FAQ | Skin Treatments

Cosmetic injectables are treatments that involve injecting a CE marked or FDA approved product into your skin to promote changes and improve the condition of your skin, reduce muscle activity or reduce sweat production (botulinum toxin better known as Botox®), volumise an area of your face (dermal fillers) where natural fat pads have atrophied, also to promote tissue regeneration or cell renewal (platelet rich plasma therapy or PRP).

Yes, a consultation is incredibly important to analyse your skin, discuss any medical health issues, discuss the treatment and explain how it will benefit you. We have a comprehensive range of treatments available.

Some of the treatments are prescription only, this includes botulinum toxin. (Botox®, Azzalure®, etc)

We advise on how you can prepare for your treatment appointment, what to expect after your treatment and we can give you a break down of costs and the number of treatments required.

We provide body treatments to:

Improve acne scarring ( back)

Improve cellulite appearance

Improve surgical scars

Improve stretch marks

Reduce stubborn fat pockets ( tummy, love handles, upper arm area.)

Removal of spider veins

Removal of skin tags

Improve the appearance of your hands and knees

If you are coming for your initial skin consultation, it would be very helpful if you could;

• note the skin products that you are using.
• identify issues that you would like to have treated.
• make a note of any medications that you are currently taking.
• remove your make-up before you come or be prepared to remove it at the clinic.

If you have a cosmetic treatment appointment, please;

• remove or prepare to remove your make-up at the clinic.
• avoid caffeine for a few hours before your visit.
• arrive early and relax. We then have time to apply numbing cream to your skin if necessary.
• avoid any beauty appointments or exercise classes after your treatment visit.

Every one has a different pain threshold. This is why we offer the application of anaesthetic cream. We ask you to arrive 20 minutes before your appointment so that you can relax. We apply the numbing cream which makes your procedure more comfortable. Resting 20 minutes before your appointment will help reduce the potential for bruising.

There are many treatments that are contraindicated or not suitable during pregnancy. Examples are; lip fillers, dermal fillers, botulinum toxin (eg Botox®, Azzalure®), radiofrequency and skin boosting. We can discuss these at your skin consultation and advise you on what treatments are available.

The sooner you start the better! Skin transformation is a journey. Beautiful skin doesn't happen over night. It's best to be conditioned over a period of months and any muscle relaxing or dermal filler injections carried out a few weeks before your special day.

A skin cell cycle is 90 days, that's 3 months.

However, if you don't have a lot of time we have plenty of solutions and quicker fixes for you.

365 days of the year!

Sunscreens are the best anti-ageing product you can use.

Our skin is made up of multiple layers. UVA and UVB rays from the sun penetrate into the dermis of our skin, visible light can penetrate even more deeply. Prolonged sun exposure and frequent skin or sunburns can cause our skin cells to produce pigment, change in structure and even mutate to cause skin cancer.

SPF 30 or SPF 50? Either, anything above a factor 30 is a sunblock.

Physical or chemical sunscreen? This is a great question and probably best answered at your skin consultation visit. However, either is better than none.

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory condition of the skin. It's very common and predominantly causes blushing or flushing of the face. Sometimes small pus filled bumps appear. It can flare up periodically.

It's very reactive to certain chemicals in skincare products such as alcohol and salicyclic acid. It can also be affected by your diet , any underlying health issues, stress and hormonal changes. Women are more affected than men.

Firstly we would need to assess your skin and the severity of your rosacea before developing a skin therapy plan.

A dermal filler is a sterile gel like substance that can be injected into your skin to smoothen fine lines and reduce the appearance of deeper wrinkles. It can also be used to restore or create volume in your face. Example; lips can be enlarged using lip filler or they can be defined using lip filler.

The most commonly used dermal filler contains a synthetic version of hyaluronic acid . Hyaluronic acid naturally occurs in our skin. It's responsible for hydrating the skin, the promotion of cell activity to produce collagen and indeed the elasticity of our skin.

Around the age of 26, our skin stops producing hyaluronic acid naturally, hence the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, duller complexions and skin laxity.

Lifestyle, diet and genetics play a major role in skin ageing.

