It’s undeniable that Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson and Isla Fisher are all glowing into their best midlife versions of themselves. The one thing that links the fresh faced stars is they each trust Notting Hill based facialist Keren Bartov implicitly with their skin.
‘Magic hands’ Keren is renowned for the ultra bespoke treatments she provides to her clients that keep them coming back again and again. Her clinic is like an Aladdin’s cave of lasers and new devices to keep the skin plump and firm. She can use up to five devices in one session including Ultrasound Technology to tighten and encourage collagen production ‘the foundation of ageing’, the Onda Pro to sculpt and lift the jawline by dissolving fat cells and Geneo X an exfoliation and oxygenation treatment used by the likes of Emma Willis and Natalie Portman.
“Red Carpet Skin isn’t something that is done over one session. I work with my clients for several sessions to achieve long lasting skin health and glow,” Keren says. “Every treatment is built through careful analysis of the skin and an entirely bespoke protocol. Everything is tailored to the skin condition, tone and texture, the season, or their schedule.
My goal is always to achieve the best skin possible for these big events.”
However what sets Keren aside from other aestheticians is her approach to advocating for natural skin when it comes to ageing. She says it is the simple rituals we do every day - that don’t require a Beckham sized salary to support - which can make the biggest impact.
Medicine for mature skin
So what is the one magic elixir that she wishes all women over 40 would take for their skin to help keep it glowing?
“No matter the age, I tell everyone, skin needs listening, patience, and a process, not shortcuts. For maturer skins, hydration is the foundation of everything. Drinking plenty of water is timeless advice for a reason.
© Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via G“I see how people get busy, or distracted at this age, and forget to drink but if they would just treat H20 like medicine, then they would notice the difference in how they look (and feel) almost immediately.”
If you are not keen on Botox or going under the knife, there are other treatments she recommends to lessen the appearance of wrinkles.
“I will always advocate for a natural look, it is the most beautiful in my eyes, and that is the message I pass on to my clients,” she says. “Beauty does not need to be dramatic to be powerful.
© Getty ImagesLong-term skin health
“For device-led treatments as a replacement to injectables, I would say it’s all about patients investing in long-term skin health rather than corrective procedures alone.”
She recognised that the most common concerns from her clients were laxity - sagging or crepey skin - and wrinkles. So she set about designing her own regenerative aesthetics treatment, the RedTouchPro laser to target the biological foundation of ageing: collagen.
“Clinically, it offers an all-season solution for a wide range of concerns including fine lines and wrinkles, skin laxity, melasma, pigmentation and overall photoaging. Treatments are comfortable, and require little to no downtime. For many of my clients who are noticing fine lines more, regenerative aesthetics, often referred to ‘collagen banking’ is the starting point for them.”
For a skincare ritual perspective she recommends building hydration in layers on the skin, rather than pinning all your hopes on a single product.
“I would recommend starting with a lightweight hydrating serum, follow with a cream that wraps and protects the skin barrier, and if needed, add a hydrating mist throughout the day.
ExoVive Serum, £165 is one I use frequently on mature skin, as it leaves the skin replenished with Hyaluronic Acid, increasing skin moisture whilst strengthening the barrier with next generation exosomes technology to accelerate skin renewal and recovery.
“Simple consistency is the secret to skin that stays at its best over the years.”
