Skin Therapist Frederika Van Hagen on How The LYMA Laser Helps Her and Her Patients' Inflamed Skin

Skin therapist Frederika Van Hagen was working with Joanne Evans when the pandemic hit and her work became impossible. “I just thought: well, this has turned my life upside down. So I may as well turn my own life upside down, and do something I’ve wanted to do for years.” So she packed up shop, moved to Ibiza, and opened her own location: Saintly Skin.

At Saintly Skin, Frederika specialises in mixing holistic facials – think massage and cosmetic acupuncture - with high performance skincare and hi-tech gadgets. “They work well in conjunction: I think just using machines can feel quite impersonal, and I definitely think after lockdown people haven’t had that human touch.” Her use of ancient practices, she says, isn’t just about improving the skin’s quality: “it also reduces your stress, your cortisol, and deeply relaxes you,” which in turn adds to the benefits for your appearance.

Her love of mixing cosmeceutical giants with her holistic techniques is what drew her to LYMA, and she uses our Laser in her cosmetic acupuncture treatments. After 20-25 minutes of facial acupuncture – during which you’ll also receive a foot massage – she'll treat you to our game-changing beauty Laser. “It’s a really nice lymphatic massage at the same time, because of the way we move the Laser gently from the inside of the face to the outside, along the ear, down to the neck. It’s a nice way to incorporate a bit of relaxation,” she explains, “but you’re also working deep into the skin.”

We sat down with Frederika to find out more about her work and how the Laser helps to keep her skin looking impeccable.

I use it for clients that have eczema, irritated skin, any kind of inflammation, or blemishes, and really work on particular areas. If a client has a hormonal blemishes along the jawline, for example, I'll really focus on that section during the treatment.

I use it at night after work, while I read my book, to give myself 20 minutes peace and quiet. I actually recently had a patch of chapped skin on my lower jaw area, and within a couple of days it had really reduced the inflammation and it looked really good. It's a great tool, especially when something like that kind of crops up.

I start each day with a large shot of celery juice and a pint of warm water. I'm a real believer in gut health: For me, if my gut is working really well, I've got a really clear mind, I feel in my flow, and I feel really focused. I do find it a bit of a challenge though, because in reality? I just want a cup of coffee.

Setting up Saintly Skin has probably been my biggest success. It's given me a real sense of purpose, I feel very content, and it has given me the opportunity to travel. Also I meet such an interesting range of people from all over the world, and have made some really good friends. So it's not just beneficial for work: it's enriched my whole life.

Making the leap is really scary, and you think of all of the pitfalls that could happen to you. But actually, sometimes you've just got to take a deep breath and go for it.

It's all about clearing your mind. I know that mindfulness is quite a well known thing nowadays, but I find meditation incredibly difficult to do: I just always have so much on my plate, that sitting down just frustrates me.

So for me, it's about going swimming in the sea, or going on hikes. Just walking in nature and having some nice meditative exercise, nothing too strenuous. I think it really connects you, gets you back in my flow, and recentres you.

Everything starts with the gut: when my gut's off, I can't think straight, and often I'll get congestion around my lower jaw. Everything just seems to be a bit off. That's why my morning ritual is that celery juice and a pint of warm water. It helps with a healthy gut, a healthy mind, and then you get healthy skin at the end of it as well.

From 12 onwards, I had terrible skin. It used to really knock my confidence: I remember not wanting to go to school, and I'd wake up in the morning and rush to the mirror. Adopting a really good skincare routine is a habit that I've had from a young age, and sometimes it can be quite expensive.

But I would say you don't need to do a really complicated routine - you don't need 18 steps - you just need to have some really good products and know what you're doing. A simple, consistent routine means you can get great results.

Nothing's ever a waste of time. I remember doing things at work when I was younger and thinking: ‘why am I doing this?’ But actually everything I've ever done has come to hold me in good stead now that I’m running a business. Take anything in your stride because it will come in handy one day in the future.

Hummus. I eat pots of it. I could be a chickpea.