What a difference a word makes…..

As many of you know I have recently turned 40 and I look a bit worse for wear. In an attempt, to stay looking younger, I’ve tried quite a few things from sticking 100s of tiny pins into my face to a mild chemical peal! However, I’m not willing to go under the knife…..yet!

A few months ago, prior to my first Radio Frequency treatment; which is a non-invasive treatment where a device is used to heat up the skin to 42 degrees to stimulate collagen growth, thus reducing wrinkles, I announced on Twitter that I was having Radio Therapy which is a whole different kettle of fish. I do apologise if I caused any alarm.

I haven’t done a ‘Cilla Black’ and they didn’t need to freeze my face first. It’s virtually painless. You get the odd ting when the frequency bounces off a bone, a rather odd sensation but not painful in the least and at times it may get a bit warm. The procedure takes about 45 minutes and I nearly fell asleep as I was so relaxed. Following the treatment, Carolina from the Anti-Ageing Clinic, who has the skin of a 30 year old but is my age (b*tch), put a cooling mask on my face. There was a rather technical name for it but in short it’s full of water.

Then she uses a red light, which again stimulates collagen growth. Apparently, you can buy one of these and use them at home but personally can’t see myself doing that as I’m lucky if I remember to take my make up off before hitting my silk pillow.

As I’ve said I’ve tried a few other things and honestly, this is the only one that I have instantly noticed a difference. I have had two treatments (£75 each) my crow’s feet and laugh lines are by no means gone, but are now a lot better.
Apparently, our next adventure is the Dermaroller Pen! I’ll let you know how we get on!

Disclosure: the treatments were compliments of the Anti-Ageing Clinic

Wrinkles, blackheads and dead skin cells!

So, what did you do on your 40th?  Um, err, I thought it would be fitting to head into the heart of Plastic Surgery in London to have some non-invasive treatments at the Cavendish Clinic.  It seemed like a great way to mark the occasion.

Originally, I was going to have some Zeltiq, which promises to freeze fat away with a Dalek-looking machine.  It’s not designed for people who have a lot of weight to lose, but for those annoying pockets of flab that you can’t shift, in my case a muffin top and lower back sag. However, for a number of reasons we decided this treatment wasn’t for me at this time so we opted for a facial with microdermabrasion and a light chemical peel.  Microdermabrasion is like a mini-hoover that sucks up all the dead skin cells.

The clinic shares its waiting room with the plastic surgery hospital on the ground floor.  I must admit I’ve never been so curious, I kept taking sneaky peaks at the others wondering why they were there.  There were some obvious candidates for liposuction, breast enlargements and Botox.  However, there was a woman in the corner with dark glasses and a sombrero sized floppy hat that really intrigued me.  I can’t help thinking she was someone famous.

I must admit whilst walking to the clinic I started wondering what the h*ll was I doing.  It’s my face and if something goes wrong, I could be permanently damaged. But as soon as I met the beautiful Madja, she put me at ease immediately.  She kept me fully informed throughout the entire procedure, telling me what to expect, whether I should feel anything or not. She even removed my black heads around my nose which I didn’t realise I had.

Too be honest, I slightly panicked when she put the chemical peel on as it had a slight burning/tingling sensation but she’d warned me about this and it wasn’t uncomfortable really.  Prior to the chemical peel she did the microdermabrasion. After she’d done half my face she stopped to let me feel the difference and oh my goodness was there a difference.  It was so smooth!

I don’t look any different but my skin feels amazing.  Unfortunately, as a family, I can’t afford to do it on a more regular basis as it costs £160.  However, they do have some introductory offers.

I’ll probably have to wait till my next big birthday for my next treatment and depending on how life treats me you may find me downstairs having a facelift!

Disclosure:  The treatment was complimentary in return for this post