I may be only 24, but my poor skin has already been through it - it's not the worst but it's definitely not the best. Thanks to acne in my teens and regular breakouts of 'adult acne' (damn you hormones), together with a habit for scratching and picking at said spots, I've been left with unsightly dark, uneven scars, which means leaving the house without some kind of cover up is not an option. Basically my skin is the kind that will bear the mark of a spot forever which sucks, so I was more than ready to give this treatment a go.
What is it?
The Synergy Purifying facial targets blemishes, age spots and pigmentation. It combines anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory red and blue LED light therapy to help heal the skin and trigger tissue repair, to reveal brighter, younger looking skin. The treatment uses S.P.E.D™ microcurrent LED technology to enhance results by combining CACI microcurrent with high brilliance LED light therapy and ultrasonic peeling (or controlled orbital microdermabrasion) to exfoliate the skin and reveal a brighter, smoother complexion.
The term microdermabrasion might sound scary but let me assure you this is not the case at all. It's a cosmetic rather than surgical procedure, in which the dead outermost surface of the skin is partially or completely removed by light abrasion.The removal of the dead skin cells reveals softer more youthful looking skin cells underneath, for a smoother, clearer complexion.
It basically means a little, mild trauma is put to the skin causing all the blood and oxygen to rush to the surface. This helps with skin renewal so that new skin can banish any scarring - it also helps to remove dead skin, helping improve skin texture and tone.
The treatment
I was greeted at the Seduire Clinic by the lovely Yasmeen who talked me through what the treatment actually entailed and answered my own questions (which were mainly about the pain factor) too.
The treatment room is super relaxing and I felt at ease straightaway. I laid down on the bed, put the blanket over my legs and let the therapist work her magic. The first step is to run the microdermabrasion head all over the skin, paying particular attention to the areas which need it most, which in my case is along my forehead and chin where most of my blemish scarring is.
To be honest as someone who gets watery eyes from having her eyebrows threaded, I was a bit apprehensive that this part might be painful but it just feels like a gentle scratching rather than a painful digging - and that means a lot coming from this wimp. The pulses and vibrations work to remove dead skin cells and brighten the skin.
The next step of the treatment is a cooling hydro mask which feels just like a cold flannel on the skin. The mask contains hyaluronic acid and collagen which makes for the ultimate hydrating and anti ageing mask. A soothing face gel is applied all over the face and neck to moisturise the skin and target fine lines and wrinkles, before the gel mask is laid on top to enable it to penetrate deeper into the skin.
A negative and positive polarity is used at the same time to push the product deeper into the skin than could ever be done manually. The head runs over the face again and the cooling effect of the mask along with the pulses of the microdermabrasion head makes for a strange sensation. As I suffer with dry skin this part of the treatment was particularly beneficial to me.
I will admit I did nod off during this part, which is strange considering I had bright lights shining on my face but I guess that's what commuting does to you. But anyway, it's SUPER relaxing.
My verdict
My skin felt as smooth as a baby's behind after my course of four treatments. I did get a couple more spots initially after my second and third treatments along my jawline and chin, but when I spoke to Yasmeen about this, she reassured me it was a completely normal result as it brings the bacteria and dirt to the surface of the skin.
When it comes to dirt and bacteria collecting under the skin, it's a classic case of better out than in I'm afraid folks. But don't let that put you off, the zits went after a few days and my skin felt smoother and much more moisturised than before.
I could notice a real difference in the smoothness of my skin as well as a reduction in the dark marks and scarring left behind from acne breakouts, which was what I was aiming to get from the treatment. All scars and marks take time to fade so be patient enough to stick with a course of treatments rather than expecting dramatic results after the first session. It's worth discussing with the therapist beforehand how many sessions they'd advise you to have depending on the severity of your skin, because every face is different.
I believe there are two deciding factors which determine whether a treatment is worth it: an experience you can relax and enjoy, and results, and this facial delivers both with bells on.
CACI Synergy Purifying Treatment is available at Seduire Clinic in Soho, Central London, £80 for 45 minutes. Find out more information on all CACI treatments here.
Will you be giving this treatment a go? Let us know @SoFeminineUK
You might also like:
The Korean Hanacure Face Mask Is The Creepy Skin Saviour Celebrities Are Loving
I Tried The Latest In Cellulite-removal Technology And This Is What Happened
I Tried DermaTx's At-home Microdermabrasion System And This Is What I Thought
