Can You Really Look Younger In An Hour?

It’s a fact true of almost every woman I know – they spent their first 20 years trying to look older, and have spent the subsequent years of their adult lives attempting to turn back the clock. From night serums to collagen drinks, there’s not a product out there that promises youthful skin that hasn’t been dabbled with by someone in my social circle. And no, it’s not just the women, we’re just more likely to admit it.

Recently I have been drinking Minerva Gold Collagen supplement drinks – just one every morning promises to give you back the youthful glow you feared was lost forever. And while I may not look 21 again, I must admit my skin looks less tired and maybe even a little plumper than this time last month when I started the course.

I have also tried various lotions and potions, from a luxurious Vivderma Detox Elixir to liquid gold sprays, all of which had some effect, but not ones that seemed noticeable to the naked eye of my husband, or anyone else who sees me on a regular basis. So I decided to try something more drastic.. The Venus Freeze.

The Venus Freeze has soared in popularity in the past few years; Supermodels such as Cara Delevingne and Yasmin Le Bon swear by it. The most common practice is to book up a course of six treatments, then return every few month for a booster, to maintain a fresh-faced and glowing effect. It’s a non-invasive procedure that uses pulsed magnetic fields combined with a radio frequency to gently heat the skin from within. The results are remarkably similar to those of a facelift, but without surgery, or pain.

But rather than embark on a complete overhaul, I just wanted to see if the same effect could be achieved for a red carpet event, or special celebration. Those times when you need a boost, and a bit more than makeup, to ensure you look, and feel, your very best.

The Eden Skin Clinic in Kensington is the Number 1 clinic for the Venus Freeze in London frequented by fashion week models and A-list stars alike. I booked myself in for a one-off treatment and have to say was totally surprised by what lay in store.

While the Venus Freeze is referred to as a facial, I was not expecting it to be relaxing. How wrong I was. The whole experience is one that leaves you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Having had a stressful morning of meetings, and preparing for several more that afternoon, I rushed into the salon in Gloucester Road red-faced and flustered. One of the appealing factors of this facial is that there’s no downtime after, and having glanced in the mirror on the way in I admit to thinking ‘well I couldn’t look much worse anyway’!

I was greeted by clinic owner Lorraine Scrivener who sat me down with a calming cup of Green Tea while undertaking a detailed exploration of my medical history. The Venus Freeze isn’t dangerous and doesn’t have side effects, but safety and care are clearly taken seriously at the Eden Skin Clinic, and this reassured me even more.

When it came to the procedure, I told Lorraine my main areas of complaint were the bags under my eyes and deep wrinkles on my forehead. Too many hours spent trying to tame two toddlers has left me and and my old face rather weary. Lorraine explained that they can work on many areas, from specific wrinkle reduction or face reshaping, to fat reduction and just overall rejuvenation. She took a few before shots then told me to take a deep breath, lie back, and just relax and enjoy the next half hour.

Once your face has been covered with a cold jelly-like substance (reminiscent of the ultra-sound lubricant used to scan pregnant women’s bellies) you are ready to begin. The diamond-shaped massage tool is swished over small sections of your face is repetitive and relaxing motions. It’s softer than a massage, but the warmth of the equipment creates a calming feel. Being the chatterbox I am, I spent most of the time quizzing Lorraine about celebrity clients and her career so far, but if you feel so inclined it would be perfectly acceptable to just lie there and enjoy the sweeping motions running across your skin, and even drift into a meditative sleep. At no point was there any pain, nor discomfort. I was surprised by how enjoyable the whole experience was.

Once she was done, about 35-40 minutes later, Lorraine wiped off the jelly and took some more snaps of my face so we could then examine what, if any, changes had occurred.

Now I’m not a looking in the mirror kind of girl, so ogling a close up image of my mottled, wrinkled face is not what I call fun! But when I saw the differences between how my skin looked before and after I was pleasantly surprised. The results aren’t instant – they gradually appear over the following day or two, but my skin was instantly brighter and my whole face had more of a glow. There was a bit of redness straight after (and I was shinier than the shiniest of new coins!) but that calmed down with less than an hour. There wasn’t a Wow moment in the way that I looked ten years younger, but the sallowness of skin and dark rings below my eyes had definitely reduced, and the area around my nose and mouth looked plumper, and healthier, than before. When Lorraine showed me my before and afters I could immediately see the difference, and was really pleased with what had been achieved.

The Venus Freeze is more of a facial than a facelift when taken in just one dose – you need to book a course of around six to eight for more visible and longer lasting results. But when it comes to a one-hour wonder facial – this has to be it. I have never experienced such an enjoyable facial which has achieved such great results in just 60 minutes. It’s a great boost for skin weathered by winter or life and can really pep you up before an important event or party. One treatment on the face is £120, face and neck is £150. A full price list can be viewed here.

• For more information or to book a free skin consultation at Eden Skin Clinic’s Kensington or Wimbledon branches, see www.edenskinclinic.co.uk