KEY POINTS:
Viva's crash test dummies find beauty is more than skin deep
Appearance medicine divides dinner parties every time. It's a nice term for non-surgical cosmetic procedures that stop short of the scalpel.
But there will always be die-hard types who swear they will never use anything more than their apricot scrub. End of story. Then, there are those born-again Botox converts who see injections of botulism as being as low-level and useful for feeling good about yourself as a hair colour.
We assembled a team of lab rats to test some of the most popular treatments. One is an enthusiast, another timid with her own tweezers and a couple were undecided.
We gave each of them a budget of around $500, although two obviously had no understanding of budget management. Here's what they encountered.
IPL and laser beauty treatment for collagen boosting and pigmentation - Kirsten Macfarlane
In this era of beauty aesthetics, it seems logical to be zapped by a machine with a "brain" capable of shutting down if its human operator misjudges a dose.
So it's a little unnerving when it starts up with a rowdy "ding, ding DONG".
Nurse Sally Ellison from Prescription Skincare seems unfazed by the Tourette's-like outburst as she carefully explains the Intense Light Treatment (IPL) treatment. I brace myself for the burst of light. "Did you feel a slight pinching sensation?" she chirps.
This stubby machine targets a woman's worst signs of aging: sun and age (think latte) spots - or as Ellison explains in medical speak, "pigmentation within blood vessels and brown spots". I've spent years keeping my face out of the sun, dutifully applying zinc-based lotions, but sadly I've neglected my decolletage. Even after one treatment at $450 per treatment, I can expect to see some improvement in my reddened chest.
The Cutera machine has dual functions, offering light-based (IPL) and laser treatments.
The team from Prescription Skincare are keen to try out the new laser gear on my face. The laser penetrates the epidermis to treat fine-line wrinkles, large pores, uneven skin texture, and diffuse redness and scars.
My skin texture is uneven, appears tired, possibly a bit lacklustre and there's some acne scarring. On the bright side, I have enough natural oil to keep my skin hydrated until my KiwiSaver retirement plan kicks in.
Julie Sissons, the Remuera clinic's laser co-ordinator recommends a minimum of four laser treatments, and ideally six. So what kind of results can I expect ? "We hope to see around 50 per cent improvement," says Sissons.
At $580 per treatment, I'm way over the $500-a-treatment-threshold but my editor agrees my skin deserves a break.
"Ten 64," blurts the machine as I recline on the stretcher bed, goggles firmly covering my eyes, in preparation for the first burst of light.
Day one of my six-week beauty adventure at Prescription Skincare and I've re-scripted a new scene for Star Wars; the laser machine is R2-D2 and raven-haired Ellison is Princess Leia.
After the IPL, Ellison switches gear for the laser treatment, scanning my face with a red laser beam. The laser gives off a pleasant but intense heat and I'm instantly under a midday sun in the tropics. "It's okay to fall asleep; a lot of my patients do," says Ellison.
Although I have no side-effects from the laser, Ellison warns the IPL will cause some discomfort. She clamps an ice pack and soothing gel around my decolletage. My neckline is still smarting a few hours later, and a week later a light crusting forms - which indicates there was a high level of melanin in my skin. The crusting disappears a week later, revealing a visibly smoother, less red and tighter neckline. I'm impressed.
In the wrong hands, IPL treatment can permanently disfigure body parts, and there are no standards governing its use in New Zealand. Lee Collins, principal physicist and radiation/laser safety officer at Sydney's Westmead Hospital warns against unqualified therapists using excessive settings to treat patients and has seen many botch-ups.
As Sissons says, "You can seriously burn the skin and run the risk of hyper pigmentation or brown stain marks. You can also suffer hypo-pigmentation which leaves a white mark and you can't ever fix this problem."
By week three, I hardly notice R2-D2's whoops and whistles as the laser beam glides across my face, stimulating the collagen lurking below. I've noticed a few blackheads appearing, and Ellison explains the laser is also stimulating my skin's oil.
At the next treatment, Ellison scrutinises my chest. After a day at Piha beach she decides it is too "melanin-stimulated" to proceed with another burst of IPL. "You have to be really cautious with skin that's been exposed to the sun, especially with skin that tans easily like yours." Besides, I much prefer the laser's warm glow; it's the beach with no risk of UVA rays.
After my fifth laser treatment, my son kindly observes, "The holes in your face have disappeared." He means the pores are tightening. As you'd expect, different skin types will see different results. "The less damage you have the less you will see," says Ellison.
A few weeks after my final treatment, Ellison and I examine the awful mug shots taken on day one. It's confirmation of a refreshed, plumper skin tone and diminished scars.
The following week, I take the acid test; the once-over from my sister who I haven't seen for six months. "Yes," she says grudgingly, "I can see a difference."
But it's no miracle cure. Ellison recommends follow-up laser treatments every three months to maintain my rejuvenated appearance. Think of it as a tropical holiday without the carbon air miles.
