The best tools for the skin of the moment - Elle

In 2004, the arrival of the Clarisonic, the first patented electric facial cleansing brush, shook up the beauty industry and paved the way for a series of ever more efficient and accessible innovations. With a turnover estimated at 30 million dollars in 2019, the “beauty devices” market should grow by more than 13.7% by 2027 (Research and Markets study). And if the L'Oréal group (which bought the brand in 2011) has just announced that it is ending the marketing of the Clarisonic this year, there are countless novelties of all kinds intended to satisfy the demand for a public increasingly fond of technologies and pro results at home. A market influenced by Asian practices that make extensive use of high-tech, particularly in Korea and Japan. “A few years ago, it was more of a gimmick. Today, there is a serious offer of very good products with cutting-edge technologies,” remarks Sophie Carbonari, facialist at Tout-Paris. The context is probably not for nothing: at a time when the health crisis is making institute care and consultations with the dermatologist more complicated, these devices make it possible to keep an effective routine at home. "The concept of a spa at home is also very trendy because it corresponds to the growing need to take time for oneself, to refocus on one's well-being", adds Aurélie Hermon, digital marketing manager at Foreo, a Swedish specialist. of beauty tech. Without forgetting the price factor: knowing that a treatment in an institute including the use of a device rarely costs less than 100 euros, the investment for the acquisition of a tool is quickly amortized. Before any purchase, Sophie Carbonari nevertheless recommends finding out about the brand, checking whether the product bears the CE mark (European conformity) and talking to your dermatologist about it. “Home devices are surfing on the technologies used in our practices. But they obviously don't have the same power, which raises questions about their effectiveness,” warns dermatologist Nadine Pomarède, who also mentions the danger of misuse of these tools. "You have to be informed and carefully follow the recommendations for use, because you can quickly get carried away and do too much", confirms Sophie Carbonari. A brief overview of the new devices and the promised benefits.

To purify your skin

The Ultrasonic Exfoliator Spatula + LED, from Solaris Laboratories NY

Don't be intimidated by this spatula in the shape of a blade! Solaris Laboratories NY, an American brand specializing in beauty devices, has launched this painless exfoliating tool that combines ultrasonic movements with a blue LED to help treat acne and promote the elimination of scars. "The very rapid movements of the spatula (24,000 oscillations per second) make it possible to clean the epidermis in depth (without any other product than water) and to eliminate dead cells, while the LED kills the bacteria responsible for acne," explains the brand's creator, Iliana Ivanova. In addition to the cleansing/exfoliation (“Clean”) mode, the device offers two complementary functions: “Hydration Ion +”, which breaks down the formula of the treatment with which it is used into positive ionic particles and makes the skin more receptive, and “Hydration Ion –”, to promote the absorption of excess product. From the first use, the complexion is clearer and there are fewer blackheads. The results are amplified and maintained at the rate of two or three sessions per week. €98 at Bazar Bio.

For a global anti-aging action

The LightinDerm

Former marketing director at Sanofi, Géraldine Decaux became interested in light waves in the process of skin self-repair, following skin cancer (now cured). In order to identify the wavelengths capable of stimulating the self-regeneration mechanisms of mitochondria and of mobilizing all the tissue layers of the skin, she brought together an interdisciplinary team of doctors and researchers from Cochin Hospital in Paris. . Seven years of research, twenty-seven patents, four hundred and fifty in vitro tests and five clinical studies later gave birth to LightinDerm. The size of a remote control, but easier to use, because there is only one button, this device combines regenerating lights, photo-active ingredients (that is to say, which react with these ) and a massage. This triple stimulation makes it possible to act on all the layers of the skin. Concretely, on a daily basis, you replace your serum step with the use of LightinDerm, before applying your usual day care. Simply insert the capsule containing the brand's serum (choose from the four formulas developed: wrinkles and firmness, radiance, imperfections or redness) and press the button for two seconds. The pink light (addition of a blue LED and a red LED) lights up and the application can begin. The gesture, developed by facialist Chantal Lehmann, consists of working on each of the areas of the face for fifteen seconds (if desired, the protocol can obviously be adapted to insist on this or that area). From the first application, the skin appears less tired, and, after two weeks of daily use, 94% of users find that their complexion is more luminous. After one month, 100% notice a reduction in their wrinkles and an increase in skin density. If we are to believe the tests carried out by the brand, LightinDerm would be three times more effective than a lambda serum used without a device for reducing wrinkles, and five times more for increasing firmness. €260 for the device and €79 for the four capsules of serum equivalent to one month's treatment.

