Pro esthetician teaches how to do a plumping facial at home

• Master esthetician Claudia Colombo walks us through an at-home plumping facial for mature skin.
• The facial includes lymphatic drainage, a hydrojelly mask, and dermarolling, a form of microneedling that uses a roller with tiny needles on it to puncture the skin.
• Colombo explains the difference between microneedling and dermarolling and how they can help turn back the clock by inducing collagen in the skin.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Claudia Colombo: So, I'm gonna help your daughter Irene go through a little mini facial for you to help you feel better and look better. [laughing]

Nick Kim: She told me I'm gonna look 25 after this, so.

Irene Kim: I did not say that. He started saying that when I told him we were doing this. Yeah, I'm hoping we can fix the texture of his skin a bit. He hasn't been taking good care of his skin.

Claudia: That's the thing. You have to be realistic. If you've never taken care of your skin, and what to expect, right?

Irene: Yeah, like, one facial is not gonna undo years of using bar soap on your face.

Claudia: Right. So, before we start using any tools or really, like, getting deep into manipulation to the face on the skin, we really want to cleanse and detoxify a little bit, OK? What I like to do is start with a nice hot towel. Now we're just warming up the tissue, and what we're starting is the process of lymphatic drainage, and all of that can have a plumping effect. So, what I'm gonna have you do, you can get right next to him. And we're just going to do a little flush of that whole neck, shoulder area into the clavicle. And what this is gonna do is just to assist in just opening up that lymphatic clavicle drainage, OK, again, just opening up all those pathways. So, you wanna use your palms, and you're gonna do that anywhere from, like, just five or 10 times. Before we get into the dermarolling, we wanna cleanse the skin properly, have a really clean surface, and do all the manipulation before doing the rolling. After the rolling, we wanna just soothe and calm the skin and then let it begin to heal and recover. How does that feel, Nick?

Nick: Very good. Very relaxing!

Claudia: Yeah, it should feel relaxing, exactly.

Nick: I'm trying not to fall asleep. [laughing]

Claudia: So, his skin is all clean, right? And smooth and bright and cleaned off?

Irene: Nice and clean, no residue.

Claudia: Great. So, you wanted to use a dermarolling tool on him. So, you know, these tools are sold all over the place. They really can be used to resurface and more to, like, really excite and wake up the skin in a lower depth. And I believe you bought a 0.25 millimeter, correct? Is the depth?

Irene: Yes, 0.25. I actually had bought one a while back, and then I stopped using it because I saw all these posts about how you shouldn't be using dermarollers at home by yourself. Like, you should only go to professionals.

Claudia: Right. So, that's why I'm glad to guide you with this, because you mentioned you wanted to use it on your dad, and you bought a roller that has the depth of 0.25 millimeter, which is very low. So if you're just starting out, you know, if you're gonna do that on yourself, you've never done it before, I really highly recommend starting with a lower depth. So, at-home dermarolling, which is considered microneedling, but it's considered a first-generation microneedling tool. It's very different from a professional microneedling tool. In a professional setting, we're going to do what we call a second-generation, third-generation, or fourth-generation microneedling tool, where we're gonna go deeper in depth. So, what you're gonna do to begin is start with the hyaluronic acid serum. Massage it in very lightly, because you're gonna use the slip of the serum with the roller. So, you're gonna start with two to three vertical rolling movements first. The physical act of needling will always stimulate collagen, right? Textural problems, pores, things like that, pigmentation, it brightens the skin. So, you're gonna apply a hydrojelly mask on Nick. Now, jelly masks are made mainly with a refined alginate. Most can provide, like, some electrolytes, and it basically will seal in moisture retention. So, the hydrojelly masks provide, like, multiple benefits. This one should be soothing and more hydrating. You want the consistency to be like cake batter, and make sure when you're applying it on the edges, make sure there's thickness there because that'll be easier to peel off. How does it feel, Nick?

Nick: Very soothing now.

Claudia: Good, good.

Irene: I peeled off all the sections that can be peeled off.

Claudia: OK, so now you're gonna have to get the excess off with a towel. He's a good patient.

Irene: Yeah, he's never gonna do this again. [laughing]

Claudia: How are you feeling, Nick?

Nick: I feel like I'm 25. [laughing] Very relaxing. I guess I wasn't used to the microneedle part, but.

Claudia: It's normal for you to feel some discomfort. Do you feel and do you see a little bit of a difference in your skin? Just with the hydration or in general.

Nick: I kinda feel like my skin has, like, tightened up. I don't know if that's the right expression.

Irene: I think so. It looks very... I think it did plump up, actually. Now that I'm looking at him. I know you said, like, don't expect results in, like, after one try, but I actually think it did do a lot.

Claudia: When the skin is more hydrated and that stimulation of blood flow and circulation, you can do that on your own with the hot towel, a little bit of the lymph work that Irene did on you, you could do yourself too. It actually keeps your body and your skin healthy, and that alone, increasing that circulation, your skin will be more hydrated. It'll definitely look more youthful. You'll feel better. And that's a part of it. So that's a part of aging gracefully too, is taking care of yourself.

Nick: I learned a lot today. [laughs]