Facials can improve the results of procedures by prepping the skin and creating a more receptive and balanced skin environment.
Courtesy of Prostock-studio at Adobe Stock
Facials are sometimes perceived as less effective than surgical procedures or high-tech aesthetic treatments that target deeper layers of the skin. However, the crucial role that surface-level skin treatments play in preparing the skin for deeper penetration is frequently overlooked. The extraction and absorption techniques used in facials help recalibrate the skin’s environment, making the results of other treatments more effective and longer-lasting.
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Facials are sometimes perceived as less effective than surgical procedures or high-tech aesthetic treatments that target deeper layers of the skin. However, the crucial role that surface-level skin treatments play in preparing the skin for deeper penetration is frequently overlooked. The extraction and absorption techniques used in facials help recalibrate the skin’s environment, making the results of other treatments more effective and longer-lasting.
Misconceptions about facials persist, including the belief that they are incompatible with medical treatments, have no measurable benefits or exist solely for leisure. This article examines some of the most common myths surrounding facials in clinical settings, drawing on expert insight and current practice trends to clarify their role in modern skincare protocols.
Facials Don't Affect the Results of Advanced Procedures
This is false, esthetician Trina Renea says.
Facials are certainly reserved for pampering, and are separate from aesthetic treatments, but if the top epidermal layers of the skin are freshly exfoliated, the pores are cleaned out and the skin is deeply hydrated before any of these treatments, the skin will not only take aesthetic treatments better, but the skin will heal faster too, Renea explains.
The main goal of a basic facial is to exfoliate, extract and hydrate the skin. An aesthetic treatment, however, includes options like microcurrent, microdermabrasion, LED lights and microneedling that probe deeper with the proficiency to reverse or correct unwanted features. A facial is typically performed before and after to prepare and repair the skin.
While seen as a cautionary, optional resort to heal the skin after invasiveness or prepare it for targeted results, facials are shown to prolong the effects of aesthetic treatments. “Facials significantly influence the results of advanced procedures; they complement each other,” Renea says. “Remember, the skin is a living and breathing organ, and if it’s in good health, it's going to repair better and faster.”
While facials shouldn't be performed immediately after injectable treatments, they can be beneficial about two weeks afterward. This timing supports healing and reduces flakiness between appointments.Courtesy of Julio Ricco at Adobe StockYou Shouldn't Get Facials Around Injectable Appointments
Around injectable appointments is okay, even beneficial, but not directly after.
Although facials do benefit most aesthetic treatments to create a healthy and advantageous environment for technology to perform well, Renea advises patients not to get them around injectable appointments. The timing is what matters. After a more intensive resurfacing treatment like injectables, Renea suggests clients come in about two weeks later for a facial.
This allows estheticians to gently clear away any remaining dry or flaky skin, deeply hydrate and nourish the skin, so it bounces back to compliment the fullness after injectables. When it comes to injectables, facials don’t directly affect the results because injectables work beneath the surface, while facials treat the outer layers of the skin. The two do, however, work together as part of a well-rounded skincare plan—addressing what’s underneath and what’s on top—to achieve a cohesive look.
The founder of Elite Aesthetics, Mariesa Porter, MSN, APRN, designed her medspa concept to specifically support injectables and other aesthetic treatments with facials. Porter says in between receiving injectable treatments, it's important to maintain the tone of the skin and promote circulation. Lymphatic drainage and specific massage techniques along with microdermabrasion help increase blood and keep the skin looking vital between appointments, while increasing the longevity of the treatment.
Facials Are Only for Relaxation, Not Results
While there are clinical studies indicating that the cerebral, cardiac, respiratory and muscular relaxation induced by facial skincare was 42%, 13%, 12% and 17% higher than that induced by the resting condition [1], integrating a facial into a clinical setting changes its direction beyond luxurious leisure.
Relaxing facials do exist; however, results-oriented clinical facials allow the relaxation aspect and also the detoxification aspect that cleanses environmental pollutants and cleans the pores to allow technologies to penetrate deeper and effectively without blemishes or irregularities clouding its entry through the skin barrier.
Facials are mainly cosmetic because they target the upper layers of the epidermis. In a medical office, undergoing a facial by an esthetician who's working beside a clinician and their procedure process changes the direction and purpose of the facial techniques completely, helping to outline a facial that prepares the patient's skin according to the medical plan and directions of clinician oversight.
“The aesthetician not only cares for the skin before treatments but also aids in healing afterward and trains patients to use in-office products that support skin repair,” Renea says. “The combined efforts of these two professionals enhances the overall success of a clinical practice.”
Though sometimes misunderstood as purely indulgent, facials serve a far more functional role in clinical aesthetics. When performed with intention and integrated into a medical treatment plan, facials become a strategic tool. The outdated myths around facials are gradually being replaced with a deeper understanding: that healthy, well-prepped skin is essential to achieving lasting cosmetic results.
While facials shouldn't be performed immediately after injectable treatments, they can be beneficial about two weeks afterward. This timing supports healing and reduces flakiness between appointments.Courtesy of Julio Ricco at Adobe Stock
While facials shouldn't be performed immediately after injectable treatments, they can be beneficial about two weeks afterward. This timing supports healing and reduces flakiness between appointments.Courtesy of Julio Ricco at Adobe Stock
