Mechanical facial cleansing at home

Facial cleansing by a cosmetologist is one of the most popular salon procedures. However, the client cannot always afford professional cleaning due to lack of time or finances. There is a way out of this situation: mechanical facial cleansing at home and without unnecessary expenses is quite possible.

Mechanical cleaning is one of the methods of hygienic care of the skin, because clogged pores interfere with the normal functions of the skin: respiratory, protective, absorbent, excretory, thermoregulatory.

Immune processes in dirty superficial layers of facial skin are severely impaired. Bacteria and epithelial scales create a favorable environment for the appearance of rashes and comedones, for blockage of sebaceous glands, for disruption of skin moisture. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly, at least once a month, perform mechanical cleaning of the face.

Advantages and disadvantages

The indisputable advantage of mechanical facial cleansing over other procedures is the uniform and deep cleansing of the skin from dirt, sebaceous plugs, comedones, pimples and other defects. The defects disappear almost immediately after the procedure, and if you clean regularly, problems will arise on the face less and less often.

However, mechanical facial cleansing at home is not without its drawbacks: this procedure is somewhat painful, and after it, small marks and scars may form on the skin.

During mechanical cleansing, facial skin gets microtraumas. Moreover, pores need to be cleaned as quickly as possible, otherwise they will close, so it is quite difficult to carry out the procedure correctly without experience.

Immediately after the cleaning, as well as for several days after it, redness and even slight swelling may appear on the face. Therefore, it is not recommended to carry out the procedure before important events.

Mechanical facial cleansing at home can be dangerous if the instrument or hands are not clean enough.

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Indications for the procedure

Mechanical facial cleansing is not always performed, but only if there are indications. Such indications may be:

• oily and greasy skin;
• rash, blackheads and white pimples on the face;
• acne of the first or second degree;
• seborrhea.

Preparation

Mechanical facial cleansing always begins with removing makeup from the skin. As a rule, a suitable toner or face lotion with a soft hypoallergenic composition is used for this. If the skin on the face has not been cleansed for a long time, then you can additionally use a cleansing gel mask.

If necessary, you can do a small superficial peeling with a small amount of acids.

At the next stage, in order for the pores to open, the skin must be steamed. This is also done to loosen the surface layer of the epidermis. The best effect is provided by moist warm (not hot) steam, which can be replaced with a special warming cosmetic gel.

When preparing the skin for mechanical facial cleansing, it is important to remember that not everyone can steam their skin: contraindications include excessive hair growth (hirsutism), bronchial asthma, spider veins on the face, superficial vascular arrangement, and hypersensitive skin. If you have at least one of the above conditions, it is not recommended to clean your face yourself. It is better to go to a salon where they will perform cold skin hydration, a procedure that is an alternative to steaming.

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Technique mechanical facial at home

Directly cleaning the face at home is done with hands - clean and disinfected. Squeezing out inflammatory elements with nails is unacceptable - this can injure the skin, and small scars may subsequently remain on it. The procedure is done with fingers wrapped in gauze or bandage.

Cosmetologists use a special tool to squeeze out pimples, which effectively and gently removes problematic elements. Such a tool can be purchased in special stores and used on the skin independently.

Squeezing and cleaning should be done as quickly as possible, since after about 20 minutes the skin pores close and the procedure becomes more painful and difficult to perform.

If the area with problem skin is too large and it is impossible to deal with it in 20 minutes, then you should repeat the steaming and only then resume cleaning.

Cleansing the skin with a scrub has a good effect. At home, a scrub can be made from many products: oatmeal, coarse sea salt, ground coffee. Oily skin is well cleaned with clay.

After completing the mechanical facial cleansing stage, you need to disinfect the skin using an alcohol-based lotion or 3% hydrogen peroxide. After that, apply a suitable moisturizer to the face - cream or milk.

Contraindications to the procedure

It is equally important to pay attention to contraindications to the mechanical facial cleansing procedure:

• dilated vessels on the face, spider veins;
• hypersensitive skin;
• dermatitis and other skin diseases;
• infectious diseases, fever;
• blood clotting disorders;
• period of menstrual bleeding or pregnancy;
• tendency to allergies;
• hypersensitivity to pain;
• herpes.

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Consequences after the procedure

Self-mechanical cleaning of facial skin is an unpredictable process. Sometimes, even with careful procedure, the face may swell a little, and in some cases, irritation and even small bruises appear.

After mechanical cleaning, the skin on the face can recover for several days (on average - 4 days): everything depends on the individual sensitivity of the skin. Considering this, it is better to do the cleaning on the eve of the weekend, or while on vacation, so that, in extreme cases, you can spend several days at home.

However, despite all the pros and cons, mechanical cleaning is considered one of the most popular procedures: after it, the skin is literally transformed.

Complications can only arise if the procedure is performed incorrectly and the time recommendations are not followed.

• Skin irritation usually goes away on the second or third day. Cool compresses with chamomile and sage infusions, soothing masks with aloe, and Panthenol spray can speed up recovery.
• The swelling subsides within a day, or in extreme cases, within two days. In difficult cases, the doctor may prescribe diuretics to eliminate swelling.
• Bruises are the result of excessive effort when squeezing pimples, or ignoring contraindications. To speed up the absorption of bruises, use heparin ointment or compresses based on horse chestnut infusion.
• Skin rashes after the cleaning procedure may be a consequence of neglecting hand and skin disinfection, or may be a sign of some skin disease. In the latter case, you should consult a dermatologist. To eliminate such a rash, external antibacterial agents and alcohol-based cleansing lotions may be needed.
• Scars are left on the surface of the skin when pimples are squeezed incorrectly, for example, using your nails.
• An allergic reaction is one of the complications of mechanical cleaning, which is the result of using untested cosmetics. If this happens, you will have to take antihistamines and give up the cosmetics that provoked the development of the allergy.

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Care after the procedure

The period of complete skin recovery after mechanical cleaning at home can last 2-5 days.

The first two days of sensations on the face may not always be pleasant: itching and increased oiliness of the skin may appear. If areas of irritation appear, they may begin to peel within a few days.

These symptoms should not make you panic: already on the fourth or fifth day the skin will recover, and the face will acquire a fresh and blooming appearance.

To speed up skin recovery and prevent infection, it is not recommended to apply makeup, take a hot bath or shower, visit a steam room, pool, or sunbathe for 12 hours after the procedure.

It is better to wash your face not with ordinary water, but with thermal or micellar liquid.

It is not advisable to use alcohol-containing cosmetics for several days – only in cases of extreme necessity.

It is necessary to avoid solariums and natural sun tanning until the skin has completely recovered.

If crusts have formed on previously irritated areas, they should not be torn off: it is better to periodically apply Bepanten cream or Panthenol spray to them until they are completely healed.

Mechanical facial cleansing at home is not such a difficult procedure. It is only important to do it correctly, following all the recommendations. It is better to consult with a qualified cosmetologist in advance - after all, experience in beauty matters often plays a decisive role.

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