Words by Sara Darling
There’s been a lot of chatter about the benefits of IV drips lately, so, of course, I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about. Endorsed by the likes of Madonna, Rihanna and Adele, along with a swathe of TikTok influencers who swear by the potent direct line of goodness, I faced my fear of needles and saddled up for my first infusion with door-to-door wellness concierge, Optimise Health.
My journey began after downloading the app and completing a questionnaire to ascertain my lifestyle, which was logged onto my personal profile for future reference and consultation. I am a middle-aged menopausal woman who doesn’t sleep very well, eats a mainly vegetarian diet and has very dry (flight-tight) skin, so I was eager to find out what would give me a pick me up.
With a plethora of drips available ranging from Hair to Hangover to Immune Boost to Burnout, it is no wonder celebs are queuing up so they can complement their busy lifestyles. However, I was unsure what would be of most benefit, so I contacted a member of the team to discuss. Their advice was the anti-ageing drip which had a potent blend of vitamins to help nurture mature skin.
The next step was booking the appointment; this London-based service supplies nurses to visit clients in their homes, offices or hotels, but as I am based outside of the English capital, I visited the Optimise Health HQ to meet the team there.
After chatting to the owner and founder, Ina Dimitrova, I gained a much deeper insight into the benefits of functional medicine which determines lifestyle patterns of clients, that if unaddressed, may manifest in disease. Along with IV drips for an instant boost, the company also offers a full body MOT, which involves a blood test to monitor hormonal, thyroid and cortisol functions, along with stress levels, sleeping patterns and diet; the outcome is discussed with your personal online doctor and a multidisciplinary and hyper-personalised plan is created which covers oral, intravenous, nutrition, homoeopathy supplements.
My anti-ageing drip was however a standard blend of vitamins which bodies struggle to retain from our gut as we get older. Ina went on to say: “Oral supplements are great – vitamin D, magnesium or probiotics, but your gut needs to absorb them, so IV is great as it bypasses the gut tract and goes straight to the blood flow.”
More at ease, but still slightly intimidated by the machinery and its pulsing sac of green liquid, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I have never had a drip in hospital, but the velvet cushion provided to rest my arm on, was a lovely touch! My friendly and knowledgeable nurse, Juan, slid the cannula into my arm without me flinching and talked me through the process. I was reassured that small veins can feel a tingle or pressure which is natural as the cocktail of vitamins is pumped in, but if it feels too much, the speed can be slowed down to suit. He also assured me my sweaty palms were a normal nervous reaction and nothing to do with the administration.
The combination I received was a standard fusion of NAC which is a potent antioxidant, collagen building blocks; glycine and proline and essential amino acids; elastane and hydroxyproline to help detoxify the liver and brighten the skin, plus B vitamins – B3, B5, B6, B7, B12, zinc magnesium, folic acid and good old vitamin C. Proven to replenish the system from the inside and elevate dehydrated skin, I was assured it would give me an energy boost too.
Although the process is longer than a quick Botox jab, and can result in a bruise (although I was unscathed), the idea is to get to the root of your issue at a cellular level for instant results. I honestly felt slightly smug and glowing post treatment, however, I jetted off to Boston later that week, so my dehydrated skin needs some loving again soon – but perhaps I’ll try the JetLag drip next time!
To book your Optimise Health consultation, download the app here.
