My facial rejuvenation – part 1

Time catches up with us all at some stage. Since turning 60 I can definitely see an escalation in the ageing of my skin. This is, of course, only natural but doesn’t mean I have to sit back and just accept it.  There are now so many treatments that are non-surgical, non-invasive or semi-invasive that there is actually quite a lot you can do.

However there are two major drawbacks. One is that with so many options it’s hard to know what to go for and the other is that these treatments are expensive.

If you do decide to spend the money, you want to know that you’re going to get a result

Which is where I come in handy. Through my site I get the opportunity to try things out and tell you about them and if they’re worth it.

Early in 2019 I decided to look for a treatment that would get visible results. Besides a general loosening, my skin had lost it’s glow and just looked a bit flat and lack lustre. I decided to see what Dermaspa had to offer.

Dermaspa founder Nilam Holmes is a dynamo and magician when it comes to all things beauty

Besides being a superb make up and eyebrow expert, she was the first (and I believe only person) to bring the fabulous Collagen Wave to people. It’s a radio frequency treatment that is a favourite of mine and I’ve written about it before.

But this time I wanted more, something deeper and longer lasting

Nilam had the answer. You have to try Hifu, she said, you will be amazed at the results.

This set in motion a rejuvenation that started in May and took til November to complete. Why so long? Because you need patience for this one. It takes months for your skin to show results as new collagen is built. And we added a few other treatments along the way to maximise the result.

So at the end of all this was it worth it? Read on to find out.

I will take you through the whole journey.

May ’19 – my first Hifu treatment

What exactly is Hifu? It’s a high intensity focused ultrasound. More importantly, it’s a non-invasive alternative to a facelift. I met a few people at Dermaspa who had tried it and they were all raving about the results. But it takes time to see these and how long that is depends mostly on your age. The older you are the longer it’s going to take. So realistically for someone of my age, I’m looking at 5 or 6 months. Frustrating I know but as far as I’m concerned, the fact it’s non-invasive makes it worth the wait.

It works by penetrating to deeper levels of the skin and at higher temperatures than radio frequency, treating beyond the dermis and foundation layers where structural weakening begins. The thermal heat creates little wounds spaced apart as well as cellular friction. Alarming as this sounds, what it results in is healing as the collagen immediately contracts and tightens and collagen renewal is stimulated.

Over the following months the wound healing continues and the collagen tightening and renewal increases.

The results can last for years

So what happened during the treatment and did it hurt?

They suggested I take arnica pills for a few days before and some aspirin before the appointment but I’m not sure it was needed. I was expecting the worse I have to say, so was pleasantly surprised. Whilst it was uncomfortable at times, it was completely bearable.

The therapist started by drawing grid marks with a pen over my face. It does get hot but the therapist moves the appliance along very quickly so that you don’t burn. Some areas are a lot more uncomfortable than others. Anything near a bone I found the most painful, the  jawline being the worst. I was warned that I might have some aching in the bones for a few weeks afterwards and I did. Nothing terrible but there was a definite little ache. This is caused by the vibration of the sound waves.

I wasn’t red after the treatment and had no bruising. We agreed that I would come back in 3 months for a top up and assessment.

NEXT TIME:

I go back for my Hifu top up and end up having 3 different treatments in one day!

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