Peel back the years with a non-surgical beauty regime. Melanie Morris on five to follow.
We want results, we want significant results, and we want them now. When it comes to beauty, we want instant lift, increased luminosity, visible differences. To a degree, this is possible, but longer-lasting effects come with time. Start planning for the summer season now and give products time to perform at their best.
GUINOT TECHNISPA: There are so many products on the market that promise to banish cellulite, pare away inches and improve body tone; and the most effective treatment we've tried recently is the new Guinot TechniSPA machine. Results are not immediate - a course of 10 treatments, two per week, is required. Each treatment takes 90 minutes, starting with a full body exfoliation and application of an ionic gel that works in conjunction with the machine's galvanic (electric) current to combine lymphatic drainage with subdermal massage. Using one of two wands (depending on your required result - contouring or firming), the hand-held rollers stimulate and vacuum, with the help of the mild current. This system claims to reduce fluid retention and break down cellulite. From Guinot salons, €75 per treatment, or €680 for a course of 10, 0818-719303.
PHYTO PHANERE: If you've always had weak nails and hair, or if you've been through a particularly tough time, boost your body's resources with a dose of vitamins. There are several formulations on the market that claim to improve the condition of hair and nails, but one of the best, in our opinion, is Phyto Phanere. Taken every day, along with a hefty dose of patience, it can result in stronger hair, faster (and better) regrowth and tougher nails - within four months, they claim. The capsules contain wheatgerm, carrot, rice bran, soya bean, fish and sunflower oils, plus glycerin and marine gelatin - packing in the vitamins B and E. Phyto Phanere is available from www.hqhair.com, £27.50 for two months' supply.
Imedeen: Classic and Imedeen Time Perfection are perennially popular with maturing women. Time Perfection claims to make the skin smoother, firmer and more luminous, promising results in three to four months. The improvement first becomes noticeable in very dry areas (shins, elbows, hands) before the face, and then the rest of the body show the benefits. Available from Boots and pharmacies, €60 for two months' supply.
DR PERRICONE: The programme prescribed by Dr Nicholas V Perricone (a clinical and research dermatologist) is not so much about weight loss - although if followed correctly that should happen too - as it is about skin quality and anti-ageing. His fish-rich eating plan is one of the fashionable diets du jour. Perricone devotees combine his regime (lots of salmon, berries, white meat, green veggies, olives, oatmeal, nuts and water) with his programme of skin supplements and treatments, boosting the body, inside and out. The supplements - seven per day - come in individual blister packs and the manufacturers claim they include everything your body will need to function at its most efficient (including vitamin A for anti-aging and vitamins C and E for their anti-oxidant properties). The topical skincare products further enhance the efficacy of the regime. Give it a month . . . although there is a three-day version of the diet for those who want to dip a toe in before committing further. The Perricone Prescription is available from bookshops. For information and stockists call 00-44- 207-3292000.
LA PRAIRIE AMPOULE TREATMENT: La Prairie's skin caviar range offers high-end luxury, and its new intensive ampoule treatment is a six-week booster programme that firms and tightens the skin. It's a two-phase treatment, involving a nano-emulsion to enhance collagen production, repair and brighten skin, plus an anti-oxidant. These are applied to cleansed skin, morning and night. The resulting combination of ingredients is said to smooth fine lines, tighten the skin and reduce discoloration - delaying aging as well as repairing damage. Use in conjunction with a vitamin C product at night for best results. Available from Nue Blue Eriu, 7 South William Street, Dublin 2, €500. The Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin, also uses La Prairie products.