Have you ever heard? Hearsay has it oxygen facials are the key behind Madonna’s youthful complexion. Based on movie star make-up artist Gina Brooke, “Madonna indulges on this lavish magnificence therapy earlier than each live performance, and is commonly seen carrying round her personal oxygen facial machine.” 

I’m all the time intrigued to see what celebrities are doing to maintain their pores and skin wanting 20 years youthful. On the identical time, I’m all the time sceptical of all the newest fads, so in fact I needed to do my analysis.

Do you have to do the identical as Madonna? Right here’s every part it’s good to learn about oxygen facials: what they’re, what they do for you pores and skin, and in the event that they’re actually price it:

What Are Oxygen Facials?

Oxygen facials are therapies 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.

In contrast to different facials, this one is fairly fundamental. There’s no therapeutic massage, aromatherapy or all the opposite enjoyable treats of a typical spa day. Bummer! As a substitute, the aesthetician cleanses and exfoliates your pores and skin, analyses your pores and skin to determine what the perfect serum on 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 circulate of 90% pure oxygen below hyperbaric stress into your pores and skin to assist the serum higher penetrate it. It appears like your pores and skin is being blasted with chilly hair, however 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 sooner

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 Concept Behind Oxygen Facials?

An oxygen facial is a therapy impressed by hyperbaric oxygen remedy. Really useful for wounds that received’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 struggle 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. Which means your lungs will stand up to a few 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 question about it. However does blasting oxygen onto your pores and skin has the identical impact?

Associated: The Reality About Stem Cells In Skincare: Do They Actually Work?

The Reality About Oxygen Facials: What The Science Says

Producers of oxygen facial machines declare they will 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 setting. Don’t take my phrase for it. A evaluate of the scientific literature round oxygen facials exhibits that the “general quantity of scientific information supporting these strategies was discovered to be scarce, anecdotal, and never properly documented.”

Translation: there’s no scientific proof oxygen facials work. The Magnificence Brains say it higher: “oxygen facials haven’t been confirmed to offer any profit that you could’t get from a typical moisturizer therapy or exfoliation.”

So, How Do Oxygen Facials Work?

Your face does glow and look more healthy after an oxygen facial therapy – little question about that. But when oxygen doesn’t carry out this magic, what does? Why are you seeing outcomes if 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 normally comprises hyaluronic acid, a widely 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 could possibly bind as much as 1000 instances its weight in water!

All that additional moisture plumps up pores and skin, so superb traces and wrinkles look smaller. Plus, it makes it softer and offers it a refined glow.

Associated: Why You Ought to Add Hyaluronic Acid To Your Skincare Routine, No Matter Your Pores and skin Kind

2. It’s An Inflammatory Response

There could also be an much more sinister clarification. After claiming “the idea that high-pressure oxygen would do something to assist the pores and 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 attributable to 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 secure for everybody, together with pregnant girls, zits victims and other people with delicate pores and skin. (You could possibly expertise unintended effects provided that you’re allergic to one of many serums/lotions used with the facial).

Do Oxygen Facials Trigger Free Radical Injury?

You’ve in all probability 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 provide you with wrinkles and darkish spots. Why would you need to get a therapy that provides you extra free radicals and makes you age sooner?!

Excellent news: there’s no proof that oxygen facials trigger critical free radical injury. Quite the opposite, just a few 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 less than 4-7 days. That’s cool for those who’re doing it earlier than a special day, like a pal’s marriage ceremony or a vacation.

However in order for you longlasting outcomes, you want a session each week for six weeks earlier than slicing again to as soon as a month. That’s too costly for the outcomes you’re getting for those who ask me. Simply use a hyaluronic acid serum as an alternative.

Associated: The Greatest Hyaluronic Acid Serums For All Pores and skin Varieties

How A lot Does An Oxygen Facial Price?

Quite a bit. We’re speaking a median of $150/200 a session. Larger 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 Dwelling?

What for those who can’t fork out $200 a session? Are you able to do oxygen facials at dwelling as an alternative?

Not likely. It’s true you could find loads of oxygen-infused masks at Sephora nowadays, however they’re not the identical as a correct oxygen facial (very similar to an oxygen facial has little in frequent with hyperbaric oxygen remedy). Right here’s why:

For starters, you’ll be able to’t put oxygen in a cream (it’s a fuel, bear in mind?). You must 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 on your pores and skin.

A lot of the oxygen will get “wasted” to type 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 Effervescent Masks Simply A Gimmick?

Oxygen Facial Vs HydraFacial: Which One Is Higher?

I’m staff HydraFacial all the way in which. You’ll be able to learn my evaluate of this therapy right here.

Right here’s the quick model: a HydraFacial is a multi-step therapy that cleanses, exfoliates, extracts blackheads, and treats pores and skin with a strong 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 on your pores and skin. It smoothens out your pores and skin’s texture, reduces the look of superb 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 Actually Value The Hype?

The Backside Line: Are Oxygen Facials Value It?

I don’t learn about you, however splurging as much as $200 on a therapy science and specialists say doesn’t work any higher than a hyaluronic serum or moisturiser is a waste of cash in my e-book. I’d slightly put money into an excellent 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 can assist you obtain your greatest pores and skin day ever – on daily basis. I bust skincare myths and debunk advertising and marketing jargon that can assist you work out what’s well worth the splurge and what’s greatest left on the shelf – utilizing science, not hype. I additionally provide skincare consultations that can assist you create the perfect skincare routine on your distinctive wants.