Face Off - Beauty Blast

IS your monthly indulgence damaging skin ? let’s find out if facials are your skins friend or mortal foe.

Bird poop, vampire blood and snail slime- no, these aren’t ingredients in a gross horror film, but new age beauty treatments that seem to tickle the fancy of many celebrities. Coming a long way, facials have gone from incorporating basic household ingredients to chemical peels, and have now become a go to indulgence. Visiting a local salon for monthly grooming sessions has become in many Indian households. According to a report by KPMG, the country’s beauty and wellness market is said to reach a whooping ₹80,370 Crores by 2018. This only goes to show how much consumers are willing to spend on treatments for their hair and skin.

These days, sky rocketing pollution and stress levels tend to take a toll on our skin. And just like you’d detox your body every now and then, your skin too needs a thorough cleansing. A facial seems like the most rejuvenating and relaxing way to get back your natural radiance but could it be causing more harm than good?

What are facials?
From the likes of cleopatra to Kim Kardashian, a deep cleansing facial has been the secret to glowing skin for centuries now but isn’t just a basic cleanse enough? Our skin accumulates dead cells everyday. Facials help get rid of dead skin as well as tanning. They also hydrate the skin along with removing any impurities. Facials are a skincare treatment procedures for the face that involve steam, exfoliation creams, lotions, facial masks, peels and massages. They cleanse the skin deeply and help fight certain skin problems such as dryness and mild acne.

The process involves massaging the skin, which in turn improves circulation and leaves the skin radiant and rejuvenated. Overall facials promote new skin renewal and give your skin the tender loving care it needs. Facials can be basic, incorporating hand mixed pastes and compounds or procedures using electrical stimulation of the faces muscle to temporarily tighten the skin. The treatment usually includes sloughing of the dead skin, bleaching to remove tan and add a glow, add the masks all essential to promote good skin health.