I Got My Skin Scanned In A Dublin Salon – And It Was Horrifying

To the naked eye, my skin looks pretty good. It gets dry in winter but I moisturise twice a day and I don't get many blackheads or spots. 

That's why when I got my skin scanned in a fancy machine at the Coogan Bergin Clinic on Wicklow Street, I almost fell off my chair. 

I looked like a disgusting old prune in the picture they gave me - avert your eyes now if you don't want to be scarred for life. 

The scanner showed that my levels of brown spots were higher than 92% of women my age, and my wrinkles were worse than 54%. 

I was clearly a bit taken aback by the results so my beautician Grainne did her best to calm me down. 

She explained that the "brown spots" are just run-of-the-mill freckles, and the wrinkles are mostly from dehydration rather than ageing.

She gave me lots of helpful tips about looking after my skin before I was whisked away for part two of my appointment - a Thalgo facial. 

I was lucky enough to get the salon's owner and manager, Sheila Curran, as my facialist. 

She expertly cleansed, exfoliated and hydrated my skin as well as giving me a very deep, lymph-draining shoulder massage. 

I was recommended some products that would work well with my complexion, but to my relief there was no pressure to buy anything.

I came out absolutely glowing and despite the initial shock of the scan I'm glad I did it. 

It was just what I needed to jump-start my skincare regime - so hopefully I won't actually look like a prune in the future. 

Coogan Bergin are doing a deal at the moment so you can get a Visia scan and Thalgo facial for €65.

Not too shabby, eh?

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