The Skin Treatment That Our Beauty Director Recommends To Anyone Who Will Listen

Warning: humble brag incoming. 

As a Beauty Director, I get to try most – if not all – of the newest, most exciting products and treatments that the beauty industry has to offer. Skin peels? Tried it. Fat freezing? Once and never again. Hair contouring? Loved it. Botox? Been there, done that – got the puncture marks to prove it.

When it comes to facials, there is one treatment that I recommend to anyone with a face. Whether you have oily skin, acne, mature skin, dehydration or just want a bit of R&R, you will absolutely benefit from this over-achieving facial. And, conveniently, it is available at skin clinics all over Australia. 

What is a HydraFacial? 

A standard HydraFacial treatment is broken up into three parts: cleanse & peel, extract & hydrate and an antioxidant infusion. What makes HydraFacial unique is the machine itself: using patented technology, a single device can perform all of the above. To paint a picture, it kind of looks like a souped-up version of a microdermabrasion machine. 

Step one: 

First, skin is cleansed as per usual. Then, a chemical peel is applied: the strength of the peel depends on your skin and concerns. This helps to dissolve dead skin cells and unclog pores.

Step two: 

This is where the fun begins. The HydraFacial machine removes debris and gunk from pores by painlessly sucking it out. Simultaneously, the machine hydrates the skin. Think of it like a closed loop: water and other hydrating ingredients help flush blackheads out before they are whisked away. The cycle continues until most of (if not all) of the dirt is gone.

Step three:

Now that skin is clean and dirt-free, you have created an extremely healthy blank canvas: it’s time to put good stuff back in. The final step of a HydraFacial is a vitamin infusion. Your face is saturated with antioxidants and peptides to improve its overall health and add glow.

Step four: 

You are done here. Step four is to saunter out of that clinic like the hot piece of ass that you are. 

How long does a HydraFacial take? 

30 minutes! That’s it. 

Is there any down time? 

Nada. Zilch. Personally, I have found that my skin looks glowy and fresh immediately post-treatment. More sensitive skin types might experience a bit of redness. 

The experience

Recently, I booked in for a HydraFacial at Infinity Skin Clinic in Sydney’s Surry Hills (it’s called research, look it up). As with any beauty treatment – and particularly when it comes to skin care – the procedure is only as good as the person performing it. Going in, I felt confident that the staff at Infinity were highly trained with a strong reputation for professionalism. 

Upon arrival, my clinician accompanied me into a meeting room to assess the health of my skin, discuss my concerns and evaluate what I was looking to get out of the treatment. For me, my major issues were dehydration, blackheads and congestion along the jawline. 

Now, for the fun part: the HydraFacial itself. As mentioned earlier, the procedure is broken up into three parts; however, you wouldn’t know it. As the customer, your job is to sit back, relax and enjoy the process. 

The procedure itself took 30 minutes. It really flew by; I was so relaxed, I probably/definitely fell asleep. 

The best part of the process? The results. The second best? Getting to see all of the gunk that came out of your face during the extraction phase. When your time is up, the technician will show you a bunch of floaty things in a tube: turns out, they used to be blackheads. I’ve asked around and generally-speaking, there will be a surprising amount of gunk in there. It’s gross but oh-so satisfying. Trust me.

Including the extensive consultation process, I was in and out of Infinity Skin Clinic in about an hour. Upon leaving, I was instructed not to wash my face that evening to ensure the final infusion of antioxidants had a chance to do their job. That meant no makeup but honestly, I didn’t care – immediately after the treatment, my skin looked and felt glowier, smoother and brighter than it had any right to be. 

The Cost

While price varies depending on where you get it done, at Infinity Skin Clinics, a HydraFacial will set you back $185.

To find your nearest HydraFacial clinic, click here.

Have you had a HydraFacial recently? Tell us your thoughts below. Or, if you have a treatment that you’d like Gritty Pretty to review, let us know!