Forget dermal fillers or going under the knife. There’s a soft revolution taking place in the beauty industry as increasingly savvy consumers turn to the latest cutting-edge non-invasive treatments for long-term aesthetic results that are more than skin deep.
Here, Millionair takes a look at some of the best new treatments designed to give glow – and lift – without the downtime.
By Juliet Herd
PicoSure Laser Skin Brightening – Dr Joney de Souza
The PicoSure Laser is one of the most effective ways to correct hyperpigmentation and to improve overall skin tone, quality and texture. Unsurprisingly, the expert practitioners at Dr Joney de Souza’s skin and laser clinic tend to treat a preponderance of Australians and South Africans, who are more prone to sun damage and freckles than those in the northern hemisphere. The treatment can also help to reduce the appearance of fine lines, acne-scarring, wrinkles and pores and is suitable for all skin types.
How it works:
PicoSure laser delivers ultra-short pico-second pulses, which penetrate deep into the skin to shatter tiny pigment particles without damaging the surrounding tissue. These broken-down particles are small enough to be eliminated by the body, resulting in gradual fading. Ticking boxes for both sun damage and age spots as an Australia-born, middle-aged woman, I was booked in for three sessions carried out four to six weeks apart. First, my practitioner Roma applied an anaesthetic numbing cream on my face and neck for 30 minutes before using a pigment-zapping handpiece to target both visible and hidden pigmentation. Next, she deployed the PicoSure Focus handpiece, a rejuvenation tool designed to get my skin cells “talking to each other” and stimulate production of elastin and collagen.
Pain factor:
It started off as a feathery pin-prick, which then gave way to the sensation of a ballpoint pen pressing into your skin. Not exactly pleasant but certainly bearable. Roma gave me a cooling wand to wave over my hot face while she lasered away.
Downtime:
My skin felt decidedly sunburnt – and certainly looked it – but calmed down after just a few hours, so much so that I drew compliments at dinner that evening on my “glowing” complexion! I found my skin was hot to the touch for several days, a bit blotchy and seriously thirsty, so made sure to apply plenty of hydrating serums and SPF 50 to my face.
Results:
It takes at least a couple of weeks before you start to see any noticeable results and it might be longer, depending on your skin type. You can expect your pigmentation spots to darken before they start to fade. After the first session, my skin tone and texture looked smoother and clearer and following the third, stubborn sun spots and pigmentation patches were almost entirely eradicated and my skin looked tighter, tauter and brighter. As long as you take steps to properly protect your face from environmental aggressors, such as UV rays and pollution, the results can last for years, says Roma.
Price: Face and neck: £1500 for three sessions.
Dr Joney De Souza Skin and Laser Clinic, 49 Blandford Street, London W1U 7HH
ExoTech Exosome Therapy – Dr David Jack
Exosomes are fast becoming a dermatological buzzword as beauty brands seek to create treatments and products that target your skin at a cellular level for enduring results. These extracellular vesicles are believed to increase collagen production in the dermis by up to a whopping 700% over the course of several months. The latest in regenerative technology, ExoTech Exosome Therapy is designed to improve skin tone and texture while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles through an increase in collagen and elastin production.
How it works:
Extracted from damascene rose cells and measuring about 1/800th of the size of a cell, exosomes (only plant-derived ones are legal in the UK) contain biomolecules including proteins, growth factors, lipids and nucleic acids. They act as ‘regeneration messengers’ from stem cells to other cells – in effect, they help the older cells to repair themselves. After applying some topical numbing cream to my face (20 minutes is long enough for it to take effect as the procedure is low in discomfort), my practitioner spread exosome serum on my skin before using a microneedle device to create microscopic channels in the dermis, which cause the exosomes to seep into the deeper layers. While exosomes are nanoparticles, they cannot penetrate skin on their own and need these little channels in order to start communicating with skin cells. More serum was then applied topically to maximise collagen and elastin production.
Pain factor and downtime:
The treatment was pleasingly pain-free and fast, lasting less than an hour, including the time taken for the numbing cream to work. My skin felt slightly tingly and tender to the touch and looked mildly sunburnt for a few hours afterwards, but by the next morning, any redness was gone.
Results:
While three sessions (two weeks apart) are recommended for best results, including minimising the appearance of acne scars, enlarged pores and hyperpigmentation as well as alleviating inflammatory conditions such as rosacea, my skin felt plumper, brighter and smoother after just one.
Price: From £580 per session.
Dr David Jack Belgravia Clinic, 59 Ebury Street, SW1W 0NZ
Sylfirm X – Dr Rita Rakus
This magical machine is a next-generation radiofrequency and micro needling system, deploying both continuous wave and pulsed wave in one nifty device to treat pigmentation and vascular lesions such as melasma and rosacea as well as acne scarring. It also tightens and lifts, improves skin tone and leaves it looking clearer and more radiant.
How it works:
The beauty of the dual mode procedure is that it can be tailored to different aesthetic concerns and is suitable for all skin types. For instance, the continuous wave is ideal for improving collagen and skin laxity while the pulse wave RF specifically targets abnormal vessels for improved pigmentation and vascularity. Dr Rakus describes it as “the next step above Morpheus 8”. The device’s ultra-fine gold needles are robotically-produced to ensure they penetrate at controlled and optimum superficial depths of between 0.3-4.0mm. This creates controlled micro-injuries within the skin, triggering its natural healing process, which can stimulate new collagen and elastin production and reduce the appearance of fine lines. “New technology is showing that superficial treatment is best; the shallower you go, the less pain, less damage and less side effects,” says Dr Rakus. The treatment can last up to 45 minutes with an additional 20 minutes if numbing cream is required.
Pain Factor:
According to Dr Rakus, you should experience 70% less pain due to the advanced technology and virtually no bleeding.
Downtime:
There could be some redness and minor swelling after treatment, but this usually disappears within 24 hours.
Results:
While visible tightening comes immediately, for a reduction in the appearance of pigmentation and acne scarring, expect to see results after about one month. Measurable results appear gradually over two to three months as it takes time for the benefits of boosted collagen production to be seen. A series of three to five sessions is recommended, spaced two to four weeks apart.
Price: From £1200 for one session.
Dr Rita Rakus Clinic, 54 Hans Road, London SW3 1RW
