Last week amongst all the exam prep and wedding planning activity I managed to squeeze in my complimentary CACI and Microderm abrasion treatment, from Elements on Kloof. It was wonderful and great to finally meet Yvonne, the lady behind the Elements brand. I had done a bit of research about the CACI(click on the link to read more about this) treatment and I have had MDA before and Yvonne made me feel very relaxed, so over all it was a very positive experience.

As I approach forty I have become more aware of how quickly my skin seems to age. Another problem I seem to be encountering is adult acne – who would have thought! But according to Yvonne the percentage of woman acne suffers aged 32 – 42 years is higher than the collective amount of teenage acne suffers. How is that fair, surely we should be allowed to age gracefully not looking like a spotty teenager!

My other concern is pigmentation, it’s one of those things that arrives in your life and you are not entirely sure how it got there. What causes pigmentation, well herein lies the debate – some sources blame sun damage, others hormones but my concern is not how it got here but how do I get rid of it! Well by this stage I have exhausted most options available and nothing much has worked, so it could be one of those things in life which I will just have to learn to live with.

Back to the treatment – after Yvonne’s assessment of my skin, which in spite of the pigmentation was fairly positive, she began the MDA treatment. This is a cosmetic technique that uses a mechanical medium for exfoliation to remove the outermost layer of dead skin cells from the epidermis. It is a non-invasive procedure and may be performed in-office by a trained skin care professional.

She then applied some gel and began the CACI treatment, which uses Micro-current stimulation to deliver tiny electrical impulses that mirror the body’s own natural bio electrical field. You do not feel much besides for a slight electrical tingling sensation.

So what are the results I hope to achieve by having these treatments:

• Toning and tightening muscles in the face.
• Smoothing fine lines.
• Smoothing and decreasing wrinkles.
• Stimulating collagen.
• Treating skin around the eyes to reduce wrinkles.

What I can report is that my skin felt rejuvenated after the treatment and I spent the evening asking my hubby if he thought I looked more youthful – like any wise man he affirmed the fact that my skin did indeed look much perkier! The skin over my cheek bones definitely feels firmer and more elasticised.

As I said previously, I have tried various options to treat my pigmentation but have not found anything to be very successful, so I have decided that I will remain open-minded but not become obsessed with treating this problem. I will instead concentrate on the general good health of my skin, using good products, sun protection and staying out of the sun as much as possible.

I have booked a follow-up appointment for the new year and I will keep you posted as to the results achieved by these treatments. I really encourage you to make an appointment and have your skin assessed – I found Yvonne to be both knowledgeable and sincere in her approach; I never once felt pressured into doing anything or purchasing any products. If anything her approach is conservative and modest.

The salon also sponsored me with two products from the relatively new SPA, skin care range,  by Charlotte Rhys, so I will see what results are achieved from these products as well.

Thank you again to Elements on Kloof for my wonderful treatment.