Lesley Reynolds, the co-founder of the award-winning Harley Street Skin aka the Queen of Harley Street, is the go-to aesthetics expert for more than 50,000 patients, including a host of celebrities. Here she reveals her secrets on how to get that Love Island Glow.
She says; “Flawless complexions, toned limbs and sizzling style: TV’s Love Islanders will stop at nothing to look glam in the villa – but there is something different about the girls in the latest series.
There are far fewer frozen faces or freaky fillers, less thick foundation or over-lined lips. Instead, from the very first episode, several of the female contestants have been sporting a gorgeous ‘no-effort’ natural look – think glossy lips, a gleaming complexion and a healthy glow.
Perhaps it’s a nod towards the rise of the ‘clean girl aesthetic’, a trend that’s gaining popularity and a much-welcomed backlash against the exaggerated features we have all been used to seeing over the years.”
According to research, there has been a huge increase in the rise of beauty consumers shifting their focus towards enhanced natural beauty treatments and cosmetics. These reinvent the way we look in a much more natural way. A recent study shows that more than 50% of consumers now define beauty as ‘looking healthy’.
Essentially, the trend is all about less is more, looking natural and healthy, with the emphasis on glowing skin and barely there make-up. Every skin type has the potential to reach that full 100-watt gleam and glowing lit-from-within radiance. The secret is in the latest skin-boosting tweakments that won’t change the shape of your face or features but can help tighten, smooth, and improve the quality of the skin.
The Harley Street Skin Clinic has been at the forefront of a shift from requests such as fuller lips and full cheeks to enquiries about boosting skin quality and looking fresher instead.
So how can you achieve a natural glow? It’s easier than you think – whatever your age.
Seven Great Tweakments to Get Your Best Skin Ever
The VI Derm Skin Peel
A red-carpet favourite with Harley Street Skin’s celebrity patients is this medium-strength peel, which is great for treating signs of ageing like wrinkles, enlarged pores and uneven pigmentation. Like other chemical peels, a VI Peel works by exfoliating your skin and stimulating the production of new proteins but this one contains an anaesthetic, so there’s no pain or stinging. It is also custom formulated for your skin type using a blend of ingredients that include salicylic acid, which helps the skin shed dead cells; TCA, (trichloroacetic acid), a peeling agent; and phenol (carbolic acid), which evens out skin blemishes. Together a gentle mix of these components achieves the same results as much deeper peels. One treatment will make skin look brighter, tighter, more even-toned and glowing. To maintain results a booster treatment every three to four months is recommended. Allow downtime of up to a week.
Morpheus 8
This new 30-minute tweakment has got the stars queuing up for complexion perfection. It uses a handheld zapper which brings together two of the most effective skin-boosting treatments – micro-needling and radio frequency, with little downtime. They both work to create a controlled trauma, which triggers collagen and elastin production and thereby shrink-wraps the skin resulting in a lifted, tighter and plumper complexion that looks dewy and radiant. Morpheus 8 can be used on the face, neck and body and you get results in one to three treatments, depending on your skin. You may experience a little redness, but this should dissipate within four to 24 hours, depending on the depth of the treatment you had.
CO2 SmartXide Laser (full face)
One of the best lasers around to help rejuvenate and resurface the skin, improving texture and quality. The C02 SmartXide fades the appearance of acne scars, pigmentation and fine lines, shrinking pores and zapping sunspots – all in one hit. During the treatment, the laser penetrates through the surface of the skin to create microscopic wounding within the dermis. This kickstarts the production of new collagen – the building blocks of your skin. The best results will be the skin after six weeks when new collagen has formed, leaving you with a pore-less and flawless skin that gleams with health.
