I’ve been spending time at Topanga’s Sienna Skin Care trying some of their signature procedures in an attempt to look younger without going the whole facelift hog.
Fellow Brit Sally Powell has been keeping women (and men) younger-looking and beautiful/handsome in the canyon at Sienna Skin Care & Wellness since she founded this little haven and homage to beauty thirty years ago. Clients travel from as far as Santa Barbara and Manhattan Beach for her services.
It’s three months since I had an Ultherapy Prime session on my face and neck followed, seven weeks later, by BBL HEROic™ & MOXI™ laser treatments and I can see improvement.
Sally warned me that Ultherapy Prime ultrasound technology can be a little “spicy.” Clients are advised to take two Advil and two Tylenol an hour before the appointment, and to arrive 45 minutes before the treatment for numbing cream to be applied. Twice. Those were two clues that things might indeed get a little spicy.
How can I best describe the experience from a pain and discomfort perspective? Keeping with the spicy analogy, if a Chicken Korma is quite mild and a Vindaloo is tongue-melting, I would say Ultherapy Prime is a Tikka Masala.
If we’re talking childbirth with no epidural being a ten, Ultherapy Prime, for me, measured a 2.7. I dropped two F-bombs and a J.C. during the treatment. But I am a massive wimp when it comes to pain. They’ve started using a new, stronger numbing cream so it should be less spicy for you than it was for me.
Lauren Husain RN, who does the injectables and procedures at Sienna Skin Care, told me there might be tenderness after the treatment for a few days. And there was. For two weeks around my jaw line.
The BBL HEROic™ & MOXI™ laser treatment was much less spicy than Ultherapy Prime, but I did look and feel sunburned for a few hours after the treatment. It would have been helpful to know in advance that after this laser treatment your face looks like it’s been covered in patches of coffee grounds that won’t come off until they’re ready. Mine lasted almost a week. Which was unfortunate because my husband and I left for a romantic week away the day after the treatment. Timing is everything.
Lauren said, “BBL and MOXI together are a powerful pigment and texture duo. BBL uses intense pulse light to destroy brown and red pigment. So really good for sun spots, red veins and acne scars. MOXI creates microscopic treatment zones that trigger collagen production. That’s what helps skin texture and skin quality. Together, they resurface the skin. Ultherapy Prime is for lifting and tightening.”
My skin is definitely improved—brown spots and blood vessels around my nose can now only be seen with a magnifying glass. Sally says that three laser treatments may be required to remove all brown spots and red veins.
While I sat in reception waiting for the numbing cream to take effect, I was able to observe the comings and goings at Sienna Skin Care. It’s like Times Square on a Saturday morning. One ridiculously good-looking couple came in for their three-monthly Botox sessions. It doesn’t take long. There are vegetable alternatives to Botox these days that don’t involve cows and botulism and are just as effective. Looking closely at the faces of that good-looking couple had me thinking, “I’ll have what they’re having.”
A steady stream of attractive women came through the door, some for facials. The serious stuff is left to Lauren, the California State Licensed Registered Nurse who brings a strong and impressive medical background. Lauren has a degree in Health Sciences from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northeastern University. Sienna Skin Care & Wellness also has a medical director, Dr. Matthew Bloom, DO.
Before the procedures, I had a compulsory video call with a doctor. Ultherapy Prime is not for you if you have a metal plate in your head or jaw. Even men are having Ultherapy Prime. Sally’s husband, Andrew, does it. Sally said he won’t mind me telling you.
“I started doing Ultherapy myself ten years ago, and it was night and day, especially on my neck,” said Sally. “My husband was blown away by the results. It’s made a huge difference for him, too.”
Collagen stimulation is key to maintaining a youthful look. Ultherapy Prime ultrasound therapy and BBL HEROic™ & MOXI™ laser treatments boost collagen production. Lauren says collagen supplements won’t do the trick.
I refuse to display the before and after the procedures photos of me as I look like a serial killer in both. I made Sally sign a non-disclosure agreement that those photos of me will never be seen in public. I understand, however, that photographic evidence is helpful here, so the photo of me with Sally was taken on May 6, 2026. No Photoshopping or filters.
It’s a never-ending battle to keep on top of our looks. I had two whiskers (I named them Walter and William) for maybe 35 years that refused all attempts at permanent removal. You think you’ve got them, then they sneak back. A beauty salon in London finally and permanently nuked Walter and William. Now a new whisker, Wendy, has appeared.
Sienna Skin Care offers laser hair removal therapy, which doesn’t remove white, grey or blonde whiskers. But, according to Dr. Google, electrolysis does. I just need to find a good old-fashioned establishment that offers electrolysis. Your days are numbered, Wendy.
Sally said, “It’s not a matter of just buying an electrolysis machine—a whole separate license is required. Since we introduced laser hair removal, the demand for electrolysis has declined drastically, so I’ve never really had to think about hiring someone to offer that service.”
To be clear, there is a distinction between whiskers and witchy hairs. Neither are attractive on a woman. My sister and daughter have promised me they will pluck mine out if I am ever in a coma and unable to pluck them myself.
The treatments I tried at Sienna Skin Care aren’t cheap. Ultherapy Prime machines cost around $100,000 each and the ultrasound treatments require a particular gel that costs the salon $250 a pop. And they have to replace the transducers every few faces that cost $2,400 apiece, so it is an expensive treatment for any salon to offer on top of the cost of the machine.
With the BBL HEROic™ & MOXI™ laser, the consumables are not as bad, but the device costs $225,000 and Sally gets charged for the intelligent control technology. “I will have to pay per pulse a minimum of $6,500 per year after my warranty is up in two years.”
The effects of one session of Ultherapy Prime for the face and neck lasts a year or more. It takes three months to see the results. The ideal age to start Ultherapy Prime is under 60, preferably in our 40s. Which is a crying shame, because I’m 71. Sally told me she would recommend a woman in her 70s to have two sessions a year.
Ultherapy Prime ranges in price from $300 for a small area for lines around the mouth to $3,800 for full face and neck. The most popular area is the lower face which includes just under the jawline that costs $2,200, with the neck a further $900 (that’s what I had). Upper face is $800.
The BBL HEROic™ & MOXI™ laser treatments for face and neck are $1,100 and are offered as a package of three, ideally spaced one month apart at $2,700, for optimum results. It can also be split up, with some people choosing to just do the BBL ($550) and some just the MOXI ($650) for face and neck per session. Sienna Skin Care also offers treatments on the chest, back, arms and legs. The full pricing breakdown is on their website, link below.
MOXI is FDA-approved to treat actinic keratosis (AK), so aids in treating pre-cancerous lesions and preventing future skin damage. AK is a common precancerous skin condition caused by long-term ultraviolet (UV) exposure, appearing as rough, scaly, or discolored patches on sun-exposed areas like the face, scalp, and hands.
My treatments ended with a 90-minute CryoStem Signal Pro facial that costs $285. This was glorious and left my skin looking radiant and glowing. If you’re looking for a great gift for the woman (or man) in your life, you can’t go wrong with a facial.
Sally said, “I am turning 60 this year and think I look better than I did when I was 50, thanks to these advanced services. I dread to think how I would have looked without them. I also do micro-needling with Platelet-Derived Growth Factor under my eyes in between Ultherapy and BBL & MOXI as well as regular facials. I am fighting this aging lark and not going down without a fight!”
Sienna Skin Care is offering TNT readers $100 off their first BBL & MOXI combination, $100 off the first Ultherapy Prime and 50 percent off your first laser hair removal procedure if you mention that you read this article when booking.
