Getting a routine facial should be part of everyone’s custom skin care management plan, but determining how often depends on a variety of factors.

There isn’t a perfect cycle that everyone should follow. The period of time between facials is determined by skin type, age, your environment, and what you hope to achieve. Here are a few tips to help you understand how often you should get a facial.

General Recommendation.

Skin care specialists recommend that people have a professional facial about every three to four weeks. That’s how long it takes the skin to move through the full life cycle of skin cell growth and exfoliation. A facial helps that process along. The treatment will keep skin clean, clear, and toned.

Acne Prone Skin.

For those who are experiencing frequent breakouts or tend to have oilier skin, having a facial more often is recommended during acne flares. Come in every two weeks to clear and bring skin to a healthier place. As the skin calms down and the acne goes away, the period of time between facials can be stretched back out.

Age.

Younger people without major problems like acne and breakouts can get facials less frequently because their skin naturally generates new cell growth faster. Biggest priority is to be on a good skin-care regime, keep the skin clear of blackheads, and have a strategy to deal with breakouts.  As you age, your skin care regimen needs some tweaking to help stimulate the growth of collagen.  Your skin also benefits from the stimulation and treatments such as peels, light therapy, microdermabrasion, which remove dead skin cells and stimulate the growth of skin cells.

Skin Care Goals.

If you want to have your best possible skin for a lifetime, find a great beautician early in life, get on a good skin care regime, and follow it. She will get you on the products that are right for you, and suggest changes as your skin changes.  A lot of damage is done due to extrinsic factors (especially the sun) that you can manage with a good sunscreen, and intrinsic factors like smoking that you can control.  Not everyone puts a high priority on personal appearance.  If you do, make facials a part of your beauty routine.

Frequent Facials.

As beneficial and enjoyable as a facial can be, it is possible for your skin to be negatively affected by too much of a good thing. Unless you are following guidelines that are in place to treat a specific skin issue, getting a facial more often than every two to three weeks can have the opposite effect on the skin.

Creating a healthy skin care routine can be done during your next facial. A beautician is a licensed professional with the training and experience to understand the specific needs of your skin. In order to get the most out of every treatment, discuss with your beautician an ideal facial schedule and what beauty regimen to follow at home to maintain your skin in-between appointments.