Breathing new life into your skin.

Byline: Hilarie Stelfox ,

If it's good enough for Madonna, Posh and Gwyneth Paltrow then I was sure it could do something for me.

Crystal Clear Oxygen Therapy, as practised by Huddersfield beauty therapist Doreen Reid, promises instantly fresher, firmer, clearer skin.

I had a party to go to that night and I was interested to see if Doreen could make me look like I'd had a good night's sleep (which I hadn't) and restore some of the youthfulness to my fortysomething skin.

Doreen, a petite and youthful 36, is new to the beauty business, having worked in IT for a decade, and is embracing the sort of high-tech treatments that just didn't exist a few years ago.

After qualifying at the White Rose School of Beauty she set up her own business, Bodytalk, in Rubens, Westgate, and is specialising in Crystal Clear treatments with the intention of helping people with problem skin.

"I was an acne sufferer myself for years and I know that there are physical and emotional scars.

" I did a lot of research to find something that would help me and discovered the Crystal Clear treatments," explained Doreen.

Today Doreen has clear skin without the pigmented scarring that is a problem for people with black or Asiatic skins.

Her personal success led her to invest in the technology for her own beauty room.

Oxygen therapy works on the principle that the skin needs oxygen to stimulate cell renewal, which is the key to a radiant, youthful complexion.

Here comes the science bit. The therapist applies a patented serum to the skin that contains a chemical carrier of oxygen.

A high-pressure pulse of gaseous oxygen is applied to the skin and the oxygen carrying chemical is driven deep into the basal layer.

Over a period of time this oxygen is slowly released, providing skin cells with a continuous oxygen supply. This means that the facial that continues working for several days.

Did it work for me? I thought that my skin did look clearer and smoother. It certainly felt silky soft.

As I got ready for the party that night my husband, who didn't know that I'd been to have a facial, said I looked pretty good.

My friend Di, who is no stranger to beauty treatments herself, said she could see a difference too.

The next morning, despite forgetting to remove my make-up the night before, my skin still appeared more plumped out and finer in texture.

The treatment also includes a quick Crystal Clear microdermabrasion - a deep exoliating treatment - and a masque, so it's a good all-round facial, which it needs to be at pounds 65 for 45 minutes.

It is the microdermabrasion that helped Doreen treat and heal her acne but she also recommends the oxygen therapy for all problem skin types.

"The person who first developed it, Sharon Hilditch, was a heavy smoker - 30 to 35 a day - and wanted a system that would help her regain and sustain her youth.

"It's good for people who have smoke-damaged skin or have premature ageing caused by too much sun exposure," she explained.

Crystal Clear recommend a course of five treatments over a three-week period for total skin rejuvenation. Doreen is charging pounds 299.99 for the course, plus a pack of skin care products.

* For more information call Bodytalk at Rubens on 01484 543221 or look at www.crystalclear.co.uk