Last Friday I got the A-list celebrity beauty treatment called HydraFacial MD® through Dr. Diaz in Beverly Hills. This treatment promises clearer, more hydrated, dewy, younger-looking skin immediately without any side effects whatsoever. I’ll be honest here, I did not look forward to the drive from my home to Beverly Hills during rush hour. I was also nervous about this treatment because I have had only 3 traditional facials done in my lifetime; the first 2 had no improvements on my skin and the last one left my face looking like I went to hell and back. Needless to say, the last facial traumatized me and my skin. The closest facial that I did since then was microdermabrasion once a month for almost a year (I bought the specials from Groupon!). I now do this at home because it saves time and money.
I came across a small article about the HydraFacial MD® in Marie Claire earlier this year, but just like other beauty innovations I was quite skeptical and didn’t look into it further. When Edge Systems contacted me to give it a try I jumped on the chance because I was really curious. Before trying any facial or beauty services I always ask these 4 questions: Is this effective? How often do I need to do this to see results? How much is each treatment? Will there be any side-effects? Sometimes you have to try it to believe it, and that’s what I did.
With hope in my eyes I drove almost 2 hours from my home to Beverly Hills (40 minutes avg with no traffic) during rush hour to experience this beauty breakthrough first hand so I can share with you. In case you are not familiar with HydraFacial MD®, it was voted as the #1 facial in New Beauty Magazine and spotted in Forbes, In Style, Marie Claire, and OK! magazine. The HydraFacial MD® is a multi-step in-house facial that deeply cleanses while delivering vital antioxidants to the skin. This treatment can be done in a dermatologist’s office or a medical spa. The non-invasive procedure takes 20 to 30 minutes that includes 5 steps; cleansing and exfoliation, acid peel, extractions, serum application, and skin protection.
The minute I arrived the Aesthetician, Lorn-Nicole, explained what she will do to my face based on my skin condition. I had the basic package with the stem cell add on (total $340). Here’s what she did to my face.
Step 1: Vortex-Exfoliation™
The Activ-4™ serum removes dead skin cells to uncover healthy skin. The small vacuum felt like a cat licking my face but it was exfoliating and sucking up the dead skin cells away.
Step 2: Vortex-Peel™
She applied the gycolid acid peel which delivers the benefits of a peel without post-peel scaling. It did not sting my face at all.
Step 3: Vortex-Extraction™
The vortex extraction nozzle that acts as a vacuum was used to extract my dead skin and cleans out my pores.
Step 4: Vortex-Fusion™
She then rejuvenated my skin by applying a mixture of stem cell serum, collagen peptide, hylauronic acid and hydrated serum. During each of these steps she used an infrared light to penetrate the ingredients into my skin. Believe it or not, the infrared light zapped away my cough that’s been lingering for the past 3 weeks.
Step 5: Extend and Protect
Finally, she applied an SPF moisturizer to protect my skin.
This entire process took 30 minutes and my skin felt soft and glowy and the lines were minimized instantly (see the before and after photos below!). My skin was not red at all. In fact, it stayed dewy for the next couple days.
I recommend getting this done a day before a big event. The starting price is $250 per session and it is recommended to have this done once a month to see huge improvement on your skin. You can find a HydraFacial MD® Provider near you here. Honestly, I’d rather pay a little bit more to get an effective facial done with the HydraFacial MD® than a traditional facial where you get no results with a burned face after. I may not be Gwyneth Paltrow but for what this mama goes through it’s worth it 🙂
Disclosure: I was invited to experience a complimentary HydraFacial MD® treatment from Edge Systems. As always, all opinions are my own.
