I Tried The A-List Favourite Laser Skin Treatment & These Were The Results

‘You look amazing!’ ‘Thanks, I lasered all my skin off!’. I’ve had this exact exchange multiple times this year, and since my response always prompts a lot of questions, this article will hopefully answer some of them. Invasive beauty treatments, or those with what is referred to as down-time (not R&R in this case, but a period of time before one looks normal again,) don’t usually appeal to me. Not because I’m not vain – I am – but because I don’t have ‘down time’ to spare in my schedule, and also, I’m a coward. But I have been visiting Dean Rhobaye for Botox for a little while now (he’s one of the best in London) and I trust him implicitly. Like all the best aestheticians he takes a person-first approach and completely nails my ‘just like me, but slightly less haggard’ natural-looking brief. So when he suggested his Laser Light Cocktail treatment to undo the complexion neglect of my 20s (when I was a beauty editor and should have known better), I decided to brave it. Kim Kardashian has posted about having a similar combined BBL and non-ablative 1927nm laser session, but since she is famously less adverse to an invasive procedure than I, I tempered my expectations. So, was it worth it? 

Pigmentation, Fine Lines and Wrinkles

Prioritised champagne over skincare in your 20s? Me too. A little lax with the SPF application over the decades? Me too. Expressed yourself so enthusiastically that your laughter lines and frown lines run deeper than the cracks in the Deadvlei valley floor? Me too. Dean had already assisted with the latter with a course of gentle corrective Botox (though softened laughter lines remain so I can express joy to my son; and I can still frown at him when he needs it, too) but the lack of protection and hydration in my 20s and early 30s have left their mark on my skin and the tone and texture of my complexion was less than flawless. 

Broadband Light (BBL) and the 1927nm Thulium laser combined treatment are all about ‘prejuvenation’. The light and energy-based therapies reverse visible photoaging while also encouraging skin to behave more youthfully at a cellular level; so you can wipe away the neglect of your 20s, 30s and even 40s and give yourself a near-clean slate to start again.

Laser Light Cocktail: Broadband Light And Thulium Laser: What’s The Science?

BBL, an advanced form of intense pulsed light, delivers filtered broadband wavelengths to target pigmentation, redness, and sun damage without damaging the surrounding tissue. Clinical evidence is impressive. Studies including this one have shown that regular BBL can alter the expression of over 1,300 genes, shifting older skin biology toward a younger state. Meanwhile, a decade-long clinical study showed that patients maintained or even improved their youthful appearance despite ageing chronologically – effectively turning back the clock on skin ageing with consistent maintenance treatments.

The 1927nm Thulium laser works differently, but Dean believes it is the perfect complementary treatment. Using fractional, non-ablative energy, it creates microscopic thermal zones within the epidermis to resurface sun-damaged skin and stimulate collagen renewal. A 2023 study published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine found that just two sessions significantly reduced pigmentation and improved skin tone and texture, with minimal downtime.

The treatment is accompanied by two prescription skincare products, OBAGI Nu-Derm Clear Rx and Tretinoin, which assist in correcting pigmentation and creating a more even tone and texture. 

Does it Hurt?

Dean signed me up for a block of three facials. Though the word ‘facial’ is misleading. This is not the sort of facial where you arrive in a softly-scented subterranean spa and have your face petted for an hour while you listen to whale song. Dean’s Holborn skin clinic (a different setting to his swish Harley Street offices) is just that: clinical. The clue in what’s to come is that you arrive for the treatment an hour early to have numbing cream applied. This was my first clue that the treatment wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but about 20 minutes into the first session, I did begin to feel a rising sense of panic that I was going to have to do this all over again: twice more. 

The first half of the treatment feels fairly similar to the device used in laser hair removal in terms of sensation – small hot flashes of heat across every area of your face, repeated twice. It feels a bit warm but with the cool air pipe I’m given to hold directed at my skin, it is totally manageable. 

The second half, however, as the numbing wears off, and Dean moves on to the 1927nm Thulium laser, feels a bit like having your face coloured in with a scalpel. Every inch is meticulously covered, and I find myself picturing myself as a black and white stencil being pain-stakingly filled in with a fine-line marker. 

Once complete, it is obvious that the (metaphorical) marker is a red one; my face is scarlet from my hairline to the base of my neck, as if I have a severe sunburn. Dean slathers me in cream, hands me some steroid cream for aftercare and sends me out into the streets of London (I suggest that, unlike me, you have a car waiting for you). 

Downtime & Results

Day zero is a ‘get home and stay inside with some paracetamol and an early night’ situation, though the soreness and heat only lasts a few hours. Day one my skin is red and sore, but I could apply suncream and the pain has gone. There was a little swelling under my eyes, but nothing dramatic. By day two there is minimal redness, and my skin is starting to become dry and rough as it sheds, like fine sandpaper. This continues for the next few days, as my skin gradually starts to look more radiant. By day seven, my skin looks better than it has in a decade. 

And though I am loathe to include the incredibly revealing and rather unflattering before and after photos (aforementioned vanity), I do think the results are impressive, so here goes.

Before / after

Brown spots & pigmentation, before / after

My scars have also been visibly reduced by the treatment 

Before / after

I had a total of four sessions in the end, adding one extra to tackle a little stubborn pigmentation and achieve as even a tone and texture as possible. The sessions became less painful as my skin improved and I learnt what to expect and how to manage them; paracetamol before, pre-booked transport home, plus a large bottle of water and a headscarf in my bag. 

The results have surprised and impressed me: my skin hasn’t looked this good for years. For over a decade in fact, and possibly closer to two. In this case, the old adage ‘no pain, no gain’ is relevant; while mid-way through my first treatment I vowed I wouldn’t make it back for a second, once I had seen the results I couldn’t wait to get back into Dean’s office. Just a week after my first session people started commenting on how great my skin looked, asking if I’d had a facial, what skincare I was using. And because I don’t gatekeep, the ‘thanks, I lasered all my skin off’ reply was ready; along with the caution that this is not your average facial in terms of pain, but nor is it your average facial in terms of results.  

C&TH Key Notes

• Tweakment: Laser Light Cocktail
• Expert / Clinic: Dean Rhobaye, Sloane Clinic
• Downtime: 1-2 days
• Best for: improving tone, texture and reducing pigmentation and fine lines on any skin type at any age
• Cost: Prices start from £800 per session. Dean recommends an initial course of 2-3 sessions, spaced 4 weeks apart followed by 1 or 2 sessions a year for long-term maintenance
• Contact: Sloane Clinic, 10 Harley Street, London, W1G 9PF 

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