London - Lying very still and barely breathing, I make the mistake of opening my eyes just in time to see a sharp scalpel being held directly over the bridge of my nose.
Any sudden movement is clearly unwise. I slowly shut my eyes again and pray I will emerge from this facial intact. It’s not a worry I’ve had before in a beauty salon - but then, this isn’t your average beauty treatment.
For during this particular facial, I’ll be having a lot of my skin scraped off with a blade. I’m enjoying (and I use the word loosely) what’s known as an Egyptian facial - so-called because queen Cleopatra was partial to it.
Dr David Jack, who worked as an NHS plastic surgeon before opening his London cosmetic medicine clinic, has now brought it to the UK.
“The ancient Egyptians used milk and fruit to first soften the skin,” he says. “We prefer to use mandelic and glycolic acid, which are both derived from fruit, while milk is replaced with salicylic and lactic acid.” These acidic treatments melt the glue that holds together cells in the top layer of skin, loosening it, ready to be removed. It’s then scraped away with a sterile surgical blade.
There appears to have been no modification in technique from 2 000 years ago, though I suspect the blades used by the ancient Egyptians were more basic.
Still, why on earth would you submit to this in 2015? Well, there are three perceived benefits.
First: dead skin cells are removed, so the new, brighter layer below is exposed.
Second: active products such as vitamin C in creams applied to the skin are better able to penetrate and do their job.
Third: cell turnover is improved, brightening the skin.
The treatment also helps lessen pigmentation, lines become less obvious and the fine hairs on the face (vellus hairs) are removed.
It’s still as fashionable in the Middle East as it was in Cleopatra’s time. Recently, it’s become popular in the US, too, especially among the wealthy of New York and LA.
So much so that Dr Jack came across the technique while training in America and brought it to the UK. He’s currently the only one offering it here. But is this because it’s not actually that great?
“Not at all,” he insists. “It’s an excellent way of exfoliating, and I think it’s better than microdermabrasion, an exfoliation technique that blasts skin with tiny particles, removing the top layer of cells.”
Cleopatra was renowned for her incredible beauty - not a curse under which I labour. But I am keen to combat ageing with any weapon available. I’m less worried about wrinkles than the increasing amount of age spots on my face - probably a result of sun exposure. For this reason, I am prepared to go under the knife.
First, Dr Jack cleans my face with an alcohol-based disinfectant to remove bacteria. A cleanser is applied and an acid peel in the form of a clear liquid smoothed on my face. After 30 seconds, there’s a light stinging, as though my face is being brushed with holly leaves, and my skin feels warm.
This stays on for around six-and-a-half minutes, long enough for it to dry. Next, he neutralises the acid peel by wiping water over my face. My skin instantly starts to burn, though he reassures me this is because of the friction of the swab. Apparently, it’s normal, and is immediately soothed when Dr Jack rubs on vitamin E cream.
Then, it’s on to the main event. When I see the scalpel glinting, the first question that springs to mind is: “Have you ever drawn blood?” Looking me squarely in the eye, Dr Jack says: “No, I have not.” With that, I close my eyes and he begins to scrape at my forehead.
The sound of metal dragging along my skin is horrid. It doesn’t hurt, but there’s no doubting the blade’s sharpness. I’m relieved to note Dr Jack has stopped talking and his hands remain steady.
Still, I almost lose it when the scalpel moves to the skin around my eyes. It is terrifying, and I find myself holding my breath. Thankfully, the scalpel doesn’t go near my eyeballs and, although I’m not enjoying the sound of the scraping, I am getting used to it.
“Look!” says Dr Jack. He shows me some of the dead skin removed in the form of minute flakes at the end of the scalpel, along with a great deal of soft, white hairs.
As he moves down my face, I relax. The only area in which I feel any discomfort is my jawline. It doesn’t hurt, but I feel the scalpel pushing into my flesh.
Once it’s done, my skin is covered in serums with such ingredients as retinol and vitamin C to improve wrinkles and pigmentation.
Having been warned to expect some redness, I look in the mirror. My face is only a light pink, which is a relief. But my skin (and I don’t say this lightly) looks five years younger, with a radiant, dewy glow. This is somewhat marred by small white rolls of skin still flaking off - the exfoliation process will continue for another 48 hours.
It’s not recommended you have this treatment more than once every three months; documented problems with over-exfoliation include dry and thin skin.
That evening, skin continues to peel gently away from my face. And the next morning, I am even more pleasantly surprised. The lines around my eyes and mouth are much diminished and my skin has a light, expensive sheen.
I really didn’t expect this treatment to be so effective - it was well worth the terror!
Daily Mail