HydraFacial & Medical Facials
Non-invasive skin treatments focused on cleansing, hydration, and improving overall skin appearance
What is HydraFacial & medical facials?
A medical facial is a structured in-clinic skin treatment performed under a dermatologist's supervision using medical-grade preparations. The steps are cleansing, a controlled exfoliation, gentle extraction of blocked pores by suction or by hand, and the application of serums chosen for your skin, finished with sunscreen.
The difference from a salon facial is the assessment and the strength of what is used. Your skin is examined first, the acids and serums are selected for what it needs, and the person doing it can recognise when your skin should not be treated that day.
It improves how skin looks and feels immediately, and the effect is temporary. It is a maintenance treatment repeated every four to six weeks, often alongside prescription skincare, and it changes the surface of the skin instead of its structure.
What it involves
There is no anaesthetic and nothing to prepare for. Sessions run thirty to sixty minutes in the clinic and you go home straight afterwards.
Your skin is cleansed, then a mild acid or a mechanical exfoliation lifts dead surface cells. Blocked pores are cleared with gentle suction or a fine instrument, and this is the only part that can sting briefly. Serums suited to your skin are applied, sometimes with a mask, and the treatment finishes with moisturiser and sunscreen.
Tell the clinic beforehand if you are using a retinoid or an acid at home, have had recent sun exposure, waxing or threading, or are taking medication for acne, since any of those change what can be done safely and may mean rescheduling.
Recovery
There is no recovery and no time off work. Skin looks pink for one to two hours and then settles, and most people go back to their day directly from the clinic.
Leave make-up off for a few hours if you can, and avoid strong actives such as retinoids and exfoliating acids at home for forty-eight hours. Skip waxing, threading, steam, saunas, swimming and heavy exercise for a day, and wear sunscreen, since freshly exfoliated skin burns more easily.
The glow is immediate and lasts a few weeks. Sessions every four to six weeks maintain it, and the lasting improvement comes from what you use at home between them.
Questions about HydraFacial & medical facials
How often should I have one?
Every four to six weeks suits most people, which matches the time the skin takes to renew its surface. A course of three to four sessions at that spacing gives a more durable improvement than a single one before an event, and after that many people settle into maintenance every one to two months. Having them more often than the skin can recover leaves it sensitive and reactive. What you use at home between sessions does more for your skin over a year than the sessions themselves, so ask for a routine alongside.
Is it different from a salon facial?
Yes, in the assessment and in what is used. Your skin is examined by or under the supervision of a dermatologist, the acids and serums are medical grade and chosen for your skin type and concern, and the person treating you can recognise when your skin should not be touched that day, which matters if you have active acne, a cold sore or recent sun exposure. The steps look similar. The judgement behind them, and what happens when something goes wrong, is what you are paying for.
Can I have one before a wedding or an event?
Yes, with the timing planned. Book the session seven to ten days before the event instead of the day before, since skin can look pink for a couple of hours, flake for a day, and occasionally throw up a few spots after extraction. Never have a first-ever treatment in the week before something important, because you do not yet know how your skin reacts. The best approach is a course starting two to three months ahead, with the final session a week to ten days before.
Other dermatology & cosmetology treatments
Treatment of acne and acne-related marks based on skin type, severity and recurrence
Day CareEvaluation and treatment of uneven skin tone, dark spots and other pigmentation concerns
Day CareTalk to a care coordinator about HydraFacial & medical facials
Leave a number and a care coordinator calls you back with what the treatment involves and which hospital it would be at. They book a consult only if you want one