There’s nothing more nerve-wracking trying a facial treatment and not knowing how it’s going to turn out.
It’s one fear that was realised for Nadia Bartel. Rewind a few years ago, when Bartel visited a well-known clinic that appeared reputable.
“They convinced me to get IPL laser and they burnt my skin and used a laser that actually flared up hyperpigmentation in my skin,” she wrote in a new post on her blog, Chronicles of Nadia.
“You need to be aware that if you have darker skin tone (like I do), you are more prone to hyperpigmentation and lasers can actually flare up your problem, if they are in the hands of inexperienced clinicians.”
Watch: Mia Freedman on why she got laser treatment. Post continues after video.
“So I was left with patchy hyperpigmentation and skin that was far worse off than before I went there.”
Since then, Bartel has been visiting Toorak’s Liberty Belle Skin Clinic on the recommendation of a makeup artist friend.
While burnt skin is well in the past, having her son Aston earlier this year has thrown up a whole new set of skin problems for the blogger and founder of online boutique, The Con-Nection.
“Especially after being pregnant and having a baby I feel like my skin needs a lot more TLC (thanks to those pregnancy hormones, I have been left with more pigmentation than ever before),” she wrote.
A dedicated fan of peels, lasers and exfoliating treatments, Bartel has shared the tried and tested treatments that are the “secrets” behind her glowy skin. (Post continues after gallery.)
They’re not all for the faint-hearted though.
“I am not going to lie and say they are all enjoyable, some (okay most) of the treatments hurt like hell, but in the end, you won’t mind as your skin will never look better,” she says.
1. For congested skin.
To help banish everything from acne to fine lines, Bartel recommends ‘Dermasweep’, a gentler alternative to microdermabrasian that’s just as effective.