When it comes to skincare, I am increasingly paying attention to the promise of greater moisturising.
That’s why news that the HydraFacial MD had dropped at Bodyworx Aesthetics Clinic was enough to lure me to central Abu Dhabi on a weekday. The procedure has been around since 1997, but gained traction back in 2010 when it was featured on the US version of The Doctors.
I found Bodyworx to be a modern, easy-to-find spa that came under new ownership last year. The HydraFacial involves the administration of a series of products from a station of bottles that vaguely resembles a chemistry set. There is a nice manual cleanse of the skin followed by the big guns: Pur Moist Hyaluronic Acid Cream, which also contains the antioxidants vitamins A and C and horse chestnut seed extract.
Then it was time for something called a diamond peel. This is a dry microdermabrasion treatment – not at all painful, in fact if felt really nice – with the exfoliation courtesy of a scratchy-feeling “diamond embedded tip”. My favourite part was the lymphatic drainage, which involved moving the mini-suction cup end of a thin wand around my face.
Several serums followed – I lost count, but later discovered there were three: one that contained Glucosamine and botanical extracts for more moisturising, brightening and firming, and another, a non-irritating version that contains salicylic acid and honey extract – it helps with the extraction, which was also painless. The last serum is Antiox-6, another antioxidant moisture that helps sooth treated skin. Somewhere in there was something called a Glysal Acid Peel which, true to the sell, tingled but did not burn.
When the procedure ended I found that I got the best result I can hope for from a facial: I was temporarily well-rested and fresh-looking, bright-eyed, with an estimated – temporary – three or four years off my face. Of course it’s nothing clean living, proper sleep and a good skincare regime can’t accomplish in about a week. But if we all followed that advice, these spas would be out of business.
• The HydraFacial MD costs Dh1,000 and takes about an hour. Bodyworx is located between 6th St (Najda) and 8th St (Al Salam) opposite Al Dana Girls School with plenty of parking. For more information visit the bodyworx website or call 02 641 9961