Celebs like Ashley Graham are no strangers to regular facials, but that's hardly helpful information.
We want to know the details: the exact treatment, what it does and what it costs (so that we can keep up appearances, too). That's why when the model took to social media to share a smoky sneak peek of her latest visit to celeb dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer's office, we went straight to the source—Dr. Lancer himself.
According to the pro, Ashley got the Micro-Buffing Vegan Stem Cell Red Carpet Facial, an off-menu treatment (price starts at $750) only available in his Beverly Hills office. "This is what a celeb will get the morning of a red carpet event. It leaves your skin glass-smooth, giving the result of invisible pores, and it lasts for five days after," he said.
So what does the Insta-worthy treatment entail? It's customized for every skin type, but it's far from what you're used to.
The hour-long treatment begins with a double cleanse. "We start by cleaning the face neck and décolletage, then that area is micro-buffed with a polishing instrument, a micro-polisher, that uses a sandy crystal to remove some of the dead skin on a cell surface layer," he explained. After 15 minutes of gently sloughing off dead skin, in comes the smoky dry ice effect you see in Ashley's Instagram video.
"After the micro-polishing, nitrogen gas is used to help remove the crystals and clean your skin before applying product," he said. Next up is a double layer of serums (they use his Younger Pure Youth Serum and then the Stem-Cell Lift Serum). "That's applied to the entire face neck and chest, including the back of the ear lobes, back of the neck and shoulders—all those visible areas," he explained.
Once the product is massaged in, then comes the LED light treatment, which takes another 15 to 20 minutes. In most cases it's a red light, which helps to calm the skin and reduce inflammation. However, if you were acne prone, for instance, yours would be swapped for a blue light.
Wait! There's more: At the same time the light is working its magic, pulsed oxygen is blasted onto the skin for further nourishment. "Flushing the skin with pure oxygen further reduces inflammation, particularly at this moment when your pores are open," explained the derm.
And that, friends, is the difference between an A-list facial and a regular one.