Lipstick! Serums! Chin hairs! Style’s beauty guru has seen it all — and is here to share her expert advice
Friends at a dinner party were saying that lasers are a great alternative to fillers and Botox. I love the idea, but their names all sound so technical. How do I know what’s right for my skin?
Sasha, 55
Lasers are completely brilliant but, as you say, very hard to get to grips with. The names alone are gibberish, even to a seasoned beauty editor: ClearLift, UltraClear, Halo, Fraxel. Huh? Who? What? Here’s the conundrum: you can’t walk into a clinic and say, “Hi, I’d love laser!” Because it’s a bit like ordering wine. If you know you want pinot noir, asking for “red wine” is a gamble — anything could arrive at the table. The same goes for laser treatments. You could end up with something entirely wrong for your skin concerns.
Let’s start with a quick laser lowdown. In aesthetic terms, they’re “highly controlled beams of light energy that can be directed into the skin with precision”, says Dr Nina Bal, the founder of the Facial Sculpting clinic. “Different types of laser and light devices use specific wavelengths to target concerns such as pigmentation, redness, acne or skin laxity by stimulating the skin’s natural repair processes.”
Back to your question. Yes, they can work as an alternative to injectables, but I’m nervous about the comparison because they don’t do the same job. “Injectables address muscle movement, volume loss and contour,” Bal says. Lasers can transform your complexion, but not by adding volume or removing wrinkles. “These treatments are for clearer, brighter, tighter skin,” she says.
Clearer, brighter, tighter? You’re in, aren’t you? As I mentioned, different lasers do different things. There are gentle, no-downtime lasers for boosting collagen; redness and pigmentation-specific lasers for sun spots, broken capillaries and post-acne marks; or the more intense resurfacing lasers for rough texture, fine lines and scarring.
Which to choose? I asked the superfacialist Teresa Tarmey, beloved by Sienna Miller and half of London’s glowy-skinned set, for her No 1 go-to. Her reply landed in my inbox within minutes. “Alma ClearLift is my favourite and has been for about 15 years,” she says without hesitation. “It’s exceptional for delivering that instant lift and glow with zero downtime. Skin looks fresher, brighter and noticeably more refined almost immediately, so it’s great before an event.”
