Tried & Tested: Red Carpet Facial

Sometimes I curse my English Rose colouring, especially when it comes to full-on facials. One slight whiff of ‘danger’ and my delicate, sensitive skin goes into defence mode, which tends to result in redness and blotchiness. I like to call it inflammation, it sounds much nicer than ‘red, blotchy face’, doesn’t it?

So when I was invited to try Dr Vincent Wong’s Red Carpet Facial, otherwise known as the ‘Fire & Ice’ treatment, I knew what was likely to happen, despite being reassured that there would be minimal redness involved.

But with celebrity fans including Halle Berry and Gwyneth Paltrow, I was willing to give it a go, especially when I heard that it was exclusive to the glamorous Bvlgari Spa in Knightsbridge.

The DrVW Red Carpet Facial combines the iS Clinical ‘Fire & Ice’ treatment with the benefits of radiofrequency technology – this does not simply improve the skin’s texture and appearance, but changes it at cellular level.

Radiofrequency technology treats and tightens mild to moderate skin sagging; it’s perfect for those between 30 and 50, who don’t need or want to go down the surgery route.

The treatment resurfaces the skin by removing the loose layers of the epidermis to deliver a clearer and smoother complexion, while the superficial trauma caused to the skin stimulates the skin’s healing mechanism to boost collagen production.

Combined with the radiofrequency technology, you can expect a tighter, toned complexion that is more radiant, youthful and luminous. With instant results, there is no downtime due to its non-invasive nature, so you can go back to work or that A-List event straight afterwards (hence the name).

The facial lasts just under an hour, and is actually more relaxing than I thought it would be. The worst part – although I think my pain threshold must be fairly low as apparently some people fall asleep during this treatment – was the radio frequency or the ‘hot’ element, a probe which massages and sculpts the face and feels stingingly hot on the skin. But don’t worry, if it’s too uncomfortable it can be turned down. I could feel the heat rising in my face and asked for it to be turned down once.

A film of effective anti-ager retinol, was applied for a few seconds (normally it would be left on for a bit longer); this tingled a bit but wasn’t uncomfortable.

The ‘cold’ part was more enjoyable and helped calm my skin down a bit. There’s also a fair amount of massaging which Dr Wong is particularly skilled at; you can almost feel your skin firming up while your body instantly responds and relaxes.

This facial is not cheap at £750, and while my skin was still quite red afterwards, it was nothing that a dusting or two of mineral make-up couldn’t deal with. And by the time I got home under an hour later, the redness had gone.

And while this is promoted as a quick-fix treatment, I feel that my skin looked even better a few days afterwards, appearing more ‘sculpted’, glowing and also more even in tone.

The DrVW Red Carpet Facial is available at The Bvlgari Spa in Knightsbridge and Dr Wong’s clinic in Harley Street.