Try Something New: Why You Need Facials Over 50

Why would you need to make facials a part of beauty over 50? Why wouldn't you?

Even though I write about beauty treatments, there are areas where I don't practice what I preach. Self care is one of them.

I come from the "old school" of struggle and suffering, and putting yourself last. Work always comes before luxury (although perhaps ironically I consider new clothes work related). Luxury means massages, manicures — unless I have a presentation or big event coming up, and even then, I confessed recently that I resorted to Kiss imPress-on Nails because I didn't have time – and other beauty treatment considerations.

Even though I know through my research that regular massages contribute to overall good health, stress reduction, less injuries/better balance, boosted immune system, etc.

Because of this, I recently incorporated baths and Restorative Yoga into my must-do routine for self-care beauty treatments. But I wondered about facials.

Previously I only got them if my skin was looking particularly cloudy or clogged, which wasn't very often.

I checked in with Annee de Mamiel, recommended to me for her special blends of essential oils and teas for face, for her thoughts on facials for as part of beauty over 50. Annee de Mamiel is a licensed practitioner of facial acupuncture and facial rejuvenation who intensified her knowledge and understanding of natural healing modalities after her own health challenges in the late '90s.

Her well-earned wisdom led to these conclusions about beauty over 50 and the benefits of facials:

Regular facials are beneficial on both on a physical and psychological plane. In our 50s, most women are approaching or have been through menopause, which reduces our estrogen levels. We see this as a sudden drop of hydration, an increase in lines and wrinkles, loss of elasticity and sagging. Plus, the sun damage done in our teens and twenties comes to the forefront as uneven pigmentation.

Suddenly beauty treatments feel like less of an indulgence. Annee points out that as we age, our cell turnover slows down and can become sluggish, leaving our skin puffy, dull and tired looking.

Regular facials increase circulation and stimulate blood flow and lymph drainage — so you are working at a cellular level. It can help slow down premature aging.

Custom-targeting your skincare it is a great preventative treatment to help you beat wrinkles before they occur. Keeping your skin hydrated will help keep the skin moist, She explains,  which stops dehydration in it's pruney little tracks and delays more wrinkling.

Apart from the obvious benefits of helping to cleanse, hydrate, detoxify, moisturize and rejuvenate the skin for beauty over 50, Anne says, regular facials also help to improve skin's receptivity for better penetration of anti-aging skincare products.

What we see from regular facials is a noticeable improvement in skin tone, texture and appearance. They also help to restore the skin's normal balance of oil and pH. In the short term, the skin feels softer and more pliant.

All this results in inner benefits too, she stresses:

We feel calm, confident and relaxed!"

That may be the best perk of all: Staying calm and centered and relaxed is the goal for 2012 – that way you can see much more clearly where you want to go.