Ten Ways to Look Younger
4. VEINWAVE PROCEDURE
Time was (and by that, we mean all of 20 months ago), if you spotted a spider vein on your thigh, you either made friends with it or made an appointment to suffer injections or painful laser work, then wore compression hose and sat around watching bad daytime TV on your couch for upward of a week, all the while missing your job, your friends, your errands, and anything else past your doorstep. Suddenly, along came the (FDA-approved) Veinwave treatment, which Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has been administering for more than a year.
In place of a scalpel, there’s a tiny insulated needle that gets pressed down along the skin where the vein has appeared, barely penetrating the surface. To us, the procedure felt like 10 to 20 aggressive mosquito bites, all in a row. Annoying, to be sure. But painful? Feh. Our mini trial had nowhere near the aggravation or pain described by most students of old-school sclerotherapy. Any redness was gone within two or three hours… as was the vein. No Lidocaine, uncomfortable stockings, or Ace wraps necessary. And the treatment’s not limited to legs: It’s been used with success on the nose and cheeks of older patients, as well. $500; Cardiovascular Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 110 Francis St., Boston, 617-632-9959.
5. THE RÉGENIQUE FACIAL
Anyone looking for a noticeable youth boost with zero discomfort — meaning not even a standard facial’s nigh-torturous extractions — and even less-than-zero recovery time, listen up. The treatment known as Régenique was stumbled upon by Ardan Medspa clinical director Kathy Nash at a medical conference three years ago, and it’s been a part of Ardan’s program ever since.
An RN with almost two decades’ worth of aesthetics cred under her belt (doing nonsurgical clinical work, and building up an ardent following in the process), Nash has refined the standard Régenique process to four steps. First is a medical-grade microdermabrasion to painlessly remove the very top layer of skin. After that she dabs on a touch of low-grade chemical peel, which gradually lightens imperfections such as sunspots or scars. Then comes an ultrasound and electrical stimulation that patients swear improves face muscle tone and, moreover, readies the skin to absorb skin-care products like an overzealous sponge. Those steps alone would be enough to wind the clock back at least a few years for many. But what pushes Nash’s handiwork over the edge is her fourth step: the customization.
Clients with fine lines receive a layer of brushed-on nutrients under a mask, which both sweats out toxins and gets absorbed, leaving the dermis softer and more hydrated than it’s been in years. $250; Ardan MedSpa + Salon, 72 Central St., Wellesley, 781-235-7788, ardanspa.com.