Choosing your aesthetic practitioner.

I have during this week had the pleasure of spending time in the company of extremely experienced plastic surgeons, cosmetic doctors and dentists updating and increasing my knowledge of aesthetic procedures. 

I was invited by Galderma to undertake advanced training in anatomy at the Royal College of Surgeons with a select group. The agenda included anatomy training with a cadaver, something I haven't experienced since dental school and even more fascinating now than it was twenty years ago!

My experience highlights the fact that aesthetic procedures are not a purely cosmetic treatment. They are  extremely involved medical treatments that necessitate in depth knowledge of facial structures and the risks associated with them.

New proposals to regulate cosmetic procedures have recently been reported in the papers with The Daily Telegraph warning that anti-wrinkle treatments are “a crisis waiting to happen”.

The stories are based on an independent review of regulations governing the UK cosmetic industry. The review was chaired by the NHS medical director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, who said anyone having cosmetic procedures should be better protected than at present and people carrying out cosmetic procedures should be trained to a high standard.

The review particularly highlights concerns about non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as:

Dermal fillers (injections of hyaluronic acid to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and scars)

Botox (injections of a toxin used to smooth the skin)

Chemical peel (where chemicals are used to remove dead skin)

Laser hair removal.

Under current regulations, all of these procedures can legally be performed by anyone, whatever their level of medical training. Ridiculous!This is in spite of the fact that, if performed incorrectly, these procedures can result in a range of complications such as burning, scarring, infection and even blindness. The review proposes that much tighter and rigorous regulation is required for these types of non-surgical cosmetic procedures to ensure their safety.

What did the Keogh review find?
The review found that dermal fillers are a particular cause for concern because anyone can set themselves up as a practitioner, with no requirement for knowledge, training or previous experience. There are insufficient checks in place on the quality of the products used during the procedure, the report says, pointing out that “most dermal fillers have no more controls than a bottle of floor cleaner”.

What recommendations have the review group made?
The report outlines the need for safer products, more highly skilled practitioners and more responsible providers. It calls for:

• EU regulations on medical devices to be extended to cover all cosmetic implants including dermal fillers, and new UK laws to make this happen sooner.
•  Dermal fillers to be classified as prescription only
• The Royal College of Surgeons to set standards for cosmetic surgery practice and training and to issue formal certification of competence.
• All those performing cosmetic procedures to be registered.
• Qualifications to be developed for providers of non-surgical procedures.

You can read NHS Bruce Keogh Review of Cosmetic Procedures here.

 

This is all very worrying and I must stress the importance of knowing the qualifications of any person who may be planning treatment with a potential patient.

Choose carefully when thinking about having a non-surgical cosmetic facial treatment.

You ideally want to enter into a long term relationship with a medical cosmetic practitioner so it is important to ask questions and find someone that you can trust and feel at ease with. Don’t be afraid to ask questions….

• What are the qualifications?
• Do you feel comfortable talking to them?
• Do they understand what you are looking to achieve?

• Do you have a range of options?
• How long have they been carrying out the treatment you are interested in?
• Have they fully informed you of what you can expect from treatment, the possible side effects and complications?
• Will they be easy to contact and see if the need should arise?
• Do the premises and the manner of the practitioner feel right?
• Are you talking to the clinician who will actually be performing the treatment?

 

 

 

Can lip fillers look natural?- Yes they can!

Many potential clients seeking lip enhancements are put off by the Lesley Ash lip experience. Everyone has heard about her treatment and the consequences that the unfortunate lady is having to live with. Of course, we always get to hear about the celebrities who have overdone it a bit in one way or another, while those who have successful, natural looking enhancements, in the way it should be done, manage to remain below the media radar. They simply remain looking good for their age.

Lesley Ash actually had a disastrous permanent lip implant using silicone and then had an allergic reaction to it. Why any cosmetic doctor would be prepared to offer a permanent treatment in this area is beyond me! This is no longer used due to the complications associated with it.

I offer only ultra fine, temporary, hyaluronic acid based fillers with a tried and tested clinical history and FDA approval. These include the Juvederm Ultra range. Juvéderm^® Ultra Smile lip enhancement treatment is a gentle filler dedicated to giving you fuller, more defined, natural-looking lips.

