Sonia Haria meets Teresa Tarmey

Secret weapon: Improving skin texture and clarity with microneedling and fractional lasers. Phototherapy, or “light”, is her hero tool. Motto: Good quality skin is the key to a youthful look.

Walk through the doors of the facialist Teresa Tarmey’s west London town house and you might think you’ve accidentally stumbled into a very fancy boutique hotel. You won’t hear any wishy-washy spa music tinkling in the background, nor will you be hit by a wall of cloudy incense in the lobby; no, Tarmey is a very different kind of facialist indeed. Alongside the authentic mid-century furniture and Fornasetti papered walls, you’ll find a whole host of skin lasers, fractional machines, microneedling wands and one very, very important phototherapy lamp by the British brand Dermalux.

While no two treatments of Tarmey’s are the same (her facials are completely bespoke for her clients, who include Poppy Delevigne and Kate Moss) she ends most sessions with 20 minutes “under the lamp”.

“When clients book in for a treatment with me, it’s always to improve their skin quality. Whether that means using a fractional laser to even out their skin, or microneedling for increased collagen production, it’s always with a goal in mind. I finish every treatment with light therapy, because it instantly gives the skin a boost and helps to maintain the effects of the facial for longer.”

Tarmey uses the Dermalux machine “because it’s simply the best on the market”. The brand’s phototherapy lamp was one of the first to be able to combine different light wavelengths at the same time, all addressing different concerns. Tarmey most frequently uses the blue light for problem skin, nearinfrared light for healing the skin (particularly after heavy extractions or microneedling) and red light for collagen production and rejuvenation.

But can a lamp give you a “wow” effect? “It really can,” says Tarmey. “Light is so underrated. If you want your skin to look brighter in 10 minutes, there’s nothing more effective.”

Tarmey has noticed that over the past five years her clients have been coming to her with a different skin ideal. “They don’t want a frozen look,” she says. “They want clearer, brighter skin with a real focus on getting rid of pigmentation and broken capillaries. You can take off five years from the look of someone by simply improving the clarity and health of the skin – and that’s where light comes in.”

As well as the 20-minute treatment at the end of her facials, Tarmey recommends a course of 10 sessions under the lamp – that’s two a week – to really notice a difference. And the icing on the cake? Phototherapy makes you feel better, too: it’s a proven remedy for seasonal affective disorder – and with skies this grey, we could all use a little of that.