* Prescription Skincare, 243 Remuera Road, Remuera, ph (09) 524 3651
IPL session on neck and decolletage $450 per session; collagen boosting package of four is $2100
Botox - Carroll du Chateau
Until I met Teresa Cattin of Faceworks, I had resisted Botox. What woman of a certain age would allow botulinum toxin - a poison that causes paralysis - to be injected into her face? Well actually, this one, especially when it was being administered by a doctor.
For $500 Cattin promised me a wrinkle-free forehead and even better, elimination of the twin lines that had developed over the bridge of my nose. Now I could have stood it if they had been straight lines, but these didn't match and caused me daily grief. She would also "relax" the crinkles round my eyes and, if there was any money left in the budget, use dermal filler to smooth out the lines round my mouth.
Cattin asked me to squint, saying, "We can get rid of those lines with the Botox.
"And if we iron them out for long enough, they might never come back."
That was enough for me. Calmly I sat in her beautician-style chair, hoping for a bit of a rest, while she wiped my forehead clean. "Hold this," she said giving me a stress ball. But even without the ball I could manage this degree of pain. Actually I could barely feel it. How could this tiny amount of poison, have the promised effect?
At first nothing happened. My forehead felt a little itchy then settled down again.
By the time I arrived home I had all but forgotten what was supposed to be happening. It was only next morning, when I looked in the mirror, that I noticed that my eyebrows lifted into perfect arches for the first time in my life. I could look supercilious, wide-eyed and certainly younger. Even the loose skin folded back into my eye sockets!
This is the thing I hadn't realised about Botox. It doesn't just eliminate lines, it lifts the skin as well. I waited for my friends, and certainly Brian, to comment. Nothing.
Gradually, with a little prompting, my closest friend remarked that possibly my brow was too smooth for the rest of my face. Only my 30-plus daughter, who had been hankering over some Botox for years, was seriously impressed.
A couple of weeks later I went back to have another minuscule amount injected round my eyes. This time I wasn't remotely apprehensive. Under Cattin's expert needlework I knew there was no chance of a dropped eyelid or any of the other Botox botch-ups I had read about.
On the other hand, I did not like the effect as much this time. Fixing the creases round my eyes pushed my smile down somehow, emphasising another line halfway down my cheeks. Again, no-one noticed - except Brian. A week after the second treatment he started looking at me strangely and asking if I was tired. He had noticed the cheek line too.
Over the past six weeks the effect has softened. The cheek line has gone, the slightly "surprised woman" look has too - and I can get the frown line on my nose back if I really try. Actually, I never want to see it again.
* FaceWorks, cnr Apollo Dr & Rosedale Rd, North Shore, ph (09) 477 3775
The Peel - Janetta Mackay
As guinea pigs go, I was one of the worst; squeamish, sceptical and just plain sissy. The day before my appointment I considered cancelling, mainly because I thought "this isn't me", but there was also a lurking fear that something might go wrong.
I've no real objections to cosmetic procedures - though I worry where attempting to buy self-improvement ultimately leads - but the chemical peel wasn't on my maybe one-day list. I'd also read several facialists advising against peels for healthy skin. Sure, if you've had acne you'd consider something drastic, but if your skin's in good nick should you really consider lifting the top layer?
With some trepidation I approached the clinic, but the professional atmosphere allayed many of these worries. After filling out the pre-consultation forms that required more detail than the IRD, I was ushered into clinic co-ordinator Angela Frazer's room. I fessed up about my reservations and felt under no pressure to proceed, but armed with frank explanations I figured I was in good hands. Frazer works closely with leading plastic surgeons and is used to dealing with skins more troubled than mine. She specialises in Botox and fillers and believes a range of approaches gets the best results. Her top skincare tip is to wear sunblock at all times.
She chose a low-strength Biophora lactic peel for my skin and explained it was a superficial treatment akin to an enhanced exfoliation. Throughout the under half-an-hour I was lying on the clinic bed it felt as if I was having a facial, with a bit of tingling when the peel product was put on. But I've had tinglier exfoliations than this mild prickling from the AHAs applied.
I left with a week's worth of medical-grade mini-pottles of Bioactive sunscreen, cleanser, toner and moisturiser.
My skin felt taut and the tone was clearer and brighter and it was okay to put makeup on immediately after.
After about three days, and as indicated, I noticed a scaly patch on the upper side of my nose, but it cleared in a few days and my skin still had a healthy glow.
I didn't go back for the usual course of up to six fortnightly peels, but then I don't think it was the treatment I really needed. For some women, I'm sure the course would make a noticeable difference. Frazer says it suits younger women for treatment purposes and those aged 30 plus for appearance reasons.
It might not have been for me - though the peel did more good than harm - but I did feel in crossing the clinic door that I'd also crossed some sort of psychological barrier where the idea of getting a bit of work done didn't seem so freakish.
I'm not booking in for botox or IPL pigmentation treatment just yet, but who knows, down the track I might.
* Prescription Skin Care, 243 Remuera Rd, Remuera, Auckland, ph (09) 524 3651. $126 for an individual peel or $630 for a course of 6 treatments
Dermal Filler - Fiona Hawtin
I'm no stranger to Restylane or Botox. One of the first things you do when you sign on as a beauty writer is to offer up various body parts freely and willingly for test purposes. As a human crash test dummy I've experienced the power of these injectables and am always happy to have a top-up.
