Beauty And The Blog

Well, I’m not sure exactly… What I am not sure about is why anyone would pay so much money for something that has no medical or clinical studies, 3rd party clinical studies being the only truly reliable source of unbiased facts. No proof that the Oxygen Facial stimulates collagen or elastin production.

And golly, let’s see. If I remember correctly, oxygen produces oxidation, which is damage. That’s true. Umm, isn’t that what makes a slice of apple turn brown? Another form of oxidation is rust, uh hello? That’s damage, too. Oxygen is full of free radicals, so why would anyone want to push that into their skin just to obtain very temporary plumping of wrinkles? Our skin doesn’t need oxygen pushed into it. In fact it could be damaging. Our internal organs need oxygen and we BREATH that in. And, yes free radicals come with it. Which is why we are encouraged to eat a healthy diet rich in antioxidants to combat that.

Honestly, I personally never thought an oxygen facial was anything more than pure gimmick. Certainly there will be those who beg to differ with me. Let ‘em beg, I’ll still confidently disagree! I never offered them when I was doing facials: A) a gimmick, B) insane pricing C) damaging?! The equipment alone costs a fortune so one would HAVE to charge a crazy amount of money to realize a profit and even that would take a really long time to see!

So I did a bit of research to see if my own gut instinct on the subject of Oxygen Facials still holds true in the current world of spa treatments. What I found is that the medical profession claims them to be nothing but a temporary solution to smoother makeup application (so, basically hype and like I said, possibly skin damaging to the deeper layers), while your high end spa claims them to be of great and lasting benefit. I guess my gut instinct was right! So that would be what? Maybe not the best choice for reducing wrinkles and rejuvenating the skin.

Besides, in this economy who would pay $500 for ONE facial with a result that lasts only 48 hours, if that?!?

Here is some Oxygen Facial info for you that I found published on the internet. This backs up my personal opinion.

Oxygen facials and products touting oxygen as a skin enhancer are hot right now. But are they just blowing hot air?

There are two ways to deliver oxygen (O2) to your face which are advertised as ways to make you look younger. The first is an oxygen facial, which, for about $500 a treatment, blasts oxygen at your face. This is a favorite of Madonna, who loves it so much that she dropped $7,000 to have her own unit at home.

According to one website, oxygen facials calm inflammation, treat acne, kill bacteria, drive antioxidants and vitamins into the skin, and make your skin younger looking by providing oxygen to the skin cells.

Other oxygen-peddling websites report that pollutants in modern cities have led to decreased oxygenation of your skin. This is bunk. The amount of oxygen in your skin depends markedly on your age and health. Having a history of smoking or lung disease, heart disease, or anemia all significantly decrease the amount of oxygen in your skin. There is no evidence that pollutants decrease your skin’s oxygen levels.

You can dramatically increase the oxygenation of your skin right now, for free!

Ready?

Take a few deep, fast breaths (careful, don’t pass out).

You have just significantly increased your skin’s oxygen level. Easy, huh?

The amount of oxygen in your skin also depends on where you live. Here in San Diego at sea level, the air pressure and oxygen partial pressure is high, whereas in Denver, CO, the air pressure is much lower and the amount of oxygen that your body and your skin receive is much lower. Does this mean that people in San Diego have healthier, younger skin than those in Denver? Of course not.

Your skin needs a certain amount of oxygen to remain healthy. Having lots more oxygen than what is needed does not make your skin younger or healthier.

But what about high pressure oxygen for wounds? This is a special circumstance in which a patient is placed in a high pressure chamber, increasing the amount of oxygen in their lungs, blood, and all tissues. There is no evidence that blasting O2 at your skin is anything like hyperbaric oxygen therapy or that it even increases the oxygenation of your skin at all.

Your skin is not designed to take oxygen in from the outside (unless you’re a frog). It is somewhat analogous to getting into a bath tub to soak because you are very thirsty. When you get out of the tub, you will be wet and still very thirsty. It simply doesn’t work.

The second way that oxygen is touted to make you look younger is through facial products. Products that claim to deliver oxygen to your skin have never been shown in studies to increaseO2 levels.

Oxygen is a gas. There is no way to put that into a cream, keep it there, then have it released when it hits your skin. It would be like opening a soda can, as soon as it was opened, all the oxygen would fizz out.

Even if creams did provide some extra oxygen to the skin, the effects would last only minutes at best.

So why do so many people claim that it helps? It is likely that blasting air and water droplets on your face act like microdermabrasion, exfoliating and moisturizing your skin, giving you a soft glow afterward. That alone might be worth $500 to you, but I doubt it.

Written by Jeffrey Benabio, MD.

Thank You, Dr. Benabio!