Anti-ageing is a blast

It's not pleasant to admit, but I'm now at the age where I spend hours of my week checking my face in the mirror for sagging skin and wrinkles. More than once a day, I catch my reflection and recoil in shock at a slightly droopy bit of skin or a fine line that I swear wasn't there yesterday. And I'm only 33.

Getting older is great in so many ways, but let's "face" it, none of us relish the idea of our youthful visages morphing into that of a decrepit tortoise.

Beauty jab

Botox is the answer for many — but it's a path that requires a lot of self-restraint. In Dubai, I guess we all have a well-preserved female acquaintance or two who hasn't visibly emoted for a few years.

I've always been a fan of facials, as much for the fresh feeling they give as for any anti-ageing side-effects. But recently I tried a new type of treatment that has me completely hooked.

I was by the Kaya Clinic, Dubai to try out their Advanced Facial which they told me was proving a big hit with their female clientele. The clinic I attended in Jumeirah was very clinic-y, with therapists in white coats and latex gloves, etc., which is a little unnerving, but at least you feel like they're taking the whole business seriously.

After lying down on the treatment bed, I was given a thorough cleanse with various pleasant-smelling products and then it was on to the serious business of microdermabrasion.

This skin-resurfacing technique involves tiny particles being blasted on to your skin via a small metal hose, gently exfoliating your face and removing a very fine layer of skin.

It doesn't hurt though, it just feels a bit rough. It is, in a way, oddly satisfying — you can almost visualise all those horrible dead cells and grimy pores being obliterated. Once the exfoliation is completed, a manual (Viennese) massage is given to relax and rejuvenate the skin.

Any blackheads and whiteheads are then removed with the aid of an extractor and finally, a cold face mask is applied for about 15 minutes.

Great results

The whole procedure took about 75 minutes and the results, for me at least, were startling. Sure, I looked a little red after my mild sandblasting but that soon died down and my skin looked the freshest and tightest it has for years.

For the rest of the week people commented on how "well" I looked and I genuinely noticed an overall improvement in my skin as the days passed by.

It's prudent to be wary about the hundreds of so-called "miracle" treatments available these days to hold back the years — and this treatment, lovely as it was, needs long-term commitment and a forgiving credit card.

But it made me look (and feel) years younger for a while. And it didn't involve injections.