Broadcaster Rachel Johnson tried out Emface, the new non-invasive treatment that everyone is talking about
It happened this year. I looked in the mirror (or worse, at iPhone pictures) and I didn’t look like me anymore. Something had happened. Several things. I’d put on half a stone, but it wasn’t that. It was my face. My taut jawline had started to jowl. My mouth was set in a frown, the barcode above my lip visible and as for the neck - it was a federal disaster area. Eeek. I am a radio presenter and podcast host but these days everything is filmed. I needed to tart up the display in the shop window - and sharpish.
I’d had Emsculpt last year to blitz the bulge that had suddenly appeared above the knicker line. (I say suddenly but accept it might have something to do with the extra poundage I’ve been handicapped with since lockdown.) Emsculpt is like Slendertone or a Tens machine, to the power of 100, on steroids. I have to admit it did not have a dramatic effect but again, that could be because I’ve discovered this new bagel place in Chelsea.
What I liked about Emsculpt was it was fast, painless, non-invasive and you could have a little rest during the treatment, as it was all lying down in a warm dark room in the middle of the working day, which is one of my favourite things. Also, it was at a salon in Westbourne Grove, West London called Young LDN with fabulous staff, so when they looked at my haggard countenance and suggested Emface, I was in. I booked four sessions, a week to ten days apart.
What is Emface?
The Emface treatment is, like Emsculpt, non-invasive, and works on the skin, connective tissue, collagen (hurray!) and muscle. Launched this year, it promises “fewer wrinkles, more lift”. At Young LDN, my course of four costs £2500.
How does Emface work?
You have a pad stuck on your back and then a white sticky pads on each cheek and one on the forehead (they had to search under my fringe) to deliver radiofrequency and magnetic current called HIFES (high-intensity facial electrical stimulation). Then it’s blast off. The machine goes on and the pads heat up, which encourages the production of collagen and elastin fibres. The special trick of the face stickers attached to the pad on your back and the machine is to “restore and support of facial tissues” by making specific muscles contract and increase density of muscle structure overall.
It feels warm, fizzy and not at all unpleasant even when the power is cranked to the max, and each session is 20 minutes long so lie back, relax and think of England.
The results
The best results are expected three months after the final treatment but I saw a difference straightaway. My skin looked glowing and pink, and the dewlap on either side of my chin had been chiselled. After two treatments, things seemed to be heading back north rather than south, so I could look in shop windows again without fear.
After three sessions I met a friend for a coffee in West London. I was sitting at a table outside and I saw Jonathan approach uncertainly. I took my dark glasses off and he looked relieved.
“I wasn’t sure if it was you or a lookalike,” he said as he sat down and squinted at me. “You look like one of those Notting Hill yummy mummies, so I didn’t think it was you at first.”
The verdict
With one treatment left, I am very convinced this is the way to go. As far as tweakments go, I’ve had none apart from one round of Profilho. I am not at all keen on injectables, fillers, surgery or any work on lip areas and therefore Emface seems to me to tick the boxes (apart from sorting out my turkey neck and crinkling bosom).
It is essentially a non-invasive face-lift. They throw in a facial and an LED mask as well so I think it is decent value, and above all, it feels wholesome and safe. Almost as if your face has been going to the gym while you lie down.
There is no way you are going to leave the salon after Emface and people will think you’ve had work: you haven’t, your face has just been gently shocked into looking more like it did before.
In terms of frequency, they say it is advisable to wait three months after your four sessions as collagen and elastin will still be re-generating and you will only get full effects after the three months.
The HIFES part of the treatment is a key part which continues to stimulate the stem cells up to three months afterwards. And then you wait a year to 18 months before going around again or – after the three months are up – have a booster or maintenance session to prop things up, depending on how saggy or elastic your skin is to begin with. Me? I’m in for the long haul north!
Rachel’s Emface course cost £2500 at Young LDN, with prices starting from £500 for a one-off Emface express session. To find your nearest clinic see btlaesthetics.com/en/clinics-near-me