Those little strips you put on your nose are a rip-off in more ways than one.

"Those are bad," said one of the Island's top aestheticians. "They just clog up the pores.''

Skin care expert Linda O'Brian recently moved to Bermuda from California and joined Positive Results Health and Wellness Centre.

She said that washing and scrubbing too much can actually have a harmful effect on skin.

"What kind of cleanser do you use? Use a sugar cube to exfoliate instead," she suggested. Sugar will soften the skin more gently than many commercial washes and scrubs which can dry out your face, she explained.

Ms O'Brian is introducing Bermuda to a new hi-tech skin treatment called particle free microdermabrasion. Using this technology combined with oxygen masks, she has alleviated all manner of skin conditions including acne and eczema. In her previous life, she was literally beauty therapist to the stars running a successful practice in Beverly Hills.

As well as movies stars, she has had numerous teenage clients due to her success with treating acne.

Asked whether serious acne cases are best treated with oral medication, Ms O'Brian said that in serious cases, she would refer a patient to a dermatologist, but on the whole she thinks oral medicine should be a last resort.

According to Ms O'Brian, the microdermabrasion treatment can have positive effects on any kinds of skin, not just problem skin. By sucking out impurities and dead cells from the skin, it can alleviate dryness and stimulates collagen production.

The microdermabrasion machine works without any ointments, tonics, crystals or creams. A tiny, vacuum-like wand sucks the surface of the skin and catches all the dirt and dead skin cells in a disposable filter.

Ms O'Brian said that so far, the used filters show that Bermuda residents have much cleaner skin than people in Los Angeles - pollution in the air makes a big difference. However, in Bermuda, we face a more serious problem.

"The sun is not our friend," she said.

The microdermabrasion treatment costs $125 for a one-hour session or $600 for six sessions and is one of several new treatments being run at Positive Results.