What They Say
Dermamina are committed to providing clinically advanced aesthetic treatments and is renowned for delivering natural-looking results. They make sure you are provided with advanced clinical expertise, as safety and honesty is their number one priority. They do not recommend any treatments if they are not suitable for you. They specialise in non-surgical cosmetic procedures and skincare treatments, including dermal fillers, anti-wrinkle treatments, mesotherapy and much more.
The Process
If you haven’t already had this explained to you by an excited beauty geek, PRP or ‘The Vampire Facial’ is an aesthetic procedure that extracts a small amount of your own blood (yikes), separates all the skin-loving contents (or the platelet concentration, if you’re being technical) and injects it back into your skin. Sounds intense, right? Like many beauty treatments, it was initially created to aid in healing skin-related injuries and hair loss, but it has become popular of late with beauty clinics due to its ability to rejuvenate the skin, treat acne scars, improve skin tone and texture, and even reduce bags under the eyes.
At Dermamina, the numbing cream is applied in the reception area which, contrary to what you might think (having numbing cream applied is usually a private moment) is actually rather freeing. Myself and another lady are treated at the same time by the receptionist, who gives off a very relaxed energy and puts us both at ease. The experience is a catalyst for comradery. A gentle smile passes between us as our faces slowly numb and we mentally prepare to put them in the hands of the clinic. Early Autumn sunlight creeps in through the windows from busting New Cavendish Street. A slow jazz soundtrack plays in the background.
The lovely Maria takes me into the treatment room and talks me through the process. She asks me, “Why PRP?”. I say that (other than the fact I’ve wanted to try it ever since it came on the scene) I’ve just had a particularly draining few months and it’s left my skin feeling dull and tired, which I would like to correct. I also point out clumps of large freckles that have started to form on either side of my face, probably due to a decade of sun exposure in my twenties. “Can we get rid of them?” I ask. The answer, as always, is not straight away, and wear SPF.
Maria tells me that there are actually a number of different ways to apply PRP: as an all-over serum; in combination with microneedling; or injected directly into problem areas. For me, Maria suggests injecting the plasma where the melasma is on the side of my face and using the rest to microneedle my entire face as an all-over refresher.
The numbing cream is removed and my face is cleaned. Then, Maria administers the injections, which are mildly uncomfortable – somewhere between the experience of injecting Botox and filler. Then the microneedling device is applied. With the numbing cream, the microneedling (a machine with tiny needles that pierces the surface of my skin almost untracably, to stimulate regeneration) feels like I’m being rigorously scrubbed and is not unpleasant at all.
To finish, my face is moisturised and an LED light is applied. As well as having several rejuvenating benefits, LED lights are also helpful for reducing redness caused from invasive treatments.
I’m then sent on my way with some healing cream to apply throughout the day, and as I didn’t bring my SPF along, I’m given some tasters to keep me going until I get home. And yes, in spite of knowing I might temporarily look like a tomatoe, I did make plans for the evening.
Luckily, a few hours later, my face is relatively back to normal. If anything, I look like I’ve been for a very enthusiastic jog – a look that personally, I quite like.
The Results
The next day, my face feels a little dry and there is a bit of flakiness to come as the skin renews. Following that, I had a social event at the weekend and I could really see the difference as I applied my makeup. It was glowing. A couple of weeks later, I can still see the difference and have been out without makeup on more often than not.
I loved my experience at Dermamina. The staff were well-informed and down-to-earth, and the results of the PRP were impressive. It’s also in a very convenient location in the centre of town. I’ll be back.
The Details
PRP Face starts at £280. PRP Face + Microneedling starts at £380.
3 or 4 sessions spaced 4 and 6 weeks apart are recommended for maximum results.
