What to expect from an acne facial

Olivia Foley is a co-owner of Allure Beauty and Spa in Drumcondra with 15 years experience in the beauty industry. Allure Beauty and Spa offer Image Facials and Peels, Microneedling, CACI non-surgical facelift and more. They specialise in all lash treatments, HD Brows and tanning. Olivia and her sister-in-law and co-owner Ciara are celebrating 10 years in business. Here, we break down the benefits of an acne facial at Allure Beauty and Spa.

How many acne focused facials do you offer?
We have so many acne focused facials available in the salon and can cater for all circumstances and budgets. For me, the best and most effective treatments we have in the salon are our Skin Peels. These are 30-minute treatments targeting acne and we provide a full consultation to discuss a course of treatments and homecare products. We also offer focused 30-minute facials which are perfect for some younger clients to introduce them to the benefits of good skincare. These express treatments can target specific skin concerns by focusing on extractions, exfoliation or reduction of inflammation. Our 60-minute facial includes LED light therapy which has been proven to kill acne-causing bacteria on the skin. All our facials are completely prescriptive to what each client needs.

What benefits can you see after an acne facial?
One of the biggest benefits will be a reduction of inflammation. Sometimes if you are suffering from acne you want to put so many strong products on the skin, but a lot of the time it’s best to begin with calming the skin, reducing inflammation and taking the redness down from breakouts. If the skin needs exfoliation or extraction, it will look much brighter after a facial, it really depends on the level of acne and which treatment you go for. After a peel, the skin will look really bright but maybe a little red for an hour or so after with some peeling occurring in the days after.

How does an acne facial work?
It will begin with a consultation to discuss the client’s needs and what kind of treatment our skincare experts think would work best. The skin will be deeply cleansed with a prescriptive cleanser for the skin type and exfoliation may be an option if there isn’t active breakout on the skin. The skin will then be prepped for extractions which will help prevent future breakouts and help improve the texture of the skin. LED light therapy will then be used to kill bacteria on the skin, and a mask to help reduce inflammation. Every treatment will be prescriptive to exactly what the client needs at that specific time and will change as the skin improves and can be worked on a bit deeper.