The difference between spa facials and medical facials

Facials are often equated with pampering: luxury experiences that leave your skin feeling refreshed. But what a facial should do is give you results.

Unlike in a spa, a medical facial is administered by a medical aesthetician who not only understands the skin but is also trained in advanced skin care, and who works with your dermatologist to customize and carry out an effective treatment plan for you.

Spa facials are typically the same for every client, whatever their skin type or conditions, and are intended to soothe and relax rather than clinically treat your skin. Medical facials, by contrast, start with an analysis of your skin issues and are designed to meet your objectives by treating your skin beyond surface-level cleaning.

Medical facials and procedures use medical-grade products designed by dermatologists that produce visible, long-lasting results. So whether you’re looking to slow the aging process, treat acne scarring or eliminate brown and red spots, medical facials are an affordable and effective way to meet your skin care goals.

Benefits of medical facials

Beyond the surface

Medical facials treat the skin from the inside out, going beyond its surface to truly restore and rejuvenate your skin’s health. Our procedures preserve and cleanse the skin, encourage collagen stimulation, improve circulation, exfoliate and remove toxins, and correct skin imperfections by improving the skin’s appearance and its health. Because medical facials work at the cellular level, accounting for your skin’s shedding and regeneration cycles, you’ll notice improvements instantly.

Customization

Spa facials aren’t customizable: estheticians use the same products and processes for every client. Medical facials begin with a skin analysis, where our medical aestheticians and dermatologist assess your skin’s distinctive issues and concerns and create a treatment plan to address them. Whether you want to treat acne, aging or rosacea, our team can create a medical facial plan for your skin’s type, texture and tone.

No two people have the same skin, the same response or the same goals.

That’s why we design a plan that suits you and reaches your goals, whether you’re looking for a more aggressive or a gentler approach.

Medical-grade products

Where traditional spa facials tend to be full of perfumes, oils and irritants, at Rao Dermatology we use exclusive, medical-grade products to create customized facials that are non-invasive, low-risk and effective. Knowing that an actual dermatologist backs and approves the products in your medical facial gives you comfort and assurance that you’re making the best decisions for your skin health.

Our medical facial services

At Rao Dermatology, we’re dedicated to giving you clear, clean and smooth skin through a synergistic approach that enhances your skin’s health. Our philosophy covers prevention, treatment and maintenance, and medical facials play a key role in all three. We offer the following medical facial services.

Chemical peels

We use SkinCeuticals’ medical-grade skin care products exclusively in our chemical peels, which exfoliate and stimulate collagen production, reducing acne scarring, minimizing sun damage, evening tone and smoothing texture. Our chemical peels are cost-effective and, when done regularly, keep your skin glowing, radiant and flawless.

Microdermabrasion

Using a medical-grade wand tipped with natural diamond chips, microdermabrasion polishes your skin, removing and suctioning away dead skin cells and leaving your complexion soft, supple and firm. Because it is a mechanical exfoliation, microdermabrasion opens up the skin, preparing it for deep penetration of serums and skin care products, and it effectively minimizes scars, discolouration and fine lines.

Microneedling

This medical procedure uses a fine needle to poke the skin, leaving what’s called a micro-injury. While it seems counterintuitive, these micro-injuries stimulate collagen production and open the skin to receive serums that plump the skin, fill in lines and improve discolouration. Microneedling has been used for decades to treat facial scars and is proven to improve both texture and firmness.

Part of customizing your treatments is blending services where needed. Depending on your goals and issues, you may benefit from combining medical facials with dermal fillers, neuromodulators or platelet-rich plasma. Whatever your concerns or budget, we work with you to create the best treatment plan for your skin.