I always adopt the 'less is more' approach and stress to my clients about taking a minimal approach. Very small amounts of product can be used when carefully placed in specific areas of the lips to create a naturally plumper lip and more supported lip line. 'Trout pouts' tend to occur when too much filler is placed along the edges of the lips which can produce a stiff, protruding look with an obvious ridge. This is not the look that most of us seek!

As the effects of ageing take hold, even the lucky few who were born with perfectly beautiful lips may want to consider enhancing their lips’ appearance. Over time, the volume of the lips depletes, leaving a thinner, flatter appearance. Wrinkles and fine lines compromise their smooth look, and the vermillion borders and Cupid’s bow become less defined. Around the mouth, the area between your upper lip and nose can become flattened, and the corners of the mouth may turn downward, creating a tired, aged appearance.

You can enhance the contour, definition and overall shape of your lips, correcting any slight asymmetry and adding more support at the philtrum- those little lines below the nose- to help smooth away these signs of ageing. Juvederm Ultra Smile does contain a local anaesthetic too, so with the addition of lashings of topical cream beforehand this helps to make the treatment a far more comfortable one.

So... don't let those big lipped celebrities put you off! Your lips CAN be enhanced in a very natural way.

A Natural Look Can be Achieved with Botox

Many people still compare the effect of 'botox' to the ‘frozen’ faces of many celebrities, seemingly unable to show any expression. However, by working with the right practitioner, you can achieve a far more natural looking effect.

By relaxing the muscles in the face 'botox' tackles the wrinkles generated by these muscles but as a consequence reduces movement and therefore facial expressions such as frowning, raising your eyebrows etc. By adjusting the amount of botox injected, the level of muscle movement can also be varied.

Rather than eliminate all wrinkles completely, a far gentler effect can be achieved, where the lines are dramatically softened, but the face can still be very expressive.

A good aesthetics practitioner will discuss with you the look you want to achieve, and the amount of facial movement you wish to retain. Based on your consultation, they can then determine the right amount of botulinum toxin required to give the desired effect. The wrinkles will be greatly diminished but you should still be able to look natural when smiling or frowning. The goal is for you to look fresher faced..... not frozen faced!

Be the best version of yourself.

'First Time' aesthetic treatments

An effective skincare regime is important for maintaining healthy, beautiful looking skin, but there might come a time when you want to do a bit more to turn back the clock.

Thanks to a wide range of minimally invasive aesthetic procedures, we can now diminish the signs of ageing effectively and achieve natural appearing results non-surgically. However, it might seem daunting to choose the right type of treatment for your ‘first time’. Well, my first advice would be to go for a temporary treatment.

Two of the most popular minimally invasive treatments are dermal fillers and volumisers and wrinkle relaxing injections with botulinum toxin(known commonly as 'botox')

Hyaluronic acid is an example of an excellent temporary filler for so-called ‘static lines’ such as the nose-to-mouth lines. Fillers/volumisers can also be used to improve a gradually ‘deflating’ facial contour with a gentle cheek or lip plumping treatment for example.

For ‘dynamic lines’ caused by repeated facial expression movement ,such as frown lines between the eyebrows, the muscle relaxing botulinum toxin remains my all-time favorite.

Overall, I recommend a step-wise approach with phasing of treatments, so that changes will be gradual and you will continue to feel your own self, while optimal correction is achieved over time. Compare it to joining the gym – you wouldn’t expect to be all ‘sorted’ after a single session, would you?

New regulations for injectable cosmetic treatments.

You may have recently heard in the press that the regulations surrounding injectable cosmetic treatments have changed quite dramatically in the last couple of weeks, and this may have led to considerable uncertainty and possibly worry for anybody having such treatments

 Following some revelations on a Panorama programme about doctors who are prescribing Botox for administration by non –prescribing  nurses and,worryingly, even medically unqualified beauty therapists, the practice of so-called “remote prescribing” has been banned by the General Medical Council (GMC), and one doctor has already been suspended for this practice.

What remote prescribing means is that the doctor is prescribing treatment for a patient who he/she has not personally assessed face to face, and it is then administered by a non-medical aesthetician .This is a practice that has gone on for some time both in large chain clinics and also a lot of small nurse-run salons, but it is only now that the GMC have taken action to stop it.

The rules are now clear. Doctors, dentists or qualified nurse prescribers can only prescribe Botox after a face-to-face consultation.

