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.” 62