Ask Alice

Hi, Optilight looks like a great treatment and you can find it through optician/ optical clinics, it is no longer being offered through aesthetic clinics. There is a practitioner-finder on the manufacturer’s website (lumenis.co.uk) but it’s not working at the moment, so that’s not very helpful – I find if I search ‘Optlight near me UK’ or similar into a search engine I get a few local results, so maybe try that, and good luck.

Hi, as far as I know, Lanluma is designed for use on the body so I’m really surprised to hear that. I wouldn’t be keen to use a body-product in my face…

Hi, I haven’t tried it but it looks fascinating – a simple procedure where a solution containing thousands of minute spiny ‘spicules’ extracted from a type of sponge are massaged into the skin, which act like a kind of non-mechanical microneedling. They’re not rubbing away the skin, like dermabrasion, so much as just stirring it up, in order to kickstart the natural regeneration process in the skin. Take a look at their website.

Hi, yes Emface works on the muscles in the cheeks and forehead to strengthen and tone them and adds a dose of radiofrequency energy to improve skin strength and quality. I’ve tried it, it’s great, though it takes time for the results to develop and I suspect I may need further treatment (expensive).

You don’t need to stop doing wrinkle-relaxing toxin but I would advise doing it after a course of Emface rather than before, as strengthening your forehead muscles will re-invigorate them. Also, as you say, you may find you don’t need it so much.

CACI is a great treatment, a full course could give similar results though I don’t think this builds muscle tone and strength as directly as EMface – and you will need to keep up the treatments regularly to maintain results.

Hi, I think it is rarely ‘too late’ to try any of these tweakments – what you need to keep in mind is that the older we get, the less response there is in our skin and muscles to the treatments that are designed to stimulate them. So what you need to ask your practitioner before you start, is whether they think, after assessing your face, that the treatment will make a difference.

Often, we need more treatment in order to show a result as we get older (I need three rounds of Profhilo in my neck, for example, before I can really see the results, whereas someone 20 years younger should get a decent result from two treatments).

I have seen a nice toning and softening in my face after four sessions of EMface – how long this will last I don’t know. In an ideal world, I’d go on having one of these treatments every month – but at current prices that would be an expensive habit to develop.

Hi, I haven’t tried Age Jet but it looks really interesting, it’s a treatment that uses nitrogen plasma to resurface and tighten the skin, and reduce excess pigmentation and wrinkles so it’s not dissimilar to NeoGen Plasma. I see that Dr Munir Somji is offering it at Dr Medispa and he is discerning in the products and technologies he picks for his clinics. My suggestion would be, if you do try it, to opt for a series of lower-intensity sessions rather than one big treatment, to make the recovery time more manageable.

Hello, Alice had great results with Profound last year – there’s a picture in this article showing the difference it made. She hasn’t had Morpheus8, but as both of these are brands of radiofrequency microneedling you will get similar results. We think when it comes down to these energy-based devices, it’s much more about practitioner technique and experience rather than the specific device.

Hello! Due to Alice’s schedule, we no longer offer Zoom consultations with her. However, you can still reach out to Alice through our “Ask Alice” feature for any queries you may have!

Additionally, you’ll find a wealth of information on our website, much of which has been authored or reviewed by Alice herself.

Hi, you can find Alice’s collagen factsheet here.

In terms of finding a collagen that works for you – we like the following brands: Absolute Collagen, Revive Collagen, Ingenious Collagen and Gold Collagen these use decent types/ sources of collagen, have reasonable data to support their efficacy and are quite affordable. Alice also uses Totally Derma which is pricer than the brands mentioned above.

You need 8,000=10,000mg of hydrolysed collagen per day to make a difference so take that into consideration when looking for a collagen supplement!

Hello, apologies – please can you let us know which article you are referring to?

Hello, you can find Alice’s favourite retinol products here. 

We also have an article on how to choose a retinol on The Guide here. 

Hello, TTG Content Coordinator Si Yau here, yes polynucleotides are great to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and uneven skin tone! You can find out more about polynucleotides here.

This is a good HA-based injectable moisturiser if your face is showing the sort of lines that look etched into the skin on your forehead, or around your eyes or mouth. It has a nice, ‘stretchy’ consistency in the skin and is manufactured by IBSA Derma – the people behind Profhilo, so you can be sure of its safety and efficacy.

Hi, TTG content coordinator Si Yau here answering on behalf of Alice –

After an IllumiFacial treatment, it is generally recommended to wait at least two weeks before having any filler in the treated area. This waiting period allows the skin to fully recover from the IllumiFacial and reduces the risk of complications or interference with the results.

However, individual recommendations may vary based on factors such as the specific products used and the condition of your skin. We’d recommend you consult with your practitioner who performed the IllumiFacial for their aftercare advice.