I’m 41, Here’s What I Recommend For Skin

The Big Guns

For injectables you need to find someone you trust and who has your best interests at heart. I’m a huge fan of Dr Joseph Hkeik All Saint Skin Clinic in Double Bay who, as skin whisperer to some of the country’s most illustrious personalities delivers a “has-she-or-hasn’t-she?” level of work. For me, he has recommended the following treatment plan.

“I believe in a less is more approach,” says Joseph. “When you’re in the right hands, little touches in the right places are often all that is needed.  Most importantly, we need to preserve your authentic beauty and character.”

Injectables

Joseph recommends the All Saints 3-point liquid facelift, which involves injecting a small amount of wrinkle relaxing injections where needed and then a very fine wash of filler to help stimulate collagen and elastin and give a little bit of volume to the cheeks, without creating that puffed up look that some fillers give.

“It’s bespoke treatment that we modify to the individual,” says Joseph. “We will increase or decrease the amount of product that we place in different areas of the face, depending on what each part of the face needs. So, in some instances, I might just really create a higher cheekbone for some people. For some people I managed to create a bigger [apple of the cheek]. In this way I’m manipulating your face to change with the next three to six months to what I think is going to suit you best, for you. For a guy, I’ll do it differently. For an older woman, I do it differently to a younger girl in their 20s.”

Another hugely popular ‘tweakment’ Joseph recommends? Profhilo, which is being billed as the New Botox. Unlike wrinkle relaxing or filler injections, however, it’s more of an injectable moisturizer that helps prompt your own collagen and elastin production. In doing so it smooths fine lines, plumps and hydrates and also gives insane amounts of glow.

“Profhilo is a simple procedure. We put these five points on your face and it hydrates your skin, creating a nice scaffold for the cells so that they function better and can create collagen and elastin,” says Joseph.

Lasers

Creating a uniform skin tone is key when addressing the signs of aging. Joseph suggests a course of Picoway, a laser that uses short bursts of powerful lasers to target pigmentation,  acne scars, fine lines and even to remove tattoos. Clients may see a lightening of the dark pigment patches and reportedly like it because it’s quick, and not as hot or painful as some of the other lasers – particularly with the numbing cream and cool jet they use at All Saints. There’s also virtually no downtime, just a bit of a sunburnt effect.

Facials

Apart from the lovely relaxation aspect, a results-driven facial is great at thoroughly cleaning your skin, giving a more effective exfoliation than you can achieve at home while the facial massage can sculpt and refresh the muscles in the face beautifully. One of my favourites, the Hydrafacial is a medical-grade treatment that involves a six-step process that combines cleansing, exfoliation, hydration, and nourishment, all while delivering essential antioxidants, peptides, and hyaluronic acid. The best part is seeing all the gunk that gets sucked out in the deep cleansing process. When I’m short on time, I like the Dermalogica treatments as they’re incredibly targeted, like the Dermalogica MicroPeel. I also recently tried Hydropeptide facial at The Beauty Scene in Freshwater which was so relaxing and left my beaming brighter than a Youtuber’s ring light.

The Skincare

Playing an ever-important supporting role for The Big Guns is your skincare routine and, while I enjoy testing out all brands, I always fall back on cosmeticeuticals. With active, medical-grade ingredients these products penetrate deep into the skin, targeting specific concerns such as fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation. I routinely change up my skincare routine as I try different treatments. At the moment it’s relatively simple.

My current AM routine is a morning cleanse with Cosmedix Purity cleanser; a few drops of Skinceuticals CE Ferulic and a sunscreen – either Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50 if I’m relatively desk bound or Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF 50 if I’m going to be out in the sun. I also use LED masks.

Cosmedix Purity cleanser

Skinceuticals CE Ferulic

Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF 50

Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF

In the evening I’d usually do a double cleanse beginning with Chanel Anti-Pollution Cleansing Oil and a Sante By Enjo Makeup Remover Pad (it gets off every little bit of makeup pad). Then I’ll use the Cosmedix Purity. After that I use a little bit of Trinny London Find Your Balance BHA serum on my chin and Finacea (from the chemist) to keep my hormonal spots at bay. Then I use  the new Dermalogica Dynamic Retinol all over, which has a generous 3.5% dose of retinol with soothing Squalene so it doesn’t irritate. If I feel I need more hydration after that I’ll use something rich and indulgent like

The Devices

There are a whole host of amazing at-home devices now that can further the effects of professional treatments from the comfort of your couch. In the mornings when I meditate I use LED masks. I like the Omnilux Contour and the Currentbody Neck and Dec mask. If you need to target breakouts you can use the Dr Gross Spectralight Faceware Pro for 2 minutes as it has a blue light option that kills acne-causing bacteria. There’s also the NuFace Trinity Microcurrent Device which is great before any special events or shoots to tighten and tone skin.

Omnilux Contour Mask

CurrentBody Skin Face & Neck Kit

Dr Gross Spectralight Faceware Pro

When watching TV at night you can use the TheraFace PRO that has multiple modes and attachments so you can use it for percussive massage and cleansing, light treatments, hot and cold treatments. The massage is great if you get a lot of tension in the jaw and neck. It’s nice and quiet so you can still hear the TV over it.

Another new device making waves is the FaceGym Pro, which is being billed as an instant, non-invasive face lift. It combines triple-wave randomized electrical impulses to activate and elevate the facial muscles, giving the appearance of a firmer, more youthful-looking face and you can do it in ten minutes.

NuFace Trinity Microcurrent Device

Theraface PRO

FaceGym Pro

The Ingestibles

The final piece of the puzzle involves an inside out approach. And while I do try to eat a nourishing diet, I also supplement with collagen  By. Beth comes in a beautiful vessel and is a hydrolyzed bovine collagen, which is apparently more bioavailable. Many biohackers I follow recommend a daily greens powder like WelleCo Super Elixir greens powder every afternoon. Another great tip is to swap wine for a probiotic drinks like Imbibe Beauty Renewal – you can combine it in a wine glass with water – it looks like rosé and tastes delicious.

By Beth Collagen Unflavoured

Welleco Super Elixir Unflavoured

Imbibe Beauty Renewal