Oxygen treatment a breath of fresh air

Tiny bubbles of oxygen are creating a stir in Hollywood. Now available in Nelson, Victoria Guild put the oxygen facial to the test.

A lot of women would like to improve the look and feel of their skin, especially after years in New Zealand's harsh climate. But short of surgery or brow-freezing botox, what options are there?

With the myriad of beauty treatments around these days, it's difficult to know where to start.

It all depends on how far you want to go and how much you want to pay to improve the appearance of your skin. One look at Melanie Griffith is enough to make anyone proceed with caution.

I was recently invited to try a new treatment available at Woman beauty day spa on Nile St.

The oxygen facial treatment is the latest fad to hit Hollywood. Madonna swears by it - she has a machine at home and has a treatment every day while on tour. It's also a favourite for many stars before a red carpet event and after having the treatment I can see why.

Tracy Power at Woman describes the O2 intraceuticals oxygen facial as the application of oxygen to your skin under hyperbaric pressure.

It's like a tiny bubble of oxygen sits at the end of the applicator and pushes the accompanying serum into your skin. The serum has a base of hyaluronic acid, which is found naturally in the skin, and carries vitamins A, C and E and green tea to neutralise free radicals - the nasties that ravage our skin - as well as high concentrations of moisturiser.

Tracy thoroughly explained all this while giving me a complimentary brow tidy, and cleansing and exfoliating my face in readiness for the treatment. I felt pretty relaxed before we'd really started.

I've had a few different types of treatments in the past (such as microdermabrasion) so was prepared for a slightly uncomfortable tingling sensation. No such thing - the treatment was absolutely painless and actually quite refreshing. It felt like water was being shot into the skin, more like water blasting rather than sand blasting, which is what microdermabrasion felt like. You could almost feel your skin soaking it in.

Tracy paused at the halfway stage to compare the two sides of my face. The treated side felt plumper, fuller and smoother and this was confirmed with a close-up inspection in the mirror afterwards. In fact, I became a bit like a preening peacock over the next few days, stopping to look in the mirror every chance I got to see the results.

Some effects were instant, but it got better over the next few days. By day three I really noticed a difference in the texture of my skin, the tightening of pores and evening of my skin tone. The most noticeable areas of improvement were the cheeks and around the eyes. I just regretted I didn't have a red carpet event of my own to go to.

Of course there is a catch. For any treatment to have long-lasting effects you need to have more than one. Tracy recommends an oxygen facial each week for six weeks followed by a maintenance treatment every four to six weeks. At $150 a pop, it's not a cheap course but does compare well with other treatments available. There is also a range of take-home products to complement the treatments.

Tracy says the oxygen facial is suitable for all ages and skin types, and can be used after other treatments like microdermabrasion or peels to soothe the skin. It is also a good option for people who would like to do more for their skin than a standard facial yet are wary of more invasive treatments.

Victoria Guild received the O2 intraceutical oxygen facial courtesy of Woman beauty day spa. For details and prices of this and other treatments contact Woman at Mabin House, 98 Nile St, ph 548 0030.