Brave New World
The name Toyah Willcox conjures up images of wild hair, outlandish makeup and the distinctive voice and vibrant energy of the 1980s chart topper and star of cult classic Quadrophenia. But what happens ...
READ MORE ...Created on 10th September 2009
Today sees the launch of a new electrical kit that promises to end the need for facial cosmetic surgery.
The £300 Slendertone Face is aiming to replace the traditional facelift and keep women and men looking youthful and glowing without going under the knife.
The device uses electronic muscle stimulation technology - a process that has been used for over 40 years in hospitals for muscle rehabilitation therapy. The idea behind it is that frequent use will reserve the muscle wastage in ageing skin, thereby eliminating the need for plastic surgery and cosmetic fillers and Botox.
The kit, which went on sale at Harrods today, has undergone clinical trials before going on the market. These have shown that it can actually plumpen and rejuvenate the face. Slendertone Face works with electronic panels that sit directly over the cranial nerve - in front of the ear where all the facial nerves spread out. Consequently, the pulses from the machine stimulate every muscle in the face.
The machine already has a long waiting list and will no doubt appeal to those who want to look younger or hold back the first signs of aging without having to resort to cosmetic surgery. Not everyone can afford a facelift or regular Botox treatments so for those people, this might just be the answer.
The trials, overseen by Dr Michael Hennessy, head of neurology at the University of Galway, suggested that using Slendertone Face for 20 minutes five times a week for 12 weeks increases the volume of facial muscles by up to 46 per cent, with the average improvement being 18.6 per cent.
Daily Mail reporter Claire Coleman tested this possible substitute for plastic surgery to see how effective it was. She wrote that the device felt like a 'slight tickling pulse radiating across my face.'
Ms Coleman didn't say whether or not she felt it made a huge difference to her appearance over a longer period of time. However, testers who have tried it gave positive feedback. Nearly all the women (aged 35-55) who used Slendertone Face for 12 weeks for 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week said they thought their face looked lifted and more toned.
Despite this, cynics say that the kit is no replacement for facial cosmetic surgery.
