What do Jennifer Lopez, Barbara Windsor, Cliff Richard and little old me have in common? They are big fans of CACI facial treatments and now I am too. As you know, I am keen to explore ways to keep the wrinkles from taking over my face completely, eager to stop the jaw line from sagging too much. So in the quest to look as well as I can for my age, I visited Nu Essence in South Anne St. to try out their CACI ultimate facial. (www.nuessence.ie)
CACI (pronounced kay-cee) is probably best described as a non-surgical facelift. It was originally used to treat patients with Bell’s Palsy and also stroke victims, but soon made its way into the beauty industry. Hand-held probes send a tiny micro-current down to the belly of the muscle and cause it to contract. This helps to tone, lift and re-educate these muscles, but also stimulates blood circulation, which helps dryness, softens lines and wrinkles and increases the production of collagen.
See below, the ‘before’ photographs on the left and the ‘after’ shots on the right
Margaret, my therapist and owner of the salon, began with a thorough cleanse and then proceeded to stage 1. I lay there as she used the probes to discharge electrical impulses to the muscles in my face (see photo below). This is called the gliding phase and I felt no discomfort at all; in fact, it was quite relaxing. This was followed by a faster pulsing over the muscles, which I could feel reacting. I particularly felt it working around the eye area and saw a definite difference there as well as around the jaw area. 
Stage 2 was the peeling plate (below right) which buffed the skin lightly, a rejuvenating treatment, and then the third stage was red light therapy with the wrinkle comb (below left). Often referred to as the needle-free alternative to botox, it helps the proteins in the skin to produce new collagen.
Finally, a silicon gel mask was applied filled with all kinds of goodness like hyaluronic acid and Margaret used rollers to massage the face and ensure that the hydrating went deep into the skin tissue.
I was left to relax and let the mask do its work.
So what did I see when I looked in the mirror. Did I look ten years younger? No, I did not! But I looked fresher, more hydrated and therefore less wrinkly and I thought I was less saggy around the jaw area. Three friends (unsolicited) commented on how well I looked over the course of the next few days and it also gained GG’s immediate approval too!
A course of ten to twelve treatments is recommended once a week initially and then maintenance is needed. Individual treatments are priced from €85 (mine was the deluxe at €120) but discounts are given on packages. A skilled therapist is a priority, as I imagine that this facial in the wrong hands would have little effect. It makes sense to me that stimulating the facial muscles will help keep sagginess and wrinkles at bay. A single treatment will have only a temporary effect. If you wish to hold back the ravages of ageing, then both time and money will need to be invested. I have the time, perhaps not the money, but I am still very tempted to book a course.
