'Hannibal Lecter'-Like Electric Facial For Radiant Skin

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — It may be one of the best-kept secrets in Hollywood. Some women are paying for a jolt of electricity to energize their skin at a Studio City skin-care center to look years younger.

The I-Derm Galvanic Facial, a 77-year-old technique, resembles an "electric" facial, some say.

Marianne Kehoe, an aesthetician and owner of the skin care studio, told CBS2/KCAL9's Lisa Sigell: "It looks like Hannibal Lecter. But the results are just amazing."

She said she has been doing facials for more than 20 years and has never seen anything like this.

"You put the negative pad under the arm, you put the positive pad on top of the skin and you turn on the machine," said Kehoe.

At $120 a pop, the technique uses electrodes inside a mask that serves two purposes: muscle stimulation and driving a custom-blended vitamin and mineral potion deep into the skin's pores.

Kehoe said the muscle stimulation is for firming and tightening, like going to the gym for your skin. The electric energy from the mask helps get the vitamins and minerals to seep into the skin.

Camille Moitoret has been getting the I-Derm Galvanic Facials once a month for the past 12 years. She said it is not painful, but "I taste metal in my mouth."

Others report feeling a slight prickling. But despite the strange sensations, Kehoe said, clients keep coming back for more. "It does the job," she said.

About half an hour after the current was turned on, Moitoret removed the electrode mask and the mineral-drenched cloth mask underneath.

And the results? "Love it," Moitoret said. "Not bad for 41. Not bad at all."

Story produced by Gerri Shaftel Constant, CBS2 medical producer.