Basic facial steps

Spas offer dozens of different facials, each with a more tantalizing name and ingredients list than the last. To avoid wasting money and time on an ineffective treatment, cut through the clever marketing. Here’s what every basic facial should include:

Cleansing and massage
An aesthetician should remove any makeup from your face, then apply a gentle scrub (for normal to oily skin) or lotion (for normal to dry skin) and massage it in for up to 15 minutes. The massage increases circulation and relaxes you facial muscles; the scrub exfoliates dead skin, allowing mask ingredients to penetrate more easily.

Steam
A steam machine sprays your face with a fine mist of hot steam, which softens the skin and triggers the sweat glands to draw dirt to the surface, making extractions much easier. This takes five to 10 minutes, and should feel relaxing, not uncomfortably warm.

Extractions
Using two gloved fingers or an extraction tool, the aesthetician applies firm, uniform pressure around lack- and whiteheads to push them out of the pores. Extractions can be painful, but they should not leave red, swollen marks. (However, you may have temporary redness or a tiny scab precisely where an extraction took place.)

Mask
The ingredients of the mask depend on your skin condition. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, you may have a mud or clay mask to draw out any remaining impurities, or a benzoyl peroxide or sulfur mask to soak up oil. If it’s a youthful glow you’re after, a mask containing alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), enzymes or glycolic acid (a powerful chemical exfoliant) will scrub away dead dull skin. A hydrating mask can contain anything from glycerine to sweet almond oil. A ginseng or green tea mask soothes skin after heavy extractions. A mask should stay on for 10-15 minutes and is followed by another cleansing and a thin layer of moisturizer.

Source: InStyle (2004). Getting gorgeous. Time, Inc.