Earlier this week I popped into the newly renovated Skin & Body Renewal Clinic in the Cape Quarter. (They’re in the new one where that awesome new-ish Spar is). It was the first time I’d ever seen the place and I was sooo impressed. You have no idea how swish it looks; think soothing mint and chic-looking grey tones accented with chandeliers, plush carpets and elegant silver accessories. Check it out:

And this is the mani pedi area:

A group of fellow beauty peeps had been gathered to listen to an interesting little talk on cosmetic trends by owner Victor Snyders and Dr. Maureen Allem.

These are a few of the things I learned…

Prevention is better than cure
Botox is only 10 years old but it, along with other fillers, has totally changed the anti-aging game. People don’t have to wait until their face falls off and start slicing and dicing; instead, if you start early, you can prevent your looks from doing a runner. According to Maureen, its best to start using botox from as young as 30. (I started at 29, so I’m in the safe zone. Yay!)

Bugger the recession; beauty’s booming
While other industries are struggling, the beauty market’s flourishing and growing at a rate of 15% per annum. Hoekom? Because people are living longer and want to look hot regardless. Also, we live in a horrid superficial world that tends to be a little kinder to good-looking people. (I know, I know… so unfair… foot stop, foot stop…) It’s not nice, but people are coming to realise and respond to the fact.

The next big thing
Back in the 80’s it was all about retinol, retinol, retinol… and then AHA’s swept in. Soon after that everyone raved on about antioxidants. While all of these beauty breakthroughs are still relevant, the new beauty buzzword is now ‘growth factors’. These are ‘chemical messengers’ that help stimulate new cell growth in your skin to help rejuvenate it and repair sun damage. Both Maureen and Victor are big fans of Lamelle’s Dermaheal range as it contains both growth factors and peptides.

About a bod
Not too long ago, cosmetic procedures tended to be mostly performed on the face, but now there are loads of bod-focused therapies to pick from. Think lipodissolve, endomology, lipomassage, carboxytherapy (apparently v. good for cellulite, says Maureen) and the newest kid on the block, i-lipo laser. I actually covered a new i-lipo laser clinic in town the other day. Now you can go to Skin Body Renewal for the procedure too. They can also put you on their uber-popular Slender Wonder diet plan that makes use of hCG, a prescription hormone, to help you lose up to 10 kgs in one month without having to sacrifice muscle mass.

After the talk, I devoured a yummy macaroon (you’d think I’d have had enough of those after Paris), scoffed a bit of sushi and said my goodbyes so as to go home and drown in after sun. (I’d gotten a horrid sun burn earlier that day and my legs had started to stiiiing… you can only imagine how I, as someone who should know better, buuuurned with shame during the whole ‘just so you know, the sun is from the devil’ bit…)

Thanks Victor, Maureen – you guys are seriously clued up and the Cape Quarter salon is definitely the most beautiful little spots I’ve seen in ages.

Love, love

Leigh