Beauty Treatment Review – HydraFacial, Premier Laser & Skin Clinic, London
Review: Jamie Roberts
It’s January and a combination of late nights, too many wines, central heating, bitter cold and the fact that the gym is a distant memory, ALL take its toll on our skin, No amount of makeup and sipping water could rescue my tired, thirsty complexion so it was time for some serious action; enter the Premier Laser & Skin Clinic’s HydraFacial – the answer to my January prayers!
The London Premier Laser & Skin Clinic is nestled in London’s Notting Hill, just a few minutes stroll away from the tube (Central line). As I arrived at the clinic reception, my therapist Indigo took me to a warm treatment room to escape the cold weather and begin my complexion transformation.
Indigo explained the treatment process before gently cleansing my face and removing all make-up traces in gentle circular motions. To ensure my pores were fully open to allow for deeper cleansing she used the steam machine to gently steam my face for a few minutes. The HydraFacial is revolutionary in the fact that it provides deep exfoliation, which allows optimum penetration of the complexion enhancing serums in a quick and painless treatment with minimal downtime. There is absolutely no prolonged skin peeling or tightness that can be a nightmare after chemical peels, and an immediate feeling of freshness. I have very sensitive skin that is prone to redness, dryness, the terrors of pore clogging oily patches and blackheads. Indigo looked closely at my skin and listened to my skin woes before choosing an appropriate mix of nutrient rich antioxidants and hyaluronic acid serums for the HydraFacial process.
After a good steam came the manual skin extraction to unclog the obvious, surface pores. The ‘vortex tool’ was then used to methodically cleanse, exfoliate and extract dead skin impurities, providing lymphatic drainage, reducing toxins and helping to eliminate the congestion – all which is made worse by residing in smoggy city of London. Although it wasn’t 100% comfortable, the tenderness felt from the suctioning was calmed by the serum blend, which is simultaneously applied to the face by the vortex tool. The extraction was concentrated on the T-zone, followed by expanding towards the hairline, and finally to the neck area. After allowing the serum to soak in, a gentle glycolic acid peel was applied for a few minutes; a specially selected gentle formula was used due to the sensitivity of my skin. The whole vortex process was then repeated again to ensure every pore was worked on. After allowing the generous application of super moisture boosting hyaluronic and antioxidant serums to soak deep into the newly cleansed pores, the LED light therapy treatment are used, depending on your skin type and needs, a red light to is used to simulate collagen production and soothe redness and a blue light is used to reduce acne-causing bacteria. My skin was in need of a red light to boost optimum collagen production.
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I was nervous to see the results immediately after facial had ended as I know how red and irritated my skin gets from even the most gentle of exfoliation. When I was handed the mirror I was surprised to see that the redness was minimal and my pores looked instantly refined. The bags under my eyes were reduced, my skin surface was smoother (the HydraFacial is great for clients looking for wrinkle reduction and hyper-pigmentation too), and I DEFINITELY looked somehow more ‘youthful’- a clear result of the enhanced collagen boost.
The shocker however, was when it came to the final ‘unveiling of the vacuum collection chamber. I knew that my skin was congested but I cleanse morning and evening and didn’t expect to see such dirty water! I was ashamed to see the chamber was completely brown, but Indigo reassured me that this is normal after treatment number one. It goes to show that despite religiously following a cleansing, toning and moisturising regime, sometimes we need the boost that only a hard-working, medical facial can give us!
It is advised that the first few HydraFacial treatments are done fortnightly and then maintained every couple of months to avoid the skin re-congesting. A week after the treatment I can see the pores start to become more prominent again so am ensuring I steam the face with a hot muslin cloth before my cleansing process. I think it is time to get the next session booked and aim towards seeing that HydraFacial suction chamber the clear colour it should be!