I’VE barely worn any make-up for the past week.

My overflowing make-up draws have been seriously neglected and I blame Suzie Hoitink.

As the CEO of Clear Complexions Clinic, Suzie is almost evangelistic about skincare. The first time I visit her clinic, I immediately want to believe everything she says.

So when she tells me that I’m merely babysitting my skin with my current skincare regime (I’m not doing it any harm, but I’m not doing anything beneficial, either), I’m ready to take action!

After a close look at my skin (2mm below its surface), Suzie talks me through her recommendations, which include new cleanser, serums, moisturiser and zinc in addition to the Clear + Brilliant procedure.

Clear + Brilliant sits somewhere between having a facial and aggressive laser skin resurfacing procedure – it’s a mild laser treatment.

I wouldn’t consider myself to be an ideal candidate for a laser skin rejuvenation. I’m happy with my skin, rarely get pimples and don’t yet have wrinkles. But I’m told this one is great for anyone: men and women of any age because a lot of what it does is prevention.

Clear + Brilliant is for “proactive, younger consumers who are searching for treatments to defy the signs of aging. It corrects skin tone and promotes radiant, healthy, younger-looking skin.”

How could I say no to that?

The procedure starts with a relaxing cup of tea and some trashy magazines while I allow time for the anaesthetic to work. It’s a cream that’s applied to the face and makes me numb.

Suzie then runs the hand-held device over my face in small areas at a time, but she doesn’t just do each area once. She goes over each area of my skin multiple times and it feels like it’s piercing. It stings.

I think back to the media release on my desk that says: “Clear + Brilliant is a simple, painless procedure with virtually no downtime.”

For the 15 or so minutes that you’re having the procedure, it’s painful. For about an hour afterwards, it’s uncomfortable and my skin feels tight. I look and feel like I’ve got severe windburn.

Pain like this doesn’t normally come without guilt attached from spending too much time in the sun. And since I’m careful to never get sunburnt, I’m not used to this sensation. I’m being a sook about it.

It’s important to note at this point that I have an extremely low pain threshold. I take two Nurofen before a leg wax!

The procedure rejuvenates the skin from the inside out by allowing healthy, younger-looking skin to surface – basically old, dead skin is purged so the new soft-as-baby stuff can come through.

Two days later and my skin feels like sandpaper to touch and almost itchy, like when a wound is healing. My heavy make-up sort of melts off during the day and I actually feel like I am shedding the yucky stuff – as though my skin is detoxing.

A week later and I am glowing. I want to show off my skin and don’t want to cover it up with make-up.

I now treat my skin with my new range of specially prescribed skincare products and they feel lovely. I feel better knowing I’m not merely “babysitting” my skin anymore.

Clear + Brilliant has had some effect on the way I look, but it’s had a dramatic effect on the way I feel and in my books, that makes it worthwhile.

The author was treated at the invitation of the manufacturer of Clear + Brilliant. It costs $395 a treatment and it is recommended to have four to six treatments about a two weeks apart. More information at clearandbrilliant.com

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