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This is York Magazine visits SkinGenesis

This is York Magazine NATALYA WILSON, journalist, tries out the latest trend in anti-ageing skincare from across the Atlantic.

Madonna’s a fan. Cameron Diaz, Victoria Beckham and Jude Law reportedly are too. Looking after your skin is all important in celebville and it looks like Microdermabrasion, the latest trend in skincare in the States, which is now available over here - is the answer to our anti-ageing problems.

So forget about facelifts and Botox injections, this treatment might be the way forward in easing our worries about wrinkles. I was invited to try out a session of Microdermabrasion at Skingenesis in Leeds, the nearest skin clinic to practice this treatment.

The basic principle behind Microdermabrasion is that it buffs the skin, removing dead skin cells and revealing the younger, fresher skin underneath. Have a few treatments over the course of several weeks and they claim that you really notice a difference - glowing, softer skin and a reduction in lines and wrinkles. It can also be used to remove age spots and sun damage and clear away broken capillaries, rosacea and blemishes.

It’s great too, in that it literally takes only a few minutes, so you can pop in during a shopping trip to the city. And it’s non-invasive - there’s no needles and no surgery involved. Like any other client, I underwent a consultation with Lynn Wilcox RGN, the clinic manager, where I was asked about the state of my skin, any allergies, history of past treatments, before I was ‘Microdermabraised’.

Lynn first cleansed my face and neck and did a patch test to make sure I wasn’t allergic to the treatment and then, using fine crystals which are ‘jetted’ on to the skin using a special machine which looks a little like a small vacuum cleaner on the end of a wand, she went over the surface of my face and neck.

This process unblocks pores and exfoliates the skin, boosting collagen, the skin’s natural process of elasticity and renewal, promoting cellular growth. The vacuum action also massages the lymphatic system, effectively de-toxing the skin.

After the treatment, my skin was wiped clear of the crystals and felt tingly clean, glowing and wonderfully smooth - I really did feel a difference in my skin quality. Lynn recommends a course of 10 treatments to really notice a marked difference.

The machine that the Skingenesis practitioners use is unique to this country in that the suction levels can be increased and decreased, so that, over the course of treatments, the skin can be worked on quite hard and to suit the client’s individual needs, promoting better circulation, blood flow and more oxygen to the skin’s surface.

As it controls oils and hydration, it’s great for acne sufferers, too. There are only two adverse effects, according to Lynn. Firstly, a client may react to the crystals, but as they do a patch test beforehand, this is immediately eliminated. Secondly, if a client has quite thin skin, they may bruise slightly, depending on the intensity of the jetting action onto the skin.

The clinic also provides other treatments for pigmentation problems and permanent hair removal using Intense Pulse Light, which, when used in conjunction with Microdermabraison, can also remove thread veins and treat acne.