Dermalogica Skin Gym at Senses Skin Care Centre
I ’ ve always suffered from sensitive skin , just using a new moisturiser brand can bring me out in blemishes so I tend to stick to the ones I know I can use . I hold my hands up and say , I don ’ t have a very good skincare routine , probably more through lack of education about what is correct than anything . I just cleanse once at night , and moisturise once in the morning . This is probably OK to do in your 20s but once hitting mid 30s this is not enough of a skin care routine to reap benefits .
This is where the Skin Gym programme at Senses Skin Care Centre , Alfreton comes in . I was offered the chance to have 3 sessions perfectly tailored for my skin care type to address the concerns I have over my skin . I thought here is the perfect opportunity to be educated more about what I should be doing and how to achieve this through regular facials .
I met the owner Suzie who was going to treat my skin over the next 6 weeks using the Skin Gym by Dermalogica . We had a short meeting where I fi lled in a consultation form , Suzie went over this with me in detail which was great . We talked about what can be offered for myself and also for all different age ranges . We mentioned using a machine to help get products deeper into my skin and also acid peels which did worry me slightly as the only thing normally you see in the media are celebrities having had an acid peel and walking out of the salon with bright red , almost scarred looking skin ! Suzie sensed my hesitation so we discussed these at length . She said she ’ d only do what I felt was comfortable for me so that instantly put me at ease . Suzie has such in-depth knowledge and experience that I felt very comfortable putting myself in her hands and using her knowledge to guide me . At the end of the day , she wanted me to be comfortable and to get results from the service she offers . My main skin concerns were dullness , blemishes , and anti-ageing .
Treatment one : involved a face mapping analysis which is something they always do as part of a Dermalogica skin treatment . This involved looking at my skin through a magnifying glass ! Poor Suzie ! She took her time and really detailed what my concerns were and how my skin is and reacts to certain things . She came to the conclusion that my skin was quite dehydrated . I thought I had combination skin as I tend to get an oily forehead but dry cheeks which sometimes will give me the odd break out . I was surprised to fi nd out that I don ’ t have combination skin or an oily forehead but that my skin was dry and that I ’ d been using the wrong products for years making it drier .
The treatment routine for today was a double cleanser routine . Then a gentle exfoliation using the Daily Microfoliant , a really amazing product that is ideal
for people with sensitive and dehydrated skin . This is almost like the preparation stage of the treatment . Then we started the Ion Active aspect of the facial . Suzie selected the Hyaluronic Ion Active . Suzie says that “ If we ever wanted to change what is going on in the skin we need to do this at a cellular level . This means we need to get products deep down in to the skin . With the Ion Active treatment we have 4 products to choose from . We selected the Hyaluronic one because this is a fantastic ingredient for and is essential for hydration in the skin .” At this stage the Ion Active was massaged in , as my skin becomes more resilient she may incorporate the use of a machine to further help the Ion Active penetrate the skin .
After this , she used an Endothermal Gelloid . This is a unique , hybrid product from Dermalogica . It ’ s a cross between a massage medium and a mask . It is incredibly cooling and calming and great for anyone who goes a bit pink in a treatment or who gets a little bit sensitive . This is left on for 10 minutes .
Suzie ended the facial by toning and applying serums and moisturisers . I was sent away with a skin care routine to use at home which involved cleansing at night , using barrier repair then moisturiser . The same in the morning as well .
Treatment Two : We discussed how my skin had been , if I ’ d got any concerns etc . I said how my skin looked brighter , my redness had gone a little , my forehead was hardly oily at all which is odd for me , really good results so early on .
We did an hydration reading on my skin to start this facial it was in the 30s to begin with and after the facial it was 62 . That ’ s great !
Suzie repeated the facial process again with the exception of using the ExoThermal Gelloid this time . This is warming , rather than cooling and helps to stimulate the skin rather than calm and soothe . As soon as this went on Suzie said this will tingle a little and it did , I felt reassured that she knew it would . After massaging this in , the tingling sensation disappeared and felt absolutely fi ne with being left on .
Treatment Three : My skin hydration at the beginning was 52 on my forehead and 50 on my cheeks which was amazing ! Suzie suggested repeating the process of last times treatment with the added use of the hand held machine called the Bt Micro . This machine can be used in a variety of ways from exfoliation to improving penetration of products applied to the skin . The ultrasonic device creates gentle vibrations on the skin surface , almost like tiny earthquakes , which creates channels in the skin for ingredients to penetrate deeper . The machine does also have an anti-ageing affect because it stimulates blood fl ow and therefore helps to stimulate collagen production and elastin production . I was pleasantly surprised as the machine wasn ’ t at all as I expected . You can see in the photos it ’ s a small hand held machine that after applying the Hylauronic Acid this was used to stimulate the product further into my skin . It felt like a slight vibrating feeling , completely comfortable , no pain or any discomfort which was my main concern .
After the treatment my skin hydration levels were in the mid 60s again which was just fab . My skin continues to look brighter , more supple and more toned . Just healthier in it ’ s appearance and not dull anymore . I ’ m so pleased I was able to try the Skin Gym and I feel I ’ ve benefi ted from Suzie ’ s experience and knowledge .
From Senses : The concept behind the skin gym is to make people realise that its long term skin health that makes your skin look its best . If your skin is functioning at its optimum then it will look its absolute best and it will feel great . Our skin gym system offers clients courses of treatments where they bulk buy treatments giving them great savings . The packages consist of 4 treatments paid for in advance starting from £ 64 up to the most advanced level package at £ 157.50 . The advanced level 3 option means that your therapist will be able to choose between carrying out a Bio Surface Peel , the Ion Active Treatment or Microdermabrasion each time that you come in . In order to decide what routine is best for you , your therapist will analyse your skin , consider your concerns and provide advice about what the main objective should be and then a course of treatments would be designed around you and your skin care goals , meaning we can help you focus on anti-ageing , pigmentation , acne , scarring and general skin health . This approach to long term skin health isn ’ t about fi nding a magic cure that will rid you of all the signs of ageing on your skin ( that simply is not possible ) and it is not about providing an alternative to Botox . What we ’ re trying to say is that you don ’ t need to have Botox or face lifts . We want people to embrace their skin and their age and making people realise that their skin can look and feel great no matter their age .
If anyone would like to chat to one of the skin experts at senses . Call the salon on 01773 835866 and book in for a free consultation . They will be more than happy to explain everything in detail and give you as much advice as they can .