Personal Facial Steamers and Use on Dry Skin

While facial steamers offer a variety of benefits, people with extremely dry skin are often told to stay away from them. Steam has the benefit of opening pores and drawing impurities out from the skin, but it can also be drying, so those with conditions like rosacea and eczema are often told to stay away. Other individuals say that dryness can actually be improved with facial steaming. So, which is it? Are face steamers good for dry skin? Does facial steam help eczema or make it worse? What are the benefits of facial steamers?

Benefits of Face Steamers

Facial steaming is an ancient practice. It has been used for centuries to cleanse, tone and moisturize the skin. Facial steamers work by delivering warm, moist air to the surface of the face, warming up the surface of the skin, opening pores and making it more receptive to surface treatments, such as masks and serums. Facial steamers can be beneficial to people who are prone to acne, or who have blackheads. The steam works to loosen oils, dirt and other impurities in the skin. It also causes perspiration, which can further flush out the bad stuff, including toxins, out of the skin.

Face Steam & Mildly Dry Skin

For those with mildly dry skin, a quality facial steamer can help the skin better absorb moisturizers and treatments . It can leave the skin in better condition than prior to steaming.

Steaming also helps dry skin by increasing perspiration, which helps soften debris inside the pores for better cleansing and by loosening dead or dry skin near the surface, revealing fresh, better-looking skin just below the surface. The combination of pore cleansing and surface debris removal will result in softer skin with a more moisturized feel.

Does Facial Steam Help or Exacerbate Rosacea & Eczema?

For those suffering from extreme skin dryness such as rosacea or eczema, however, facial steaming is not recommended. The process of warming the skin with steam increases circulation by activating the peripheral blood vessels on the face. Although this is often great for people who have oily, normal and slightly dry skin, it can add to redness and irritation in those who have rosacea, eczema or severely dry skin. Seek advice from a dermatologist before attempting a skin steaming regimen.

How to Get the Most from Facial Steam

If you decide to try facial steaming on your dry skin, a quality home facial steam machine can make quick work of the task. The machine will heat the water from a reservoir to the perfect temperature and direct it though a special applicator toward the face, resulting in a relaxing steam experience. Essential oils can be added to the water for an enhanced experience. Certain scents are known to relax the body and may help prevent excessive drying or redness after a steam application.
Before beginning treatment, it's important that the skin is clean and ready to receive a moisturizer or serum - that way, when the steaming is finished, the proper treatment can be applied immediately for maximum effectiveness.

For a variety of quality home facial steamers, shop MassageTools. Choose from a great selection of machines and compare different options to find the facial steamer that's right for you.