Looking For A Pre-Summer Holiday Facial? These Are Our Favourites!

Off on your summer holiday soon? Put your best face forward with our pick of the best advanced facials that will leave you feeling confident, including when lying bare-faced by the pool. 

Why is an advanced facial perfect for before your next holiday?

While you might already be dreaming of the relaxing facial you intend to have in the hotel spa when you head off on your summer holiday, before your trip is actually a great time to give your skin some results-driven TLC. For the most benefits, look for an advanced – or ‘dermatology-grade’ facial – a category of treatments that is basically a step-up from your traditional ‘cleanse, moisturise, pamper’. That’s because they are specifically designed to target your core skin issues, such as uneven texture, fine lines and acne with longer-lasting, more impactful results. Aka, they are just great for some R&R.

That said, it’s important to bear in mind that, with summer holidays in particular, you may want to avoid treatments that require a lot of downtime or strict sun avoidance. Otherwise, you risk compromising your results and potentially affecting your holiday plans! Luckily, there are now plenty of treatments that can safely refresh your complexion without side effects, making them ideal before a trip away or a special summer event. So, if you want to clear congestion before lathering on your sunscreen, want to tackle dryness so it doesn’t get worse in the sun, or boost your glow so you look your best in your holiday photographs, these are the tailored treatments to try…

Our favourite pre-holiday facials:

1. Instant glow with Laser Genesis

If you’re looking for a treatment that will leave your skin looking fresher, clearer and more radiant, Laser Genesis is hard to beat, not least because it’s a laser that can stimulate collagen production with zero downtime. It works by using gentle pulses of near-infrared light that heat the deeper dermis of your skin while keeping the outer layer intact. The gentle warming effect also boosts microcirculation and increases blood flow, leading to the instant glow boost that is one of the core reasons for its loyal following. For even better results, plan further ahead and start a course of treatments in advance of your holiday. This allows the collagen-stimulating benefits to build and build, leading to refined pores, improved texture and reduced redness. Best of all, it’s suitable for all skin tones and surprisingly relaxing. In fact, it feels a lot like a hot stone massage on your face, which is seriously pampering. FIND OUT MORE

2. For an all-in-one approach: K Laser Blue Derma

For a summer-holiday glow-up, K-Laser Blue Derma is particularly appealing because it helps improve overall skin quality in one go rather than targeting one particular concern. The way it works is by delivering a specific blue light wavelength (around the 445nm range) into the top layers of your skin. This wavelength has a dual action: it has a strong antibacterial effect, particularly helpful for congestion and breakouts, and it also triggers your fibroblasts to start producing more collagen and elastin, while improving microcirculation too. This all contributes to a clearer, more even-toned complexion, without any healing or peeling required. In fact, one of its biggest selling points is how quick and comfortable the treatment is. After all, sessions can take as little as five to 20 minutes. That means you can easily fit it into a busy schedule between work and getting your suitcase packed. Just make sure to book at least a week ahead of your holiday if possible, to avoid your skin still being a little more sensitive to sun exposure when you step off the plane. FIND OUT MORE.

3. Start fresh with Hydrafacial

For skin that’s feeling dull, dry and congested – as is so common after a long winter – HydraFacial is the ‘deep clean’ you need before you head off for some much-needed sun. Plus, it can also reduce your risk of breaking out while on holiday, by removing the build-up of dead skin cells and debris in your pores that can be joined by summer stalwarts like sunscreen and sweat. The clever treatment uses a pen-like device to direct a controlled jet of water across your face, which provides a more powerful skin cleanse than your facialist’s hands alone. This is then followed by a gentle glycolic acid peel that softens up the gunk in your pores so it can be hoovered up by the device’s painless suction extraction head. For even better results, targeted serums are then pushed into your skin to combat your specific concerns, such as dryness and dullness, before you finish off with some soothing red light therapy that leaves you instantly glowing as you step off the treatment bed. FIND OUT MORE

4. If you don’t know what you need: Anel Lamine 

Sometimes you might look in the mirror and feel like your skin needs a boost, but you just don’t know where to start. That’s where choosing the right expert (as well as the right technology) comes in. With facialist Anel Lamine, you are definitely in safe hands, and every time she performs her signature advanced facial for you, it will look a little different. That’s how tailored to your specific concerns it can be. Options include deep cleansing and professional exfoliation to make dullness and congestion things of the past, alongside customised masks, serums and LED light therapy to target specific concerns such as fine lines and uneven tone. You don’t miss out on the more pampering aspects of a traditional facial either, with Lamine well-known for her amazing face massage skills that will release tension and sculpt your features. And, because of the extended treatment time, you get 90 minutes rather than the traditional 60, no step, including your consultation, is rushed, so you really get the most bang for your buck. FIND OUT MORE

5. Results for inflamed skin: Byonik 

It can be just typical that as soon as your holiday is around the corner, your skin starts to play up, and you feel like you don’t have time to solve it. But that’s where BYONIK can come in. It’s a laser-based facial that uses a really unique type of technology, called Pulse Triggered Laser (PTL), which delivers non-invasive ‘cold’ low-level laser energy into your skin at time intervals in sync with your heartbeat. That’s not just a nice marketing concept; it’s actually a technique that has been shown to ensure maximum cellular response to the laser itself. This, alongside a deep cleanse, enzyme peel and hyaluronic acid gel, works to encourage skin repair, reducing redness and inflammation, while also improving the appearance of pores, fine lines and uneven skin tone. Best of all, it can be used even if you have active acne, and one treatment is enough to start seeing results, so there’s never a bad time to book in. FIND OUT MORE

6. The pre-event sculpt: EMFACE

Lifting and sculpting your skin without needles or surgery is, let’s face it, really difficult, but the right facial can get you at least short-term results, perfect for summer events and weekends away. One of the very best options is Emface, which doesn’t even require your facialist to touch your face! Instead, the completely non-invasive technology delivers high-intensity focused electrical stimulation through sticker-type ‘pads’, which make your face contract rhythmically throughout the session to help train your muscles, a bit like sending them to the gym. This is then paired with synchronised radiofrequency to help smooth your skin by heating the dermis and triggering collagen and elastin production. The result is a picture-ready, sculpted look that gets better and better with each session. Intrigued by what it feels like to try? Read Alice’s full EMFACE review here. FIND OUT MORE

7. Targeted light therapy: CELLUMA

Light therapy is a really great pre-holiday facial because it is totally non-invasive, pretty speedy and can be very relaxing. As for what treatment specifically to choose, Celluma ticks even more boxes because it allows your skin to be treated with an array of different coloured wavelengths, turning your light therapy session into something super personalised to your skin. There’s the blue light wavelength for helping clear acne; red light for boosting collagen production and reducing fine lines; and infrared light energy to soothe inflammation, or you can try a bit of them all, depending on your concerns. Plus, throughout the 30-minute treatment, you simply relax under the LED panel, basking in the light – so it’s a good mental reset to start your summer holiday prep, even if a course of treatments is the strongest recommendation to see the very best long-term results. FIND OUT MORE

Want your skin to look its very best before you head off on your summer holidays? Why not book a consultation with our skincare specialist Dr Maha to get the advice you need.