This month I visited the award-winning Fiore Aesthetics Clinic in Bloomsbury for a non-invasive lower face and neck lift with founder, Flavio Refrigeri.
But before we go inside Fiore, I’ll give you some context.
Lately, I haven’t been particularly happy with my reflection. And when you’re a TV presenter and podcast host, you don’t catch your reflection occasionally. You see yourself in unforgiving HD from every angle, repeatedly.
My complaints were pretty minimal: a softening jawline, early-stage turkey neck, and marionette lines.
In short, I was overdue a tune-up.
We spend so much time on the Aesthetics Today podcast discussing advanced technologies, it felt like the right time to become the patient for a change.
So last Friday, I hopped on the train to London to visit Fiore Aesthetics. There’s something about summer evenings in London that never gets old for me, especially when it involves a little face work from one of the country’s most respected aesthetic practitioners.
When I arrived at King’s Cross, the weather was far too beautiful to go underground, so I mapped my walk through leafy Bloomsbury to Fiore Aesthetics.
The clinic sits on the corner of Bloomsbury Street and Bedford Square, tucked among Georgian buildings surrounding the British Museum. From the outside, it’s discreet. Inside, soaring ceilings and tall sash windows give it a bright, spacious feel.
Meeting Flavio Refrigeri
Flavio’s route into aesthetics was shaped long before he entered the profession. Coming from a medical family of dentists, pharmacists and psychologists, he grew up surrounded by clinical conversations, care, and a natural respect for science and people.
In his early twenties, Flavio trained as a paramedic in Italy before moving to the UK, where his path briefly shifted. In London, he completed a BA (Hons) in Human Resources and Behavioural Science, building a strong understanding of people, communication and professional development.
A few years later, his passion for healthcare brought him back into the clinical field. He retrained as a GDC-registered Dental Care Professional (Nurse) and began working in the fast-growing aesthetic industry in 2009. Since then, he has continued to build his knowledge through advanced aesthetic training, progressing from Level 3 through to a PGDip Level 7 in Aesthetic Practice.
His academic journey has continued alongside his clinical work. He achieved a master’s degree in Healthcare Management and Clinical Complications, followed by an MSc in Aesthetic Medicine from the University of Chichester. Flavio is currently a PhD candidate, with research focused on aesthetic treatment modalities, collagen stimulation and, more specifically, microneedling.
Today, his work brings together clinical experience, education and research, underpinned by a strong commitment to safe, evidence-informed aesthetic practice.
That background shows itself immediately. There’s a calm precision to the way he works. Nothing feels rushed, oversold or performative.
Some people make you feel instantly comfortable. Flavio is one of them. Warm, curious, unhurried. The kind of presence that puts a nervous patient at ease without trying. Add the Italian accent, and it’s easy to see why we’ve had him on the Aesthetics Today podcast twice!
Flavio greets me with a warm hug on arrival at Fiore and leads me through to one of the large treatment rooms.
During our podcast interview, we’d spoken about his philosophy as a clinic owner and his intention for Fiore to feel more like a boutique than a production line. Sitting in his treatment chair as a patient, it’s clear this is how the clinic operates.
The Consultation
I’d already had a preview of Flavio’s consultation style at the podcast studio.
By the time I’d finished interviewing him, he’d already analysed my face proof that a passionate practitioner never switches off! As we left the studio, I asked him about my face and discovered he had picked up on a slight twitch I had in my chin and its cause: two overactive mentalis-adjacent muscles.
To anyone else, it sounds insignificant, but it was something that had bugged me for years. And if your job involves watching your own face back regularly, you’ll understand how one tiny detail can become all you see.
So hearing there was a simple Botox solution was a relief. Not because I’m chasing perfection, but because someone had finally noticed it and explained it properly.
Back to my actual consultation. Sitting in a large white treatment chair, mirror in hand, we went through all of my concerns. Flavio took his time and talked me through the structure of my face, mapping the subtle changes that come with age. Then he recommended HIFU, a non-invasive treatment designed to stimulate collagen and gradually firm and lift the deeper layers of the skin. It’s known to deliver fast results. Particularly in the areas I’d come to see him about.
I was already familiar with HIFU as I’d had a course of treatments about three years ago and the results were genuinely impressive. The pain, however, was a different story. I white-knuckled my way through every pulse.
HIFU Treatment
HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) uses targeted ultrasound energy to heat the deeper structural layers of the skin. No needles. No downtime.
The aim is to trigger a controlled healing response so the skin gradually produces more collagen, becoming firmer, tighter and subtly lifted over time.
Many people notice an immediate tightening, but the real magic happens over the following three to four months as collagen remodels.
I followed Flavio next door to possibly the coolest treatment room I’ve ever seen.
Perfectly balanced tones, soft lighting, a sculpted bust complete with aesthetic injectables, and floor-to-ceiling gallery wall art featuring every iconic ‘90s supermodel. Christy. Cindy. Claudia. Kate. Pure fashion nostalgia!
Staring at the supermodel wall, I realised this is what many aesthetic clinics are missing: personality and self-expression that make the experience feel memorable rather than procedural. Flavio brought his natural flair into this space, and it shows.
Then it was time for the treatment. I lay down expecting numbing cream, but instead Flavio began applying ultrasound gel. Clocking my confusion, he told me with a big smile that the machine he uses doesn’t hurt.
Really?
Yep, he explained that the Skymedic HIFU system has been developed with patient comfort very much in mind, delivering energy in a far more controlled way than older-generation machines.
Pain-free HIFU… it doesn’t get much better than this.
Flavio is a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) and trainer for Skymedic, the Spanish medical aesthetics company behind painless HIFU machines. So, in other words, he doesn’t just use the technology; he teaches other practitioners how to use it safely and effectively.
This matters. Because HIFU is all about precision: depth, placement, and energy calibration. As I’ve discussed in my Skin Tech series on Substack, machines don’t create great results on their own. The person holding them does.
Back to my treatment. Starting with my neck, I instinctively braced myself, still not entirely convinced this wasn’t going to hurt.
Flavio fired the first pulse.
I waited for the sting.
Nothing.
Well… almost nothing. A slight tingle and a little heat.
From that point on, I relaxed. He worked methodically from my neck to my jawline and then my lower face, adjusting the settings as needed, checking in regularly and talking me through the treatment.
Thirty minutes later, we were done.
Back in the bright consultation room with mirror in hand, we both agreed my jawline already looked a little more defined. But the biggest difference was my neck. It looked noticeably smoother, tighter and less crepey.
There was no redness, no swelling and zero downtime. I walked straight back to King’s Cross and carried on with my evening.
I’ll be back with Flavio in four weeks for my second and final round of HIFU. I’ll report back with my final results.
My visit to Fiore left me with three clear impressions: a genuinely warm welcome, complete confidence in the person treating my face, and the sheer delight that HIFU has evolved into a more comfortable, almost relaxing treatment.
Part two to follow
