If you think surgery or injecting Botox into your face at a rate faster than you can say “I feel so (insert emotion) right now” are the only ways to lift, plump and freshen up your face, you may want to pay a visit to Neelu White.
And I do mean pay. A single session of her “Perfector” microcurrent treatment, known as the “knife-less facelift”, will set you back a €175, but even just one session delivers results.
"Women don't want their friends to say, 'Oh, have you had a facelift?' They want them to say 'Oh, you look so well!'" Neelu tells me on a recent visit to her down-to-earth, not-even-slightly-intimidating Beauty Emporium in Arnotts on Dublin's Henry Street. She offers holistic advice and strictly non-invasive, paraben-free treatments that deliver natural-looking results.
Upfront and friendly, she quickly makes me feel like I’ve known her for years. She tells me my skin looks “dull” and that I need some serious exfoliation.
After assessing my skin – like she does for all her clients before recommending and tailoring treatments based on skin type and desired effect – she suggests microdermabrasion and the Perfector treatment.
Neelu has been in the beauty business for 32 years. She doesn’t promise miracles or magic, or that you’ll walk out of her salon with the face you stepped into college with. “It’s going to be subtle,” she tells me, “but there’s going to be a definite difference”.
And just so I’m sure I can see that difference, she does each treatment one half of my face at a time.
She begins with the microdermabrasion, which involves pelting the skin with organic grains, fine crystals and oxygen. This intense exfoliation is painless and leaves half of my face incredibly smooth, bright and dewy, making the other half look dull and dusty.
After completing both sides, she moves on to the Perfector, which in simple terms doesn’t sound unlike electrocuting your face.
It involves pulsing electrical currents into the face with a handheld device or through special gloves. In my case, Neelu uses the latter and massages my face, pushing everything upwards.
Proponents of microcurrent treatments claim that these electrical pulses lift the skin, reduce wrinkles and sun damage and encourage collagen and elastin production and lymphatic drainage, among other things. Skeptics claim that temporarily increased blood flow could be responsible for any plumping effect.
Indeed, regular sessions are required for maintenance, and the results and how long they last vary by individual. The vast majority of Neelu’s clients are regulars who have been going to her for years, either for regular treatments or the occasional boost of collagen and confidence ahead of a big event or wedding.
What do I think? Right side of my face done, I blink into a mirror for a couple of seconds before I find myself suddenly saying, “Oh yeah!” It’s subtle – and very strange – but the right side of my face actually looks slightly higher than the left. I also notice that redness in my right cheek from sun damage has faded and the skin is firmer.
Both treatments on both sides of my face complete, overall I notice a reduction in fine lines, colour that is more even and smoother, plumper, fresher-looking skin. And I’m pretty sure the improvements are still there a week later.
Like Neelu said, all the subtle changes add up to a definite difference.
