If the thought of a chemical peel sends you into a panic, there are alternatives. Dr Ravi Jain is a fan of laser resurfacing which he feels is less harsh on the skin. ‘With a chemical peel 100% of the skin’s surface is removed and it’s less precise, whereas with a laser you can target specific areas’, he explains. He uses SmartXide fractional laser, which sends thousands of dots of high energy light onto the surface of the skin, removing layers of dead skin cells. A one-off treatment is usually all it takes and the skin continues to improve over the next six to twelve months. From £900, per session. (http://www.riverbanksclinic.co.uk/)
For a treatment with no downtime at all, other than a hint of redness afterwards, the Genuine Dermaroller Therapy, really can be done in your lunch break. The skin is numbed with a topical anaesthetic prior to treatment (it hurts otherwise), and the roller penetrates the skin with thousands of microscopic needles, which stimulate the skin to repair itself. The skin will look brighter straight away, but once the new collagen and skin cells start being produced it will improve over the next six weeks. For long term results, up to three sessions, every six weeks are recommended. From £250 per session.
Another new treatment for reviving dull skin is Jet-M Hydrodermabrasion. State of the art technology delivers a combination of oxygen and saline to the skin via tiny jet nozzles which gently exfoliate the top layers of the skin, removing dead skin cells and allowing oxygen back into the skin. There is no pain and no downtime. From £80 per session.
EYES
Most chemical peels can be used around the eye area, but for best results, Dr Jain recommends the ‘Madonna Lift’, created by New York Dermatologist, Dr Bruce Katz. ‘The skin around the eyes is very thin, and the Madonna Lift laser treatment can be used in a very gentle way’, he explains. The energy from the laser stimulates collagen growth and strengthens the skin tone around the eye area. It only takes a few minutes, and three to five sessions spread over two to three weeks should last up to five years. ‘You can control how deep the laser goes by a fraction of a millimetre,’ explains Dr Jain, ‘so you can go right up to the lash line which even Botox can’t do’. From £500 per session. (http://www.riverbanksclinic.co.uk/).
Next week.....Home Peels
