There’s a reason why in-office skin treatments cost significantly more than you’d normally buy over the counter: Simply put, the ingredients the professionals use are a batch stronger than what you can get for home use. But! That doesn’t mean you can’t get comparable results by playing cosmetic chemist in your bathroom, you just need to know what to look for. And if you’re looking for an at-home facial that rivals an in-office light chemical peel, Claire O’Bryan, NP, cosmetic nurse practitioner at Skin Clique, an esthetic concierge, sings the praises of ZO Salud’s Micro Facial Kit. the skin.
“It’s a complete kit that’s supposed to mimic an in-office facial,” says O’Bryan. “Many of our nurse practitioners and physician assistants do this treatment every Sunday. We have a group text and we’ll say, ‘Are you going to do the enzyme peel tonight?’ It’s a really fantastic treatment and you wake up the next day with glowing skin.”
The ZO Skin Health Microfacial Kit ($165) is a five-piece exfoliating kit that includes a cleanser, skin polish, exfoliating pads, an enzymatic exfoliating mask, and three sheet masks.
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Benefits of using the ZO Skin Health Microfacial Kit
“This is different from in-office peels because it’s not as deep and long a peel, but it will absolutely give you the glow of a good face when you exfoliate,” says O’Bryan. “Your skin cells are constantly renewing themselves. New little baby cells start at the bottom (skin layer), so you want to remove as much old dead cells from the surface as you can so that fresh skin can arrive.” to the top”.
Exfoliation helps advance this process, and Zo Skin Health Kit uses enzymes, ultra-fine magnesium crystals, and alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids (such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, and salicylic acid) to do just that. “Those (ingredients) aid in exfoliation and stimulate you to produce your own collagen,” a structural protein that keeps skin firm, says O’Byran.
Although O’Byan and her colleagues diligently wear this mask every Sunday, she will also wear it throughout the week as needed. “If I have something to do the next day, I’ll use my enzyme peel the night before,” she says. It introduces a level of consistency into her routine, which she says is the most important element of a good regimen.
“At home, you’re limited to what you can do, so consistency is the most important thing,” says O’Bryan. “It’s a very similar analogy to going to the dentist for a cleaning and having to brush your teeth twice a day. You still need to do that constant maintenance, but then every six months you’ll go to the dentist for your full treatment. And that’s the way I see at-home treatments. They’re so valuable and certainly something everyone should incorporate into their routine.”
How to use the ZO Skin Health Microfacial Kit
1. Clean
As with all skin care treatments, you’ll want to start this process with a clean, freshly washed face. O’Bryan recommends doing this with the kit’s Exfoliating Cleanser, which offers two strokes of chemical and physical exfoliation. It has salicylic acid to melt the “glue” that keeps dead skin cells on the skin’s surface, plus microspheres to gently remove them.
2. Polish
“The kit comes with this extremely smooth magnesium crystal polish called Exfoliating Polish, and it’s a super, super fine polish that helps remove dead skin,” says O’Bryan. Although magnesium is known to soothe sore muscles, this calming property also helps the skin, controlling stress hormones that contribute to dryness. Having it in crystal form allows the formula to physically remove dead skin and debris, while a bit of lactic acid increases exfoliation.
3. tone
The next step is a toning pad that includes glycolic acid, an AHA, and salicylic acid, a BHA. AHAs are water-soluble acids that stimulate collagen production, smoothing fine lines and wrinkles while creating firmer skin. BHAs are oil soluble, so they help defat the skin while removing dead skin cells and unclogging pores. When their powers are combined, they will leave your complexion smooth and clear.
4. Peel
The next step is the Enzymatic Peeling. It uses enzymes to gently digest dead skin cells, revealing smooth new skin underneath. This is similar to how AHAs work, but the enzymes tend to be milder. You can do a quick exfoliation by letting the formula sit on your skin for 15-20 minutes, but you’ll really get results when you leave it on for one to three hours. Even better: if your skin can handle it, put the peel on and leave it alone. “I actually make everyone sleep with it,” says O’Bryan. She advises her patients to apply it before bed and let it soak into the skin overnight. without wash it in the morning.
5. Moisturize
Once you’re done with the exfoliation, treat your skin to the cooling sheet mask. “It’s super relaxing and gives you a bit of a cooling sensation,” says O’Bryan. “The toning pad and enzyme exfoliation for some people can be a bit tingling, so this mask just cools and soothes the skin. Then when you remove the mask, you just rub the rest of the product in.” This mask is made with brightening arbutin, calming green tea, and smoothing retinol. If you apply this mask during the day, be sure to be extra vigilant about sun protection because UV rays can deactivate retinol.
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