We can help advise you on how to condition your skin and restore your inner glow.

Absolutely!

There are a lot of images out there of big lips, big cheeks and much more.

We don't see the good jobs for that very reason, that the desire was to remain natural but fresh.

This is my favourite type of result. Dermal fillers should be bespoke to your face shape, age appropriate, in respect of your skin texture and gender or LGBT.

I completed a mentorship with the amazing Dr Lee Walker, a global key opinion leader. We discussed the male face and features versus the female face in detail from the science of anatomy, skeletal ageing and how you would treat someone from the LGBT community depending on how they would like to look. It's called sexual dimorphism.

The results can be seen immediately. Some of the more specialised products have bio-active properties that help nourish the skin. These results get better over a period of two weeks, on average.

Dermal fillers are contraindicated in pregnancy and for up to 6 months afterwards, also if you are breast feeding.

There are other treatments that you can have to help improve the condition of your skin during this time and maintain a healthy youthful glow despite any sleepless nights.

Dermal fillers can cause a lot of problems if they are not injected properly.

Most common side effects:

• bruising ( most common)
• swelling
• skin tenderness.

• the tindling effect. When dermal filler is placed too close to the skin and leaves a grey shadow.

The uncommon but more serious risks:

• vascular compression - when a lot of dermal filler is placed into the area and the blood flow is reduced. This can also happen during severe swelling. Slow capillary refill.
• Vascular occlusion (VO). This is when dermal filler is accidentally injected into the blood vessel and the blood flow stops. This can have serious consequences; skin death or necrosis and potential blindness. The dermal filler will need to be removed as quickly as possible. Signs of a VO including prolonged whitening of an area of skin, a small lump appearing in the treated area that lasts for a few weeks, pain during the injection and the appearance of a lump on the lip that can look like a cold What are the riskssore but lasts much longer than a cold sore.

Muscle relaxing injections involve the use of botulinum toxin, more widely known as Botox® or Azzalure®.

The toxin affects the transmission of signals from your brain to your muscle nerve centres. The SNAP25 effect!

This limits your muscle from moving, so any contractions are reduced. This is not a permanent result and the longevity of the affects of the treatment can last from 3 months to 6 months. It depends on how strong your muscles are, the condition of your skin, how active you are and how quickly your body can repair itself.

Some people will respond better to one toxin compared to another. Some people will need a few regular treatments to help control some muscle movement.

Normally they can last from 3 to 6 months. This depends on many factors;

• how active your muscles are
• sleep
• how physically active you are. An athlete will potentially metabolise the toxin protein far more quickly than someone who does moderate forms of exercise.
• muscle strength and degree of attachment to the bone. A male muscle is normally stronger than a female muscle anatomically.

Most common side effects:

• bruising
• localised swelling
• headaches 24 hours later

Less common:

• Ptosis of a muscle, either the eyebrow or the forehead . This happens if too much botox® is injected into the muscle.
• Twitching of the muscle - normally only lasts a few days.
• double vision - only lasts 24-48 hours.

They normally take between 3 and 10 days to take full affect.

Hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating that's not always related to heat or exercise.

The most common areas affected are the armpits, hands, feet and backs of the knees.

You may sweat so much that it soaks through your clothes or drips off your hands. Heavy sweating can be socially embarrassing and really affect some people's mental health.

Hyperhidrosis treatment can help.

Botulinum toxin is injected into the sweat glands to block the signals from the brain causing the sweat glands to produce sweat.

This treatment is very effective and can last 4-6 months.

There can be some discomfort. Normally we apply numbing cream to the area 30 mins prior to treatment.

Don't shave 24 hours prior to the treatment.

Arrive early so that the cream can be applied.

Wear a vest or loose top so that we can get access to the entire armpit area.

Skin boosting is described as injecting a liquid moisturiser into your skin.

Skin boosters improve the appearance of your skin, hydrate your skin, stimulate your skin cells to produce more collagen and therefore improve the quality of your skin over a period of time.

A course of 2-3 treatments is recommended depending on which skin booster your therapist advices for your skin.