So when I presented my distinctly un-Angelina lips to Dr Joanna Romanowska, I knew not to expect a full-blown pillow mouth.
Here's my surgical horror story: years ago, fashion victim that I am, I wanted my uneven lips to be inflated, so I went to a cosmetic surgeon. He took fat from my thigh and injected it into my lips under general. Cost a fortune and when I came round I looked exactly like Daisy Duck. My lips jutted out past my nose - by a long way. I had to spend the week holed up in my flat with a scarf wrapped over my lower face when my boyfriend was around, praying that the lip-plate effect would go. It did. After a week, practically all my fat had gone. Ah, London in the 90s, before dermal fillers had caught on.
After Dr Romanowska let me rabbit on for a while about what I wanted and what it was she did (appearance medicine part-time and a GP in Mangere for the rest of the time - "it keeps me balanced"), it turns out she'd been examining the workings of my face. She gently told me what she thought I needed. Turns out many people ask for something that could actually make things worse.
She wanted to inject the dermal filler Perlane - a safe form of hyaluronic acid that holds water and gives volume to skin but is slowly absorbed - into my tear troughs. She chose it over Restylane, which is primarily the same thing but Perlane has a larger concentration of hyaluronan acid and is better suited for this particular job.
"As we age, the tear trough that runs from the corner of the eye across the cheek can be hollowed out. Filling them rejuvenates the face," she explained.
And because I hold a lot of tension in my chin, a couple of injections of Botox should help relax that area and make me look less like I'm constantly clenching my teeth.
I didn't need to be asked twice, although she patiently explained the procedure, how I would look rested, not constantly tired and how long the results should last (six months).
She applied a topical anaesthetic. I lay back comfortably in what was once a dentist's chair. We waited patiently for it to work and chatted easily. We talked about how some people in advertising are Botox converts. The stress-free look it fosters, gives them a career edge. She told me that without Restylane her lips would be barely visible but if she could have only non-surgical procedures or use good skincare, the skincare would win out every time. Her pick: Environ.
Slowly, the anaesthetic started to numb my face. It was not for the Botox that I needed it - those injections almost tickle. No, the fatter Perlane-filled needles are uncomfortable. For the most part, I couldn't feel it, but there were a couple of areas that refused to numb, so I lay back and thought of improved tear troughs and took it like the vain woman I am. I felt a little woozy at one stage.
For a few hours afterwards - not really being able to feel my face - I panicked slightly about being happy to undergo discomfort to look better when there are starving children in the world. Am I the new cosmetic surgery veteran Jocelyn Wildenstein?
That didn't last. I was so pleased with the results that got even better after a week when the Botox started working. It's subtle.
To the casual observer I just look as if I've had a good holiday. And the feeling that I want to dribble (I never actually did) when I laugh passed.
* Clinic 42, 321 Manukau Rd, Epsom, ph (09) 638 4242
Perlane into tear troughs $790; Botox in chin $150
Laser hair removal - Fiona Hawtin
I have an irrational fear that one day I'll be living in a retirement home with unwanted body hair and my eyesight will be too bad to even notice.
Acting now with permanent laser hair removal sounds like the answer to my nightmare. And best get in before the hairs start to go grey and the laser can't read them.
I'd had a laser experience a while ago. It involved pigmentation on my decolletage and a Russian doctor who looked like an Olympic shotputter. Terrifying. It hurt and I felt faint but I was too scared to complain. The sun damage may have gone, but in its place was the impression of the laser head.
Times change. Enter the Palomar Starlux, the state-of-the-art machine from the US that really is the last word in hair removal. This week.
What makes it different is its efficient cooling system, so that the heat you often feel with lasers doesn't happen - even when there's a distinct smell of burning underarm hair in the air.
It's a versatile beast and there are only a few places that have it. Copyright is one.
Its treatments range from taking the hair off the back of a man booked in for gender reassignment to being a skin-tightening treatment, and red vein removal with the change of a hand attachment.
I'm a little nervous when Alice Lyon walks me through the salon to the room where the Starlux lives. She tells me it won't hurt much. I don't believe her. That's what the Russian doctor said too.
In the interests of research I've agreed to have my underarms done. Lyon puts on some hard-core glasses and so do I. I feel like a science experiment.
The machine readies itself. The room starts spinning. Then it's over, a mere five minutes after it started? "But I didn't feel it."
One treatment will never be enough because you've got to catch the hair when it's in its active growth phase, so most people will need at least three.
I decide to have my bikini done too, I didn't want to gross you out about this, so I didn't intend to write about it. But the results are so good that, like a born-again, I must.
Four underarm and three bikini treatments and I'll never have to wax again. Except for those two stubborn hairs that won't die. And now I'm thinking of having my legs done.
The idea that you don't have to go into trou half way through the week because of the incoming leg afforestation is most appealing.
* Copyright Hair & Body, Sunnynook Shopping Centre, Forrest Hill, ph (09) 410 8716. Underarm and bikini hair removal is $150 each per session
