A few weeks back I received a Dermalogica facial. Not one to get frequent facials, I was extremely excited for this treat.

Now there are many spas that offer Dermalogica facials, but mine was held at the Dermal Institute in downtown Toronto. My facial was performed by the very talented and knowledgeable Amanda.

After filling out a standard form with my medical history (this is quite common in spas, and you should actually look for spa that do this, that way you know you won't have any interactions or allergic reactions to things) and my skin concerns, Amanda went over the lists and reassured me about any concerns I might have had. We discussed my allergies to both latex and to hemp, and was told latex gloves were used at the institute and Dermalogica does not use hemp in any of its products. This was quite a relief to me as many place do use latex and hemp.

Then the facial could begin.

Dermalogica has a unique 14 step face mapping system. Basically the face is broken down into 14 different sections and each one is analyzed on its own, making sure that each unique part of your face gets its own personalized care.

The face making was amazing, and best of all you get to take a copy of it with you as well as a personalized skin care regiment home with you. I found it interesting that my left and right sides of the face had different concerns and needs (ex. wrinkles more on one side or more sun damage on one side).

I was shocked to learn I didn't have much redness around my nose, this being a common spot for women to have hormonal redness and I alway just assumed I did, now I clearly see  I do not. As well that my forehead had quite a bit of congestion, I guess I never really look up there enough to notice. We also discussed some mystery bumps on my chin and concluded it was some type of irritation, possibly hormonal and the face that I have pretty bad under eye circles. I learned there is not much I can do about it except treat my eyes well, conceal and reflect, it is just plane genetics and there isn't anything I can do about that.

One of the interesting thingsI learned was that Dernalogica chooses not to use glycolic acid and uses salicylic acid and lactic acid more frequently. I learned that lactic acid delivers more benefits than glycolic acid. It not only exfoliates, but unlike glycolic that exfoliates well and does little else, lactic  acid gently and thoroughly exfoliates and as well as delivers moisture to the skin and as a result softens it. I also learned that they use synthetic lactic acid, which makes it vegan as well as easier to work with because it is more stable.

I got a really great facial that was customized for my needs, it was quite amazing. I was glad I got to learn more about the brand, its products and most importantly got my facial mapping with my customized routine. Hopefully because of all this I can clear up some of my skins issues.