WANT to knowwhat your realskin age is andfind out where

you’re likely to developwrinkles in the future?

Thanks to a new treatmentsoon to be available inNorthampton, you can literallyface up to ageing.

You won’t need a crystal ballto see what you could look likein 10 or 20 years time. BeauVisage predicts that for you,using the latest technology,which allows a camera-operatedmachine to photograph up to2mm beneath the surface ofyour skin.

It’s been described as theultimate skin consultation and,from April, Beau Visage will beoffered at The Townshend SkinClinic in St Giles Terrace,Northampton.

Dr Askari Townshend, ownerof the clinic, invited me to bethe first to test out the skinimaging system, that uses atechnology known as siascopyto see blood, melanin anddamage beneath the skin. Bytaking a few quick and painlesspictures, Beau Visage can assessthe distribution of blood,melanin and sun damage inyour face and calculate yourskin age.

Dr Townshend said:“Everyone assumes that theyneed botox to prevent wrinklesand slow down ageing butthat’s not always the case. TheBeau Visage results will tell mewhether someone needsinjectables like botox, or if theycould do with something likeintense pulse light (ipl) to helpwith discolouration of the skin,which is just as ageing. It givesthem a shopping basket oftreatment and products to helpthem and a detailed plan ofaction.”

Beau Visage tracks changes inyour skin’s health and age tohelp determine whether skin

care products and treatmentsare working for you andhighlight areas that mightrequire attention. The newsystem can even see wrinklesthat are yet to appear on theskin’s surface, allowing time toimplement change and maintaina more youthful appearance forlonger. You may be shocked atthe images, but Beau Visageprovides an opportunity forwomen to take a proactiveapproach towards theirappearance.

Annie Brooking, CEO ofAstron Clinica, the companybehind Beau Visage said: “BeauVisage is the ultimate skin

i IMAGE Face Up To Ageing

IMAGE | Health & Beauty

Hayley Jones and Dr Askari Townshend demonstrate how Beau Visage works▲

Saycheese!

What lies beneathRuth Supple faced up to her future when she became the first person in

Northampton to try out a radical new machine that tells you how old youreally are beneath the skin . . .

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imaging and consultationsystem, a must for women whoreally want to educatethemselves about the health oftheir skin. By using Beau Visageto analyse the skin, women canplan their beauty regimeaccordingly and, in some cases,even help turn back the clock.For those of us who are seriousabout looking after our skin, aBeau Visage consultation shouldbecome routine.”

Hayley Jones, of Beau Visage,explained how the skin imagingsystem works.

She said: “Images of the skinare taken by the camera fromthree different angles – left,middle and right – and we canthen show the client what ishappening underneath theirskin using siascopy.

“This lets us see up to 2mmbeneath the skin’s surface and,from the four images we aregiven, can deduce howsomeone’s face is going to age.”

The first of those photographsis a normal, colour image,which shows what skin typeyou are and where breakoutsand dehydration are on thecomplexion.

The second image is a bloodview of the skin, where you cansee any problems with red veinsbefore they come to the surface.It also highlights any acne androsacea.

“Dr Askari can then removethese problems before theycome out,” explained Hayley.

The third picture reveals amelanin view of the underlyingskin, showing anydiscolouration or age spots.

Lastly, the fourth photoshows the level of sun damagelurking under your skin, one ofthe worst contributors to ageing.

The machine analyses theimages and works out a skinage score for you, which may bea lot higher than your real age,based on the damage you’vealready inflicted on yourcomplexion through things likesmoking, drinking, sunexposure, pollution, diet and soon.

It can also be programmed tofigure out how many wrinkles

you have and where they are, aswell as where they are mostlylikely to appear in the future.

It’s available for anyone over20. Although she’s only 25,wrinkle-free and with clear skin,Hayley has already been usingBeau Visage and havingtreatments like light therapy.

Why?“I want to make sure that, by

the time I’m 35, my skin willstill look as good,” she said.“I’m having treatments now toprevent problems occurring inthe future.”

Once you’ve had your skinanalysed and been told its “realage”, the practitioner willrecommend treatments andproducts to help correct anyproblems and try to slow downthe ageing process.

You’ll also be able to see“before” and “after”photographs to document yourresults.

Hayley added: “Peoplecoming into a clinic like this areconcerned about ageing andwant to know what’shappening. It may seem scarybut this is designed to bepositive, to help someone knowwhere problems are likely tooccur and find out what theycan do about them.

“It can still make a differenceeven if you’re 60. You’re nevertoo old to stop caring for yourskin! I’ve seen drops of over 10years in age after just a coupleof ipl treatments with clients,”claimed Hayley.

Dr Townshend said: “Youmay need to have a couple of ipltreatments when you are 40 andwill see visible results withindays. You don’t have to dedicate10 years of your life to makingimprovements to your skin.”

i ■ The Townshend SkinClinic, 7 St GilesTerrace, Northampton,will be offering freeconsultations of BeauVisage when it isintroduced at the clinicin April. Telephone01604 637934 or visitwww.townshendskinclinic.co.uk for moreinformation.

“FACE OF MY FUTURE”

FINDING out what my“real” skin age is and whereI’m likely to wrinkle in thefuture was a scary prospect.

I’ve never smoked andhave inherited fairly wrinkle-free skin from my gran wholooks 10 years younger thanher 87 years.

But I’ve been guilty ofsoaking up the sun, enjoyingthe odd glass of wine or threeand have also inherited mymum’s rosy cheeks, whichflush at the slightest tipple.

So the thought of testingBeau Visage left me in two

minds. Would Ibe jumping for joy like I did onthe Wii Fit where my fitnessage came out at 35, sevenyears less than my real age,or would I be on that couchready to have anythinginjected into a face 10 yearsolder than my 42 years?

The first colour image waseerie, like looking at a deathmask of myself. Hayley said:“Your skin looks smooth andwell hydrated and the surfaceseems in quite goodcondition. It’s not overly oilyor overly dry.”

So far, so good.The second shot was

stranger still and picturedabove. It looks bright red asyou see all the blood flowunderneath your face.

Hayley explained: “Yourcheeks, chin and nose areasare not as flawless as theycould be and there arepatches where the blood flowhas pooled. As you get older,they will get worse, your

cheeks will get redder. It’s anaverage level of damage foryour age now, but by the timeyou reach 50 it will be worse.”

Gulp. The third and fourthshots showed my melaninlevels and age spots causedby sun damage and what myface could look like in 10years time if I carry on withno treatment.

Hayley said it didn’t look asthough I’d experienced muchsun damage, which was goodnews, but that there were acouple of age spots on mycheeks and nose.

She added: “As you age,

you will probably get morelines around your eyes andupper lip. You are more proneto discolouration thanwrinkles though and this willbe more of a problem to youthan wrinkles.

“Most people associateageing with wrinkles. But skindiscolouration is also ageing.”

The wrinkle analysisconfirmed this but then camethe bit I’d been waiting for.What’s my “real” skin age?

Beau Visage chooses partof your face to analysemathematically.

My cheeks came out at 34and my forehead at 31.

“You’d only need a coupleof ipl treatments and wewould be able to lower thatfor you,” added Hayley.

Tempting though it is tohave treatments, I think I maylet nature take it course . . .unless, of course, DrTownshend can take me backto my 20s. If only.

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