Many guys spend a lot of time working with their organs: the heart and liver are especially busy - the first in the gym and the second in the bar after work. The one organ that gets less attention than it should is the skin. Yes, the skin is an organ. Actually it's the biggest organ and in many ways it's the most important. It acts as a barrier to impurities and illness and some experts say skin health and longevity are intimately related. And a lifestyle of too much stress or 'good' living will leave its mark on the skin, especially the face. I think I have a good skin-care routine. I'd rather look younger than older and thus I follow some basic steps to keep my skin elastic. My routine involves Clarins new Age-Control system, which is effective at minimising lines and keeping skin fresh, especially the cleanser and line-control balm for the face. Add to this a weekly facial treatment with cucumber slices followed by a masque from Epoch Glacial Marine Mud by Nu Skin - the mud comes from a remote glacial estuary in the Pacific Northwest - and I can keep my skin feeling fine. Lab Series for Men also comes into play with its Age Rescue Eye Therapy, good for party animals who don't want a personal version of the Decameron tattooed around their eyes But then comes a week when I have to travel a lot, meet too many deadlines and eat too much rich food at business dinners. Then it's time for emergency repair. And so recently I found myself in Paris where twice a year designers and models descend for the Spring and Fall fashion shows. For 10 days the fashionistas do nothing but run from catwalk to press conference to night club photo opportunity and back to the catwalk. How do they manage to look so good? One answer can be found down a small alley off the Champs-Elysees. Under an archway in a charming courtyard behind Number 32 sits Biologique Recherche's Ambassade de la Beaute. Inside there seems to be a celebration taking place. A glass of champagne found its way into my hand and I'm ushered to a table. It's like being in a fine restaurant. Champagne is an excellent way to start because it provides an object lesson in good skin care. Skin and champagne need oxygenation in the right amount to thrive. And great champagne grapes need a balance of sunshine and moisture. In the case of skin the amount of sunshine should be almost zero while moisture - with its oxygenating properties - should be applied as often as possible. If your skin's to be exposed to sun use plenty of sun cream with a sun protection factor over 20. While sipping Veuve Clicquot I am asked to sign the guest book. Remember we came here in search of celebrities? There are none in the room but I'm betting there are some in this book. After all a little bird told me that nobody in Paris is more vain - I mean concerned about the appearance of their skin - than fashion designers, because these couture stars have to take a bow for the cameras at the end of every show. Sure enough I turn a page and there's John Galliano's flamboyant signature. Turn a few more pages and the man who designs for Dior, as well as his own label, is there again, followed by the handles of a large number of other celebrities I'm forbidden to mention. I wonder why there are so many? The answer comes when a young lass leads me upstairs. She takes me to a room more like a clinic than spa but that's part of the company's ethos. Run by Phillipe Allouche, Biologique Recherche is serious about the science of skin care. 'I spend half my year on research,' says Phillipe Allouche. 'We have only just emerged from the infancy of skin care. There are some amazing innovations taking place.' Allouche glows with enthusiasm and the skin of a teenager as he speaks. If ever there was a man who is a walking advertisement for his own product, it's Allouche. Probably because he lets himself be electrocuted once a week. Now don't get scared, we're not on the verge of a ghoulish excursion into the land of Frankenstein science. The electricity in question is mild and applied in three different forms. But it takes a while to get to this point. First the therapist uses Biologique Recherche's P50 exfoliator, which has lactic acid as an active ingredient and it does not scratch away too much of the skin. 'The epidermis is a thin structure and it's there to protect the rest of your skin,' says Allouche. 'Due to environmental factors and overuse of harsh exfoliants the epidermis thins.' OK, we get it. Don't rub too hard. Soft massaging is the order of the day at Ambassade de la Beaute. Once the P50 is done the therapist puts on a face mask. Allouche's version is called the Masque Biosensible and its active ingredients are Sacha Inchi Oil, hyaluronic acid and specific BR Oxygenating Complex, which is an Allouche secret ingredient. The Sacha Inchi oil comes from a nut that has an exceptionally high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids plus Omega 3, 6 and 9. We have now reached the point where electricity is passing between myself and the therapist. The therapist has begun to use a unique machine invented by Allouche's mother and it feels like a Lilliputian army is marching over my skin wearing tiny ice skates. Medium frequency electrical waves tone facial muscles while high frequency current stimulates the oxygenation and cellular regeneration of the epidermis. At the same time, galvanic current enhances the penetration and diffusion of healing serums into the skin. In other words there's some serious exfoliating and stimulating going on that's disposing of all the dead skin and waking up any live cells so they look more polished - sort of like the difference between a cut and uncut diamond. Several more proprietary creams and an application of Yall O2 later and I'm finished. I'm left to relax but I can't wait to inspect the results. I rush to the mirror and I'm stunned. The electrical device must double as a time machine because I look 10 years younger. No wonder John Galliano likes to sign the guest book so often. For the next three days I had a surprise every time I looked in the mirror but then I returned to Hong Kong and after 12 hours in an oxygen-depleted environment aboard an Air France flight I was back to the present. 'The treatment needs to be repeated several times a month for six months to see lasting effects,' says Allouche. 'And you need to have a skin-healthy diet plus moisturising.' So guys, whichever creams you use remember - they have to be part of your daily routine.
