No.1 Magazine : July 2013

No. 1 Reviews …

Clear + Brilliant Laser

We send a reviewer to find out if all the fuss regarding fractional lasers is warranted …

You may have heard a little bit about fractional lasers and how they’re revolutionising the beauty industry, even Jennifer Aniston and Kim Kardashian have admitted to having regular sessions, but what does the laser actually do?  The Clear + brilliant laser treatment, offered  at Zen Lifestyle in Edinburgh, aims to not only help correct the early signs of ageing, but prevent them from appearing in the future too.  The laser is said to give you glowing, smooth skin, reduced pores and less minor brown spots.  It basically treats most surface irregularities of the skin.

When we asked around the No. 1 offices for anyone who is totally happy with their skin to put their hands up, not one person did.  Skin is one of these things, especially as we get older, that never quite looks the way we want it to.  The skin on the face is the first thing anyone sees when they look at us, so it’s vital we give it some TLC.

We sent a No.1 reviewer to Zen Lifestyle to test out this Clear + Brilliant treatment to see if, afterward, she would be one of the few women who would answer ‘yes’ to the ‘happy with your skin’ question.  Here’s her experience: “My skin tends to be very prone to acne, and after years of suffering from it, I’ve been left with visible scarring.  I also have large pores on my cheeks and nose, and my skin tone is generally quite uneven in patches, so any improvement that this laser treatment could deliver was very welcome!

“When I arrived at Zen I was given a form covering what to expect of the treatment, a list of possible side effects and a brief health questionnaire.  I was told to read it carefully and sign, promising to wear factor 50 every day for two weeks after the treatment, and consenting to the use of the topical anaesthetic (numbing cream).  Next, my face was cleansed and the numbing cream was applied. It was left on for 30 minutes, which was spent lying down relaxing in the calming, dimly lit room so that I could just chill out. Once the 30 minutes were up, my therapist began the treatment.  The laser was swept slowly across my face, twice horizontally and twice vertically, concentrating on individual areas such as the forehead, then the cheeks, then the nose etc.  The whole treatment took around 30 minutes and once the laser was finished, a cooling mask was applied to my face to soothe my skin, which was feeling very hot at the time. I’d say the laser was slightly painful as it went over my skin but not unbearable.  It’s more uncomfortable than sore, though it was a bit nippy around my hairline and upper lip.  As I left en my face looked like I was sunburned and it stayed red for a few hours afterward.  By that evening though, I was only very slightly pink, I was advised not to lie out in the sun for two weeks after the treatment, as the skin is sensitive to sun damage, and to only wear mineral make-up for a couple of days. Those were the only things you could consider to cause any kind on inconvenience, there is no real down time from this treatment.  Three days later al the redness was gone and my skin definitely looked brighter.  There was mild flakiness around my nose, which I was told to expect.  I could see the pores over my nose and cheeks were much less noticeable.  Usually at least 3 treatments are required to see a big difference in the skin.  After one though, I felt my face had more of a glow.  I would get the treatment again and recommend it for anyone looking for something stronger than facial, but without the down time of many other laser treatments.

www.staging.zen-lifestyle.flywheelsites.com

Tel: 0131 2257009

Zen Lifestyle, 84 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1EL