“A wrinkle is no more than a lack of collagen on the skin,” says therapist-to-the-stars Margie Lombard, founder of Margy’s Monte Carlo.

I am lying on a treatment bed preparing to experience the 90-minute Margy’s Prestige Collagen Facial (Botox Effect), followed by the ultra-exclusive Gold Mask Treatment — available only in Monte Carlo and at Talise Spa within Jumeirah Zabeel Saray on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah.

As celebrity facial technician Yoko — who has travelled from Monaco — assesses my skin, I find myself wondering whether modern aesthetics have overcomplicated what should be simple: restore what is missing.

What could be more natural than treating collagen loss by laying pure collagen directly onto the skin?

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

Yoko begins with a meticulous cleanse before applying Prestige Triple Concentrate Serum using Margy’s signature “lift-up” massage technique. Application, I learn, is everything. Margie’s philosophy centres not only on formulation, but on method — hence the creation of the iBeauty institute in Monte Carlo, where clients are taught how to apply products correctly.

Algae patches are layered onto my face, moistened with toner and massaged into the skin with sculpting strokes designed to remodel, drain and lift. The sensation is profoundly relaxing — the kind of relaxation that makes time indistinct.

After further serum — my skin apparently “drinking it up” — Yoko applies the hero product: the Extra Rich Firming Mask. Used daily, she explains, and applied in upward, outward motions, it creates cumulative lifting and smoothing effects.

The Collagen Moment

The sheet of dried pure collagen resembles delicate parchment. I choose full coverage — lips and eyes included — and it is laid carefully over my face, moistened to adhere seamlessly to the skin.

The effect is both cocooning and transformative. The so-called “Botox effect” derives from Myoxinal, a patented complex of botanical peptides designed to relax facial tension and soften expression lines.

It feels less like cosmetic intervention and more like intelligent skin restoration.

The 24-Carat Gold Mask

Next comes the pièce de résistance: a mask crafted from 24-carat gold chain mail, conducting gentle microcurrents across the skin.

“It’s like gymnastics for your skin,” Yoko explains.

Only two of these masks exist worldwide. Software allows the therapist to select programmes that detoxify, stimulate, regenerate or illuminate. Conductive gel is applied, the mask positioned, and the current gradually increased to a comfortable level.

Twenty minutes later, I study my reflection. I do not look twenty years younger — but I look rested, smoothed and undeniably luminous. For the first time in years, I step out without makeup. In Dubai, that is saying something.

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