The Great AquaFacial Fiasco
Hey there, fellow sensitive skin warriors! For us, skincare is a delicate dance, where the right steps keep everything in a somewhat calm, timed waltz. One wrong step though, and the timing is ruined turning the waltz into the kind of frantic, desperate “dancing” you only see at a seedy night club. My skin and I? We had a good thing going, a truly stable relationship built on years of a tried and trusted simple skincare routine, barely any makeup, and a diet that was not just made up of comfort food. For years, my face was clear, balanced, and blessedly uneventful except for the odd hormonal breakout a couple of times a year.
Fast forward to earlier this year, that all changed. Why may you ask? Well, you see, I apparently have a natural gift for self-sabotage in many areas of my life and silly old me decided to try an AquaFacial. (Spoiler: If you are a picturing a skincare disaster, you are on the right track.)
The Myth of the “Afterglow”
It was sold to me as a facial that was deeply cleansing, extremely hydrating and would give me an “afterglow” different to regular facials... I mean who would not want an “afterglow” after investing some good money into a facial. It all sounded pretty appealing. And supposedly, it was “safe for all skin types.” So, naturally, my brain went, “Why not?”
Now, you are probably wondering, how could she be so naïve to fall for that? Is she new to facials? I am not new to facials and have been partial to spending some of my hard-earnt money on them in the past. You know, the very gentle, surface level kind of facial where you get a head massage from the skin therapist and your skin has light to moderately light products applied to it.
An AquaFacial may result in one leaving the spa or salon feeling refreshed initially also. But, based on my anecdotal experience, that is temporary. Your skin loses its mind when it realises that a full-blown mining excavation has been applied to it, all in an effort to remove every last imperfection. Unlike traditional facials that primarily focus on minimal manual extractions and surface-level cleansing, an AquaFacial uses a specialised device to deeply cleanse, exfoliate, extract, and hydrate the skin with serums. The process may be referred to by those who advertise it as “non-invasive”, and it may be like this for some fellow risk-takers; however, for my sensitive skin, it was anything but.
Day One: The Calm Before the Storm
Initially, I left the salon with radiant skin… It actually did “glow” like they said on day one and I had convinced myself that I had discovered my new go-to skin hack. Boy was I wrong. Very, very wrong.
Day Two: The Chaos Begins
Day two. Day two was when it all went downhill. My face was no longer glowing. In fact, I woke up to radiantly pinkish-red skin that felt strangely tight. I felt like it had been exfoliated with sandpaper and then dipped into chilli sauce. The soft smooth texture I usually enjoyed? Gone, nada, nowhere to be seen. I desperately tried to convince myself that morning it was just a normal “purge”, all the impurities staging their exit from stage door 8. But by the afternoon, the temporary denial had well and truly gone and replaced by an urge to touch and scratch my skin of such intensity that I literally had to tell my hands out loud not to touch my face…Yep, I was reduced to talking to my hands.
Day Three: The Real Dumpster Party Arrives
Oh, Day three. That's when things truly went off the rails. Tiny, persistent little bumps decided to throw a dumpster party all over my face. A painful army of hives was spreading. Everywhere. I know it sounds dramatic (and it probably is) but I literally came to the conclusion that I have ruined my face and it likely was never going to go back to normal…
The Three Month Long, Painful March Back to My Usual Face
Thankfully, with the heroic intervention of Zyrtec, Sigmacort and $3 gentle sorbolene cream (and a pause on all my other usual skincare), my skin gradually, painstakingly, decided to calm down. It was a long, uncomfortable three months of feeling like my face hated me to the point I had to slowly coax it into trusting gentle QV cleanser and my light LaRoche Posay suncream moisturiser again, because it could not even handle that at first. Eventually, it bounced back to its usual "good, but not perfect" self. Turns out, past me, who was perfectly happy with a simple routine, was far wiser than "let's try something new and regret everything" me. Who'd have thought?
So, what invaluable wisdom did this traumatic skin experience teach me?
If it isn’t broken, don't “fix” it: Your skin is relatively happy? Leave it alone! Trying something “new” can be code for “we have a problem, Houston.”
Know the difference between a purge and a protest: Don’t let your optimism blind you to the fact your face is staging a full-blown revolt. Trust your gut and what your symptoms are telling you. Your instincts are usually spot on. Contact your skin professional (or a doctor, and if it’s a real emergency, call 000).
Keep your allergy treatment stash on hand: You never know when your skin’s going to throw a tantrum. It doesn’t have to be a facial gone wrong; it could be a harsh ingredient in a new serum, or an ingredient in a unique dish you have only just tried.
Hands Off, You Fool! Even if it feels like you need to scratch your face off, resist! You'll only make it worse if you do not.
Appreciate your natural state: Your skin is perfectly fine, even if it's not “perfect.” These days, I am just grateful my face is not in complete revolt anymore.
AquaFacials? For sensitive skin? Absolutely not. Based on my purely anecdotal (and utterly, temporarily but too long of a miserable) experience, avoid them like the plague.
Full Disclaimer: I am no health professional or dermatologist. I am just a regular person who learned the hard way. So, always, and I mean always, consult the actual experts for advice. Unless your face is literally detaching and then maybe it is time to call triple zero.