This article first appeared in Vogue Magazine on 14/11/22

Vogue Magazine Featured Thermage FLX

In the world of beauty, trends come and go.

And with the pace of said trends and the emergence of shiny new innovations, it’s tempting to think that all our skincare concerns can be resolved with a single treatment, miracle cream or multi-tasking serum. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple—and certainly not if left too late.

As has been proven by science time and again, the condition of our skin—how taut, how clear, how unblemished—involves a number of variables from genetics and lifestyle, to product use and care.

Said tautness—or perhaps the reverse, sagging of the skin—is all to do with collagen, the structural support of your skin, and how it behaves over time. Our bodies (rudely) stop producing collagen when we are in our early thirties, so after about 50, the levels are seriously diminished. In the quest for better skin, especially if you are looking for lift and smoothness, Thermage FLX is a popular procedure that both Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston have admitted including in their beauty regime.

Thermage FLX is a non-invasive skin tightening treatment that uses radio frequency to help boost collagen production from the skin’s deepest layers for natural looking results. The radio frequency builds collagen by sending energy to different layers, and it’s the remodelling of deep to surface layers that lifts and tightens the skin. The Thermage FLX heats the skin, boosting elasticity levels in order to smooth, lift and tighten areas around the upper and lower eyelids, lower face, as well neck, tummy, arms, thighs and buttocks.

In quest for a smoother visage, I booked in for a treatment myself at Skin Renu. My face treatment took around 60 minutes and unlike many other treatments did not require numbing. The Thermage FLX system incorporates a vibration pad—the movement and wave sound are thought to distract our brains from feeling pain and an updated applicator that cools the surface of the skin while the underlying layers are blasted with heat. It is, therefore, much more comfortable.