Dr.Karidis; your saving face!

The Hydrafacial

Cold air, late nights and central heating move over, spring (we hope) is on it's way, hooray! Well, that might be the case, but your skin will still need some time to recover from the harsh effects of winter. And for some, it may still be a case of recovering from an overload of alcohol and over eating from Christmas too.

All you avid readers, will know that we take care of the body here at Bootcamp Pilates, but who is going to take care of your face? It's all well and good, sculpting those abs to perfection, but without care and attention, the skin can quickly begin to suffer. Especially as we get older and the skin suffers from loss of collagen.

Last week I visited one of London's hottest new clinics in St Johns Wood, The Karidis clinic, named after one of London's most respected surgeons, Dr. Karidis for some honest advice.

The Karidis clinic has been open around two years and is home to some of the most specialised treatments for skin in the country. In fact I was greeted by a rather advanced piece of technology, called the Reveal Skin Imager, which is basically a lap top like machine, with a screen that that takes a picture of your face, to reveal an in depth analysis of your skin; scary stuff! The Reveal Skin Imager picks up on every flaw invisible to the naked eye imaginable; sun damage, pigmentation, signs of ageing, blemishes you name it, no stone will be left un-turned! Which, horrifying as this may sound, is actually a good thing, as this allows your practitioner to see what work needs to be done.

I was recommended a course of Hydrafacials and a 15% skin peel, botox and a course of oxygen facials, plus a home care routine. At first glance you would say that my skin is quite good and fairly clear, but after closer inspection, it's actually quite congested, fairly dry and at the grand old age of 34, there is a visible loss of collagen to the skin, as wrinkles have started to appear - eek!

The first step was my Hydrafacial (similar to microdermabrasion for those of you who are familiar with that.) which does pretty much what it says on the tin; hydrates the skin. I've actually reviewed the Hydrafacial before, and loved it that much, that I was more than happy to do it again.

The treatment uses a pen like gadget, which contains a deep cleansing fluid, the pen is passed over the face and neck, using suction from the machine, which literally sucks out impurities, whilst deeply cleansing the skin. It feels quite refreshing and you can almost feel that it's doing your skin lots of good, as it works it's magic sliding across your face. The second stage of this treatment was performed using the same gadget, but this time the fluid was changed to the 15% peel; basically a very mild acid, which very gently removes the surface layer of the skin. There are different degrees of peels and this is probably the mildest form you could get, so you can come out of the clinic without bandages or dark sunglasses and you certainly don't have to go into hiding for a week! However, it did sting a little bit, so it wasn't left on for more than a minute. Everyone is different though and some people may be able to tolerate the peel for longer. Finally, I was finished off, by a few jabs of botox in my forehead and around my eyes, to smooth out my much unappreciated frown lines.

I can honestly say, hand on heart, that this is one treatment, that you see immediate effects from. My skin was de-congested, invigorated with a new lease of life. And as the botox has now taken effect, not only can I enjoy a 'line free' forehead, but it also gives the appearance of a clearer complexion.

Now for the even better news, The Karidis clinic are offering Bootcamp Pilates blog readers and clients a 15% discount off their first treatment with them. Simply quote 'BOOTCAMP PILATES' when contacting the clinic. You will also be entered into a prize draw to win a free facial.

Enjoy!

Korin x