Effective Treatment or Marketing Hype?

The beauty industry is an industry filled with so many empty promises. Our quest for eternal youth has led to companies using marketing tools to make us all believe the latest treatment or product will achieve this.

In a world driven by instant gratification and celebrity endorsements, how do you decide which treatments and products are worth investing in and what is simply marketing hype?

As the original ‘results-driven’ salon in the area, we offer only those treatments we know will achieve the best possible results for our clients and therefore consider very carefully which services we offer. Our philosophy is that of educating our clients to make the right choices for their skin. I decided to write a series of blogs looking at some of treatments on the market to explain why we have chosen to offer those we do.

Oxygen Facials

One treatment with a massive celebrity following is the oxygen facial.  Madonna is one of the most recognised celebrities who regularly has this treatment and according to her website, she apparently has her own personal oxygen treatment facialist on staff.

Oxygen facials are increasing in popularity but also raising a number of questions about effectiveness and credibility due to both the lack of scientific evidence and the growing awareness of the link between oxygen and free radical damage.

What are oxygen facials?

Oxygen facials use medical grade oxygen to deliver active ingredients into the skin. The oxygen is compressed and sprayed at high pressure directly onto the skin surface. Active ingredients such as nutrients or vitamins are introduced to the oxygen stream just before the skin, and the combined oxygen and ingredients (in the form of a high pressure jet) forces its way past the skin’s barrier defence systems and into the lower levels of the epidermis.

The oxygen’s main function is theorised to be an increased absorption of the active ingredients such as that experienced with Iontophoresis or Sonophoresis (as in the Environ Vitamin Facials).

The oxygen is also used as a wash over the face which claims to stimulate or feed the skin so new collagen growth can occur. The oxygen is thought to have rejuvenating properties.
A course of treatments is recommended once a week for six weeks followed by monthly maintenance.

Do they work?
Are there any scientific results to back up the claims of this treatment? There is no doubt that following an oxygen treatment, the skin’s surface appears plumper and smoother which can hide imperfections and provide a warm glow to the skin. Effects can last up to 48 hours but what are the long term effects and benefits?

The most logical reason for the smoothing effect is a mild inflammatory response caused by the forced breaching of the lipid bi-layers of the epidermis, however there appears to be no scientific evidence the active ingredients actually reach the target area at the dermal/epidermal junction. If there is any evidence, then it is not widely available. As the inflammation is mild, it is unlikely that fibroblast activity (cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin) is stimulated enough to increase long term collagen production.

There are a number of reasons why it is unlikely the oxygen used during the facial actually provides therapeutic effects from a topical application or that it can increase the energy in the skin’s cells. 

One of the functions of skin is to provide us with a waterproof covering. Although skin can absorb some substances (like some drugs typically administered through a skin patch), we do not absorb any substance through the skin that is important to life function. The skin does not respire. It is only the lungs that require oxygen for respiration; therefore, we can live without air on the skin (except for temperature regulation).  As for increasing energy within skin cells oxygen, as an energy-providing fuel, is delivered to the dermal cells via the microcirculation along with other vital nutrients and not through the skin.

What about free radicals?

We also need to consider that oxygen itself is in fact a free radical. It is also known that oxygen is the main factor leading to the oxidative process (effectively rusting). Both free radicals and oxidation contribute to skin ageing and the development of wrinkles. Therefore, why would we want to force the oxygen past the lipid bi-layers under pressure to an area where we really need to control any oxidisation? Antioxidants are incorporated into many skincare products (they factor highly in Environ products) and we supplement in the diet to further protect the body and skin from free radicals and therefore the ageing process. Why protect the skin from free radicals only to introduce additional free radicals to the skin in the form of oxygen during a treatment? Surely this is a contradiction? 

On a final note, it is also interesting that the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) has not approved oxygen facials. 

Dr Christopher B Zachary, a professor and Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the School of Medicine, University of California, has been quoted as saying “The concept that high-pressure oxygen would do anything to help the skin is such nonsense as to be laughable ".

Despite the lack of credible evidence to date that oxygen facials actually have a long term benefit, they will remain popular due to the amount of publicity and celebrity endorsement surrounding them. 

Here at Euphoric we love Environ skincare and the Advanced Nutrition Programme (ANP) because the whole philosophy behind their treatments just makes sense! We take a holistic approach to skincare, feeding the skin both from within and topically, based on scientific research and proven results. 

To find out more about Environ and ANP, visit our expert skin care therapists for a consultation or why not attend one of our very popular Skin Analysis Events?

Call us on 01903 206600 to find out more.