clinic, I personally customize each treatment to the person's skin as well as what's going on in that particular period of time: change of seasons, as we age, hormonal imbalance, etc. Our skin is the largest organ in our body. We're a living, breathing human being. So our skin is changing. Sometimes it's dry, sometimes it's oily, or sometimes it's breaking out. We may derail from the initial plan we created depending on what's going on.

Also, treatments that are available at Urban Skin Care Clinic are clinical grade, meaning they cause changes in the skin. They're not just basic relaxation facials. I always mention this to new clients. Although you'll feel relaxed (depending on what we're doing), my goal is for you to notice change and improvement in your skin from today's treatment and in the future. That's why we take pictures on your first visit. So that later on, we can assess the progress.

I'm also a big believer in educating my clients and teaching them about their skin type and ways they can maintain their glow in between their appointments with me. I recommend a customized home care routine, because it will be the diet you'll be feeding into your skin on a daily basis. The last thing I want for you is to invest in professional skin treatments—invest time, money, and energy—and see it go to waste. So if you're going for professional treatments, but then you're going to feed "McDonald's" into your skin, that's a complete waste. I take the time to educate my clients on why they need certain products or ingredients in their at-home skincare routine.

I hope this article was helpful. DM me on Instagram if you have any questions or suggestions @urbanskincareclinic