Have you ever heard? Hearsay has it oxygen facials are the key behind Madonna’s youthful complexion. According to celebrity makeup artist Gina Brooke, “Madonna indulges on this lavish magnificence remedy earlier than each live performance, and is usually seen carrying round her personal oxygen facial system.”
I’m all the time intrigued to see what celebrities are doing to maintain their pores and skin wanting 20 years youthful. On the similar time, I’m all the time sceptical of all the newest fads, so in fact I needed to do my analysis.
Must you do the identical as Madonna? Right here’s every part it is advisable learn about oxygen facials: what they’re, what they do for you pores and skin, and in the event that they’re actually value it:
What Are Oxygen Facials?
Oxygen facials are remedies that declare to infuse your pores and skin with oxygen. The process entails an oxygen facial machine that makes use of a stream of pressurized oxygen to ship a hyaluronic acid serum or different hydrating moisturizer into your pores and skin.
Not like different facials, this one is fairly fundamental. There’s no therapeutic massage, aromatherapy or all the opposite stress-free treats of a typical spa day. Bummer! As an alternative, the aesthetician cleanses and exfoliates your pores and skin, analyses your pores and skin to determine what one of the best serum to your wants is, and promptly applies it throughout your pores and skin.
That’s the place oxygen is available in. The aesthetician makes use of a facial oxygen machine that delivers a steady move of 90% pure oxygen underneath hyperbaric stress into your pores and skin to assist the serum higher penetrate it. It looks like your pores and skin is being blasted with chilly hair, nevertheless it’s not painful or uncomfortable. The entire course of takes about 30-60 minutes.
Oxygen Facial Advantages: Is It Good For Your Pores and skin?
The entire level of oxygen facials is to extend the quantity of oxygen in your pores and skin. This has a number of advantages:
- It makes pores and skin plumper and brighter (that glow is actual!)
- It reduces irritation
- It encourages the expansion of stem cells and progress elements to assist pores and skin heal quicker
That’s what spas let you know anyway. Let’s check out the science to seek out out if these oxygen facial advantages are actual.
What’s The Principle Behind Oxygen Facials?
An oxygen facial is a remedy impressed by hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Really helpful for wounds that gained’t heal or carbon monoxide poisoning, hyperbaric oxygen remedy will increase the quantity of oxygen your physique can carry. In flip, this helps heal tissues and combat infections.
It really works like this: the affected person breathes pure oxygen in a pressured chamber, the place the air stress is 3 times increased than regular hair stress. Because of this your lungs will rise up to 3 instances extra oxygen.
What does your physique do with all that additional oxygen? Simple. Your blood carries it throughout your physique to stimulate the discharge of progress elements and stem cells – all issues that assist your physique heal. Hyperbaric oxygen remedy works, little doubt about it. However does blasting oxygen onto your pores and skin has the identical impact?
Associated: The Truth About Stem Cells In Skincare: Do They Really Work?
The Reality About Oxygen Facials: What The Science Says
Producers of oxygen facial machines declare they’ll reproduce the outcomes of hyperbaric remedy and ship extra oxygen into the pores and skin.
However oxygen facial machines can’t recreate a real hyperbaric surroundings. Don’t take my phrase for it. A evaluate of the scientific literature round oxygen facials exhibits that the “overall amount of scientific data supporting these methods was found to be scarce, anecdotal, and not well documented.”
Translation: there’s no scientific proof oxygen facials work. The Beauty Brains say it better: “oxygen facials haven’t been confirmed to offer any profit which you can’t get from a normal moisturizer remedy or exfoliation.”
So, How Do Oxygen Facials Work?
Your face does glow and look more healthy after an oxygen facial remedy – little doubt about that. But when oxygen doesn’t carry out this magic, what does? Why are you seeing outcomes while you shouldn’t? Specialists have two theories:
1. The Hyaluronic Acid Serum Plumps Pores and skin & Makes It Glow
The oxygen facial machine sprays a serum in your face. This often incorporates hyaluronic acid, a well known pores and skin plumper. Hyaluronic acid works by attracting water from the air into your pores and skin. It’s so highly effective, it may possibly bind as much as 1000 instances its weight in water!
All that additional moisture plumps up pores and skin, so nice traces and wrinkles look smaller. Plus, it makes it softer and provides it a refined glow.
Associated: Why You Should Add Hyaluronic Acid To Your Skincare Routine, No Matter Your Skin Type
2. It’s An Inflammatory Response
There could also be an much more sinister rationalization. After claiming “the concept that high-pressure oxygen would do anything to help the skin is such nonsense as to be laughable”, Dr Christopher B. Zachary, professor and dermatology division chairman on the College of California, suggests this plumping impact may very well be an inflammatory response brought on by the blast of oxygen. And that’s NOT good for the pores and skin.
