Exclusively available at Avignon Clinic, the Zaffiro, thanks to its infrared light technology, promises to leave patients’ skin refreshed and their puffy, sagging facial muscles toned immediately after the first of four sessions. And the best part is, says Barbie, “it’s painless!”
Text and photos by Alex Y. Vergara
Actress Barbie Forteza’s introduction to Zaffiro, the newest ally of women (and men) in managing and delaying the obvious signs of aging, began several months back when the GMA Sparkle artist and the network’s reigning “Primetime Princess” came home after an extended trip to Canada. Lacking sleep and looking puffy and haggard from being airborne for days, Barbie was in search of a quick fix before she faces the cameras anew in a day or two.
As one of Avignon Clinic’s growing number of brand ambassadors, Barbie immediately sought its help. And she came at the right time, as the beauty clinic chain had just acquired Zaffiro, which like Ulthera and Thermage, is also considered a non-invasive lunchtime procedure.
But the similarities end there. Unlike other beauty machines, Zaffiro’s power to address dull skin, uneven texture and sagging facial muscles isn’t derived from either ultrasound or radio frequency technology. Instead, Zaffiro, a product of Polish technology, makes use of infrared light, which, according to Barbie and countless men and women who have tried it, is virtually painless.
Avignon Clinic has been using it on its patients since the beginning of the year. So far, it’s the only beauty clinic chain in the country which offers Zaffiro.
“People at Avignon know me,” the bubbly Barbie said in a mix of Filipino and English. “I have a very low tolerance for pain. When they told me that the machine, apart from the warm sensation you get, is painless, I said go! I’m ready!”
A typical session takes all of 40 to 45 minutes. According to Dr. June Christine Chio of Avignon Clinic, it takes four sessions with a month-long interval between each session for the patient to see Zaffiro’s full results.
“If they wish or as the need arises, they could go for a one-time touch-up after six months (from their fourth and last treatment),” she said. “Zaffiro’s effect should last for a little over a year.”
Depending on the person’s age, lifestyle and problem areas, Zaffiro can be combined with other procedures and treatments, including creams from Neauvia that are exclusively available at Avignon, to maximize its effects. Neauvia is the same company behind Zaffiro.
Zaffiro comes with two beauty wands. The first wand is used for a 10-minute “water peeling” session, or as Barbie described it, “the best hydrating procedure I’ve every experienced.” Apart from gently peeling away dead skin cells and other superficial impurities, this initial phase in the treatment prepares the skin for what’s to come.
If this were a concert, Zaffiro’s second wand is the featured performer in the main event. It provides the patient with the much-needed “thermo-lifting” effect that stimulates collagen production, which, in turn, helps tighten facial muscles and reduce puffiness.
“All you’d feel is a warm sensation which is very tolerable,” assured Chio. “That’s why many patients like Zaffiro. Unlike certain machines and procedures, it doesn’t require them to brace themselves for pain or any form of discomfort.”
With Zaffiro, tiis-ganda (braving the pain for the sake of beauty) has become a thing of the past. And so is the old belief countless beauty aficionados have subscribed to for ages: “no pain, no gain.”
It seems too good to be true, but Rachel Furgus of Neauvia assured us that Zaffiro generally leaves patients with a cooling effect before they undergo the infrared part of the treatment.
“I think all energy-based devices have similar ethos in producing new collagen because it’s quite homogenous,” she said. Only now, with “a really strong cooling technology,” this has also become achievable with Zaffiro.
“I think when we talk of aesthetics in general, today’s patients have become very well educated. Most of them know that they might be able to get a similar result with less invasive, less painful procedures,” Fergus added.
Not only does it provide patients with “instant” results with just one session, said Chio, Zaffiro has no downtime. Indeed, Zaffiro sounds too good to be true. Only this time, the three women assured us, it is true.