Forma
One of the best tweakments for tightening, improving skin tone, and texture, Forma is a non-invasive treatment using next-level radio frequency energy to help contract the layers of the skin and stimulate new collagen. It suits all skin types, has no downtime and Forma is ideal for those who prefer a natural-looking approach to rejuvenate their complexion, rather than using needles or hi-tech laser. The painless procedure feels like a warm massage and uses a small handpiece which can treat all areas of the face, including the forehead; around the eyes – to target crow’s feet, the upper and lower eyelids; your nasolabial folds, the lines that run from the side of your nostrils down to your mouth; and jowls and smile lines. You’ll see tauter, smoother skin after six to eight weekly treatments.
Sprinkles
Skilful use of Botox injected in minute doses can make you look years younger by treating jowls and lines. It also can also help to reduce pores, resulting in tighter and smoother skin. Results are seen within three to five days and the procedure involves no downtime, with results lasting up to six months.
Innopen
A motorised micro-needling pen that can help restore radiance to dull complexions. During the 30-minute treatment, a small pen-like device with tiny micro-medical skin needles is pressed against the areas being treated to create controlled micro-injuries to the skin. Serums packed with growth factors are then massaged into the complexion. The double whammy of hi-tech ingredients and tiny “traumas” to the skin stimulates collagen production to go into overdrive to help plump and tighten thinning skin. The Innopen treatment softens lines and gives dull, dried-out skin a new glow. The device, which can be used all over the face and neck, including around the eyes, feels like light sandpaper being rubbed over the skin. Your complexion may be red for 24 hours afterwards but can be covered with mineral make-up. However, you must wear SPF50 after the treatment.
Profhilo
Dubbed the “injectable moisturiser”, the idea behind this fabulous skin improver is to improve radiance and the quality of the skin so it refracts light in the most flattering way. Made from hyaluronic acid and designed to hydrate your skin from the inside out, as opposed to adding volume, the treatment takes around ten minutes and there is no pain, bruising or any danger of lumps or bumps. Two treatment sessions, four to six weeks apart, are recommended and results last for between six to nine months.
The Glow Must Go On
As well as tweakments, follow a good skincare routine. For lifting, plumping and smoothing the skin, the most potent anti-ageing ingredients to include in your daily and morning skincare routine should be antioxidants like vitamin C to brighten skin, peptides to prevent sagging and hyaluronic acid to plump and moisturise. Wearing SPF (sun protection factor) barrier creams is vital and use a retinol-based product last thing at night to smooth wrinkles, boost collagen, and lighten spots. Take time when you apply products, letting each cream or serum sink in before layering on the next one.
Lesley says: “If you can’t afford treatments you should follow a good skincare routine. For lifting, plumping and smoothing the skin, the most potent anti-ageing ingredients to include in your daily and morning skincare routine should be antioxidants like vitamin C to brighten skin, peptides to prevent sagging and hyaluronic acid to plump and moisturise. Wearing SPF (sun protection factor) barrier creams is vital and use a retinol-based product last thing at night to smooth wrinkles, boost collagen, and lighten spots.
“You can also eat your way to better skin. As we get older, our oil glands produce less oil but a lack of zinc from following a strict or unhealthy diet – such as eating too many processed foods and not drinking enough water – will exacerbate the process, zapping radiance from the skin. Fortified cereals like bran, whole grain and multigrain cereals contain high amounts of zinc. Treating yourself with a square of dark chocolate is another great way to improve your zinc intake.”
“With age, your skin’s ability to hold water will decrease, leading to quicker dehydration and a general dull look with dry patches, fine lines and wrinkles. Your skin needs to be regularly quenched with moisture-retaining water to remain healthy and dewy looking. Sip water throughout the day and never let yourself get thirsty. Cut back on sugar – the skin’s No 1 enemy and a major cause of skin losing its vital elasticity and plumpness. Be aware of hidden “sugars” in foods such as bread, tropical fruits and yoghurts.”
“And don’t forget, the skin loves vitamin C. Research shows that vitamin C-rich foods not only mop up the free radicals that cause wrinkles and sagging but also can help remove the DNA damage that results. Colourful vegetables and berries (which make your body’s pH levels less acidic) can make your skin all-around healthier and this inner nutrition improves radiance and tone.”
