Everyone desires skin that is bright, radiant, and youthful-looking. With a facial, which some believe is becoming more and more popular, you might be able to get a natural glow without shelling out a fortune for oils, creams, essences, and serums in a multistep skin-care program.

Read More: Hydrafacial Treatment

Advocates of the popular procedure known as the Hydrafacial position it as a means of achieving and preserving long-term skin health, setting it apart from standard spa treatments. Around the world, 3.5 million Hydrafacial procedures are carried out annually, according to the Hydrafacial website.

“A multistep facial treatment, the Hydrafacial is usually administered with a proprietary device (Hydrafacial MD) made by Edge Systems,” says Glen Crawford, MD, chief medical officer of the Philadelphia-based Schweiger Dermatology Group. “The Hydrafacial [device] allows aestheticians to perform extractions, cleansing, exfoliation, and the administration of several restorative serums in a single session.”

The reason it’s become a popular treatment is because it gives skin an immediate “wow factor” in terms of firming and brightening, according to master aesthetician Sarah Akram of Sarah Akram Skincare in Alexandria, Virginia. She continues, “People can have the treatment on a regular basis to maintain skin health or before a big event.”

Specifically, How Does a Hydrafacial Work?

According to Akram, there are similarities between the Hydrafacial and microdermabrasion. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons states that microdermabrasion “uses a mildly abrasive instrument to gently sand your skin, removing the thicker, uneven outer layer.”

However, others claim it to be significantly superior to microdermabrasion, even though it’s not quite the same. “The Hydrafacial device eliminates dead skin cells from your face’s surface by using an exfoliating tip in conjunction with suction,” states Akram. According to her, serums are absorbed into the skin following exfoliation. The main factor cited by supporters as to why it works so well is that final step.

The Hydrafacial treatment consists of three phases, as stated by the business. The entire procedure may be completed in as little as 30 minutes, and there is no downtime—a term used frequently in dermatology to describe the period of recuperation.

The three steps of a Hydrafacial are as follows:

Peel and Clean

This is the exfoliation phase in the resurfacing process. “The method of exfoliation involves eliminating dead skin cells from the skin’s outer layer. According to Dr. Crawford, it has long been recognized to have positive benefits on the skin, including as making the skin appear brighter, clearing up pores, and, over time, boosting the formation of collagen. Using the Hydrafacial tip, all of this is accomplished in the Hydrafacial. Crawford states that this “creates a fluid vortex over the skin that gently dislodges impurities and dead skin cells.”

Take Out and Rehydrate

The tip simultaneously applies topical moisturizers and clears debris from pores.

Infuse and Guard

“Boosters,” or serums, will be used to wrap up your therapy. These are designed to help you achieve your skin objective, which might be to minimize the look of enlarged pores, dull skin, fine lines and wrinkles, or hyperpigmentation. One of the biggest benefits for patients is that the treatment may be fully customized using these “boost” serums.

An additional three-step facial that combines exfoliation and active topicals is the Geneo Super-Facial. According to the Cleveland Clinic, DiamondGlow Dermalinfusion is another such treatment that promises to exfoliate, extract, and infuse for beautiful and revitalized skin. All of them work on the same basic principle (exfoliation with serum infusion), but their unique technologies are different. Find out the treatment(s) your dermatologist or aesthetician offers and which one is best for you.