Tools & Treatments

Let’s Talk About Facial Enhancements

By Janell Hickman

Filed Under

At A Glance

What It Is
Enhancements are goal-oriented, add-on treatments designed to take your 50-Minute Facial to the next level.
What It Does
Enhancements allow you to supercharge your treatment while zeroing in on specific skin needs through microcurrent, peels, light therapy, gua sha & more.
Why It Matters
Since everyone’s skin is different, there are varying goals and treatments for every facial. With enhancements, you’ll see (and feel!) an immediate difference while noticing the long term benefits with continued use.
Holy Grail Product
naturopathica manuka honey hydrating gel mask
Fun Fact
After careful analysis, your esthetician will note what enhancement would work best for your skin. Looking to try something specific? Let them know when you’re in the treatment room and talk through how it works for your skin goals.

After the ups and downs of DIY quarantine skincare, planning a wedding (the happiness, the stress!), and perhaps a little too much wine, I needed to press the reset button on my skin with a facial.

During my skin analysis, my esthetician noticed my skin was a little dehydrated (blame the wine and my portable heater…) and had some dry spots due to lack of proper exfoliation. Instead of my go-to clay masks, she suggested I go for a more hydrating version, like the Naturopathica Manuka Honey Hydrating Gel Mask. I also had some congestion in my nasal area, so I was in for extractions. Unlike other facial-based shops, Heyday estheticians use their hands to effectively remove impurities from your pores without causing trauma to the skin.

The next 50 minutes consisted of a luxurious double cleanse, mask, facial massage, extractions, and two enhancements. We went for a combo of Gua Sha and LED light therapy to brighten, hydrate, and lift!

“The enhancements truly speak to the expertise and the training of the esthetician,” explains Heyday Skincare Educator, Alexandra Serron. “With our format of facial, we are focusing on the goals and needs of each client.”

The best part about Heyday enhancements? There are no wrong combos—everyone’s individual skin benefits differently. To help you plan your next facial, I’m breaking down the types of enhancements currently available at Heyday:

Diamond Tip Microdermabrasion

Geared toward exfoliating and brightening your skin, this physical exfoliation uses a diamond-tipped wand (yes, diamonds!) to gently buff and polish the outermost layer of skin. Combined with a vacuum setting, dead skin cells are effectively removed to welcome new skin cells to the surface.

To ensure your results are top-notch, we recommend to stop using exfoliants of any kind or prescription topicals that could cause skin sensitivity at least a week before, including retinoids.

Hydro Wand Infusion

Looking to target specific areas on your face? Enter this infusion wand, which lets your esthetician focus on the spots needing some extra nourishment with targeted serums and potent ingredients going deep into your skin. Pro tip: when paired with our microdermabrasion for a physical and chemical exfoliation, you’ll notice your skin feels less congested, deeply hydrated, and extra glowy!

Microcurrent

Like Pilates for your face, this enhancement uses targeted probes to send electric currents (mimicking your body’s natural flow!) to strengthen and lengthen facial muscles. Divided into two portions, the first part focuses on smoothing fine lines around the more delicate parts of your face (think crow’s feet and brow lines). The second portion is dedicated to tightening and lifting the larger muscles in your face, leading to a lifted look around your jaw and cheekbones. The best part? You’ll notice the benefits immediately and with continued use, like going to the gym, you’ll notice a brighter and lifted complexion to your face.

Peels

When most people think of peels, they have flashbacks to a hilarious “Sex and The City” episode where Samantha has a treatment gone wrong, right before Carrie’s book launch. However, a painful chemical peel is no laughing matter. “From a Heyday perspective, we'll tailor a chemical peel to your skin's sensitivity level,” explains Serron. “If you're not the right candidate for it, we'll never recommend it.”

Heyday offers incredibly gentle formulas tailored specifically for your skin. Professional peels are a great option for improving the tone, clarity, and texture of your skin, plus it helps clear up breakouts and minimize the look of fine lines.

Gua Sha

Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese massage technique that encourages lymphatic flow to tone, detoxify & lift skin using a stone tool. (I must admit, this portion of my facial was incredibly relaxing and released a fair amount of tension I was holding in my jaw.)

LED Light Therapy

Designed to treat a multitude of skin concerns, LED treatments penetrate deep into the dermis to tackle everything from breakouts to fine lines, stimulating collagen production and soothing inflammation for a refreshed, glowing complexion.

The device does not emit any type of UV light (so there is no resulting damage), and instead leverages a specific wavelength of light that’s been studied to offer the greatest benefit to the skin. My esthetician also applied a cocktail of hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to make sure my skin soaked up every single drop of hydration.

Serron notes light therapy as one of the more popular enhancement treatments since there’s no discomfort or downtime and focuses more on healing the skin.

Enhancement availability varies by location.