By Lou Teasdale @louteasdale

I’m 32 and I work in an industry with, lets be honest, quite a heavy focus on looks. Which means I’m constantly on the search for ANYTHING that will make me look 21 again. It's not vanity, more a reaction to being observed at all times on social media, general media, general life, etc.

instagramView full post on Instagram

I’m personally not opposed to injections/Botox/fillers but I would very much like to keep them to a minimum for a few reasons;

1.  Because it f*cking hurts.

2. Because it’s a bit embarrassing turning up to a shoot the day after having fillers and needing to explain the bruises around my lips.

3. I worry that if carry on having too much at 32 that by 42 I could look like a caricature. It happens.

So, when I bumped into my friend and her skin looked AMAZING I had to know what she’d had done. And, to my surprise, she told me it wasn’t injections - it was something called a Collagen Wave or ‘Colly Wave’?! She wouldn’t stop raving about the results and so I had to go and see what all the fuss was about myself.

Luckily, another friend of mine, Nilam Patel (everybody’s best pal, super facialist and eyebrow queen to the stars) offers the treatment as an alternative to injections. She told me it was a pain free, non-invasive, facial that would actually make me look instantly younger by boosting the collagen in my skin. I was sold before I even sat in the chair.

To begin, Nilam, inserted this really weird looking, giant square metal plate down the back of my top. Next, she squirted cold gel all over my face and neck, and glided and smushed a long round metal probe around for about 40 minutes, which she told me was delivering controlled radiofrequency energy into my skin.

preview for Lou Teasdale Beauty Extremist Collywave

All in all it’s fairly relaxing– compared to Botox anyhow. Sure, it sometimes feels a bit electric-y but I wouldn’t exactly call it pain. Nilam did ramp up the frequency on my jowls, eye bags, neck and forehead and this part did use an ultra-fine teeny needle, but even this part was more than bearable.

So yes, it does fire some electric probes around your face and there is a needle involved, but at least its not stabbing you a million times or drawing blood for collagen stimulation like other recent facial trends. Which is excellent.

The only downfall is that the effects don’t last as long as having Botox or something more invasive. But it definitely does brilliant job at really tightening the skin and targeting all those nasty bits a bog standard facial just isn’t gonna cut. I’m booking in for my second session ASAP.

Offered at DermaSpa and FaceGym, costs roughly £250.