MILLIE’S COLD LASER BOOST

A treatment doesn’t need to be invasive to achieve the skin of your dreams – ask Millie Mackintosh. The former Made in Chelsea star, who welcomed daughter Sienna in May 2020 and is expecting her second child, maintains her pregnancy glow with Byonik, a pregnancysafe cold laser that is 50 times stronger than red-light LED therapy.

Her dermatologist, Debbie Thomas, says it’s a procedure that’s not to be underestimated, despite having no risks attached. “I think people think it’s not a serious treatment but it’s still a clinical treatment,” she says.

So how does it work? “We start with a nonirritating, pregnancy-safe enzyme peel before infusing hyaluronic acid,” explains Debbie. “We’ve got three strengths depending on how strong the skin barrier is. Then we use the laser to almost push the hyaluronic acid into the skin to activate the cells.

“The special thing about it is the pulse reader on the end of your finger – that makes sure the little light probes pulse in time with your heartbeat, meaning the cells are more open to the light.”

During her second pregnancy, the 32-year-old (right) has suffered with some skin irritation, but Debbie says the laser has helped with redness. “Millie wanted much more of a glow from her skin. She wanted to calm the blotchiness and irritation and she was really happy with the results. She posted on her social media with no make-up to show how happy she was.”

But that calm skin doesn’t last forever, especially if you suffer from intense irritation. “The results of a one-off treatment would probably last three or four days if your irritation is intense but if your issues weren’t super serious it could last a week or two. What we try to do with these types of treatments is go deeper than the barrier, into the fatty layers, to build up your skin and make it behave better in the long term,” she says.

This type of laser is also highly effective in calming acne, which is good news for anyone on Roaccutane who gets the go-ahead to use Byonik. Once you’ve had the treatment, Debbie recommends using a ceramide-based moisturiser to help lock in the hyaluronic acid.

“Ceramides help strengthen skin’s barrier function, which can become compromised and get micro-cracks because of pollution, stress and overdoing it with products. So once we’ve really locked in the hydration, we want to keep it in there for as long as possible and ceramides are what will help repair those micro-cracks.”

In terms of what not to use, stay away from any aggressive exfoliation for two or three days, but otherwise you’re good to go.

A 45-minute Byonik session costs £195 at the

D. Thomas Clinic, London. Visit dthomas.com.