To relax his features

The electric roll-on, from La Maison du Tui Na

With its 6,000 vibrations per minute, this rose quartz roll-on combines massaging action and vibrations to tone, smooth and illuminate the skin. If the mode of use of this tool remains the same as that of its traditional equivalents, the vibrations increase tenfold the effect of the massage, which can also be targeted on the eye contour thanks to a dedicated round attachment head. €59.

To improve the quality of your epidermis

The Lift Contour Massager, by Rowenta

The household appliance brand is launching its beauty care line including several facial tools. Thanks to the pressure exerted by its vibrations and by its head with three balls (two for the special eye contour head), this massager, very pleasant to use, helps to release tension, while awakening production and natural renewal. collagen and elastin, to lift the features. This action can be a good preliminary to the use of other technologies. Sophie Carbonari, for example, always begins her treatments with mechanical work before using LEDs or micro-currents. €229.99.

Read also: Top high-tech treatments

For a boost effect

The Bear, by Foreo

This novelty (which owes its name to its look with two metal balls that evoke the ears of a bear), signed by the Swedish brand which has democratized connected beauty tools with the Luna cleansing brush, combines micro-currents and vibrations (8,000 per minute). For added security, it is equipped with so-called "anti-shock" technology, which measures the resistance of the skin to electricity, to automatically adjust the intensity of the stimulation. It can be used with your serum or your usual care, provided that it contains a lot of water and glycerin to allow the circulation of micro-currents. Just slide the two metal balls on the skin, describing upward movements – a video in the Foreo For You app illustrates the gestures to follow. After two months of daily use, the complexion is brighter and the skin firmer. €299 (€199 the mini version).

To gain shine

Nu Skin ageLOC Galvanic Spa

This compact device uses a galvanic current to optimize treatment penetration. “Your hand must be wet during the session to ensure current conduction,” says Barbara Tresson, product specialist at Nu Skin. The program consists of two phases: a cleaning and a treatment. After applying the brand's pre-treatment serum, the device is glided over the skin of the face for two minutes, describing movements perpendicular to the wrinkles, whether vertical or horizontal. In contact with the product, the device is put in negative charge, which allows the pre-serum to attract and encapsulate the impurities contained in the skin. The treatment serum is then applied and the device, which this time switches to positive mode, leads the previously encapsulated impurities outside the skin, while ensuring maximum penetration of the treatment active ingredients. The whole thing lasts five minutes, to be repeated three times a week. If this operation seems complex at first sight, we take, in reality, quickly the hand and the use turns out to be rather easy. From the first session, the skin is hydrated and plumped, with a more visible benefit forty-eight hours later. Big bonus: the ageLOC Galvanic Spa comes with three other conductive heads, including a small one designed to precisely smooth wrinkles around the eyes, another to fight aging scalp and one, finally, reserved for the body . 405 € the device and its four heads. €60 for eight treatment vials (four pre-serum and four serum).

To relax his gaze

Time Control +, by Talika

This device (optimized version of Time Control, launched by the brand in 2016) combines the emission of three wavelengths (brightening, firming and anti-inflammatory) adapted to the regeneration of the skin around the eyes, micro- vibrating currents, an ionotherapy function to increase the effectiveness of treatments and a detox function that decongests dark circles and puffiness. Very compact, it is easy to use: all you have to do, twice a day, is start the pen with one click (or two depending on the function) and put it down (with or without care) twenty seconds in the internal corner, twenty seconds under the eye and twenty seconds on the outer corner. If, from the first use, the look seems refreshed, in the long term, the brand promises an attenuation of dark circles and a gain in visible firmness. €143.

LED, micro-currents, ultrasound: quesako?

If these technologies are not exactly new, they are now more efficient and almost always combined within the same device.

The LEDs. Their therapeutic use dates back to the 1990s, when NASA discovered their benefits for healing the wounds of astronauts. “These are active cold lights, certain wavelengths of which are beneficial for the skin. Blue LEDs are effective on acne bacteria and reduce lesions, while red LEDs have anti-inflammatory effects and help cell regeneration,” explains dermatologist Nadine Pomarède. "We can draw a parallel with photosynthesis in plants: the mitochondria, responsible for cell respiration, are stimulated by this light energy", specifies Géraldine Decaux, creator of LightinDerm.

Micro-currents. Widely used in institutes to combat sagging skin and wrinkles, these are electric pulses which "tone and drain the muscles, stimulate oxygenation and blood circulation, ensuring the nutrient supply and the elimination of dead cells. “, underlines the facialist Sophie Carbonari.

The galvanic current. This gentle, direct stream that flows continuously in one direction, like a pile, is used in aesthetics to ensure optimal penetration of ingredients into the skin.

Low frequency ultrasound. Their mechanical action (more than 20,000 vibrations per second) aims to eliminate dead cells, excess sebum and toxins for deep cleansing.

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