Skin Physics Photon Review: does it work?

When I bought my Skin Physics Photon kit, I knew the technology worked, because of the impressive results I'd had from my Omnilux salon treatments. And the Photon uses the same principle.

Personally, I think every mature woman should buy a home photorejuvenation kit. Regular use helps keep wrinkles and sag at bay - and it's one of those situations where "try before you buy" is just a waste of money. You see, you need four or five salon treatments before you start seeing results - and that will cost you more than buying the at-home version outright! However, having trialled the Skin Physics Photon and done some more research, I'm not convinced I bought the right brand.

I recommend photorejuvenation salon treatment without any reservations whatsover. It's a gentle, safe treatment that works. It's not going to give you the same results as a facelift, but it does revive and de-wrinkle better than an ordinary facial or expensive face creams.

So I was disappointed with the results from using my Photon. For financial reasons, I'd had to give up my monthly Omnilux salon visits, and I was really looking forward to recapturing my "Omnilux glow". But it didn't happen.

To be fair, The Photon has had some effect, even if I can't see it. I kept my purchase a secret from my husband and quietly did my treatments when he was out. A few weeks after I bought it, he looked at me over the breakfast table and said, "you're getting younger every day". So clearly, it is doing me some good!

However, I do wonder whether the Skin Physics Photon is really "professional strength" as it claims, since the benefits are definitely less noticeable than my salon treatments.

I'm now wishing I'd paid a bit extra and bought the Omnilux Nu U instead. The reason? Omnilux are easily the biggest name in the salon therapy and they're a worldwide brand with a good reputation. I know their salon machine works, so I have confidence their hand-held will work too.

Whereas Skin Physics doesn't produce a salon version of their product at all.

Firstly, the head isn't as bright as I expected. The Omnilux salon device is so bright you can't look at it - even with goggles on, the extreme brightness gives you a shock when the LEDs are switched on. The Photon is bright, but not that bright, which means its claim to be "salon strength" has to be questioned.

I wrote to Skin Physics to ask for the figures on the power of the Photon, and they refused, saying they were "commercial in confidence". Strange - if the device really is as powerful as its competitors, why would they want to keep it a secret?

Secondly, the 4-minute setting (the one used for your main treatments) is a pulsing (flashing) light. It's annoying, especially near the eyes, and could even be dangerous for people with some medical conditions - and dermatologists have told me it's just a gimmick. All the salon photofacials use a steady light. If the Photon is really as good as it says, why do they need to include this silly, irritating gimmick?

Finally, the kit includes a special serum which you apply to your face before treatment. Go to a salon and you'll find that photorejuvenation is always done on a thoroughly cleansed face, with no moisturiser or other serum applied. If it's a wand-style, like the Rejuvalight, then the aesthetician will use a neutral lubricating jelly (like the one used in ultrasound), just so the wand moves easily.

So again, the special serum and other creams are just a gimmick (and a way for Skin Physics to keep earning money off users). Why does the Photon need gimmicks if it works?

I can't afford to upgrade right now, so I'm giving myself more frequent treatments, and I've modified the instructions, to make up for the lower strength.

The instruction book recommends you start with a "preparation" phase. You apply the serum, set the device to 3 minutes, and gently move the device over your whole face. Next, you divide your face up into six sections, and hold the device still over each section for 4 minutes.

Take a look at the photo below. The treatment head is big, but not big enough to cover each entire section. So if you follow the instructions, you'll miss half your face! See below for how I divide the face into treatment sections to achieve more complete coverage.

Forehead

If you divide your forehead in two, the device will treat the wrinkles above your eyebrows - but you've missed that pesky central frown line! So you need a third section, in the middle of your forehead.

Eyes and Cheeks

Sit the device square on your cheek, and you'll completely miss treating the crows' feet on the side of your eye. If you angle the treatment head to cover your crows' feet, you've missed half the skin on your cheek, and your under-eye circles. Clearly, you need two treatment sections to treat this area adequately.

Lower face

Use the device in this section to work on your sagging jowls - but what about your naso-labial folds (the lines that run from your nose to the corners your mouth), or the tiny lines above the lips? Most older women will want to devote time to that area as a separate section.

Jawline

Apparently, it's not advisable to use phototherapy over the thyroid area, so you can't treat your neck - but if you have a double chin, you may want to add sections along the jawline.

So, to cover your whole face, you have to cover a total of 12 sections - which will take you about an hour to treat. That's not unreasonable really - my salon facial took well over an hour, by the time I factored in travel time. So I'm still saving time as well as money by doing it myself. And I'm saving a lot of money!

Having said that, - it's just too boring! And your hand gets tired, too. But there's an easy solution - don't do the whole treatment at the same time.

I've made the treatment part of my morning or evening routine by doing one or two sections of my face every day. I don't waste time with the "preparation" or the serum, and I don't use the pulsed light: instead, I give each section a 6-minute treatment, by using the 3-minute setting twice.

I bought the Photon because I found a discounted one in a sale.

I wish now that I'd bought the Omnilux New-U. Based on my experience of their salon product, I suspect their device is less gimmicky and more powerful. I also think the square shape of the Omnilux might make it easier to get into the corners around eyes and nose, so if I did it over again, I would buy the Omnilux even if it was more expensive.

*

Text copyright Marisa Wright. Photo by Tivoli.