Face the future: Erase wrinkles or banish your dimples with high-tech gadgets you can use at home

Forget iPads — the latest must-have gadgets are the ones that promise to revolutionise our beauty regimes.

Offering the power of salon-standard treatments in our own hands, this new wave of mini machines use technology such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and ultrasound to tackle a plethora of skin concerns from wrinkles to cellulite.

These state-of-the-art devices are heading for our high streets and are predicted to fly off the shelves.

‘Beauty gadgets are by far our fastest growing category,’ says Annalise Quest, general merchandise manager for beauty at Harrods. ‘Customers are looking for devices that show tangible results quickly.’

Industry analysts value the UK market for beauty devices at £110 million — and rising.

But can home-use beauty gadgets really deliver? We asked skincare technology expert Dr Leslie Baumann, of the Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute in Miami, in the U.S., to give her verdict.

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Vampire therapy: It might sound ghoulish, but having your blood sucked out and cleaned could work miracles

Another miracle cure from the Daily Mail. I think a skin laser would possibly have the same anti-aging effect as it energises the blood circulation resulting in healthier skin cells and of course can also be used for healing wounds among other things.

"The thought of having blood drained from your body, treated under ultraviolet light, then pumped back in sounds like something out of a Hallowe’en horror film.

But blood cleansing, the latest health-boosting treatment to reach our shores, claims to not only energise you, but aid a host of medical and skin concerns, too.

UVB Photo-biological Stimulation therapy (UVB therapy) involves a small amount (50ml) of blood being extracted from the body and passed, via a tube connection, to a machine where it’s briefly exposed to UV light then redirected into the bloodstream.
It sounds ghoulish and a little bizarre, but this 15-minute treatment is widely used in Germany and Russia. And now the treatment is available in the UK.

Blood cleansing makes some impressive claims from perking up energy levels, strengthening the immune system and increasing metabolism, to reducing the symptoms of diabetes, allergies and improving skin conditions such as acne and dermatitis.

But can exposing our blood to light actually improve our wellbeing?

The theory is, that when there is not enough oxygen in the blood, there is also a lack of energy in the blood’s cells which can lead to poor circulation. This is when illness can strike.

‘UVB therapy works to re-oxygenate the bloodstream, re-energise the body and boost the immune system, which is vital for inner health and wellbeing,’ says Dr Robert Stelzer, a specialist, who has been administering the treatment for more than a decade."

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LIZ JONES MOANS Forget the gym, let's just bring back the girdle

I hate growing old. Every day, you wake up and something else has changed. This morning, I noticed my eyes are now disappearing into their sockets. When did that happen?

More importantly, why is it happening? And where are the beauty features in the glossies telling me how to deal with this?

Most annoying fashion tip gleaned from the September issues, (from InStyle magazine): 'Don't want your hair blowing in your face? Do the hair tuck.' This involves 'tucking your hair into your coat, a la the Margaret Howell catwalk show'.

Are these women insane? I wish that instead, over the years they'd told me I wouldn't always be young. That instead of worrying about stuff I should have enjoyed life, done things.

Equally laughable is the headline accompanying the interview with Louise Redknapp, in Red magazine: 'This is me at 35 and I like it.'

She is 35, not 90! She has money, a husband, children, but she is apologising for the fact she is still alive.

Thinking about my upcoming birthday, I pulled out a copy of Vogue from the month I was born: September 1958. Not one feature on dieting, exercise or plastic surgery. Not a single ad for hair colour.

The models are in their 40s and 50s. There are, though, lots of ads for girdles. That's more like it: cheaper and less bother than gym membership, and far less wear and tear on the face...

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