I am a self-confessed beauty-tech geek. I love tools and devices and gizmos, whether at home or in the hands of a professional. At home I use my Dermalux LED light at night, and a cooling cryotherapy face mask some mornings for instant de-puffing (Charlotte Tilbury’s new one is excellent). But while at-home gadgets and products are great (see my favourites to the right), I’m always asked what works in a treatment setting, for beginners.
For facials, I think the magic combination is gentle microneedling and radiofrequency. They are the perfect pairing for smoother, healthier-looking skin (though a light peel always helps). I am a fan of the SkinPen microneedling device, which is available in clinics nationwide. It creates tiny, shallow punctures in the skin’s surface, which kick-starts new collagen production.
Radiofrequency is one of my all-time favourite treatments, and again is available in clinics around the country. Usually administered with a handheld tool that passes over the skin (and feels warm and quite soothing) radio-frequency is the treatment of choice if you want skin tightening and lifting.
Fatma Shaheen employs both in her jaw-droppingly good facials at the London chemist John Bell & Croyden. She has also taken up temporary residency at the Matches Fashion space in Mayfair, and will be there for another week. ‘For skin that is visibly better an hour after you arrive for a treatment, microneedling and radio-frequency together is a wonderful choice,’ she tells me. She’s a woman of her word: I can really notice a difference after a facial with Fatma.
The same principle is behind the Morpheus 8 treatment (made famous by Judy Murray and Amanda Holden). Again combining microneedling and radiofrequency, but this time in one handheld device, it is highly effective but not for the faint-hearted.
So there you have it: if you’re looking to try advanced, tech-filled facial, a microneedling and radiofrequency pairing might be for you.
Buys to try
