Recently I treated myself to one of my favourite facials, and that’s a microdermabrasion.  And it occurred to me, that not enough people know about this total gem of a treatment!
It’s affordable, it has an instant result, and makes you feel like a shiny new penny.
I mean, what’s not to love?
 
My previous blog entry that was all about hot stones click here to check it out.   I thought for my next edition I would post another informative 5 minutes, dipping into world of microdermabrasion.
 
What is it..
Microdermabrasion is a deep exfoliation of skin. A big, long word for a process that sounds scary and invasive when really, it’s one of the few specialist skin treatments that’s quite relaxing to have done, who knew that was possible right!
Microdermabrasion is a treatment that gently removes the most outer layer of dead skin revealing new, fresh skin that’s soft as silk and best of all you get an instant result!
You can have it as a facial treatment, and you can also have it for other areas such as the back or chest to treat acne scarring and also to treat stretch marks.
 
Why have it?
Microdermabrasion can help with a multitude of skin problems.

• Light Scarring from breakouts or acne
• Uneven skin tone
• Uneven skin texture
• Age spots
• Skin dullness
• Anti-Aging
• Fine lines and wrinkles
• Stimulate new skin cell regeneration
• Minimize the appearance of large pores
• Black heads
• pigmentation

 
Another reason, which is what I personally have this treatment for, is to banish those devilish under the skin spots. Those ones that no amount of steaming and squeezing is ever going to shift. The deep exfoliation basically uncovers them. So yes, you can get a bit of a breakout afterwards but that’s a good thing, because its deep cleaning the skin, better out than in!
 
There are two style of Microdermabrasion
Crystal
Crystal Microdermabrasion is a handheld device that simultaneously blasts out aluminium oxide crystals onto the skin that break down the dead skin cells and then vacuums up dirt, dead skin cells, and the used crystals. The vacuum element also drains the face and removes any blackheads.
 
Diamond
The diamond microdermabrasion is a handheld device that has a rough rotating diamond tip, when it spins over the skin it removes the dead skin cells. Some diamond machines also have a suction element to pick up the dead skin cells, drain the face and remove any blackheads.


What’s the difference?
Both styles of microdermabrasion are the same in the results they produce when used on the face.
But the crystal microdermabrasion is the better choice if your wanting to treat stretch marks as it has an inbuilt suction function which will have a better effect compared to the diamond option.
 
The crystal was the original microdermabrasion. The diamond is the newer application, as there’s no crystals flying about it’s easier on those harder to reach areas like around the eyes, nose and mouth. As the crystals are purely single use it can be the more expensive option, whereas the diamond heads can be sterilized and replaced making the treatment more affordable.
 
When deciding which application to opt for think about this;
Crystal microdermabrasion is great for treating scarring, pigmentation and even stretch marks. It can definitely be used for a facial treatment, but tends to feel more scratchy.
Diamond microdermabrasion generally feels more comfortable and is great for a one off facial before a big event to leave your face feeling super smooth! 
 
Who is this suitable for?
Microdermabrasion is suitable for any skin type, oily or dry!
Even if you have sensitive skin as the treatment will be adapted to suit you.
 
There a few skin conditions with which this treatment is not suitable for immediately,

• If you are using steroids for acne, Including the use of AHA’s -you must wait until 6 months after you’ve finished the course of steroids.
• If you have psoriasis or eczema on the face.
• If you have had botox or fillers -you must wait until 8-12 weeks after the procedure.
• If you have had any facial peels within the last 3 months.

 
A one off or a course?
With microdermabrasion you do have an instant result with just one treatment, the skin will be softer, smoother, and brighter. So you can have it as a one off treat for the skin as a little pick me up, and for a general maintenance treatment we would recommend one every 4-6 weeks.
If your planning on tackling any scarring or pigmentation you will need a course of treatments and depending on the severity will determine how many and how frequently they would need to be for the best results. An average course of treatment would be 6 sessions having one a week.
 
