A Hydrafacial runs four steps through a single device: a gentle exfoliating pass, vacuum extraction of the pores, an infusion of hyaluronic acid and antioxidants, and a targeted booster chosen for your skin. It is comfortable, it takes under an hour, and you leave looking better than when you arrived.
What it treats
What it is not for
A Hydrafacial works at the surface. It is not the answer for problems that sit deeper than that.
- Significant hyperpigmentation or melasma needs treatment aimed at melanin itself.
- Scarring and textural change need something that reaches the dermis.
- Volume loss and laxity are structural and need a different category of treatment altogether.
Where one of those is the main concern, a Hydrafacial sits alongside the treatment aimed at it rather than replacing it. What that plan looks like is decided at consultation.
On its own, or alongside other treatments
Most people have a Hydrafacial as its own thing. It clears congestion, restores hydration and leaves skin visibly better the same day, and on a four to six week rhythm it keeps it there. Nothing else has to be planned around it.
It also pairs well with the rest of what happens here. Having one before a laser or peel means that treatment lands on skin that is clear, hydrated and calm rather than congested. That is worth more in deeper skin, where the level of inflammation the skin starts from is one of the things that influences pigmentation risk, and a Hydrafacial improves condition without adding inflammation of its own.
Whether to pair them, and in what order, is decided at consultation.
What a session is like
- Sensation
- Comfortable throughout. Most people find it relaxing.
- The step you feel
- Extraction. A pulling sensation, most noticeable around the nose.
- Numbing
- None needed.
- Session length
- 45 to 60 minutes.
- Results
- Visible on the day, and continuing to develop over 24 to 48 hours.
- Downtime
- None. Mild pinkness around extraction sites clears within hours.
- Cadence
- Every 4 to 6 weeks as maintenance, or as a one-off whenever you want one.
- Skin tone
- Suitable across all six Fitzpatrick types.
The final step is a booster chosen for your skin. A brightening booster where pigmentation is the concern, or a calming one for reactive skin and rosacea.
Before, during and after
There is very little to do for this one. Open any of these to read it before booking.
Common questions
Is there any downtime?
No. This is the treatment you can have before an event rather than instead of one. Some people notice mild pinkness around areas that were extracted, and it settles within a few hours. Skin looks brighter and clearer the same day, and keeps improving over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Does it hurt?
No, and no numbing is needed. The exfoliating step is a mild tingle or nothing at all. Extraction is the step people notice, a pulling sensation that is strongest around the nose, and most people rather enjoy it. The hydration step is just pressure.
Should I have one before a laser or a peel?
It is often worth it, though it is not a requirement. The condition your skin starts in affects the outcome, so clearing congestion and restoring hydration beforehand means the next treatment lands on calm, healthy skin. That is worth more in Fitzpatrick IV to VI, where the starting level of inflammation is part of what drives post-inflammatory pigmentation, and a Hydrafacial improves the skin without adding inflammation of its own. Whether it makes sense for you is decided at consultation.
I broke out a few days afterwards. Is that normal?
Usually yes. Small breakouts in the days after extraction are a purge, congestion that was already under the surface coming up. It is temporary and clears on its own within about a week. If it looks out of proportion, or is still getting worse after 48 hours, contact us rather than waiting it out.
What do I need to stop beforehand?
Very little. Stop retinoids three to five days before, and stop high-strength exfoliating acids in the same window. Gentle toners are fine. Arrive with a clean face and no makeup. That is the whole list.
Will it help my pigmentation?
Not on its own. A Hydrafacial works at the surface and is not a treatment for significant hyperpigmentation or melasma. A brightening booster can be added at the hydration step, which delivers agents such as tranexamic acid, kojic acid or niacinamide into freshly cleared pores where they absorb well, and that is a useful contribution. But pigmentation is treated with something aimed at melanin, and the plan for that is set at consultation.
Can I have one if I am pregnant?
Tell us beforehand. Some of the boosters are not recommended during pregnancy, and the protocol is adjusted rather than the treatment being ruled out. The same applies during an active rosacea flare, where settings are changed and a calming booster is used instead of the standard one.
Is anyone not suitable for it?
A Hydrafacial cannot be performed over broken skin or significant inflammation, so active inflammatory acne, open wounds, rashes and skin infections in the treatment area need to settle or be treated first. Tell us about any laser, peel or microneedling in the last two weeks, and about any allergy or sensitivity, particularly to salicylic acid, which is used in the clarifying step.
This page is for general education and is not medical advice. It does not establish a physician-patient relationship, and it cannot account for your individual history, medications or skin. Suitability for treatment is decided at consultation following examination.