Beauty Writer Zoe Schaeffer Will Happily Take a Week of Downtime for This Skincare Treatment
Zoe Schaeffer
My beauty writer circle likes to talk shop about treatments, because we feel like we’ve tried them all. We have our no-no’s (deep heat!) and our goals (skin longevity!) and are always looking for the next best thing. Well, I believe I found it, and it’s called cold oxygen plasma. The treatment is offered by my new favorite face witch, Jennifer Gerace, (aka Beverly Hills Skincare Muse), who has cooler shit than any aesthetician I’ve ever been to (next up: needling with fermented vegetable serum from Korea).
Here’s how cold plasma works, in a nutshell: the plasmaceptor device vaporizes the skin by using energy that delivers oxygen directly to cells, which triggers a healing response—or “controlled micro-injury” much like microneedling if you’re familiar with that. In turn, cold plamsa does all the things: tighten, build collagen, promote cell turnover, shrink pores, and (my favorite) “lift” pigmentation. But the service also has some unexpected benefits that are tricky to otherwise achieve, like helping eyebrows grow back, zapping pesky upper-lip lines…One time, it literally made one of Jennifer’s clients look as if she got a lower bleph (check her IG for proof!).
Jen Gerace performs a facial treatment on Zoe Schaeffer.
As someone with hyperpigmentation, slight rosacea, and mild melasma, the treatment completely evened everything out. A week later, I looked in the mirror and swore I was still wearing foundation from the night before (an actual thought I had, by the way). The only downside is downtime. Because you need to clear your calendar for…One Week. And that’s one week of looking like cars ran all over your face and neck (an area which Jennifer claims plasma will “shrink wrap”!) The tire-track scabs eventually flake off, much like an IPL, to again, compare it to a more recognizable treatment. And while I maintain that the week of looking crazy is indeed worth it, Jennifer now sells (and is one of the few to carry in the U.S.), a plasmasceptor home device as a companion to the service, or simply to use on its own. Its sound (a zapping noise), and smell (let’s just say it gives "burning") are nothing to fear at all. You are not heating up skin, nor are you messing with your barrier. Rather, you are restoring cells and improving elasticity; in five to seven minutes, you're done and ready to resume your normal skincare routine the following morning. Yes, it’s an investment (less than a Lyma, more than a Nuface), but will yield similar results to the treatment over time. Plus, there is no downtime. But in the end, a week of working from home, passing up events, and snuggling on the couch just feels like a great price to pay for your best skin ever.