Facials in the San Francisco Bay Area
Skin Renews Itself. Help It Along.
Your skin runs a constant cycle of regeneration: old cells die and flake away while new ones form to replace them. Daily life interferes with that cycle. Oil, makeup, sunscreen, and city air settle into pores, and the buildup leaves skin looking dull even when nothing is actually wrong with it.
A professional facial clears the backlog. At NorCal Plastic Surgery, facials are performed by skin care specialists within a practice led by board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Timothy Rankin, so the treatment is chosen for your skin rather than pulled from a spa menu at random.
Facials are available in Tiburon for patients throughout Marin County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
What Is a Facial?
A facial is a deep-cleansing professional treatment that addresses specific skin concerns on the face. Beyond the cleanse itself, a facial typically combines exfoliation, extractions, a masque matched to your skin, and targeted serums or therapies, customized to whether your skin runs oily, dry, sensitive, congested, or simply tired.
Facials sit at the maintenance end of the practice's facial treatment spectrum: gentle enough to repeat monthly, effective enough to keep pores clear and skin bright between more intensive treatments.
Which Facial Is Right for Your Skin?
NorCal Plastic Surgery offers a menu of facials, each built for a different skin situation. Your specialist will recommend the right one after looking at your skin, not before.
Glycolic Facial
A deeply exfoliating treatment that uses glycolic acid to clear dead cells from the pores and rejuvenate the surface, leaving skin smoother with a youthful glow.
Deep Pore Acne Facial
Built for overactive oil glands: deep pore cleansing and extractions to clear congestion, finished with a clay masque to absorb excess oil.
European Facial
The fully customizable classic. Skin analysis, exfoliation, extractions, and a masque chosen for your skin, completed with a pressure-point massage extending to the hands, neck, décolleté, and shoulders.
Clarifying Facial
Cleansing, exfoliation, a gentle enzyme peel, and LED light therapy to boost vibrancy and calm breakouts, especially effective for oily or dull complexions.
Picture Perfect Facial
An age-focused treatment pairing intelligent exfoliation with firming peptides to soften visible signs of aging.
Brighten Up Facial
Targets uneven tone, hyperpigmentation, melasma, and photodamage while smoothing rough texture.
Stay Calm Facial
For sensitive or irritated skin: soothes redness, reduces inflammation, and deeply rehydrates.
Facial Add-Ons
Any facial can be extended with add-ons chosen at booking or with your specialist:
- Neck & décolleté treatment
- Detoxifying foot mask and massage
- LED light therapy
- Hydrojelly mask
- Antioxidant-infused facial steam
- Brilliant eye complex treatment
- Collagen lip mask
- Aromatherapy
How Does a Facial Work?
Preparation is simple: cleanse with your usual skincare cleanser beforehand, and skip exfoliating for a few days prior. Most facials include exfoliation, and layering your own on top risks over-exfoliating the skin the treatment is meant to help.
At your appointment, a skin care specialist examines your skin and recommends the facial best matched to your condition and concerns, whether that is enlarged pores, breakouts, acne scarring, or hyperpigmentation. The treatment itself is relaxing rather than clinical: cleansing, exfoliation, extractions where needed, and a finishing masque and serums suited to your skin.
Is There Downtime After a Facial?
No. There is no downtime associated with facials; skin may look slightly pink for a short while depending on the treatment's intensity, then settles into the post-facial glow people book them for.
Two scheduling notes from experience: book your facial one or two days ahead of a special occasion rather than the same afternoon, and for lasting results, treat facials as maintenance. A monthly cadence keeps pores clear and skin consistently bright, matching the roughly month-long cycle on which skin renews itself.
Who Is a Good Candidate for a Facial?
Nearly everyone. Because the menu spans oily, dry, sensitive, acne-prone, and aging skin, and every treatment is customized, facials suit patients addressing a specific concern as well as those simply maintaining healthy skin.
When a concern needs more than a facial can deliver, being in a plastic-surgeon-led practice pays off: your specialist can point you to chemical peels, HydraFacial, laser resurfacing, or a medical-grade skin care regimen instead of overselling the facial menu.
Frequently Asked Questions About Facials
How often should I get a facial?
About once a month for ongoing results. Skin renews itself on roughly a monthly cycle, so a monthly facial keeps pores clear and the surface bright in step with that rhythm. A single facial delivers an immediate glow; the cumulative benefit comes from consistency.
Which facial should I choose?
Let your skin decide, not the menu. A skin care specialist examines your skin at the appointment and recommends the right treatment: oily or congested skin points toward the deep pore acne or clarifying facial, dullness toward glycolic, pigmentation toward the brighten up facial, sensitivity toward stay calm, and visible aging toward picture perfect.
Is there any downtime after a facial?
No. Skin may be slightly pink for a short while depending on the intensity of the treatment, but there is nothing to recover from. If you are preparing for an event, schedule the facial one or two days beforehand so the glow peaks on time.
What is the difference between a facial and a HydraFacial?
A facial is a hands-on treatment customized from cleansing, exfoliation, extractions, and masques. HydraFacial is a device-based treatment that cleanses, extracts, and infuses serums in one automated sequence. Both are no-downtime maintenance treatments; the right choice depends on your skin and preference, and many patients alternate them.
What is the difference between a facial and a chemical peel?
A facial cleanses and maintains; a chemical peel resurfaces. Peels use stronger acid formulations to remove damaged surface layers, which brings more visible change and, at deeper strengths, real peeling and downtime. Facials may include a gentle enzyme or glycolic component but stay firmly in no-downtime territory.
Can facials help with acne?
Yes, particularly the deep pore acne and clarifying facials, which combine deep cleansing, extractions, and oil-absorbing or LED-based steps to calm congested skin. Active, severe, or cystic acne may need medical treatment alongside facials, and your specialist will say so rather than let a facial stand in for care it cannot provide.
How should I prepare for a facial?
Arrive with clean or lightly made-up skin, having used only your normal cleanser, and skip exfoliating for a few days beforehand. Most facials include exfoliation, and doubling up can leave skin over-exfoliated and sensitive.
How much does a facial cost?
Cost depends on the facial selected and any add-ons chosen. NorCal Plastic Surgery provides current pricing when you book, and qualified patients may explore available financing options for broader treatment plans.
Book a Facial
Whether your skin needs a deep clean, a calm-down, or a pre-event glow, there is a facial on the menu built for it, and a specialist to match you to the right one.
Book at the Tiburon office in Marin County by calling (415) 727-9666. You may also schedule online.
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