WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CHOICES?

The cynical would say it is because there is so much money to be made but the truth is that very few non-prescription strength products really make a difference.

Dr John Curran, former President of the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors, also known amongst his cosmetic colleagues as ‘the doctor who treats the doctors who treat the stars’, believes beautiful, healthy skin is achievable for everyone.

“Patients are so much better educated about how damaging and ageing UV light is to the skin. But they still cling onto the myth that moisturisers will deliver healthy, beautiful skin. The legendary Californian Dermatologist, Dr Zein Obagi, has spent a lifetime studying what it takes to produce a glowing, vibrant, well nourished look. We have been using his ‘Obagi’ skin care regime for over 10 years in all our clinics. It simply ‘knock your socks off’ as a treatment with amazing results. There is nothing to compare it to out there. You need prescription strength topical agents to reverse the damage and allow healthy skin to replace photoageing.

” Amanda Holden, the Britain’s Got Talent star, attributes her radiant look to the revolutionary, radio-frequency, Thermage technology.

“This is true” says Dr Curran, one of only three Fellows of the Cosmetic Doctors Association in the UK. “Good skincare creates the palate upon which we, as cosmetic dermatologists, can produce the best results for the more sophisticated treatments. Thermage is truly unique insofar as it can tighten the skin and at the same time the thermal collagen. It’s the reason so many stars can put their hand on their heart and say ‘I haven’t had surgery’ and look better every time you see them!”

Dr Rita Rakus, the Lip Queen of London and also a Fellow of the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors says “Those practitioners who pop in a bit of Botox or the point. In London our patients look for doctors who have the experience, knowledge and facility to assess skin health, determine their cosmetic needs and deliver excellent, expert care. Advances in skincare, such as Obagi, and ground breaking technologies like Thermage, are the buzz words amongst the glitteratii.”

And with the introduction of the vibrating, all new CPT, Thermage have really upped their game. Dr Rakus spent a day at Dr Curran’s state-of –the-art cosmetic clinic in Jersey, where the latest Thermage has been in operation for several months, and where she managed to sneak in a bit of ‘me time’ on the couch. “I was amazed at the results, tighter, glowing skin and absolutely comfortable!”

There is one train not to miss this year if your destination is beautiful skin; www.skinstation.co.uk is the website of the Aesthetic Skin Clinics featuring information about all the most advanced Obagi skin systems and the cutting edge, dermal rehydration therapy, Restylane Skin.