I’ve told you before about Clare Peters. She is my go-to facialist for skin pick-me-ups and maintenance. If I was writing this circa 2005 I would probably use a clique like having Clare on my speed dial. I no longer have speed dial, but Clare is a regular on the whatsapps of London’s influencers, beauty editors and celebrities. And the best thing about Clare is that she’s hungry for knowledge – she is forever trying out the latest technology, and the variety keeps my skin guessing, which means it keeps on working hard to look its best.
Last week, I visited Clare at the JOSHI clinic to try out her latest technique, using Coolifting. Coolift is a revolutionary hand-held gadget that projects a combination of powerful CO2 and high concentration of atomised actives at very low temperatures onto the facial tissue.
The idea behind Coolifting is pretty straight-forward. When blood vessels experience an extreme cold stimulus, they contract and expand, encouraging micro-circulation and increasing the flow of blood to facial tissue. Combining this with high pressure (but painless) application of CO2 flow induces collagen and elastic formation and increases tissues’ oxygenating. A secondary effect is known as thermal shock – underlying tissues which are usually around 36 degrees centigrade experience an extreme and sudden cold, causing a deep and instantaneous dermis reaction.
The treatment is pretty quick, and infact is often used in conjunction with another treatment. It is particularly effective after laser or infrared treatments, to cool and sooth skin. Clare immediately handed me a mirror after we had finished and I was shocked to see my skin looked better than it normally did with make-up on. The slight redness I usually experience around my nose and cheeks had gone, and a quick touch test confirmed that the slight uneven texture around my chin and jawline had been completely smoothed. My skin looked dewy, radiant and hydrated. And over a week later, the result continues. I am no longer using a high-coverage foundation, even on shoots. Now, I am using a concealer sporadically, plus a light tinted moisturiser for barely-there coverage.
This past week has been absolutely hectic with work events, photo shoots and filming, and not having to worry about what my skin is doing is such a relief and a huge comfort when I have people taking photos from every angle. I couldn’t do what I do without Clare. And I’m really not just saying that…
Coolifting is a treatment that can be used as a stand-alone fix, for example ahead of an important event, or as a course of treatments with bespoke intervals in-between.
To contact Clare, visit her website.
Olivia x