I would like to reassure you that as far as my practice is concerned nothing has been affected. As a practicing dentist and medical prescriber I will continue to individually assess, prescribe and administer all injectable treatments as appropriate, following the highest standards possible so that your ongoing satisfaction and safety are ensured.

THIS MONTH'S ANTI-AGEING TIP

Anti-ageing Vitamin C

The sun. We all love it, when it manages to make an appearance, but it is the main external factor that causes ageing in all of us.

We automatically think of a sunblock as our main defence, but we also need to consider the free radical damage that causes the signs of ageing. What is a free radical ? I hear you ask.

When we run a machine, like a car, it burns fuel by combining the fuel with oxygen in the engine. Our car moves along the road on the released energy. However, the car also gives off exhaust fumes as a by-product. Something similar to this happens in the cells in our bodies. When our bodies combine oxygen with glucose(the fuel)in our cells we make energy, but we also make free radicals, our body's version of exhaust fumes. These are damaging to all the cells in our bodies.

 Vitamin C is one of the best anti-ageing chemicals available.Topical application of Vitamin C protects against photo ageing, acting as a powerful anti-oxidant that counteracts free radical damage, mopping them up like a mini Pac man.

Vitamin C soaks into the skin after it is applied and cannot be washed off. Once it is in the skin it helps protect from the sun’s damage. Unlike most sunscreens, topical Vitamin C is thought to provide wavelength independent UV protection. This is more effective because there are many wavelengths in the ultraviolet spectrum and most sun blocks only cover a few of them, leaving our skin vulnerable to the others. Even better, Vitamin C can help prevent sun damage without blocking the absorption of Vitamin D, an important vitamin manufactured in the skin during sun exposure.

Topical Vitamin C can help repair skin that is already damaged by the sun by replacing the Vitamin C that has been lost and boosting healing with its anti-inflammatory effect. Topical application has also been shown to help restore collagen and elastin, causing the skin to look and feel firmer.

It is for these reasons that I always recommend a daily combination of physical sunblock, along with topical application of Vitimin C serum, to give total protection from photo ageing.

Obagi Professional C serum is a highly effective product that penetrates to where it is needed. Just apply a few drops every day and you will soon notice an improvement in your skin.

 Obagi 10% Professional C serum available at Dentelle  £55.00

Lustre Light treatment for acne. Wecome to a new confident you.

Lustre Pure- Light treatment for Acne

I have just spent the weekend at FACE (Facial Aesthetics Conference and Exhibition) held at the Royal College of Physicians in London. One of the new treatments which caught my eye was the Lustre Pure, a home treatment therapy for problem skin.

What is acne?

Acne is the most common skin condition and can affect 80% of people at some point in their life. It is caused by the body’s immune system creating an inflammatory response to bacteria called P.acnes which lives in the skin.http://www.dentelle.co.uk/cosmeceutical-skincare.html P acnes grow in sebaceous glands which produces oil called sebum. Many acne treatments help clear acne by cleaning the skin and clearing the excess sebum, so reducing the growth of the bacteria. Other treatments, such as antibiotics, help to kill the bacteria, but these can have unwanted side effects and the bacteria may become resistant over time.

How Lustre works

Many acne sufferers find that their skin improves and spots seem to disappear when they have been out in the sunshine. However, we all know that sunlight contains dangerous UVA and UVB rays which cause skin ageing and can cause cancer. Scientists have found that visible blue light at a wavelength of 420nm does not damage the skin but is very effective in killing P acnes. Blue light has been used by dermatologists for many years to treat acne.

How does blue light kill acne bacteria

The bacteria that cause acne produce a chemical called porphyrin. When blue light at 420nm is applied to it this porphyrin becomes activated and this has been clinically shown to destroy the bacteria.

Lustre Light Technology

Lustre Pure Light is an at home treatment device available through skin clinics. It harnesses the safe, natural blue light of the visible spectrum to eliminate the spot-causing bacteria while being kind to the skin. It is a small, rechargeable device with slim flexible heads which can target problem areas. The device is portable and treatment is delivered when it is worn, so you can get on and do the things you need to do. This treatment is designed to work alongside existing acne therapies to help achieve the best results. It is recommended for use every day for 8 hours per week.

Take a look at what Dr Chris Steele on This Morning has to say about it

http://www.lustrepurelight.com/lustre-in-action/in-the-news/lustre-pure-light-features-on-this-morning

If you are interested in this treatment please contact us at Dentelle to find out more.