Meso Vytal 'Needle' Facial: New Treatment That'll Point You Towards Plumped, Glowing Skin. Review, pics

My skincare routine is well known here on beaut.ie for its maniacal devotion. The thought of anyone going to bed with their makeup on gets my hackles up because I know the difference that taking care of your skin by cleansing properly and applying topical products can make. My own skin is evidence of this - I was tormented by adult acne for years, and if I let my routine slip, nasty red welts literally do rear their ugly heads.

Topical products can't do everything, though. Particular skin issues, especially dryness and fine lines, can really be helped by the right treatments. That's certainly not to say that lines are a skin 'issue'. They're a perfectly normal feature of skin as we age, and a sign of having lived inside your skin, which is by no means a bad thing.

However, if you'd like to minimise the appearance of lines and get the glow back into your skin, an appropriate treatment can really help. It's also just a lovely thing to do for yourself if  you can afford to - everyone deserves to spend some time focusing solely on themselves, and women in particular can forget to do this!

I recently took myself off to Bespoke Beauty in Donnybrook to see Elaine Butler-Doolin. I'd heard great things about Elaine, so I was very excited to put my face in her hands -literally- and undergo Ireland's newest and most talked about treatment, Meso Vytal.

When I first heard about the treatment, I was a little nervous. Everybody gets nervous when the word 'needle' is used in the description of a treatment that is going to happen to your FACE. Meso Vytal is basically a digital skin needling system which delivers valuable ingredients straight to the intersection between the dermis and the epidermis (or outer layer of skin). Considering that topical skincare can only ever be absorbed by (and benefit)  the top 0.5 millimeters of your skin, meso vytal is injecting extremely beneficial skincare ingredients far deeper than  anything you apply to your face ever could.

So yes, it does involve a needle, but it really is not penetrating very deeply into the skin - it goes deep enough to benefit the skin, but not deep enough to hurt. And the machine used to conduct the treatment isn't at all frightening.

The treatment starts with a light AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) Peel to prep and cleanse the skin. Then extraction of blackheads and other nasty skin blockages was performed. This isn't part of the Meso Vytal Treatment per se - Elaine just adds extra touches at Bespoke Beauty to make the treatment more complete.

After this, Elaine and I discussed which of the three available Meso Vytal Formulas would be most beneficial to my skin type.

Any one of three formulas can be inserted into the machine and applied to the skin.

• Meso Vytal Med contains hyaluronic acid and peptides for intense hydration and to stimulate the skin's natural collagen production. This is excellent for dry, tired skin that's beginning to show signs of ageing.
• Meso Vytal Fresh contains skincare's latest buzzword, CoEnzyme Q10. This occurs naturally in the body but diminishes once we are in our thirties. It preserves the skin's collagen and elastin. It also contains antioxidants which protect against and help reverse damage to the skin. This formula also contains a cocktail of lovely vitamins and amino acids. Fresh is great for younger skin - encouraging it to maintain itself at optimum condition.
• Meso Vytal Pure is directed at dull, dry and mature skin. This also contains amino acids. It has a blend of yam and soybean extracts to regenerate and enhance mature skin.

After a lot of questions about my skin type, my skin concerns and the areas that I felt were the most problematic, Elaine recommended that the Fresh formulation would be best for my skin. She inserted it into the device (as pictured) and ran it slowly over my face. And I was asked me several times if I was comfortable and if I'd like anything to be adjusted.

There was no pain at all and the treatment didn't feel invasive. Elaine follows it upwith a shoulder and arm massage. This really enhances the feeling of having taken the time to do something nice for yourself, rather than just having a treatment to deal with skin issues.

Even after application of aftercare products, my skin felt somewhat irritated around the more delicate areas. My sinus area, nose and forehead were all a bit red. Elaine assured me that all the irritation would be gone within an hour. I was sceptical, but an hour later, my skin looked great!

I was genuinely impressed with the treatment. My skin looked  plumped and glowing, and it still does after a week.

Bespoke Beauty have an introductory offer on Meso Vytal - the first treatment at €70. Follow-on treatments will cost you €100. Would you consider trying a treatment like this? Or does it sound too invasive to you?

Laura was a guest of Bespoke beauty.