Dermatologist: a facial won't fix a bad routine - oily skin needs one every one to two months, dry skin every three to four

A facial at the beautician leaves skin smoother, cleaner and brighter. But it is not magic for everything. Blackheads, breakouts, tightness and excess sebum depend far more on what you do at home every evening than on a treatment once a year.

"A facial does not make up for an unsuitable or irregular routine," says dermatologist Dr Lidia Maroñas, founder of Oneskinmed. If your routine is fine and you still have stubborn blackheads, clogged pores or uneven texture - that is when a professional facial makes sense. If your skin feels tight, gets irritated, breaks out often or shines with sebum, the problem is the routine, and that should be refreshed roughly twice a year.

Vanessa Villaitodo, marketing director at HydraFacial - in other words, at the company selling one of the treatments - advises watching your skin over a longer period: more oiliness, breakouts, flaking or changes in texture are a sign something is not working. She too admits that more facials are not always the answer: if comedones and acne keep coming back, you need to look for the cause.

Different skin, different facial. Oily and acne-prone skin gains most from a deep cleanse: extracting comedones, salicylic acid, which penetrates the follicle and helps dissolve sebum, and hydrodermabrasion. Combination skin needs treatment by zone - stronger on the T-zone, gentler on the cheeks, which are more sensitive or dehydrated. Dry skin likes a gentle enzyme peel, lots of hydration and care for the skin barrier. With mature skin the focus is on preparation - gentle renewal, then active ingredients such as antioxidants, peptides and exosomes.

Sensitive skin and skin with rosacea need the most care. Here steam, aggressive squeezing and chemical peels are off-limits unless a dermatologist says otherwise - soothing, decongesting treatments are enough. Dermatologist Dr Maribel García Briz agrees: the protocol must not be the same for everyone.

How often? For healthy skin without problems - three to four professional facials a year, one per season, with a cumulative effect. Oily skin with visible pores, blackheads or comedonal acne - every one to two months. Dry or reactive skin can get by with one treatment every three to four months.

Squeezing is not a home job. Manual extraction has its place for oily skin with open or closed comedones and for milia, the tiny keratin cysts - if done gently. It is never done on inflamed spots, active pustules or rosacea, because of the risk of inflammation, marks and scarring. Maroñas is categorical: do not do it yourself in front of the mirror. What makes the difference is technique, and knowing when the skin must not be touched.

The three types of treatment. A classic facial focuses on impurities and comedones, with manual extraction and soothing products at the end. Diamond tip is mechanical microdermabrasion that removes dead cells for smoother, more even skin. HydraFacial combines lymphatic drainage, cleansing, exfoliation, vacuum extraction, serums, LED light and hydration in one protocol. Which is best? The one that matches what your skin actually needs - not the one at the top of the price list.