The oxygen facial provides a painless blast of fresh air and is popular with women of a certain age

In any group of friends, there is always one who is so on top of everything, so desperately forward-thinking and trend-aware, that it is impossible to tell them about any new product.

They have known about it for weeks, have been there and done that. To them, it is old news.

In the world of non-surgical beauty, Mr Karidis and his team, based in the Hospital of St John and Elizabeth, are of this ilk.

By the time you have your head around a wonder product or procedure that they offer to banish wobbly bums, eye bags or any other undesirable features without the use of a knife, they have sourced another one, more efficient and effective.

The oxygen facial is the latest addition to the Karidis armoury against premature skin ageing.

The treatment uses a high pressured oxygen delivery system that pushes molecules of hyaluronic acid into the deeper layers of the skin along with vitamins A, C and E for cellular repair.

Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow are said to be fans.

Hydration

The promise of this treatment, which lasts between 45 minutes and one hour, is glowing skin and a youthful appearance.

This is a treatment purely for hydration, unlike the other intense treatment – the hydrafacial, which is also offered at the clinic and clears skin of the detritus that causes aging and blemishes, with a more vigorous delivery.

Dehydration is thought to be the ultimate enemy for those who want to prevent skin ageing.

Drinking gallons of water is also not enough to combat it; hydration has to come from the top as well as the bottom – hence the bounty of day and night creams and serums on offer in stores.

Essentially, this treatment is a hydration field-day for the skin – the hydrating ingredients and the tools to tuck it deep under the first few dermal layers are the keys to the boosting effect it has on your face.

It can even visibly change the plumpness of your lips and position of your eyebrows (raising those over-hangs a little, but not in a scary way).

The treatment involves a pen-shaped device that concentrates on small areas of the skin at a time, delivering the necessary ingredients.

The feeling of the treatment is fairly unique – a little stronger than a breeze but not quite a gust – and initially quite tickly.

One advantage of its gentler approach is that the eyes can be targeted – often dark circles are a product of dehydration in that area.

There are only a few stages – a deep cleanser to remove make-up, the nutrient delivery and then a slick of serum to finish.

The effects are clear immediately and last around four weeks.

It is recommended you use the supporting products at home (a serum and cleanser) to maximise the effect.

The best results are seen in women in their 30s or 40s, who still have time to save some of the key skin-hydrating properties that we are born with, but lose over time.

And if you have a go now, you may be able to tell that friend of yours something very useful that they didn’t already know.

n For further information on the treatment visit www.karidis.co.uk or call the Karidis team on 020 7432 8727. From £130.