We use the Perfector machine which uses microcurrent therapy to stimulate the muscles to lift again. The treatment takes 90 minutes and is very relaxing, it doesn’t hurt at all and so you get the bonus of a short rest to rejuvenate mentally.

We begin with a circulation program, followed by relaxation of the muscles, a superficial lift to work on the little lines and wrinkles and then a deep lift focusing on your main concern areas. We then perform a firming program for the skin to tighten and finish of by ionising an amploule into the skin. The whole treatment is done with electrodes that have current passing through them, and gently stimulate the skin, you cannot feel it much but you may see flickering lights near the eyes. There are no needles at all in this treatment and you can go straight back to work or going about your day.

You would complete a course upfront, you will see an immediate difference an you will feel it on your skin too. We recommend 10-12 sessions over 4 weeks and 3 times a week, thereafter you can maintain the treatment once a month or so, a lot of our clients will repeat the course later on.

Other treatments that we like to recommend to compliment the Perfector Treatment is BDR and Coax face tightening. Sometimes we do look at using peels and laser to even tone the skin as an add on.

What happens is as we breathe inside the mask, we have a vapor from our breath that is keeping that skin very moist and if your skin is not dry enough, it cannot exfoliate naturally on its own and this causes congestion under the mask. Unfortunately this is not bias to age group as even kids are experiencing the same problem.

So what can you do?

Hygiene is critical

Make sure that you are washing your mask regularly in a wash of at least 30 degrees once a day. We are wearing makeup under masks causing congestion and due to the friction can cause irritation, when we scratch the bacteria on our hands can open the skin up to infection so in the spirit of Covid and clean skin, don’t touch your face!

Exfoliate

Because the skin cannot exfoliate properly, you will need to manually up this a little. Where we usually recommend once to twice a week, we now say you should exfoliate at least twice a week. You can also peel and this is just as effective.

Treat The Problem

If the skin has reached a point where you have red and painful lesions, then you need to treat this with masking and ampoules, come in for a facial and have some high frequency on the skin to eliminate all bacteria and give it a good clean. The Babor Purifying range is designed to inhibit and stop the spread of bacteria and the ampoules are so effective that they show a 21% improvement in acne in just 7 days.

If you are trying all of the above and the breakout continues, please be in touch and come in for a consult so that we can make a personal recommendation for your needs.

When we consider what we spend on waxing on average in a year and compare that to laser we can make a fair comparison and decide on the best way forward. Not only does laser reduce hair but it softens the skin and also eliminates ingrown hairs, so not only will you have no more hair but you will have a better skin surface on any area that you are treating.

Let’s compare the bikini area as an example. If you are waxing every month and spending R210 per month, you are looking at R2520 per year at an annual increase of around 5%, over 5 years your total cost will be roughly R16 000.

When you laser, you are looking at around 6 upfront sessions and the gaps between these sessions are much longer than with waxing and as you progress in your course of treatments the gaps get even longer. This gives you time to prepare financially for each one. Each session will cost R850. Comparing the same bikini laser with the same bikini wax, this means that your first 6 sessions will cost you R5100 and this is spaced out over 8 weeks after your first session and then 10 weeks and then 12 weeks so your first year of laser is going to be your first set with the results being less and less hair each time and a longer time of not needing to worry about it at all.

In your second year of laser, you are looking at two or maybe 3 sessions max to maintain the hair removal and this will then become your annual maintenance of R850 – 900 only once or twice a year if necessary. Your cost for laser then over the 5 years is R12 800.

The reason that we need to do 6 sessions up front is that with each one, around 20% of your hairs are in what we call the growth phase. This means that the follicle is nice and plump and getting a full blood supply. The laser is attracted to red and brown and so if each time we get 20% of the hairs, 6 sessions should cover you completely. Hair is designed to regenerate though and this is why we do need to maintain those hairs that come back even after being zapped!

We also have a good sense for which hairs will give us good results and which are not going to work well. We offer a complimentary patch test where you can come in and have a consultation to decide on the best way forward for you. To view our full price list click here.

There can be a few reasons why the skin will pigment and it can be difficult to treat if you leave it for too long. Causes may include; sun damage, hormonal influence or scarring. When we talk about hyper-pigmentation or dark spots we will want to assess the depth of the damage. We look at the skin under a magnifying lamp or a woods lamp to see how deep the damage goes.

Some pigmentation will ease up on it’s own, for instance if you have sun burnt your skin, it may go darker for a period of time and ease up as the sun burn fades. Chloasma which is the “butterfly mask” that develops during pregnancy will also usually ease up on it’s own but when the skin does not deal with these marks on it’s own, we need to take action sooner rather than later.

At Rene’s Beauty Clinic we offer a variety of solutions to combat two tone skin and restore the skin to a beautiful even tone. In this guide we sill elaborate on these options but your best bet is to come in for a skin consultation and have an in depth recommendation tailored for your skin.

Products

We stock the Dr Babor Brightening Intense range which is a high-performance range for all skin with irregular and uneven pigmentation. This skincare line helps to achieve a more even, brighter and more radiant complexion when used regularly. The Babor skin technology is mind blowing, this range is special because it signals the skin to inhibit the receptors for the hormone tyrosinase which stimulates melanin and causes the darkening areas on the face. The range also reduces collagen breakdown and a vitamin boost helps to soothe the skin and brighten the look of the skin.

You will complete a course of 28 ampoules, use a serum and a cream with an SPF of 20. We recommend a mask in the range too and a cleansing system for your skins needs.

SPF is an absolute must for all skin but even more so for a pigmented skin.

Treatments

Depending on the depth of the pigmentation and the sensitivity of your skin, we will consider IPL Laser or Babor Peels.

IPL Laser

IPL is Intense Pulse Light, with IPL we are able to treat the skin to regenerate and target dark spots, the treatment takes around 30-45 minutes depending on if you are treating the face or including the neck and decollete. IPL is drawn to the pigment and blasts the melanocytes which will darken initially and as the skin naturally processes and sheds, these spots come to the surface and disappear, it’s like magic to watch!

The treatment feels hot with each shot and you can see a bright light as we shoot near the eyes, you have a dual benefit of regenerating the skin to combat fine lines and wrinkles too as well as minimize pore size. Your skin will not peel after the IPL and you can go about your day as usual within about an hour. There will be some redness on the day but this eases up fairly quickly.

Babor Thera PRO Peels

The Babor Thera PRO Peeling system works very differently to any other peeling range as it works intrinsically to signal the skin to regenerate. You will have a peel every two weeks and a home care regimen is recommended for optimal results. The peeling system uses Alpha Hydroxy Acid, fruit acid, glycolic and lactic acid to loosen the bonding substance between superficial layers of the epidermis. The Peel is gentle in that it does not cause flaking and it is not abrasive on the skin surface but signals the dermis to regenerate with fresh, new and healthy cells. Your therapist will select the correct PH to peel your skin with each session and gauge your skin response to give you the best results with every treatment.

Here are a few snaps of our own client results:

Treating dark spots is a common concern for skin renewal and we see great results with our clients who follow our home care systems correctly with our in salon treatments. Click here to view our pricing.