The Acne Post - Revisited

It's been a while since my last post, and that's mainly because my skincare routine has been in a transitional period after I made some drastic changes about a month ago. I wanted to wait at least one month to write this post so I could give you some honest and time-tested feedback. 

I decided to get a facial at a place I've been going for years for bikini waxes called Peaches Skin Care here in Santa Barbara. My skin was majorly breaking out after I switched to a heavy daytime moisturizer with a high SPF (FYI, it was Boscia Restorative Day Moisture Cream SPF 15 -- heavy and greasy, ugh) and I was feeling desperate. I knew from doing my usual extensive online research that precedes any kind of beauty-related service that Peaches makes their own products, uses microcurrent and microdermabrasion (say what?) in their facials, and boasts on their website and social media sites that they can clear up any kind of acne, with before and after photos that seem too good to be true. So I had high expectations, and also high doubts that my uber-sensitive skin would do well with the two M's that I thought were reserved for "medical" spas (i.e. places you can get Botox but say you're going to the spa--or so I hear).

After a facial that was a little over an hour with a friendly and concerned esthetician, my face was looking a bit battered (she did very thorough extractions), but I was feeling hopeful. Here are my main takeaways from Peaches:

• Regular facials with extractions, microdermabrasion, and microcurrent are important for skin maintenance. The extractions get all the acne-causing gunk out, microderm brings up layers of new skin, and the microcurrent lifts and tightens (they call it a "face lift without surgery"...which I think is more than a bit of a stretch).  A second facial a few weeks after the first is the most important to make sure the new skin that was brought up by the first facial stays clean (or maybe this is a ploy to get you to buy a facial package at Peaches...which gives you a small discount if you pay for 3 facials at once. Either way, I bought it).
• Only pure antioxidants penetrate the skin and make a difference. I didn't feel pressured into buying their products, but the way the esthetician seemed to honestly believe they were the best out there and that they could change my skin sold me. I bought a cleanser, exfoliating wash, toner, and mask. (Full disclosure: I would've bought their moisturizer except that after testing it on my arm I had an allergic reaction.)
• Yeast infection cream can cure your acne.  The esthetician also insisted I put Monistat 7 (yes) on my face morning and night after toning. She said that acne is often a fungal problem and so the Monistat helps with that.
• Milk of magnesia is a fabulous face mask. They recommend you sleep with it on your face like a mask or at the very least in problem areas, as it calms skin, curbs oil production and helps acne. I've been leaving this on overnight on areas where I feel like I might have a zit coming on, and, sure enough, I wake up zit-free in the morning!
• Wear sunscreen on your face only when necessary. This probably shocked me even more than the vag cream. According to Peaches, sunscreen ingredients are pore-clogging and cause breakouts. She recommended a titanium dioxide sunscreen to use only as needed, but since wide-brimmed hats are for sale in the Peaches lobby, I think it's safe to assume they prefer hats to sunscreen.
• Makeup is the devil. Absolutely NO liquid foundation. Pure mineral makeup with no fillers is OK (i.e. no Bare Minerals) but they really hate foundation, saying it causes acne. 
• Even worse than the devil: Wearing the devil while working out. Sweat will cause your makeup to clog your pores even more. 

All of this might seem pretty extreme and weird to someone who has not tried everything to clear their skin and had no luck. But people like me, think, hmmm, this actually kind of makes sense.

Was it instant omg-this-skincare-is-a-miracle? No. Have I had any breakouts? Yes. Have they been smaller than usual and few and far between? YES. They also go away quicker and without using any targeted acne treatments like the ones I reviewed in my original Acne Post. In fact, most of these minor breakouts happened while I was traveling and not following the routine to a T, and since I got back and had my second facial (3 weeks ago) those breakouts cleared up super quick and I have not had a single breakout since.

The main issue I am dealing with now is minor irritation that may or may not be related to the Peaches products and routine. After my first facial, my skin was definitely more sensitive and reactive, and I was also flushing at the littlest cause. Since my second facial, it's been a lot better. Some days I can feel my skin flushing more easily than others. I also suffer from bad seasonal allergies that always affect my skin, and it's prime season right now. Since my skin is looking so great otherwise, I am really hoping it's not the products. I will probably be in denial at least for another 6 months until I use them up anyway. :)

Spa Mecca

I live in Santa Barbara, which could easily be referred to as The Spa Mecca. There are so many spas and salons here, ranging from the super-high-end spas at The Biltmore and Bacara to tons of small, one-person operations. I have been to five different spas since I moved here, the most recent being just yesterday, and there's still so many I want to try. 

I read a lot of online reviews before deciding on a spa. After all, you're going to be getting naked there, getting touched all over, and they're putting stuff on your skin, so it's a big investment. I've been going to spas on and off for years, starting when I was 14 and my modeling agent told me that I had to get a facial before a photo shoot (please note that this was primarily bullshit). Anyway, I'd say I have some amount of cred when it comes to choosing a spa. Aside from generally good reviews, I also look for a relaxing atmosphere, product lines I like, reasonable prices (hopefully), and extras. I'm a sucker for extras. 

For example, the spa I went to yesterday offered a complimentary foot soak and tea before the treatment. I got there early, and had about 10 minutes to sit in a cushy chair, sip some green tea, and soak my feet in a warm minty soak that smelled heavenly. The room was decorated with a zen, eastern Asian feel, and that typical "spa" music played softly in the background.

The rest of the facial was pretty relaxing, aside from the extractions, of course. I envy those acne-free women (and men) who can get a facial without that 20 minutes of agony. For those of you who have not yet experienced this, I don't want to ruin your visions of facial bliss, but you should be aware that if you have any kind of acne, no matter how mild, your esthetician will shine the brightest light you've ever seen over your face and poke and scrape until all of those little buggers are brought up to the surface and thrown away.  If you're fair- and sensitive-skinned like me, be forewarned that your face will look like a pizza afterwards, so make sure you get a facial on a day when you can relax at home and only have to face the judgmental and slightly scared looks from your dogs and husband.  I will say that a day or two later you'll notice smoother skin and less or no zits popping up for a good week or so. The point is to get all of the impurities out of your skin, and it works. 

I also like a good scalp, shoulder, and arm massage with just the right amount of pressure, which this spa delivered. You need that to counteract the pain of the extractions, trust me. For products, this spa used two lines, one I'd never heard of before called Image, and the other is Dermalogica. While they are both pharmaceutical brands, they use high-quality ingredients and Dermalogica in particular is very highly regarded by dermatologists and estheticians alike. I picked up their Special Cleansing Gel & Daily Microexfoliant, and Image's SPF 30 Matte Moisturizer. I will let you know the verdict on those in a few weeks. :)

I'm sure this won't be the last time I post about spa experiences. I generally get some kind of treatment every 6 months and I definitely recommend trying a basic facial or Swedish massage if you're new to spas. It's addictive, and definitely fits the bill for "me" time.