Amazing beauty treatments

My mother managed to reach her mid-fifties before she ever had a facial. She had naturally good skin, so it never occurred to her that she should seek some sort of professional advice to improve its look or condition. I, on the other hand, began my career as a beauty editor in my early twenties, so I became a seasoned salon junkie relatively early in life. Perhaps it’s my mother’s beauty abstinence (or her genetically superior skin), but something inside makes me want to apologise for my regular forays to the beauty therapist.

I know that our culture is completely youth-obsessed, and many women will pay vast sums of money to have any part of their anatomy lifted, scraped and lasered, but I started to wonder whether I was alone in feeling that a regular pamperfest is a tad indulgent. One friend, Rebecca, who has two small children, casually said over a cup of tea, “When you have a mortgage to pay and you’re short on time, the idea of lying in a cubicle having your skin played with seems downright sinful.”

A woman after my own heart.I was preparing to surrender to a life burdened by beauty guilt when I had a chat with a colleague, Kelly Baker, who said, “I know I don’t appear to be a high-maintenance beauty type, but I am not above the odd laser treatment or a big spend if the treatments and products really work.”

At that moment, a lightbulb flashed in my head: what if I could justify my heavy reliance on beauty therapists by saying to myself, ‘It’s okay because it really works’. Suddenly, I had the way and the means to go on spending hard-earned cash and precious time on myself – and my ageing skin. Kelly inadvertently had given me the permission that my abstemious mother could not: to indulge to my heart’s content.

Between the two of us, Kelly and I have tried many cosmetic treatments – some with impressive results and some that rate as a complete waste of money. Here are four treatments that really work and do justify the time, effort and expense. Take it from someone who knows: enjoy these treatments and procedures and eschew any feelings of guilt.

 

Omnilux Revive light treatment

Nikki: Omnilux Revive promises the kind of results you could only hope to achieve with laser – but without the pain. A non-laser photo-facial that requires no recovery time, the treatment was developed in the UK about 10 years ago by a cancer research company as a non-surgical light therapy designed to help catalyse the body’s immune system. The frequency of the red light, emitted by thousands of LEDs (light emitting diodes), helps the skin’s defence mechanisms to reverse some of the signs and symptoms of ageing, such as uneven skin tone, broken capillaries, fine lines and wrinkles. The 20-minute treatment can be experienced on its own or paired with a facial. For long-lasting results, True Solutions (the distributors of Omnilux Revive) recommends a series of nine sessions – I signed up for the lot (each session costs about $100). I began to see results after the third week, but by the end of the course many of the pigmentation marks on my forehead and cheeks had significantly softened and the fine lines around my eyes had definitely diminished. An added bonus was that, by the end of every session, the light had given my skin an instant ‘fullness’ and radiance I hadn’t expected. Now, six months down the track, the pigmentation hasn’t returned (great!), but the tiny lines are starting to gather again at the corners of my eyes. It may be time for another round of treatments...
True Solutions: 1800 808 993; www.true-solutions.com.au.

Microdermabrasion skin treatment
Kelly: My friend Selina Schiedel has gorgeous covergirl skin. I’ve always wondered how she does it and one night over drinks she told me her secret. “Microdermabrasion,” she whispered. Selina, a consultant at The Stuart Clinic, says she loves microdermabrasion because it is a walk-in, walk-out procedure that provides great results. “It’s like a really effective deep exfoliation,” she says, “refining pores and smoothing and rejuvenating the skin.” I dropped by for a treatment the following week. Selina cleansed my face, popped my hair into a paper hat and got started. While she worked, she explained that the wand she was sweeping across my face was removing the stratum corneum, the surface layer of my skin. This was being done with tiny micro-abrasive crystals. The wand was simultaneously sucking up the debris and stimulating the skin. It felt a little like having my face sandblasted, complete with gritty bits. Afterwards, my skin felt a little tight and was an unflattering fire-engine red. But the following morning my complexion looked fresh and dewy-looking, and my skin felt super-smooth. Microdermabrasion can improve blotchy, unevenly pigmented skin. It’s also good for removing whiteheads, blackheads and acne scarring. You may need four to six treatments (from $130 each) before you see a significant improvement.
The Stuart Clinic: (02) 9411 4288; www.stuartclinic.com.au.

 

Thalgo Hydrating Treatment facial
Nikki: If you expect a facial to be able to wipe years off your face, you’ll be disappointed. However, what most facials do very well is deep-clean the skin and plump it up (temporarily) with moisturisers. When I visited Rapport Beauty Therapy for a Thalgo Hydrating Treatment, $135, my skin was dry and dull and in desperate need of a good exfoliation. The treatment began with the gentle removal of my eye make-up. Next, the therapist cleansed my skin and, using the light Pure Delicacy Cleansing Milk, gave my face a brisk massage. She then removed the cleanser with a refreshing toner to prepare my skin for an AHA/BHA peel, which she massaged into the skin. When it had dried, she peeled it away. Using a combination of oil and serum, the therapist then gave my skin a 20-minute effleurage massage, which was not only supremely relaxing but helped drain the lymph from under my eyes and around my neck (I emerged looking particularly toned and tightened). After the massage, she applied a hydrating marine mask which she left on my face for 20 minutes. I promptly fell asleep. When the mask had set, the therapist removed it and applied a product called Energizing Vitality Cream, a rich and nutritious cream that left my skin looking vibrant and rejuvenated. The whole process took little more than an hour and I walked out of the salon feeling relaxed and revived.
Rapport Beauty: (02) 9979 5299; www.rapportbeautytherapy.com.au.

 

Intense Pulsed Light photorejuvenation
Kelly: I grew up on the beach and my naturally pale skin paid the price. At 35, it was showing all the classic signs of ageing: uneven pigmentation, blotches, fine lines and broken capillaries. There are plenty of things I’m prepared to put up with, but bad skin is not one of them. I dropped into The Clinic, a beauty salon that specialises in cosmetic treatments, to see what could be done. After a quick skin analysis, The Clinic’s director Kaye Scott suggested a course of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). She explained that IPL uses an intense light emitted in a series of pulses to remove sun damage, broken capillaries and fine lines. For maximum effect, a course of three to five treatments is recommended (each session costs from $220). Kaye applied a cooling gel to my face and told me to close my eyes and relax. Then she said the words I hate to hear: “This might sting.” But it didn’t. Each tiny pulse of light (which was penetrating through the skin’s pigment and breaking it up) felt like a small zap. Kaye zapped away and in 20 minutes it was all over. That evening I noticed a sprinkle of dark spots on my face, particularly around my nose and cheekbones, but the following morning they were beginning to flake off. My sun damage was literally disappearing before my eyes! I had four more IPL sessions (all as pain-free as the first) and the result is 100 per cent flawless skin. Now, all I have to do is keep it that way. The Clinic: (02) 9386 1533; www.theclinic.net.au.

 

Words: Kelly Baker and Nikki Goldstein. Photography: Steven Chee. Hair & Make-up: Kimberley Forbes. Photographed at the Decleor Training Centre.