MÖ Skincare: Light years ahead

Tracy Spiers visits MÖ Scandinavia, a ground-breaking aesthetic clinic in the beautiful village of Broadway

The truism ‘Without light, there is no life’ embodies the philosophy of MÖ Scandinavia, a ground-breaking five-star aesthetic clinic in the beautiful village of Broadway. 

It’s the company’s flagship UK clinic and harnesses the latest state-of-the-art technologies utilising light therapy, mirrored in its renowned clinics in Norway and Denmark.

Nearly three decades ago, newspaper headlines proclaimed that skin-care expert Marianne Olavesen-Stabb’s beauty treatments were ‘light years ahead.’ How true those words turned out to be.

Marianne is the creative mind behind the MÖ System, utilising photodynamic therapy (PDT). This innovative, non-invasive treatment employs natural light wavelengths and colours, rather than ultraviolet light, to encourage the body’s natural cellular regeneration and healing processes.

A great example is the ‘Lightox’ facial that I experienced, which employs invigorating red light to boost collagen production, helping to rejuvenate ageing skin. This treatment focuses on naturally healing the skin by essentially activating your own DNA to promote healing from within.

A decade younger

MÖ company president and founder Marianne is a testimony to her own research. She is MÖ — not only in name (her initials) but in appearance. She naturally looks at least a decade younger and carries a warmth and gentle confidence — a far cry from the timid 18-year-old who, suffering with terrible acne, wanted to hide from social interaction. 

‘I didn’t want to face people, so I retreated to the stables to spend time with horses and started riding in show-jumping competitions. It was my form of escapism,’ recalls Marianne.

‘The medication I was taking dried out my eyes and I couldn’t see very well. It was my mum who started researching what else we could do. We met a doctor in Denmark, who was very holistic, and he tested my energy levels,’ says Marianne.

Her vital organs were not functioning as they should be, owing to the impact of the drugs she was taking. Yet, within three months, under this doctor’s care, Marianne started feeling better. Inspired and encouraged, she began her own research journey to find out more about the impact of light pulses (natural light via fibre-optic as opposed to LED) on skin and energy levels.

Calling on the help of medical experts, years of investigation led to the patented MÖ’s PDT non-invasive light system, now used worldwide to help those with skin disease, facial scarring and other conditions such as arthritis. (Marianne was featured on BBC’s television show Tomorrow’s World showing the MÖ System working on horses). The success of this unique product earned Marianne a nomination for a Cosmopolitan Women of Achievement award. 

Light nurtures life

Marianne has set up more than 80 MÖ clinics across Scandinavia, multiple academies, an exclusive spa, and developed e-learning platforms to encourage the next generation of skin specialists all over the world. It’s not surprising that MÖ is now the premier aesthetic skincare brand in the Scandinavian region.

With a focus on personalised care, MÖ Scandinavia strives to create an environment where clients feel empowered to embrace their natural beauty, reflecting the intrinsic belief that light — much like confidence — nurtures life. 

Essentially, MÖ’s ethos is about recognising that each person’s skin has its own unique blueprint and requires a tailor-made programme. Marianne's goal is to expand MÖ's reach by launching more clinics across the UK. How uplifting it would have been for that shy teenager to realise her tough experience could spark a journey to create something meaningful for others.

The light fantastic

Tracy writes...

I lie down on the couch, not sure what to expect. Having never had any beauty, skin or cosmetic treatment, I suddenly feel vulnerable. But the lovely MÖ practitioner’s gentle and reassuring presence instantly eases my nerves, reminding me of the company’s ethos.

‘It’s about enhancing confidence. I believe less is more. It is about enhancing natural beauty but not too much. It is not changing who you are or your features, just preserving as much as we can,’ she tells me.

‘Preserving’ means effective regenerative treatments that make you feel as if your skin has truly been treated, unlike some facial massages that can sometimes feel like a fancy version of your usual skincare routine.

I know this is work-out time. It’s not a quick fix. Rather, it’s an on-going commitment to restore, revive and celebrate what I have — playing to my blueprint and encouraging my skin to become what it should naturally be. 

So this tired 55-year-old mother-of-five tells her body to relax and embrace the treatment. What have I to lose? I see today as a starting-point. I do feel a bit guilty. No, I don’t cleanse, tone or cream my skin as I should. Yes, I have exposed my face to the sun; and, certainly as a runner, I haven’t been daily applying sunscreen, whatever the season.

Vampire treatment

My MÖ Lightox treatment begins. My skin gets a double-cleansing, first with micellar water and then with the MÖ gentle cleanser, before toner is applied. My skin is ready (although I don’t feel so). What I am about to receive is known as the vampire treatment because it involves blood — my blood. A pre-mixed IV drip of vitamins (nicknamed the MÖCTAIL) is applied to my right arm and stays for the duration, while the MÖ practitioner takes some of my blood and puts it into a machine to separate the platelet-rich plasma to be used later. (If you don’t like needles, there are other options.)

She picks up a light pen containing microneedles, which rapidly rotate when applied to my skin. It’s a device that removes the outer layer, which I later discover encourages the skin to grow back smoother. It’s effective in stimulating collagen and elastin production. (Both are proteins, but elastin is that stretchy one resembling a rubber band). Even after one treatment, my body starts to work below the surface in the dermis (the inner layer of the two main layers of the skin), naturally regenerating and repairing it. All clever stuff and, I must admit, fascinating, especially as I really notice the difference after a few weeks. Not quite The Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Cocoon: films visually showing older people getting younger; but the fact they come to mind is significant (and encouraging).

The skin’s true beauty

Back to that rotating pen. It may be painless; it’s not exactly comfortable, and I certainly know my skin is being worked on. An image of a road stripped of tarmac to reveal its infrastructure comes to mind. I do feel stripped (my skin, that is!) to the core. My own platelet-rich plasma is then injected into parts of my face — my own body’s goodness, if you like, being put back into areas needing a boost — before MÖ’s signature photodynamic light therapy (PDT) is applied. My practitioner picks up the PDT light pinpoint handle, telling me she’s chosen red to stimulate and activate cells, and applies pressure on various facial areas. This is eventually changed to yellow for calming. The light is apparently ‘cold’, as all thermal radiation is filtered out.

‘Have I got a face left?’ I ask at the end, half joking, half not. My face feels on fire, as if it has woken up. Every pore is buzzing with life. I feel slightly exposed, if I am honest; naked, in fact. But that’s the point of this revolutionary process: to remove layers that hide the skin’s true beauty.

Care-at-home kit

I leave with my own MÖ care-at-home kit: cleanser, toner, illuminating treatment booster, an antioxidant serum, vitamin A (for evenings only), and a moisturiser. 
Once any initial puffiness and slight bruising disappear, even my adult children notice my skin looks better. A few weeks after applying the home kit twice daily, my skin feels smooth, brighter and more alive. As well as introducing a new skin-care routine morning and night, I have started drinking more water, saying no to carbonated drinks, andendeavouring to eat more grains and vegetables — the whole shebang. 

MÖ is not about a one-off treatment. It is about making the right decisions in every area of our lives, as my lovely practitioner explains. ‘The exercises we do, protection we have against the sun, amount of alcohol consumption, processed foods, and relaxing: all have an impact, good or bad. Making positive choices is part of the treatment.’

She is right, of course. It’s getting back to the core of who we are: rediscovering our own unique blueprint and celebrating it.

For more, visit moscandinavia.com