Cosmetic Treatments – On Trial

Saggy stomachs

Pellefirm – When your belly is slack, inviting cellulite and has as much elasticity as a deflated balloon (blame the kids!), tightening the skin can be a bit tricky. All the sit-ups won’t fix this; forgoing pastries won’t help. What will, though, is PelleFirm. In a nutshell, it’s Pellevé – the superficial radiofrequency process, famed for its face firming abilities – for your body. (This means that upper arms, thighs and bottoms can also benefit) The handheld applicator is the same, but at the end, the golden, coin-like ‘prong’ is larger – around the size of a casino chip – and covered in octopus-like massage tentacles.

A cold dollop of conducting jelly is plopped on, then the device is moved back and forth across the tummy in four sections, emitting a monotone drone. This makes everything heat up (the aim being to get the skin’s surface to about 45°C), giving the collagen deep in the dermis a shock which causes it to contract. Treatment takes about 25 to 45 minutes, which, incidentally, is about the time you’d spend at the gym, tackling the same issue.

PAIN FACTOR: Pleasingly painless, although it all starts to feel rather hot after the fifth to sixth pass. For skin to reach the optimum temperature, you will need to be hydrated, so glug a whole lot of water in the preceding hours – and skip that glass of Chardonnay the night before.

DOWNTIME: Zip, nada, none. No swelling, redness, or bruising. Carry on just as you were.

RESULTS: The jury is out. Not a lot to write home about immediately, but four to six sessions will give a definite improvement. Cellulite is less visible, skin looks smoother; for very loose skin, we recommend Thermage radiofrequency alongside PelleFirm.