Guides

The 8 Best Facial Treatments to Get in Philly After Wearing a Mask All Year Long

Maskne, be gone! These local treatments will help you flaunt the skin you’ve been hiding.


maskne facial

All the anti-maskne facial treatments you need now. Illustration by Malte Müller/Getty Images

OMG Breakout: Skin House Facial Bar

This new 50-minute treatment uses deep cleaning and gentle exfoliation to clear congested pores, reduce inflammation, and minimize future breakouts. For anyone suffering from continuous flare-ups — because let’s be real, we aren’t fully abandoning our masks just yet — the facial can be combined with blue light therapy, an LED treatment that eliminates toxins and promotes collagen and elastin synthesis, to help keep skin tight and smooth. $105; Bella Vista.

Essent Skinpen Experience: Essent Spa

Performed by nurses, this 50-minute micro-needling treatment combats enlarged pores, hyperpigmentation and acne scarring brought on by prolonged mask usage. The Skinpen creates microchannels in outer skin layers to allow for deeper penetration of serums that aid in skin rejuvenation. Three or more sessions, completed six weeks apart, are recommended for maximum results. $400 per session; Radnor.

Purifier Hydrafacial: Body+Beauty Lab

Body+Beauty Lab tackles the gross reality of bacteria-trapping masks with the purifier rendition of its traditional HydraFacial. The 45-minute treatment incorporates GlySal 15%, a combo of exfoliating glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids, to strip away buildup and also includes pore extraction and a nourishing serum. $210; Washington Square West.

Tea Tree Facial: Canvas Skin

A deep cleanse, steam and facial massage are all part of this one-hour session — or 30-minute, if you pick the express option — which tackles the main causes of maskne (irritation, moisture buildup and bacterial growth) with a focus on natural elements. Sometimes used as an alternative to acne-fighting benzol peroxide, the tea tree oil in the Dviniti Skin Care products applied by your aesthetician works to reduce inflammation and itching and assists with the healing of skin cells. $65 to $85; Chestnut Hill.

Crystal Magic for Your Skin Workshop: Sabbatical Beauty

Stress — and who isn’t stressed? — causes your body to release cortisol, which increases skin’s oil production. With Adeline Koh’s 50-minute video intro to incorporating crystals into your skin care (ideal for those still not ready for in-spa treatments), you’ll learn how to self-administer a crystal facial, which involves placing stones on facial acupressure points. If nothing else, the moment of stillness will bring Zen to your hectic day-to-day. $45 for recording and crystal kit; sabbaticalbeauty.com.

3 Masks You Won’t Mind Wearing

maskne facial
1. Trinity Hills Activated Charcoal Mask
A purifying concoction containing honeysuckle and created for men. $35 at trinityhillsgrooming.com.

maskne facial

2. Botnia Soothing Repair Mask
This light gel is packed with hydrating rose oil and coconut extract. $42 at freedomapothecary.com.

maskne facial

3. Mom & Pop Life Blackhead Buster
The pandemic best-seller uses bentonite clay and tea tree oil to tame acne. $19 at momandpoplife.com.

Published as “Best Face Forward” in the June 2021 issue of Philadelphia magazine.