Skin boosters are made up of hyaluronic acid in a liquid form. Examples are Profhilo® , TeoxaneR Redensity 1 & RHA 1 , Juvederm® Volite and Boletero® Revive

Teosyal® Redensity 1 contains 8 amino acids, anti-oxidants and the minerals, zinc and copper which are essential for skin health. Redensity 1 is like Berocca® compared to plain effervescent Vitamin C tablets.

A single treatment can be effective at hydrating your skin but will only last a few weeks.

A full course of 3 , one treatment a month for 3 months will not only benefit the health of your skin, improve the radiance of your skin and will reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

We apply numbing cream to the skin 30 minutes before your treatment. This alleviates any discomfort.

Downtime is normally negligible.

The procedure involves multiple shallow injections just under the skin. You will see lots of tiny lumps where you have been treated. These normally settle after 60 - 180 minutes.

Bruising is the most common side effect. You may also experience some tenderness in your skin for 24 hours.

Localised reactions to the injections is a possibility. We recommend anti-histamines to help alleviate this issue.

Interested?

Thermaveinr is a safe, permanent and quick treatment for red veins, spider veins, thread veins. The medical term is Telangiectasia.

Thermavein® needs no anaesthetic and can be done in minutes.

Thermavein® can be used in any part of the body. It is the safest form of red vein and vascular blemish removal above the navel area.

It is suitable for men and women, relatively painless, quick, no bruising, scarring or pigmenation post procedure.

Indications for treatment:

• Facial red veins
• Red leg veins
• Milia ( small white dots or lumps on the face)
• Skin tags
• Cherry angiomas ( red dots on the skin)
• Blackheads
• Warts and verrucas

No, it doesn't treat green or blue veins. Schlerotherapy surgery is recommended for these types of veins.

No, once the veins are treated successfully the vein dies and ceases to exist. However, new veins can appear.

For example; if someone suffers from hayfever. When they are suffering from acute symptoms of hayfever they have to regularly blow their nose. This causes trauma to the area and new blood vessels appear. These patients may need annual treatment to treat the red veins.

Interested?

Thermavein is not suitable for patients who:

• are pregnant
• are breastfeeding
• epileptic
• suffer from infectious skin conditions
• have a pacemaker
• have fake tan product on their skin

Thermavein® is a precision medicine. We only target the vein, skin tag, milia to be treated and not the surrounding area.

Interested?

It is a natural, comfortable, safe and effective microneedling device to rejuvenate your skin. It is suitable for all skin types and can be used 365 days of the year. Even if your skin is perfect you can maintain your healthy and glowing skin regularly by using the Skinpen. Very little downtime; 24 hours for the majority of patients.

The 7 indications for use:

• Acne scarring
• Fine lines & wrinkles
• Melasma
• Age or sun spots
• Vitiligo
• Stretch marks
• Surgical scar revision

It can treat the face, neck, decolleté, ears, hands, upper arms, feet, legs, stomach, back and shoulders. Everywhere!

It utilises Collagen Induction Therapy to treat acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles. It's natural as it stimulates your own skin's wound healing cascade.

The Skinpen® Precision micro-needling device is not suitable for patients who:

• are pregnant
• are breastfeeding
• epileptic
• suffer from infectious skin conditions
• have fake tan product on their skin
• have inflammatory rosacea.

The Exilis Ultra is one of a kind! A powerful monopolar machine that uses a combination of radiofrequency and ultrasound technology to introduce intense heat to create changes in our skin cells. The ultrasound is the "pièce de résistence" as it helps carry the heat deeper into stubborn fat pockets to melt the unwanted fat cells and create a tighter leaner you.

It has 4 FDA approvals and is the most widely used machine throughout the world with in excess of 1 million machines currently in operation. BTL aesthetics believes in evidence based research. They have produced many peer reviewed articles & research including rigorous tests to prove that the Exilis Ultra 360 is the best in it's class.

Exilis Ultra 360 can be used on anyone over the age of 18 years. It is not suitable for the following patients who:

• are pregnant
• have any metal plates or rods that have been surgically placed.
• have a pacemaker
• active infectious skin conditions
• history of skin cancer
• in active cancer therapy

Treatment time depends on the size or number of areas being treated and the condition of your skin.

