Tweak of the Week is Citizen Femme’s tried-and-tested beauty treatment review series, covering the CF team’s recommendations for facials, massages, aesthetics, and everything in between.
For this week’s review, fashion editor Gemma Louise Deeks visited the skin clinic of leading oculoplastic surgeon, Dr. Maryam Zamani, to tackle some stubborn dark spots on her face.
Dark spots, or hyperpigmentation, are often a sign of sun damage, and are a skin concern that many of us may be thinking about as we go on – or return from – summer holidays. To try and tackle this, Gemma booked the Moxi Laser Facial, which is celebrated as a solution for sun damage, thanks to its ability to target patches of roughness and pigmentation.
What is the Moxi Laser Facial?
Moxi Laser Facial is a gentle laser resurfacing treatment that is safe on all skin types – something somewhat rare in the industry. Specifically, it uses pulses of laser energy to create controlled micro-injuries to your skin, which then triggers your body’s natural repair process, helping improve skin texture, reduce pigmentation, and to improve the appearance of fine lines and pores. It can be used in combination with other treatments, such as BBL (Broad Band Light) and HALO, a deeper penetrative laser for particularly stubborn pigmentation – both of which Dr. Zamani also offers.
Tried and tested: what is having the treatment like?
Located in Dr. Maryam Zamani’s skin clinic, just off Chelsea’s bustling King’s Road, this friendly, intimate space feels personable and welcoming. That’s important. As a self-confessed scaredy-cat, who has never had anything more than a deep clean (and who has a minimal pain threshold), I was nervous about having this more invasive treatment. My therapist made me feel as ease; it felt like talking to an old friend.
You’ll start by having some photos taken of your skin using a special device, which outlines the percentage of texture, UV spots, brown spots and red areas on your skin. A lot of your uneven pigmentation is also lurking underneath your skin unseen, so you want to tackle those areas too, before it rises to the surface – this technique enables your therapist to see which areas need most help and to pin-point where to focus your treatment. Once in the treatment room, a topical anaesthetic cream is applied, and left for up to 30 minutes to make sure your skin is nicely numbed.
The laser treatment only lasts 5-10 minutes, and feels like a scratchy, prickly sensation, with some heat – I was pleasantly surprised with myself for finding it manageable for that length of time. Everyone’s pain thresholds are different, and I’ve had feedback that others felt nothing but a small scratch. You can also choose to hold cooling air over your face to relieve the heat.
With the treatment over in a flash, a heavy moisturiser was applied to my skin, before I was sent home with strict instructions to stay out of the sun and to keep hydrated. The hour-long journey home was actually much more uncomfortable than the treatment itself; my face felt like it was burning and starting to slightly swell. The freezer aisle was welcomed during my supermarket stop off and by the time I got home, the burning had subsided. I was left with a very red face and some mild swelling for the rest of the day, and didn’t have any pain or discomfort the following day, just a slight redness.
What is the aftercare advice?
You’ll receive a detailed email outlining your personalised aftercare, but staying out of the sun is a must (otherwise you can actually trigger more pigmentation), and you must wear SPF50 daily, as well as keep your skin hydrated. I’d recommend bringing a hand-held fan with you to the appointment to help cool your skin down on the journey home. My healing process took about seven days in total, but was barely noticeable, so I was still able to follow my usual routine. Small flakes of dead skin (which look like tiny freckles) slowly shed from my face during the week-long period, unveiling a glowing complexion and refined skin texture and brightness.
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Who is the Moxi Laser Facial suitable for?
Anyone looking to brighten their skin! If you suffer from sun damage, pigmentation, redness or uneven skin tone, this is for you. Moxi is not recommended for those pregnant or breastfeeding (like any laser treatment) and you’ll need to stay out of the sun for two weeks prior to your appointment.
How many treatments do you need?
Results can be seen in as little as one treatment, but for stubborn pigmentation or melasma, a course of three treatments, four to six weeks apart is recommended.
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Why is the Moxi Laser Facial Tweak Of The Week worthy?
This gentle yet powerful treatment is worth booking in post-summer if you’re concerned about dark spots: it takes less than 30 minutes, is suitable for all skin types, has minimal downtime and is effective at reducing pigmentation and sun damage.
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Any Questions or Tips to add?