Giveaway: VPL Photo Rejuvenation at Caci Kohimarama

Around seven years ago I had a course of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) photo facial treatments to correct broken veins and general sun damage, and was totally blown away by the results. If you've ever wondered why celebrity females of a certain age have such uncannily baby-smooth skin, wonder no more. It’s a fast and effective way of removing the visible ravages of time without surgery, and relieved my skin of sun damage, boosted collagen production and softened fine lines, amongst other major bonuses!

During treatment that takes about 30 minutes, light pulses are directed evenly over the skin. The light passes through the epidermis and penetrates deeper into the dermis where the pulsed light energy stimulates cells called fibroblasts to produce fresh collagen. Over several treatments, this new collagen smooths and softens the appearance of wrinkles, pores and textural irregularities. It also treats sun-damaged skin with pigmentation abnormalities, spider veins and rosacea, which absorb the light and are damaged until they fade from view.

The one thing I didn’t like about the IPL course however was the immediate effects on my pretty sensitive skin, which left me looking quite burned for a couple of days after. I was lucky that I worked for myself and could lay low, but don’t know how comfortable I would have been going into a meeting looking the way I did. It was also a lot more painful than I’d envisaged, necessitating arriving early to have numbing gel applied to my face - hardly a ‘lunchtime’ procedure at all!

So, I was incredibly impressed when I experienced a VPL (Variable Pulsed Light) Photo Rejuvenation at Caci Kohimarama last week, leaving around thirty minutes later without even the hint of a flush! VPL stands for ‘Variable Pulsed Light' meaning your skincare technician can select from multiple wavelengths of light, safely pulsing these through the skin’s surface to achieve a perfect complexion that is totally customised to you. It reduces the most visible signs of aging on the face, neck, décolletage, chest and back of the hands to leave them looking refreshed, and for me, the pain factor was pretty much zero in comparison to my IPL experience. The treatment itself was actually not painful at all, although it feels like a series of small rubber bands flicks to the skin with each pulse. There was also NO downtime post treatment - I didn’t go bright red or peel in the slightest, and even a few days later I only have a little pigmentation that has darkened before it begins disappearing. Amazing, I was super impressed!

So much so that I’m all about spreading the word, and have a VPL Photo Rejuvenation consultation and full face treatment valued at $550 to giveaway to someone very very lucky (you have to be in Auckland, or be able to get yourself to Caci Kohi in Auckland for your treatment). To enter email me helene@mshelene.com by 5pm this Friday and you’re in the draw!

Or if you want to find out more call Lena, who owns Caci Kohimarama at 31a Melanesia Road on (09) 5215959 to discuss Photo Rejuvenation, or book in for a free skin consultation to see which Caci treatments your skin would benefit most from.