Does An Oxygen Facial Have Any Aspect Results?
Oxygen facials are protected for everybody, together with pregnant girls, pimples victims and folks with delicate pores and skin. (You can expertise unwanted side effects provided that you’re allergic to one of many serums/lotions used with the facial).
Do Oxygen Facials Trigger Free Radical Harm?
You’ve most likely heard that oxygen facials are unhealthy as a result of they produce free radicals. I completely get how this hearsay began. Oxygen itself DOES generate free radicals, the nasty molecules that offer you wrinkles and darkish spots. Why would you need to get a remedy that offers you extra free radicals and makes you age quicker?!
Excellent news: there’s no proof that oxygen facials trigger severe free radical injury. Quite the opposite, a number of research on wound therapeutic present this potential aspect impact is insignificant. Phew!
How Lengthy Do The Oxygen Facial Outcomes Final?
Right here’s the unhealthy information: the outcomes final for under 4-7 days. That’s cool should you’re doing it earlier than an important day, like a buddy’s marriage ceremony or a vacation.
However in order for you longlasting outcomes, you want a session each week for six weeks earlier than reducing again to as soon as a month. That’s too costly for the outcomes you’re getting should you ask me. Simply use a hyaluronic acid serum as an alternative.
Associated: The Best Hyaluronic Acid Serums For All Skin Types
How A lot Does An Oxygen Facial Value?
Quite a bit. We’re speaking a mean of $150/200 a session. Greater than most facials. For doubtful outcomes and frequent upkeep…
Free radicals are these nasty little issues that trigger untimely wrinkles. An excessive amount of oxygen can generate them. So, even when oxygen might penetrate pores and skin, I’m unsure why you’ll need it to.
Can You Do An Oxygen Facial At House?
What should you can’t fork out $200 a session? Are you able to do oxygen facials at house as an alternative?
Not likely. It’s true you’ll find loads of oxygen-infused masks at Sephora nowadays, however they’re not the identical as a correct oxygen facial (very like an oxygen facial has little in frequent with hyperbaric oxygen remedy). Right here’s why:
For starters, you possibly can’t put oxygen in a cream (it’s a fuel, keep in mind?). It’s a must to dissolve it in perfluorocarbons (man-made compounds containing simply fluorine and carbon) and put these in masks and lotions.
Once you apply the product in your pores and skin, the oxygen begins fizzing out slowly like bubbles in your coke. However enjoyable issue apart (it’s fairly cool to see), it doesn’t do something to your pores and skin.
Many of the oxygen will get “wasted” to kind bubbles. Little or no penetrates deep sufficient into your pores and skin to plump it up and heal it. *sighs*
P.S. Perfluorodecalin and Methyl Perfluorobutyl Ether are most typical per fluorocarbons in skincare, however something with “perfluoro” in it belongs to this household.
Associated: Are Bubbling Masks Just A Gimmick?
Oxygen Facial Vs HydraFacial: Which One Is Higher?
I’m workforce HydraFacial all the way in which. You can read my review of this treatment here.
Right here’s the brief model: a HydraFacial is a multi-step remedy that cleanses, exfoliates, extracts blackheads, and treats pores and skin with a robust mix of antioxidants and peptides.
The twist? A HydraFacial makes use of a vacuum-like tip with a vortex suction that deeply cleanses and exfoliates pores and delivers actives deeper into your pores and skin.
Exfoliation alone does wonders to your pores and skin. It smoothens out your pores and skin’s texture, reduces the look of nice traces and wrinkles, and eliminates blackheads and blemishes. And people are the advantages of only one step! Evaluate that to the doubtful advantages of oxygen facials… I do know the place I’ll be splurging my cash.
Associated: HydraFacial: Is It Really Worth The Hype?
The Backside Line: Are Oxygen Facials Price It?
I don’t learn about you, however splurging as much as $200 on a remedy science and experts say doesn’t work any higher than a hyaluronic serum or moisturiser is a waste of cash in my e-book. I’d rather invest in a good skincare routine or attempt a HydraFacial as an alternative.
About Gio
Hello, I am Gio. I am a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is pores and skin coach and author on a mission that will help you obtain your finest pores and skin day ever – day-after-day. I bust skincare myths and debunk advertising jargon that will help you work out what’s well worth the splurge and what’s finest left on the shelf – utilizing science, not hype. I additionally supply skincare consultations that will help you create one of the best skincare routine to your distinctive wants.
