it’s all about face

Here’s something I wouldn’t normally do – post a photo of my face sans makeup to reveal my blemishes and wrinkles. But, I’m doing it for a very good reason – I’m working on eliminating these problems with a series of microdermabrasion and a new skincare regime.

Lately I’ve really felt the onset of aging. I’m only 32 but I swear that in the past year my skin has taken a battering. I notice fine lines a lot more prominently on my forehead and around my eyes and I have surface acne scarring on my chin. I want to look fresh again. Not necessarily younger, but when you spend days reading about optimum skincare and how to achieve it, it’s hard not to look in the mirror and focus on perceived problems.

Having said this, I know I have good skin. But I’m keenly aware that I really must start taking steps to take care of it, so that as I age, I look the best I can.

I went to Dr Teresa Cattin at Faceworks in Albany because she’s one of the best in the business. She’s also incredibly lovely and has the type of face I hope to have when I’m her age with teenage children.

President of the New Zealand College of Appearance Medicine and Botox trainer, Dr Cattin travels the world to keep up with new technologies and advancements in appearance medicine. She also runs her clinic FaceWorks in Albany, and has her own range of products under the same name.

Here’s a link to a recent interview with TV3 Sunrise – she discusses Kiwi men and Botox.

Dr Cattin’s approach to appearance medicine is an ‘easy does it’. She prefers the french way of doing things – injecting just enough to make a difference, but not so much to freeze the face (thank goodness because I don’t want to look like Nicole Kidman).

Anyway I digress. . . Here’s a photo of me two weeks ago when I went in for my first visit. I was given her Herbal Cleanser, GlycoGel, Environmental Protector, Squalane Oil and Herbal Spray.

The Glycogel is the important bit – it contains 10% alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA naturally derived from sugar cane). It is likened to a strong exfoliation but it works on a cellular level. Dr Cattin prefers her clients to go home and use the gel twice a week rather than her applying it at the clinic. It stings a little, but isn’t painful. I only left it on for 2 minutes and then rinsed off with water (you gradually increase the length of time you leave it on for as you build up a tolerance). The next day my skin appeared dry with flakes visible on the surface, which means it has had a good result. This makes the microdermabrasion -the physical removal of these cells – work that much better.

Microdermabrasion sounds somewhat scary – a wand like pen with diamond crystals on the end is worked in a circular motion over the skin roughing up the surface and sucking dead skin cells away. I thought it would be a bit painful or uncomfortable but it wasn’t at all. My skin looked a little flushed, but I went and got my hair done and then celebrated a friend’s birthday that night – no one mentioned a thing. She instructed me to keep my face free from makeup and be gentle with it for three days, drink loads of water and then get back into the gel. I’m due for round two in two weeks time.

I’ll keep you posted.

Have you ever gone on a skin overhaul? Have you tried microdermabrasion?

Tamsin xo