HydraTite Facial at Skin+IQ Chelsea

 If, like me, you're at the age where you need some intense hydration and a little bit of tightening, but also extraction for clearer skin, then the HydraTite Facial at Skin+IQ in Chelsea is the one for you. The clinic is like a tardis, delicately placed within a row of small shops close to both South Kensington and the Kings Road, but huge inside, with multiple treatment rooms and an array of impressive looking machines. The lovely Oxanna leads me to a room where we talk through this 90-minute treatment, and she takes a closer look at my skin.What I loved about this treatment is that most of it was undertaken with me sitting up (at a slight angle), which was great for my current bad neck situation, and it also felt more business-like and not at all spa-like, so we could talk about skin issues. Oxanna offered me the option of a quiet experience, but I was happy to chat, especially to hear about each step of the process. This treatment combines their HydraFacial and Forma, both of which can also be booked as separate treatments. The first part is several rounds of vacuum suction and microdermabrasion to cleanse the pores, then the skin is infused with nutrients and antioxidants. It feels like a scratchy wand is going over your skin, but it's not painful. The aim is to stimulate collagen and give the face a more youthful glow. There was also some mild chemical peel which was a bit stingy, but not at all bad.  The Forma part is radio frequency which feels like a warm roller gliding across your face. It stimulates deeper layers of your face and tightens the skin. The final part of the treatment involved laying down flat and having an arched LED lamp placed over my face, I found this much less invasive than LED face masks that some clinics use. The red light helps with anti-ageing, and in this 15-minute section I could easily have drifted off to sleep. Oxanna finished by showing me some facial exercises to tone the face whilst applying beauty products at home.This is very much a results driven facial, it's designed to give both immediate improvement, and if you have them regularly it will make a huge difference to your appearance. I really think this is the ideal treatment if you have a special occasion and want to look younger and well-rested without any botox. This is the non-surgical answer to an immediate (if short lived) fresh face. When I got home I had a good look - the lines in-between my eyebrows were considerably lessened, as much as when I tried botox. Oxanna was happy with how much firmer she made my jaw line look, and this tightness carried on for a good few days after the treatment. My eyes also looked more open and less wrinkly. Overall my skin glowed and looked firmer and more youthful, it's an impressive treatment. Sadly, it only lasts a few days to a week, but I believe Oxanna when she says having this monthly will make some impressive longterm differences, your collagen will be continually stimulated and your skin will get firmer. It's cheaper and less invasive than botox, and will ensure you continually have the cleanest pores in town. The HydraTite Facial is £185, there's a discount for buying a package. Skin+IQ kindly gifted me this treatment.