beauty

Breaking news: Facials Are Not Essential

Who knew? The New York Times have come out with this astonishing verdict after looking at the beauty industry.
The report reveals…

Aestheticians and spas have long promoted such routine facials as
required maintenance for radiant skin. But dermatologists don’t
necessarily agree. Today’s bloated and breathless spa menus promise
more than a mere facial can deliver, dermatologists say, and have
people thinking that monthly facials can be their first line of defense
against wrinkles.

Facials, a pillar of the $10.9-billion spa industry, are the third
most popular service at spas nationwide, after massages and nail care,
according to the International Spa Association.

Some facials
are marketed as massages for the face, relaxation pure and simple. But
most spas and aestheticians also offer a dizzying array of
results-oriented facials that claim to do far more.

Aestheticians
say that so-called oxygen facials can plump skin, produce collagen and
regenerate new cells. A company called Intraceuticals has its
technology in 300 spas, resorts and doctors’ offices nationwide. It
uses pressurized oxygen to deliver modified hyaluronic acid to the
face, but doesn’t have any research to back its machine, said Deirdre
Burke, the director of sales and education. Still, the company believes
in its efficacy, she said, adding, “If you have had a treatment, you’re
a believer.”

But without scientific evidence, many
dermatologists remain unconvinced. “Show me the data that oxygen
facials make the skin better,” said Dr. Jeffrey Dover, a director of
SkinCare Physicians, a comprehensive dermatology practice in Chestnut
Hill, Mass.

It will be interesting to see how the recession affects non-essential services like this. Me? I'm not a facial girl. Never have been. They bore me and make me claustrophobic and fidgety.

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