The O Glow

What keeps celebrities looking their best in the face of blemish baring, crystal-clear HD television and on-camera appearances? It's what Eva Longoria and Gwyneyth Paltrow are using to keep them looking their best amidst the glaring public eye.

And it's something we breathe in everyday.

Oxygen facial treatments are what California-based company Intraceuticals-who incidentally had one of their aestheticians, Michelle Peck, go on the road with Madonna on her recent Sticky and Sweet tour-have starlets hooked. "Madonna doesn't go on stage without it and that's because the results are phenomenal and therapeutic for the skin," says Peck. "You're simply giving the skin back the nourishment it needs."

Over-washing and exposure to the sun, cold temperatures and pollution can start to take its toll on the skin. The Intraceuticals treatment uses hyaluronic acid -- the body's natural lubricant -- which attracts and holds water to its molecules helping the skin to absorb moisture and retain its youthful volume. Beyond its inherent benefits, hyaluronic acid also carries a certain celeb cache due to the way it's applied on the skin. "The hyaluronic acid has to be in a serum in order to be delivered under pressure by the oxygen," says Dr. Sandy Skotnicki-Grant, owner and director of Bay Dermatology Centre in Toronto (her dermatology centre is the first to launch the product in Canada). "The hyperbaric oxygen pushes the hyaluronic acid and the other ingredients into the deeper layers of the skin and cells there." Once the serum is applied, a whisper of oxygen is blown on the face and into the pores at a 90-degree angle using a wand attached to an oxygen tank.

"Oxygen does not affect the skin directly but it's a wonderful delivery vehicle for the hyaluronic acid. With help from the oxygen, it's absorbed into the dermis which is the deeper layer of the skin; it replenishes the natural lipids there," says Skotnicki-Grant.

While the process of pushing oxygen into deep layers of your face and plumping up of skin cells sounds complex -- and even a bit painful -- Peck says the results can be a beautiful and natural alternative to ultra-expensive surgical procedures like Botox. But, be forewarned, like all new trends in beauty, this one comes with its own luxurious price tag. At $225 to $325, for 60 to 90 minute treatments aestheticians recommend a treatment once every week for the first six weeks, then getting the treatment monthly as a routine.