I don’t know about you but when your working day is pressured and there just doesn’t seem a spare moment to concentrate on you it’s a heavenly feeling when you know you’re heading for a facial straight after work. It’s even more heavenly when you know that it’s in a Mayfair clinic that specialises in non-invasive, aesthetic treatments. Waterhouse Young clinic in Devonshire Street is a haven of calm and I couldn’t wait to get there to see what they could do for me.
They’re aesthetics specialists but as you’ll probably have gathered I don’t go for anything invasive or painful, that’s not a judgement of the specialists that provide the services or the people that use them it’s just a personal choice. What’s really key for me though is that there is such expertise and medical knowledge there and I felt that I could really trust them.
I was invited to trial the HydraFacial Treatment, the ultimate medical facial. This is the latest non-invasive skin resurfacing treatment, ideal for treating fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, oily and acne-prone skin, as well as general skin rejuvenation.
Whilst I couldn’t wait to try this treatment out I wanted to be sure how suitable the treatment would be for my skin. I’d been told previously that my skin is sensitive and quite thin in places and not suitable for a peel which is one of the stages of the treatment. I really shouldn’t have worried for a second because the team at Waterhouse Young are super helpful and want to make sure that you get exactly what you need and that you’re absolutely content with what they’re planning before they kick off.
I was asked to fill in all my medical details and skin care routine before I went to meet with Dr Saira Vasdev. She carried out a detailed skin analysis using Visia software to assess the condition of my skin. It looked at everything from historic sun damage to congestion and elasticity. During the analysis, I was able to discuss my concerns with the doctor about the process and it’s suitability for my skin. She couldn’t see any reason why I couldn’t have the full treatment including the peel but I was totally at liberty to decide whether to go ahead with all or part of the treatment and she was really supportive.
I went through to meet the aesthetic nurse practitioner who was going to carry out my HydraFacial. She had a consent form for me to sign and it covered the usual disclaimers. We talked about my skin concerns and although I’d agreed to have all the stages of the facial including the peel I did hesitate again at this point as I was concerned that it might cause redness and irritation. This was when I knew that I was being cared for by professionals as she took the decision for me and decided to remove the peel process from my treatment. She was taking care of my feeling as well as the practical side of the treatment which made me able to relax and enjoy things.
So, what does the treatment entail?
The nurse used a series of tools to remove dead skin cells and impurities and then cleansed hydrated and moisturised it.
The treatment began with cleansing and exfoliation to remove dead skin cells and then extraction to remove impurities from my pores.
The next stage, was the one I missed out and this was the use of a glycolic and salicylic acid peel.
Then we moved onto the hydration stage which infuses skin with antioxidants and hyaluronic acid to hydrate, nourish and protect. Treatment serums are blended to suit your skin condition and aside from the analysis I’d been able to discuss my skin with the nurse so I knew they had it just right for me.
Finally, I had red LED light treament which is designed to aid circulation, reduce redness and irritation, and to stimulate collagen and elastin production. (If you have acne-prone skin, they use blue LED lights at this stage to help fight bacteria.
How did it feel?
It was all very relaxing with calming music playing and the treatment process never feeling uncomfortable at all. When it was all done and I had the chance to look at my skin in the mirror it looked and felt so clean and there was no redness at all. It felt really hydrated and I’ve noticed that its smoother and that my fine lines are less noticeable. Lovely!
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