Claims
"Electro-Mesotherapy is a half-hour, high performance facial designed for the deepest renewal. Non-invasive ionwave™ technology softens and briefly opens the cellular wall [emphasis added and see below] to allow our professional anti-ageing skincare to infuse. Blood and oxygen are stimulated to assist a lacklustre appearance. Electro-Mesotherapy’s superior trans-dermal delivery is customised to target your specific skin concerns for rapid revitalisation. This instant boost allows the benefits of our potent New Age™ serums to work more deeply beneath the surface, delivering active ingredients where they’re needed most. You’ll notice a luminous difference after just one treatment, while a regular series of treatments is recommended for optimum effect.
Your skin will be rejuvenated and hydrated for a beautifully firm, plumped and smoother look. From fine lines and wrinkles, to hyperpigmentation and dehydration this facial will renew your complexion’s appearance, promoting radiant, sculpted, more resilient skin from the inside out. Results are visible after just one visit and continue to improve for several days after treatment."
The treatment
Treatment room
I was the first appointment of the day and I had the benefit of having the whole of waiting area to myself to enjoy a cup of tea and some quiet time. Both the receptionist and the beauty therapist Mabel were very welcoming and the premises was neat and clean. The treatment room is not big but enough for its purpose.
Custom massage
A 30-minute custom massage was included in the package I purchased. However I will only be reviewing the electro-mesotherapy treatment in this blog post. I have to say though, the massage by Mabel was heavenly and I will certainly see her again for future massages!
Skin consultation
The skin consultation was thoroughly conducted. Mabel read through my pre-treatment survey in detail and discussed with me the products that I was using, my skin concerns and expectations. She was slightly concerned that I was using retinol leading up to the treatment, as retinol can increase skin sensitivity. However, I reassured her that I had been using retinol on a daily basis for a few months and was comfortable to go ahead with the treatment at my own risk (in hindsight it was such a dangerous thing to say, oops). As for the infusion component of the treatment, Mabel offered me a choice between a brightening, a firming and a hydrating serum. I chose the one for hydration - because I was already using Endota's hyaluronic acid serum and I didn't want to bombard my skin with a new treatment, a new product (all while using retinol).
Electro-mesotherapy
Because it was a short 30 minutes treatment, after a cleanse Mabel went straight into it. I felt like she applied a lot of serum on my face before she started. She started the machine at a low setting and turned it up until I could feel a tingling sensation. It almost felt like micro electric shock but it was very bearable. From there, she did at least two passes in gentle circular action, while applying more serum when and where necessary.
I thought I'd mention that 30mL of the serum retails for $180, and although I didn't see exactly how much I felt like Mabel has used a bottle of the serum and more :) If I didn't get anything else out of the facial I have at least gotten the value back from the excessive amount of serum!
The feel
As expected, this was not a relaxing facial. I felt slightly electrified throughout the whole process, but there was nothing painful. I also knew I always had the option of having a lower setting on the machine if necessary. At the end of the session, I felt my skin a bit more tightened and slightly heated. However, there was no visible redness or other signs of irritation.
My skin continued to feel plumped and hydrated into the following week.
The science
I did not do any research before going to my treatment so that I could keep myself open minded. I later found that "mesotherapy" is a collective term of different methods of micro-injection into mesoderm, the middle layer of the skin. For skin rejuvenation, the substances that are often injected include hyaluronic acid, vitamins, plant extracts, enzymes, etc. Mesotherapy can take many forms - including mechanical fine needle microinjection; whereas in this case, injection is performed by electroporation, meaning that an electric field is applied to the surface of the skin to create micro-channels through the cell membrane. I highlighted the word cellular wall in Endota's description above: just to be clear, there is no cell wall in animals including human, only cell membrane.
Independent research has shown that mechanical mesotherapy (microinjection) coupled with multivitamin and hyaluronic acid solution did not result in statistically significant histological changes or clinical improvement in skin. Note that the method used in Endota Spa makes use of electroporation instead of microinjection. Electroporation is considered less invasive; in theory however, both microinjection and electroporation work in a similar fashion by delivering serum into the mesoderm of the skin. I could not find any independent research done specifically to evaluate the efficacy of electro-mesotherapy in skin rejuvenation. However, I would think that, theoretically speaking, if anything the more invasive microinjection would be more effective, which in turn makes electro-mesotherapy even less promising. I also found it very interesting that electro-mesotherapy for facial treatment is marketed as a somewhat new, innovative technology, when in fact it has been around for more than 10 years (I found this 2010 review to be an interesting read).
Final thoughts
Why did I feel improvements to my skin after electro-mesotherapy? Maybe it was still an effective facial but no more effective to other traditional facials. I would certainly hope that by massaging an expensive serum over my face for half an hour has got to be doing something to my skin regardless of electro-mesotherapy or not. This was also a very interesting experience for me - had I not looked into the science after the treatment, I probably would have booked in another treatment because it felt like it had "worked". Did I regret spending money on this? Not at all. I bought an experience and some time to myself. Would I book in again? No. I would be getting a microdermabrasion or a regular (relaxing) facial instead.
How much
$100 for 30 minutes.
Tips & pointers
Be mentally ready for it - think of it as a results-driven treatment, rather than a pampering session.
Avoid skin sensitising ingredients prior to treatment.
About me
Makeup artist and hair stylist based in Sydney. Founder of the award-winning bridal specialist team Faces Makeup & Hair. Beauty junkie with an obsession for skincare.
Excellent and helpful review