Between school runs, work, endless laundry and the general mental load of parenthood, my skin somehow became the last thing on a very long list of priorities in life. Thankfully, my daughter surprised me with a full skin programme at Enhance Beauty as an early Mother’s Day treat, and I had the most wonderful experience reclaiming my glow and left with my skin looking years younger.
So I welcome you all to join me as I recap on absolutely everything that is involved in this incredible session, and why you deserve to look and feel your very best, naturally, at any age and stage of life. I can’t recommend it more highly for all women at any time of year, whether you are local or international, there is something suitable for everyone.
A Deep Dive: Digital Skin Analysis
Skin Specialist, Functional Practitioner and Perimenopause Coach Jamie of Enhance Beauty helps overwhelmed women to achieve their clearest, calmest, most beautifully glowing skin by working from the inside out for longer lasting and more natural results.
Having stepped away from heavy makeup and aesthetics some years ago now, I highly value natural beauty and looking and feeling like my best, rather than being totally unrecognisable in order to feel attractive.
A huge part of nurturing natural beauty involves understanding what we naturally have and how best to work with it, in order to achieve our healthiest, freshest and most individual results. As we age, enhancements can look more out of place, so nourishing and repairing what we have, instead of masking it, allows us to move through the generations of life with grace and sophistication.
We started off with a digital skin analysis, which was incredibly eye-opening. Instead of simply guessing what goes on beneath, based on what we can see on the surface, state of the art technology is used this to look deep beneath the skin barrier. This allowed for an in-depth assessment of my hydration levels, the health of my skin barrier, and highlighting any areas of inflammation.
It’s incredibly beneficial to understand exactly what is going on with our skin through analysis, rather than buying and trying out lots of random creams for weeks on end, hoping for the best but not having a clue if it’s actually making matters worse.
Leaning into a camera booth, in just a few seconds the entire structure of my skin and pores were captured, providing a full analysis of results on screen which Jamie then talked me through. We discussed my current skincare routine, areas of concern and ways to reduce sun damage and dryness as an active, vegan mother of two.
The BYONIK Cold Laser
Following on from this information collected, we then moved to the BYONIK cold laser facial which uses low-level laser energy pulsed alongside active ingredients that had been tailored specifically for my skin. Contrary to its name, it doesn’t feel cold at all, and with my eyes closed I didn’t feel a thing, as it hovered above my skin as I drifted away to the relaxing music.
As I have rosacea and sensitive skin, I tend to carry a lot of heat and dryness in my face, particularly around my nose and cheek areas, with hormonal acne popping up around my child during my menstrual cycle, and dark circles beneath my eyes through being such a light sleeper.
This pain-free laser helps skin cells to naturally produce more energy in order to support in repair and collagen production, whilst calming everything down and giving skin such a healthy glow with zero downtime.
Laying on the cosy treatment bed, with my eyes closed, was such a moment of calm and self love in my otherwise chaotic day. I know that I would have avoided having a skin treatment if it had left me bruised, swollen or red for the rest of the day, as I rarely have the time to hide away and heal for a day, let alone several.
So to be able to return to my day afterwards, with all treatments entreirly undetectable, looking and feeling refreshed was wonderful.
The Recovery Phase
After the laser was complete, Jamie then tailored several treatments to nourish my skin and body, which involved a Circadia Lipid Mask, LED Light Therapy, PEMF Therapy and Vagus Nerve Stimulation and involved me laying on the treatment bed with my eyes closed.
The Circadia Lipid Mask works by replenishing the skin barrier, locking in moisture and strengthening the skin so that it can protect itself properly again.
LED Light Therapy stimulates cellular repair and helps to calm down some of the redness that I’ve been seeing lately, as my face tends to flush dark red across my cheeks and retain heat, particularly when I am feeling stress or having an IBS flare up due to food sensitivities and intolerances.
As the mask was soaking in, Jamie attached a Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields device, or PEMF, to my stomach to reduce internal inflammation and support circulation throughout the whole body. A soft velcro band around my waist held a circular device on top of my stomach, which worked silently to lower inflammation internally, allowing my skin to look and feel much better on the outside. Tucked beneath the covers in my soothing cocoon, I hardly noticed that it was there.
Finally, Vagus Nerve Stimulation provided a zen moment to naturally shift my body into a relaxed state, helping my nervous system to calm down and allow my body to focus on regeneration. I found it fascinating to have a small mechanical pebble placed onto my chest which vibrated gently as I rested.
From the feather-lite touch of brushes, sponges and fingertips to the cooling mask, cleansers and moisturisers, all stress, tension and resistance just melted out of my body, mind and soul. It was heavenly to take a moment to properly unwind, invest in self care and feel my tired hot skin come back to life.
An Holistic Approach For Those Overwhelmed By Skin Health
Something that I love about Jamie’s philosophy towards skin health is how she specialises in helping women who feel completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, especially when entering the midlife phase.
As a teenager my skin felt absolutely invincible; I left my makeup on for days on end, used sun beds almost daily, and never wore an SPF at home or abroad, let alone cleansing, toning or moisturising daily. The fine lines that began in my twenties led me to over indulging in Botox and fillers in an attempt to disguise skin damage until my early thirties, for which I’ve done a complete about turn now as I approach my forties au natural with optimised health being my main objective.
No more hiding, concealing or masking my skin complaints, but in stead I seek to get to the root cause of the matter and chase natural results as opposed to symptoms of systemic failure. Jamie consciously uses skin-identical ingredients that the body recognises easily, which is a relief since my skin has been feeling so reactive and out of sorts lately.
We didn’t just look at the surface for short-term improvements, but focused on the bigger picture of hormones, stress, gut health and maintaining my skin barrier. I left my one hour session with a clear action plan for my skin that is entirely unique to me, rather than a one size fits all kit; I now have a personalised roadmap for what my skin actually needs.
If you’re feeling as lost about your skin as I was, Jamie has an online Clarity Call where you can go through your history and lifestyle before you even step foot into a clinic, wherever you are in the world. I feel so much fresher, lighter and revitalised, knowing that my skin is in top condition, my makeup sits better should I choose to wear it, and I’m the brightest and most naturally beautiful version of myself, regardless of how many laps I’ve had around the sun. It is never too late to put your skin first!
Jamie also offers an Clarity Call where she assesses your skin history, lifestyle, hormones, gut health and skincare. From there she is able to create a personalised plan with clear steps on what your skin actually needs. Having a clear action plan that is unique to our own skin is absolutely priceless for healthy ageing. And if you’re local to Buckinghamshire, England, she can also suggest suitable in-clinic treatments, for you, if you need any extra support.
Please feel free to use my code “TRACYKISS25” when booking an online Clarity Call to receive 25% off.
Book an online, or in-person, appointment with Enhance Beauty here!
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