How to Workout Your Skin

We all know the importance of working out our muscles. Not only does it help prevent sagging, bagging and an otherwise aged appearance, it also helps us maintain overall health. Well, the same goes for our skin.

Yes, it is possible to workout your skin, and trust me you’ll be thankful you did. By workout, I don’t mean squeezing and releasing your facial muscles. I’m talking about corrective facials. For all of you facial-adverse men out there, think of these treatments more as a workout than an effeminate pampering session.

What is a Facial Workout?

Effective facials will essentially workout your face, not just clean out pores and scrub away dead skin. These facials will go beyond the surface, to remove damaged layers of skin, increase circulation and repair the tissue.

When looking for a facial, be sure to ask about what it entails. A facial workout should include:

• Cleanse – a cleanser with salicylic and/or lactic acid will provide antioxidant and antibacterial support. Typically a vapor of steam will help deepen the cleanse.
• Exfoliate and Tone – this can be physical exfoliators (scrubs) or acids and enzymes. It will digest dead cells and signal the cell renewal process to begin. If a scrub is used, it should be worked into the skin with a manual massage. The enzyme or peel formula will follow, and might include pepsin and papain or sake rice wine.
• Increase circulation– this might include a mask with peptides, vitamins and minerals to correct the skin, oxygenate and detoxify the cells.
• Repair – skin-building ingredients, including peptides, stone extracts like hematite, and antioxidants will again be massaged into the skin. This is essentially like drinking a protein shake after your workout to repair strained muscles.

Of course every good facial should end with sun protection too, preferably a natural blocker like zinc.

So there you have it – a workout for your skin. A bonus side effect of the facial workout is it typically involves massage of your face, shoulders and upper back, so you will likely leave the treatment room feeling extremely relaxed and distressed.

For more information about some of these ingredients, visit the RA for Men's product page.