Herts &amp; Beds

Ever been for a facial and come out feeling, well, a little bit cheated? A bit like you could have done it at home with the right products? Enter the high tech facial. Real results, high end techniques, cosmeceutical grade products and insanely effective machines (lasers, pens etc.) I went along to The <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="AL5 Aesthetics (opens in a new tab)" href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/al5-aesthetics-medispa-harpenden/" target="_blank">AL5 Aesthetics</a>, Harpenden to try out their new Laser Genesis Facial with Peel.



&#8216;The laser is great for fine lines, scarring and generally stimulating collagen production and improving the complexion,&#8217; explains my therapist, Grace. &#8216;And the peel [she used a Glow Peel on me] is great for exfoliating, smoothing, adding glow, reducing pore size,&#8217; she adds. Sounds good, right? top. Let&#8217;s take it from the top, then.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/al5-aesthetic.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60692" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/al5-aesthetic.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/al5-aesthetic-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/al5-aesthetic-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/al5-aesthetic-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



And, I&#8217;m going to begin with a little home truth. Nobody, wants to emerge pink faced after a treatment and have to walk down the High St, with the distinct possibility of running into a neighbour etc. Fortunately, this isn&#8217;t a problem at AL5. The super discrete location &#8211; it&#8217;s almost a little difficult to find &#8211; is perfect for hopping out of and back in to your car, without seeing a soul. There&#8217;s that anxiety out the way.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sittingroom.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60693" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sittingroom.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sittingroom-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sittingroom-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sittingroom-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Now onto the next one &#8211; this isn&#8217;t just your everyday beautician, it&#8217;s an aesthetic clinic. And I don&#8217;t know about you, but that makes me think of something stark and clinical. But again, you don&#8217;t have to worry. The bright and cheerful decor of AL5 is much more akin to a trendy salon than a doctor&#8217;s waiting room. You sit waiting on a gorg velvet sofa, adorned with stylish cosy cushions, set off by a fab tropical wallpaper, while you wait for your treatment. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/reception.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60695" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/reception.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/reception-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/reception-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/reception-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



But what about the treatment? Well, AL5 does the lot &#8211; botox, fillers, lasers, microneedling etc. But it also does non invasive, high tech facials, and that&#8217;s why I&#8217;m here, to try their latest addition to the beautifying repertoire The Laser Genesis Facial with Peel. Peels? lasers? All sounds a bit intimidating. But it&#8217;s NOT AT All.



So first to the laser &#8211; Laser Genesis is a non-ablative laser procedure &#8211; e.g. one that uses heat and light to improve the skin. It tackles fine lines, sun damage and scarring, and generally improves condition. OK, that sounds straightforward enough. And the peel?! Don&#8217;t worry, it&#8217;s nothing like Samantha&#8217;s terrible tomato-faced Sex and the City fiasco. Peels come in many, many different strengths and the ones used here are gentle enough that you might experience a flush afterwards, but that&#8217;s about it. And, you can have different types of peels for different problems &#8211; acne, ageing, dryness.



That&#8217;s the science/background out the way. Wanna know what it was like? Of course you do. LOL.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/grace.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60696" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/grace.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/grace-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/grace-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/grace-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Well, I was taken into the treatment room by the lovely Grace who then explained that she would apply the peel, remove it and then move the laser machine over my face. A piece of cake! I just had to lie there.



After a soothing cleanse, the peel was gently painted onto my skin, much like a mask. She left it on for about ten minutes, as we chatted away about all things aesthetic (I&#8217;m a massive beauty geek). It tingled a bit, but really nothing more than that. In fact, it was thoroughly satisfying feeling it working away. After about ten minutes she spritzed my face with a peel neutraliser to stop it doing its thing and massaged my face. Then it was on to the laser.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/laser-machine.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60697" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/laser-machine.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/laser-machine-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/laser-machine-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/laser-machine-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Eye protecters were put in place and I was warned it would feel warm (as the laser pen thing is moved across your face). I won&#8217;t lie, it was quite hot on the skin to start with, but the feeling subsides quickly as your skin gets warmer. After the slightly weird initial sensation, it&#8217;s actually nice and soothing. I didn&#8217;t want it to stop by the end. 



What did I look like afterwards? I was quite flushed, but nothing that hadn&#8217;t disappeared in time to meet friends three hours later. Really not a problem. I was issued with a soothing skincare kit from super high-end cosmeceutical brand, Alumiers, and off into the car I jumped, after snapping a few shots of the gorgeous decor.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2016" height="1512" src="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sophie-face-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-60699" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sophie-face-1.jpg 2016w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sophie-face-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sophie-face-1-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sophie-face-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/sophie-face-1-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 2016px) 100vw, 2016px" /><figcaption>The post treatment flush &#8211; which wore off in a few hours.</figcaption></figure>



But did it work? What did it dooo? I hear you thinking. My skin looked insanely amazing for about four days and a week on, it&#8217;s still got a really nice super-smooth look. In terms of the longer term effects, you would really have to book a course (lots of before and after examples available online, or I&#8217;m sure the salon could give you some pics). And, luckily for you, there are some very good offers on at AL5. <a href="https://herts.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/al5-aesthetics-medispa-harpenden/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Check out their Muddy Little Black Book for more. (opens in a new tab)">Check out their Muddy Little Black Book for more.</a>

We Trial: The Latest Hi Tech Facial

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