Most patients undergo 2-4 treatments that are 7-10 days apart.

Each area takes between 20 -60 minutes depending on the area being treated.

Some patients will experience and see rapid results, for others the results will take longer and in some cases up to 3 months. Your skin cell cycle is 90 days and improvements can be experienced up to 12 months after your treatment.

What is PRP?

Better know as the 'Vampire Facelift'.

Your blood is full of platelets, red blood cells and plasma. The platelets release growth factors that promote healing and stimulate collagen production.

When performing PRP, we take a sample of blood and we collect it in a small tube that is then out into a machine called a centrifuge. The centrifuge spins the sample of blood at a speed that separates the red and white blood cells.

We then draw the plasma ( white blood cells) into a syringe and re-inject that back into your skin or hair follicle using a fine sterile needle to stimulate cell proliferation, collagen and elastin production. this results in skin rejuvenation and hair shaft strengthening.

The most common side effects would be bruising, swelling or redness of the treated area. These mostly resolve in 24-48 hours. Most patients feel comfortable to return to work the following day.

Courses of 3-6 treatments are recommended depending on whether its general skin rejuvenation, hair strengthening or restoring lost volume in your face.

A course of 3 treatments every 4-6 weeks can last up to 18 months.

A single treatment will generate results but the results will only last a few months.

PRP is suitable for most patients, however there are exceptions; patients with abnormal platelet function, clotting disorders and chronic liver disease.

Side effects are very minimal because you are using your own blood cells.

There are no risks of transmissible diseases or allergic reactions as we are extracting the platelets from your own blood.

We use sterile techniques and sterile needles in a clinical environment, so infection is minimised.

Bruising, swelling and tenderness are the most common side effect due to the needle injections.

Numbing cream is applied to the area 30 minutes before your treatment. This helps alleviate any discomfort.

This is a controlled medium depth chemical peel that removes superficial dead skin cells, unclogs blocked pores and reduces redness or inflammation in your skin.

The main ingredient is salicyclic acid, a beta hydroxyl acid (BHA). This peeling agent can be applied in several layers to achieve deeper penetration into the skin.

The Blue Peel Radiance is suitable for most skin types and from the age of 12 years old as it is a great treatment for acne prone skin.

It is not suitable for those with;

• infectious skin conditions
• those taking Roaccutane
• anyone under going skin cancer therapy
• anyone with allergies to salicyclic acid
• severe asthma sufferers.

An initial skin assessment and medical history analysis is important.

The salicyclic acid;

• unclogs the pore (black head)
• reduces inflammation in the pustules (white heads)
• Exfoliates the superficial dead skin cells
• reduces the appearance of pigmentation
• a course of treatment will help reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Downtime is minimal. Your face will feel warm and slightly red for about 60 mins.

Then your skin will feel tight for 24 hours.

Your skin will glow immediately.

Skin in poor condition might experience some peeling after the treatment. Normally the peeling is limited to small areas, just like having dry skin. This happens 2-3 days after the treatment. This can be removed with a gentle exfoliator.

Anyone using a retinol must stop using it 5 days before the treatment to avoid irritation and excessive peeling.

We cleanse your skin initially to ensure all make-up and creams are removed, we then degrease the skin to ensure good penetration of the salicyclic acid into the skin.

When the salicyclic acid is applied, yuor skin will tingle intially, then you will feel a lot of heat. We will give you a hand held fan so you can control the heat. This is incredibly effective.

It takes 10-12 minutes. We can denature the salicyclic acid with water if you find it too uncomfortable.

After the treatment, we wash the salycyclic acid off, apply a nourishing moisturing cream that calms the skin, followed by a sunscreen.

Sunscreen is a must after this treatment, even in winter. obagi Sunhield is a fabulous physical block sunscreen.

Avoid exfoliators or harsh scrubbing of the skin for 2-3 days.

Use a gentle exfoliator after day 3 to remove any dry or peeling skin.

Lots of water for hydration.