SKINCARE SELF-SERVICE
WITH LOCKDOWN AND DISTANCE, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO GET TO THE BEAUTICIAN. INVEST IN A DIY DEVICE THAT SKIN DOCTORS APPROVE OF.
THE TUNE DERMATOLOGISTS SING about facials sounds a little different these days. Previously, you’d hear that serious results demanded professional appointments. “Now, you’d come to us to figure out what you need or get that super-duper treatment, but we’ll say you’re missing out if you aren’t using devices at home,” says Dr Shyamalar Gunatheesan, founder of Melbourne’s medicine-meets-wellness clinic ODE Dermatology. “At-home tools might be less powerful than a dermatologist’s, but the key to skincare is consistency – it’s the cumulative effect that is going to be amazing,” she says.
High-vibe cleansers
Tell your skin doctor you’ve got a facial power tool and they’ll be cool. If you want to scare them, say that you use face wipes. “A proper clean is the foundation of all great skin – it horrifies me how overlooked that is,” says Dr Naomi Mccullum, the famed Sydney cosmetic doctor behind Dr Naomi skincare. “Cleansing allows serums and actives to work harder.” A quick splash won’t cut it either: “Sonic cleansing is where modern skincare is at.” Rapidly oscillating sonic spatulas, buffing brushes and silicone-nubbed pads work your cleanser in deep, jiggling out gunk (make-up, oil and dead skin) that fingertips can’t reach.
“It’s a game-changer for congested pores, but all skin types benefit from cleansing tools,” says Dr Mccullum.
Keen to resurface your skin instead? Therapist-grade microdermabrasion devices that scrub or ‘water vacuum’ pores (hydra-dermabrasion) have also been adapted for your bathroom.
Current and contour
Forget (or dial back) filler and facefreezing Botox – if you want tighter, higher snap-back, what your skin needs is squats. Hut hut hut. “If we want suppleness that looks natural, we need to exercise and pump up the facial muscles that hold skin firm,” says Dr Gunatheesan. “I’ve gotten into microcurrent devices.”
Using low-grade electrical current that feels more like a tingle than a zap, microcurrent facial tools stimulate muscles. “These muscles are woven into what’s called your SMAS – a sheet of collagen, elastin, fat cells and fascia… your face’s structure,” says Dr Gunatheesan. Target a saggy jawline or cheek like it’s leg day at the gym.
Beam it up
Clinics have been giving epidermises a fresh start with coloured light for decades. Now, nifty fitted masks and handheld wands that aim at the neck and décolletage have taken LED (light-emitting diode) technology DIY. The spectrum is coded by skin fix: blue light kills acne-causing bacteria; others are more about repair.
“I love yellow and amber light [to help] inflammation and rosacea,” says Dr Gunatheesan. “Red light gets fibroblasts producing collagen, and improves the skin’s scaffolding to minimise wrinkles and improve tone. Generally, your cells are energised to work better – you get this glow from within.” Rack up a few minutes a day and “the effects can be incredible”.
Rolling stones
Citing traditional wisdom with Instagram-age aplomb, jade rollers and Gua Sha stones are the tools of the minute, promising to hitch facial contours heaven-ward. “It’s not all hype,” says Dr Gunatheesan. “I like the technique of rolling the tool across the skin for lymphatic drainage, for [activating] acupressure points and releasing puffiness,” she says.
Shaped to curve around the jaw and cheekbones, Gua Sha tools also sculpt skin. Use oil or serum to glide – dragging is micro-damage.
Go the yoga
Tech gets all the buzz, but let’s not forget the power of touch. “Hands are some of the best skincare tools,” says L’occitane’s head of training and development, Danette Elliott. “We’ve converted yoga massage techniques from our in-spa facials into moves to do at home because hands can give you a ‘Wow, is that me?’ effect,” she says. “Warmth also activates ingredients like essential oils.”
While pinching gets blood flow and oxygen pumping, knuckle-kneading trains muscles to counteract habits like squinting. “Faces hold tension,” Danette says. “Releasing that has a visible effect on face shape.” Just take the buccal technique (massage inside the mouth) that Meghan Markle swears by. Onward and upward.