I am already a fan of the Wow sheet mask (review can be found here), so when I was offered the chance to try the brand new WOW Facial I couldn’t have been more excited!

No one likes to read long blog posts, so I want to try and keep this as concise as possible.  I visited Harrogate Aesthetics to get the WOW facial and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. They gave me such a warm welcome and immediately set me at ease, such a lovely team!

WHO IS IT FOR: The target market is for the skincare conscious and could be for anyone from 25-65 really.  It can be adapted for different skin types – LED Lights, specific serums used, the peel etc

HOW MUCH: It costs £250 per treatment. The treatment lasts 1hr 30mins.

HOW OFTEN: The WOW Facial is a skin reboot and is advised approx. once every 3 months. The succinic acid in the WOW gun is supposed to keep energising skin for up to 3 months.

The WOW facial is a 6 step process.  I want to talk through each stage, their claims and my experience of each step. So here goes…

Stage 1

Claim: “Gentle resurfacing opens the micro channels in the skin to deliver vital rejuvenation acids to the living cells beneath without compromising the top layers of the skin meaning no peeling or flaking“.

My Experience: Before the treatment started, I was talked through each stage of the process by the practitioner. She advised after the treatment not to use exfoliants or retinols for at least a week, to avoid irritation and an SPF must be worn during the day.  She was so knowledgeable and answered all my questions, both relating to the treatment and about my skin in general. She cleansed my skin to remove any make up and began the treatment with stage 1 – The acid peel.  This happened in 2 sections.  I was told that the first would sting a little, which is normal, but if I found it unbearable we could miss the second peel, depending on how my skin coped. I like that they were able to tailor this to what my skin needs.  I actually found it didn’t tingle at all so we progressed to the second.  Again my skin coped well with this, which I was surprised about, I have always considered myself to have fairly sensitive skin. The acids did have quite a strong smell, which took my breath away at one point. Other than that, this was a simple step and it felt nice to be pampered.

Stage 2

Claim:“Lightly removing the peach fuzz and dead skin cells to reveal the youthful glowing skin beneath and improve the penetration of the Electri”. 

My Experience: I have never had this done to my skin before and in my head I imagined they would be shaving all the hair off my face, with a vision of stubble growing back haha.  This was not the case.  It did remove some of my baby facial hair, but the practitioner was concentrating on removing dead skin cells, not shaving off every hair on my body. It was an odd sensation, a light scraping, but it didn’t hurt.  My skin was super soft after this stage, my skin felt as soft as a baby’s skin.

Stage 3

Claim:“A combination of Hyaluronic Acid and Succinic Acid is superficially injected using the WOW Gun to stimulate collagen & elastin. Both acids are naturally found in the skin and have a string anti-oxidising effect”.

My Experience: This was the stage I was most apprehensive about.  I’ve never had a procedure or anything injected into my face before, I was very cautious. The practitioner really put me at ease, she showed me how the ‘gun’ worked and explained the ins and outs. The gun itself has different settings to ensure it doesn’t penetrate too deep into the skin.  I was told I should be able to feel it, but it shouldn’t be painful.  I was so so surprised as it actually didn’t hurt at all!! She tested the first injection to check the depth and adjusted it accordingly.  I can only describe the feeling as being similar to someone prodding your face with a tooth pick haha. The gun was adjusted on different areas of my face when there was more bone and less flesh, so it wasn’t uncomfortable.  The worst part about the gun was the noise, it’s similar to a staple gun!  You can see in the top picture, I experienced areas of tiny pin point bleeding, mainly on my chin.  These had completely disappeared by the end of the treatment.

Stage 4

 

Green: Used for pigmentation.  The green LED light works with the succinic acid in the GUN to focus on the areas of pigment

Blue: Used for acne sufferers. The blue LED light kills bacteria and calms inflammation and again, works alongside the succinic acid in the WOW.

Red: Used for anti-aging.  The red LED light and the WOW gun focus on lines and wrinkles to stimulate collagen & elastin growth within the skin.

100% my favourite part of the treatment!! (Excuse my red uniform I came straight from work!)

Stage 5

Claim:“Super strength hyaluronic acid,collagen, argireline and RMCP complex. The WOW mask is a cult beauty classic and the inspiration behind the WOW Facial. It is famous for reducing dynamic wrinkles and lines and surcharging the skin with hydration ready to WOW on the red carpet and no WOW Facial is complete without it”.

My Experience:

This was one of the most relaxing parts of the treatment.  The gorgeous WOW sheet mask was applied to my skin and I was left to relax.  The aim is to leave the mask for at least 20 mins, but depending on time, they will leave it for as long as 40 mins.  The longer the better really, as this product really works to hydrate the skin.  WOW face masks can be used as a stand alone treatment on a weekly basis in between WOW facial treatments.  The mask is so smooth, I love that its a gel and not paper, and it leaves my skin so hydrated, cooled and refreshed!

Stage 6

Claim:“Final mist of WOW spritz and creams to sooth and protect the skin from the outdoor extremities”.

My Experience: Once the mask was removed, any excess serum was massaged into my skin. The final stage was to mist the WOW spritz and apply tailored serums to ensure maximum hydration.  The mist was lovely, so cool and hydrating!  The specific serums chosen for me were selected to add even more moisture to my skin, which I was told is very dehydrated (I know this is a problem my skin suffers with).  A gorgeous pampering stage of the treatment and I love that it is tailored to your skin specifically.

Final thoughts:

For my first treatment of this kind, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I have done some research and there isn’t another facial out there anywhere that includes all of these stages to really maximise the hydration of the skin.  I wasn’t sure what results I was expecting to see, obviously this is a facial and not some sort of miracle cosmetic surgery! My skin felt lovely and clean, but not tight or stripped, super hydrated and I felt it looked much brighter (see image above, before treatment on the left and after treatment on the right). Observing my skin a day or two after the treatment I actually think it looks even better than it did immediately after the treatment.  I had no redness, no marks, no flaking and this treatment needs no recovery time. If you have a special occasion, this would be perfect for a pre-party pamper!

PROS:

1. Boosts skins hydration
2. The 6 different stages all in one treatment is unique
3. The treatment can be tailored to your skin concerns
4. The sheet mask can be bought separately to boost the skin between treatments – find online here
5. No recovery time needed
6. I really felt you could see a difference after the treatment but even more so the day after.  Brighter, more hydrated and even physically felt much better.

CONS:

1. £250 seems expensive – but, when you look at each individual stage and what’s involved, it would cost over £400 to have the stages separately.  However, it is a big chunk of money to lay out, so is really aimed at people who want to invest in their skin.
2. The gun may put people off (although it genuinely was nothing to worry about, I couldn’t really feel it!)
3. This is a facial treatment is not a miracle worker.  I still need to use products to hydrate my skin and I need to take care of it properly, it isn’t a quick fix for everything.
4. There are some possible side effects but the chances are minimal, it is always worth discussing with the practitioner first about your skin concerns and how it might react.

HOW DO I BOOK: I visited Harrogate Aesthetics, for more information and to book click here

MORE INFO ON WOW FACIAL: For more information on the facial itself and to find clinics near you, click here

This treatment was given to me for free so that I could share my thoughts with everyone.  Everything I have written is my honest opinion, thoughts and experiences.  Thanks for reading.