High-tech high five

This handful of fancy gizmos take at-home beauty treatments to the next level.

The portable beauty gadget, which now features everything from light-therapy and wrap-around acne masks to dermal rollers and facial massagers, is having a moment.

Whether you keep them handy at home, or take them on tour, these go-to gadgets are the next level in skin care.

The dermal roller has been around since 1905 when German dermatologist Ernst Kromayer created a device made of rotating dental burrs attached to a dental drill, which he used on scars, birthmarks and hyperpigmentation. The roller has come a long way since then, thank goodness.

The new breed of at-home rollers are gaining momentum. One of our favourites in this category is the GloPro Microneedling Regeneration Tool, $292 at Nordstrom (1). It works like this. Thousands of micro injuries are created in the skin, which then triggers your body’s natural regeneration response. This results in new collagen and elastin being produced.

The thing we love about this little beauty is that it also come with a body head to treat wrinkly areas on other parts of your person.

When using a dermal roller, make sure your skin has been cleansed and keep the pressure even and gentle, working the roller vertically, horizontally and diagonally to cover off all the areas of the face. Gently roll each section of your face three to four times, using less pressure on sensitive areas such as under the eyes.

Another chart buster is Neutrogena’s futuristiclooking Light Therapy Targeted Acne Mask, $80 at Life Pharmacy (2), which resembles a welding shield and works its magic in 10-minute bursts, using energy from red and blue light to target acne-causing bacteria.

Also in the light therapy category is skin care guru Dr Dennis Gross Skincare’s light therapy mask SpectraLite EyeCare Pro, $254

at Mecca (3), which targets the crows feet and fine lines around the eye area.

“Red light therapy activates collagen production to improve the visible signs of ageing to restore glowing, health-looking skin,” Dr Gross explains.

“It can also be used to reduce age spots, sun damage and overall redness, flushing any dilated capillaries.

“On the other end of the spectrum, blue light therapy works to kill acne-causing bacteria without harming the skin to improve skin clarity and reduce future breakouts.”

We recommend using it for three minutes a day to help stimulate the production of collagen, which in turn reduces wrinkles and dark circles. I wonder if I can drive with this thing on?

Another contender is the compact Foreo UFO,

$454 at Sephora (4), a six-level “smart mask” treatment that works in 90 seconds. This little genius combines LED light therapy (remember it stimulates collagen production), thermotherapy (the heat opens up the pores and allows the ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin), T-sonic pulsations (the vibrations improve the absorption of ingredients into your skin) and cryotherapy (this will always be the final step in the mask routine, as the cooling therapy helps tighten pores and lifts and firms the skin). For a demo check out, go to YouTube. Pure gold.

Next contender on the high-tech list is the facial massager and our favourite comes from NuFACE,

$518 at Mecca (5). According to Tera Peterson, co-founder of NuFACE, the facial massager “works to improve contour, tone and reduce wrinkles using micro-current technology”.

As treatment aficionados, we like the sound of this. The catch is that you need to keep up the good work. As Peterson says: “Like exercise, benefits are visible and long-lasting with continued use.

“I think of it like this, the more you work out, the better you will look and feel. If you stop working out, over time, your body will eventually go back to the way it once was.”

If you want to give your skin a workout, you’re welcome to try any of the above. Sure beats burrs on a dental drill.