Much to my horror the dreaded spots which I had thought departed many moons ago –  popped up again in my thirties.

There’s nothing more horrifying than waking up the morning of an important event to see a large red spot the size of Mount Vesuvius on your face, particularly right in the middle of your eye brows!  WHAT on earth was going on?

I am a little anal about my skincare routine, I use great products, I don’t consume too much alcohol, I exercise, eat well and live a clean life (well most of the time – but let’s face it we have to live a little and I am only human after all).

I promptly headed to my doctor (a little dramatic I know – but these spots turned up on a regular basis, were nasty, sore and wouldn’t budge and made me feel dirty).

The good doctor asked all the usual questions about sleep, stress, skincare routine, he even did blood tests to check my hormone levels (always a good idea – I do this regularly – more on that in another column).

In short, nothing obvious wrong and we couldn’t pin-point the problem.

A friend of mine suggested regular (monthly) cleansing facials.

My first reaction was what a waste of money and rather indulgent.  I begrudgingly booked myself in for a ‘cleansing facial’.  Fat lot of good it would do I thought.

However, nearly 12 months down the track from my first monthly treatment, I can safely say that these have been life-changing.

I’m not talking about your regular facial where you get a lovely massage and take a nap – while I do get the massage, the nap doesn’t happen.  I’m being pricked, squeezed, scrubbed and buffed.

This facial is not for the faint-hearted.  Extractions are a big part of this one hour session, but boy of boy do I look forward to them.

My fabulous lady gets in their boots and all – squeezing like there’s no tomorrow.  No blackhead, pimple, lump or bump is left unattended.

Yes, you leave a little red but there is never any scaring, my face looks nice and shiny, well moisturised and most importantly of all it feels clean.

The pores are unblocked and the following day my makeup goes on like a dream and I look like I’ve been on holiday.

Facial fast facts

The cost: I pay $110 for an hour (I also incorporate a brow tint and tidy with this – which is extra)

Pain factor – zero; just a little discomfort while getting the extractions

Downtime – none at all

Best time to get it done – after work (nothing beats having someone else remove your makeup)

Frequency – I have these once a month

Do they make a difference – yes, to my skin they have, although it’ll take three months to notice a difference

Make sure you go to a good beauty therapist, with a great reputation and most of all, their rooms need to be spotless, clean and hygienic.  Check out their reviews online, or ask friends for referrals