What happens during an extraction facial at Shine

Ever wondered what happens during one of our extraction facials? Want to find out if this is the right treatment for you? Here is the lowdown on how it all works… At Shine we start every facial with a thorough skin consultation. Your therapist will ask some questions and inspect your skin in order to understand your main concerns and the current condition of your skin. Clearing your skin is only part of the solution, we need to investigate how you got the acne or blackheads in the first place so we can consider ways to prevent the issue from coming back. It is also a good idea to bring along your current skincare and make-up so we can look at whether products are the issue. Once you are in one of our beautiful treatment rooms, snuggled under a doona in one of our luxurious beds with an electric blanket keeping you warm (and a little Norah Jones playing), we will commence with a double cleanse to ensure your skin is completely clean. Then we will examine your skin under a magnifying lamp to ensure we can see everything that is happening with your complexion. This might seem a little scary, but it is necessary to ensure we don’t miss anything and we can make sure we have cleansed all the dirt and toxins away. Next step is exfoliation which is tailored to your skin type – this might be an enzyme/scrub or a gentle buff. Then it’s time for a relaxing steam while we use a deep pore cleanser to ensure we soften any blackheads – as this will help the extractions to come out more easily. I won’t lie, the extraction process can be a little uncomfortable. But for people who have acne and blackheads, it is a necessary process and your skin will reap the rewards. We will work with you as to how much you can cope with – for super-sensitive skin we are extra-gentle and avoid areas where the skin is not strong enough. At Shine, when it comes to extractions we only use tissues and our fingers. We are often asked whether we use those “pimple-popping” metal tools – we don’t! We believe they are too harsh on your skin and you can’t feel how much pressure you are applying, which can cause bruising, scarring or more damage to the skin. Touch is the best gauge. Depending on time we may also include a massage and/or a treatment mask as part of the session. If you have requested the inclusion of red or infra-red LED light therapy, this will be done once we have completed the extractions to help calm inflammation and speed up the healing process. Your extraction facial is finished off with some high frequency therapy. This is a little wonder tool that uses gentle electricity to convert to ozone to kill bacteria, heal your skin faster and reduce your chances of another break-out. (This is an old beauty therapist trick that only experienced therapists and extraction specialists know about!). The facial ends with a selection of serums, moisturiser and sunscreen massaged into your skin to ensure your skin’s hydration and condition is at its best.