Aftercare
After any treatment aftercare is extremely important. It helps retain the effects of the treatment and avoids any unwanted side effects!
 
After a microdermabrasion treatment the skin can be red, the more sensitive you are the more red you could be if you are very sensitive we adjust the treatment to be suitable for your skin type. Redness is perfectly normal, and any redness will go down within the day as you can see on myself in the before and after photos I had a tiny amount of redness and it was gone within an hour!
 
 
Immediately after your treatment

• Your therapist will apply an SPF This is so important because the skin is so new and fresh that you need to have protection from the UV rays in the sun.

• Avoid excess heat on the area; saunas, steam room, very hot showers and infra-red lamps
• Avoid touching the skin (even though its hard to resist because it’s so soft!)
• No swimming

 
For 7 days prior to the treatment

• No exfoliation, this includes using products with salicylic acid, glycolic acid & lactic acid.
• No waxing on the treated area  
• No sunbathing or sunbeds
• Use an SPF every day 

To book a Microdermabrasion treatment for yourself, simply click HERE!

​After working in a spa for the last 4 years, starting my new journey here at Kala Beauty has been a lovely refreshing change! But I’ll admit, there was one treatment I had been missing during my workdays and that’s a hot stones massage! A hot stone massage is such a gorgeous and hugely underestimated treatment with a lot of benefits, so let’s just say it did not take a lot of convincing Angela to agree to bring it as a new treatment to offer you lovely clients!
So I thought what better way to introduce this treatment then by giving you the low down on what its all about.
 
The Beauty without the pain
It’s a hard choice isn’t it?  You want a good firm massage to help ease those sore muscles and tension areas, but at the same time you want to be sent off to dreamy dreamy land! So what do you pick?.. With a hot stone massage you really do get the best of both worlds! I always recommend a hot stone massage for anyone who has a lot of tension but doesn’t fancy being pummeled into the couch with a deep tissue massage! The heat from the stones warms up the deeper layers of the muscles so gently that you can get a deep massage that you could actually fall asleep having!
 
What is a hot stone massage?
Like any massage it can be a different experience wherever you go, and that’s really the beauty of our industry, the freedom you have as a therapist to tailor any treatment perfectly for your clients.
What you traditionally see in photos of a hot stones massage is a lovely lady covered in these big black stones and you think ‘is that it?!’ Well, it most definitely is not!  Yes, you can have what we call "placement stones", where the stones are placed around the body and they begin to heal the bodies energies (click here to see more about stone healing). But we also actually massage with them! There are many different sizes of the stones, bigger ones to give an all over warmth to the muscles and smaller ones we can use to target problem areas like the shoulders. And it’s not all just stones, if you have an area that has been causing you problems and it needs a bit of firm thumb kneading, we can do that! Every treatment is designed just for you.
 
How hot is hot?
To heat the stones, they are placed in a stone heater that’s filled with water, it looks basically like a great big slow cooker. It heats the water and the stones to between 45-50°C. The stones used are not just any old stones that we’ve gone with a bucket down to Worthing beach and picked up! These are Basalt stones, they are smooth volcanic stones that retain their heat. Yes, as they come out of the water they are rather hot but don’t worry we’re not just going to just chuck them on you! No, first your therapist will heat their hands with the stones gradually warming up your skin to adjust to the temperate before introducing the stones. They cool down the longer they are used on the skin and once they are fully cooled they’re switched up for new toasty ones!
 
The summary
With a hot stones massage you have all of the much needed massage benefits such as increasing circulation and the removal of toxins, softening tight muscles, helping with difficulty sleeping, de stressing and promoting relaxation and all of these points improve your mental health x10!
I really could go on and on about the benefits of any style of massage and I can tell you how great a hot stone massage is (because it is!) but the best way to really know is to experience it for yourself!
Get that ‘have a hot stones massage’ ticked off your ever growing bucket list and you’ll be asking yourself why have I not done this sooner?! 
- Hannah