insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 21 - November 2016 | Page 62
FASHION+BEAUTY
Cosmetic Skin Care with
Dr. Ayanna Knight
Like many of yours might, when I first heard the words ‘cosmetic skin care treatments’, my mind
leapt to images of tight, frozen faces boasting overinflated lips. The celebrities of today, it seems,
have given cosmetic treatments a bad rap by taking things too far, and one woman determined
to change the way we view skin health is Dr. Ayanna Knight, a Brighton-based cosmetic skin care,
health and wellbeing practitioner who invited me along to her lovely, light treatment room in
Brighton to try a treatment for myself. B Y P O L L Y H U M P H R I S
My needs (or desires; I have an unsightly frown line that’s getting angrier
by the day and my skin is prone to looking blotchy and lacklustre when I’m
under stress) were to be addressed by the Deluxe Mesolift Facial Treatment
and with that, stage one - the chemical skin peel - was underway.
Branching out from her existing role as a GP due to a keen interest in
assessing patients from a holistic perspective, Ayanna’s delightful bedside
manner is apparent from the minute you meet her. Invited along for a
Deluxe Mesolift Facial Treatment, I had no idea what to expect and had
been slightly nervous; the treatment combines a glycolic skin peel - a
non-invasive treatment to combat fine lines that leaves the skin feeling
soft, clean and revitalised, with a mesotherapy session - a treatment
that delivers combinations of nutrients including vitamins, minerals and
amino acids by micro-injections into the top layer of skin – a newbie to
such treatments, I was naturally thrown by the words ‘skin peel’ and
‘injections’.
Developed as an antidote to lines, pigmentation and scarring that can
blemish the skin, medical skin peels exfoliate the top layer of skin to
remove dead cells, unblock pores and remove impurities, the process
of which stimulates new, healthy skin cells to come to the surface and
encourages collagen production to give a firmer, brighter complexion.
Applied delicately with a soft brush, I barely had time to register the slight
tingle caused by the silky-smooth layer of liquid being applied to my
face before it was time for it come off. I had imagined, at best, a stiffer,
mask-like solution being applied to my face, and, at worst, a sensation
of burning. I couldn’t have been further from accurate; it was an entirely
comfortable, pain-free experience that was over within three minutes.
But, I was wrong to be. Spending at least 20 minutes chatting to me
about my lifestyle, about my skin, and about how the image of Samantha
from Sex and the City, face red raw from a botched chemical peel, is
really not an accurate or fair representation of a skin peel at all, Ayanna
then explained a bit more about what she does and why.
Next, the mesotherapy, a process that nourishes and rejuvenates the skin
and helps to reduce sagging and restore anti-ageing properties to it (and
also a popular treatment for cellulite and excess weight as it can be used
on the face, neck, décolletage and body). Although reassured by Ayanna’s
insistence that the micro-injections I was about to receive wouldn’t hurt,
there’s just something about the word ‘injection’ that makes me instantly
tense up. Thankfully, there was absolutely no need for me to – what
should be focused on here is the word ‘micro’; the injections in question
were barely pinpricks and actually felt very therapeutic. Especially when
administered with a cold, soothing blend of vitamins and minerals that you
can feel sinking into your skin and nourishing it as they do.
“Throughout my medical training and clinical experience as a GP, I have
always had a keen interest in looking at the person as a whole and
understanding how not only the physical, but psychological and social
aspects of people’s lives impact on their health and wellbeing,” she told
me. “Cosmetic skin care treatments are not all about 'trout pouts' and
frozen facial expressions. I am an advocate of natural enhancement and,
ultimately, the treatments I offer improve skin health, make people feel
good, boost confidence and enhance wellbeing. I love meeting with my
clients, exploring their health concerns and wishes, and formulating a
treatment programme suited to their needs.”
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