Needle-free radiance

I'm not going to lie. I was nervous. Really nervous. I'm an active spa-goer but microdermabrasion and mesotherapy are new to me and I really had no idea what to expect. I had visions of needles, and bruises and red, patchy skin. But I thought, "Suck it up, Anna. Someone's got to try this and report back to tabloid! readers."

As soon as I turned the regal-looking, golden doorknob at Slim Spa on Shaikh Zayed Road and heard managing director Stacey's warm hello, I immediately felt at ease. She introduced me to my therapist Naseem, who led me to my treatment room, a dimly lit space with aromatherapy candles and relaxing music. Glancing over at the strange machine next to the treatment table I admitted to her that I was a bit nervous. She smiled and told me not to worry. This treatment, she said, is the only FDA-approved needle-free mesotherapy around. I breathed deeply — needle-free. Perfect.

Naseem patiently explained every step of the microdermabrasion and mesotherapy treatments and their purpose, and told me she would talk me through the whole thing as we went along.

I lay on the table, draped in a towel with my hair covered and Naseem washed and massaged my face and neck with a mild cleanser. I felt relaxed and a bit silly for having been so nervous earlier.

After my face was clean, we started with the microdermabrasion portion of the treatment. Tiny crystals, akin to soft sand — but, of course, much more luxe than sand — were gently rubbed into my face and neck while a tiny suction machine (kind of like one of those mini-vacuums you can buy to clean under the keys of your laptop) sucked up the excess crystals and all the dead skin, and blackheads and whiteheads that had found a temporary home on my face. It was much more pleasant and noticeably faster than the often painful extractions done by hand during an ordinary facial.

My skin had been very dry and thirsty from my two-week stint in the cold climes of Canada, so Naseem added a massage with rose oil before applying a moisturising mask to my face for ten minutes. Naseem said this would help to calm my skin and minimise any redness.

Next was the needle-free mesotherapy, which is a great alternative to traditional mesotherapy. Traditional mesotherapy consists of injecting the skin with a mixture of amino acids, vitamins and minerals with the use of a needle to eliminate wrinkles, enhance production of collagen and rejuvenate the skin.

Here, the nutritious cocktail penetrates 1.5cm into the skin with help from tiny macroelectric waves — much friendlier than a needle. Naseem massaged the liquid into my skin with a handheld device that looked somewhat like the gizmo medical-types use for a baby ultrasound on a soon-to-be mum. Not scary at all.

At first, it felt like a vibrating massage, then Naseem turned the power on the device up a bit higher and I started to feel teeny, tiny electric pulses going into my skin. That, she said, is how the vitamins and minerals would reach the cells deep below my skin's surface.

It didn't hurt, but there were parts of my face that felt more uncomfortable with the tiny electro-pulses than others — around the apples of my cheeks. Naseem sensed my discomfort and turned it down a few notches. It was still working, she said.

After the mesotherapy treatment, when she showed me my face in the mirror, I couldn't believe it. No swelling, no redness — just really fresh, taut, and ultrasmooth skin. Without a doubt, better immediate results than with any traditional facial I've ever had.

For the rest of the afternoon, I kept popping into the bathroom to have a look at my face. Yup, still smooth, pores still minimised, still fresh, still taut. I looked and felt rejuvenated. Not sure what I was expecting, but this definitely beat it,

The details

Slim Spa is located in suite 206 at the Al Attar Tower on Shaikh Zayed Road directly in front of the Ritz Carlton at DIFC.

Microdermabrasion costs Dh400; mesotherapy costs Dh800; and both treatments (combined) are priced at Dh1,000.

Packages are also available for four/six sessions. Call 04-3437987 for more information.