Beauty secrets

By Anna Streule

Hello, my name is Anna and I am a face product hoarder. I simply love the gorgeous little tubes and beautiful bottles of promised magic. In my youth I would purchase anything my student money would buy – quantity over quality definitely. As I have matured so has my skin, and I have come to realise that I actually need to make a slightly more focused effort in keeping my skin looking even remotely healthy.

It is easy to feel disheartened about the lack of youthful, glowing skin on oneself, when “everyone” in the magazines look so darn gorgeous, with or without make up. However, and here´s the trick, we too can actually have skin this amazing, if we were to spend the same amount of time and money as “they” do at the beauty salon.

We don´t/can´t. But we can do something.

I met up with Tamara Agner, the owner of Reviderm Skinmedics in Baar, to ask her what we, mere mortals, can and should do to make sure we keep looking as youthful as possible.

Anna: So Tamara, tell me how often should we, ideally, be getting a facial?

Tamara Agner: In an ideal world, with unlimited time and money, you would start off with a skin analysis, followed by a course of six treatments over eight weeks, then repeated monthly and supported with the right home products.

Anna: (gulp) Let´s just say that I do not do this, but I agree that it not only sounds wonderful (and wonderfully expensive) but I have absolutely no doubt one would look blooming amazing. Indeed like the Boss herself!

Anna: Clearly you do all this, and more, now please tell us what products you use for yourself?

Tamara: I can honestly say that I try every single product myself but at the moment my hands down favourites are the Vitamin C products and the entire Premium line. Not cheap, but oh so effective.

Anna: Ok so for someone like me, a mother of two in her late 30s (without limitless time or money) – what should I definitely use and do on a regular basis?

Tamara: Daily cleansing and the use of serums and the right creams for your skin must be a given. Weekly gentle peeling and a mask depending on your skin type. Regular treatments at a salon are obviously recommended, but as mentioned earlier, these days you can do a lot of salon treatments at home. You can even rent an ultrasound machine for two weeks. Both cheaper and more practical yet with great results.

Anna: Are there any obvious mistakes we are making when buying and applying products?

Tamara: I think a lot of people are simply buying the latest products, without actually knowing whether it will suit your skin type. Indeed, I would say a lot of people don´t even really know what their skin type is.
The other mistake people are making is that they slather on far too much product when a very small amount would suffice. One mustn´t forget that only what actually touches the skin will do the work. It´s amazing how long a bottle that is nearly empty will last when you start to economise.

Anna: Looking back, what beauty trends do you find the most ridiculous or mad?

Tamara: What really gets my goat is when products claim to do things that are simply not possible. Anti-Cellulite creams are a great example. There is no cream that can make them go away, simple as that. There is plenty one can do to help reduce the appearance of them, but not make them go away. I really believe there needs to be more openness in general about what is in various products and what they can do. As far as I´m concerned that would be a win-win for everyone.

Anna: What are the current trends in terms of beauty?

Tamara: I think people are a bit bored of the “Botox look”, yet still want to look as fresh and young as possible. There are so many minimal-invasion treatments available now that really offer brilliant results such as the SkinPeeler, the SkinJet and the cellJet, that all work deep within the skin to, with time, produce much younger and healthier looking skin. The other big trend overall in beauty and nails is the “home option” – salon treatments, for example ultrasound treatments made to work at home. I think this trend certainly will grow to include more and better treatments.

Anna: I am so curious to find out about the various facials you offer. Please tell us, what is the latest, most modern, high tech super facial that you offer at the moment?

Tamara: Although skin needling has been around for a while, it has come a long way. The SkinNeedler is a micro needling machine that works by making tiny lesions in the skin tissue, thus regenerating new, younger looking skin. The results are pretty remarkable, if I do say so myself.
I think I will start to look at facials and face treatments a bit more like a good investment in the future and a little less like like a once in a blue moon treat, in the hope that I too can wake up and feel happy in my own skin.