For this week’s treat, reporter Danielle Harney tested the Dermalogica Age Smart Micro Zone Treatment in Reflections Skin Care Centre in Irishtown.

Almost everyone shudders when they think about growing older and its physical downside, those days when you look in the mirror only to see lines, wrinkles, creases and things start to sag and droop.  However, there are some highly-effective, non-invasive treatments you can receive, which help to prevent, delay or tackle the telltale signs of ageing. The Dermalogica brand is well known for providing a scientific approach to skincare and anti-ageing treatments.
Antioxidants are contained in vitamins E and C, white tea, soy, and some proteins found in food, but often the skin is the last organ to receive its ration. For this reason, Dermalogica products are a great way of preventing wrinkles.

The Dermalogica Age Smart Micro Zone Treatment has been specially created to help tackle this ageing concern and contain anti-oxidants - the natural secret weapon against ageing.  Factors that hasten the ageing process include sunshine, cigarettes, pollution and alcohol. I’m guilty of all but smoking. My own personal paranoia is the curse of crow’s feet. Or “expression lines” as my therapist for the morning Sharon kindly described them.
My skin wasn’t looking too hot on the morning of my facial. It still felt asleep and although I had cleansed and toned both the night before and that morning, it wasn’t looking too perky or youthful.

The Age Smart treatment was going to change all that and all in the space of 30 minutes!
This type of facial is ideal to have on your lunch break as it’s fast, it’s not at all harsh on your skin, there’s no extractions and my skin was so radiant afterwards, I wouldn’t have dreamed of putting on makeup. It’s a targeted treatment designed to fight ageing and in particular those demon lines that are worrying both men and women more and more, in our image-conscious society.  After a brief consultation with Sharon I was ready to get skin-smart.

First of all, my face was cleansed with Skin Resurfacing Cleanser, a dual action cleanser that both brightens and very slightly exfoliates.
Sharon then performed a more powerful exfoliation with Daily Microfoliant, which contains rice brain and is brilliant for people with pigmentation.
Due to many medications (such as the contraceptive pill and antibiotics) reacting negatively with UV light (everyday sunlight, even December days) nearly every single client nowadays has some form of pigmentation or brown spots on their face, according to Tara Lyons, Reflections proprietor. So she recommends that all her clients should wear an SPF daily as it can prevent so much damage and early-ageing issues.

The exfoliator wasn’t too rough on the skin and felt like it really got deep into my pores. Sharon emphasised that exfoliation was an essential part of making sure that your skin reaps the full benefits of any anti-age cream or moisturiser you use, as the dead skills cells can block the effectiveness of any cream. Also dead skin cells can dull your complexion and can even give the skin a greyish appearance.
So that’s the basic rule of anti-ageing skincare - exfoliate a couple of times a week!
Then came the multivitamin mask. This had a lovely citrus smell and felt like a paste was being applied to my skin. It really seems to get deep into my pores. Not only does it clean your skin but it packs your skin full of vitamins. It was left on for a maximum of ten minutes.

After this, Sharon applied MAP-15 Regenerator to areas that seem to age faster, such as your forehead or around the mouth (especially in smokers).
The women at Reflections call this the Harry Potter product, because after just one use it dramatically improves skin firmness and clarity. Tara even goes as far to say that this is her version of Botox, because when it’s massaged onto skin you can literally see it improve the area as you work it in.
Lastly, Sharon applied the Power Rich and SPF to seal her work and give your face the best ingredients possible to absorb.
Power Rich is the active ingredient in this Age Smart Micro Treatment also as the promise is that with one use a difference in lines is visible.
This power rich wonder product (more about it below) can be used as an all-in-one.

For my skin, Tara recommended that I use it sparingly as a moisturiser every second day and really massage it in for a minute or two to get the best out of it. It can also be used on the neck to plump out any fine lines and also daily as an eye cream.
Afterwards, my skin felt and looked fantastic. It could only be described as radiant and I could feel how thoroughly clean my skin was all of that day at the office and even into the next. Two days after receiving the treatment, my skin is clearing up and there’s no hint of a dull, tired complexion - I’d even describe it as “dewy”. I’m also using the Power Rich as an eye cream and I like the results so far. This is one facial I would definitely book in for again.

As a recession-buster, Reflections is now offering clients the chance to continue using the products they love without having to make a large upfront payment.
The Power Rich product, which is Dermalogica’s strongest age fighting product, costs €158 for what is a box of five ampules that can last for months, depending on what the client uses it for. However, Reflections is now selling them individually for €33.
“It has really touched a nerve with the public as I have received such positive feedback regarding this new offer,” said Tara.