Frequently Asked Questions

A reduction in overall redness?

Firstly, any medical problems contributing to redness e.g. rosacea, dermatitis, demodex folliculitis, sensitive skin etc must be treated.

Residual redness usually caused by broken blood vessels is then best treated with laser therapy.

Better skin tone & radiance

Almost two thirds of our sun exposure is unintentional, thus emphasising the importance of daily application of high factor, broad screen sun block 365 days a year. This is the most important step you can take towards improving your skin tone and radiance. See ‘your skin and the sun’ for further tips.

If you find your complexion is looking somewhat tired, dull or uneven, we offer an extensive range of up to date, professionally administered treatments including various lasers, skin peels, microdermabrasion, intense medical microneedling, mesotherapy, platelet rich plasma, liquid nitrogen, and glycolic/vitamin C jet hydration therapy to give you back the clear, radiant complexion you once had.

Different treatments will suit different patients and we will help you chose the best for your skin. The use of carefully chosen skin care products to meet your skins needs will also maintain these improvements.

Can I have a tighter jaw and neck line?

Wouldn’t we all love the Nefrititi jaw line. Well, certain people are suitable for botulinum toxin injections into the lower face/neck which softens the pull of the platysma muscle in the neck, reducing the jowls and neck lines.

Carefully placed Radiesse enhances the jaw line, thus also diminishing the ‘jowls’. Furthermore the texture and radiance of the neck can also be improved with lasers and Ulthera tightens the skin.

The skin on my face has lost its elasticity

You most likely need volume replacement injections and/or skin tightening with Ulthera.

With the passage of time not only is there a reduction in collagen and elastic tissue in the skin but the facial fat reduces in quantity and also changes position, usually dropping. This results in an inversion of the normal facial triangle where in youth, the majority of the volume is in the upper half, with time the volume sinks to the lower half.

While this is not usually a problem for people who are overweight, who wants to gain weight when there are better, safe solutions ? Furthermore, even if we gain weight, with age this is more likely to end up on our hips or back!

Solution: Careful assessment of each individual face and the use of tissue tighteners e.g. Ulthera and filler injections. Superficial loss of elasticity with very fine lines can be improved with lasers, mesotherapy, intese medical microneedling, Profilho injections and Platelet Rich Plasma therapy.

Do anti-ageing creams work?

We live in hope. Skin care products certainly improve the appearance of our skin but undoubtedly the best anti-ageing cream of all is sun-block. The next best anti-ageing intervention is ‘beauty sleep’, lots of exercise and meditation !

Some ingredients have well established beneficial effects on our skin and while they will not completely stop ageing, they can greatly enhance our complexion, improving radiance, reducing pigmentation and fine lines. They have minimal if any effects on tissue laxity and sagging. Helpful ingredients to look out for include retinoids, glycolic acid, vitamin C, peptides and tissue growth factors.

People expect far too much from moisturisers forgetting that they simply trap the water that we have ingested in the skin. If you want to moisturise your skin adequately, drink sufficient water and fewer alcohol/caffeinated drinks.

Fewer fine or deep lines?

Crepey skin can be improved with a good skin care regimen, lasers and in the case of deep/fine lines, filler injections.

For those who want to avoid lasers/machines or on a tighter budget, skin peels can certainly help.

I don’t like the lines under my eyes…

Avoid surgery to the eye area for as long as possible to maintain your natural look – unless of course it is the only treatment that will work e.g. for ‘bags’.

Repeated low dose laser treatments or intense medical microneedling, with little or no down time, can vastly improve the fine lines under and around the eyes. These can be enhanced with Platelet Rich Plasma therapy.

Botox is a very good treatment for the crows feet to the outer sides of the eyes but will not help, and may even aggravate, under eye lines.

I have smokers lines but never smoked

While the lines above the lip are typically called ‘smoker’s lines’, most people who get them have never smoked but they use the muscles around their mouth in a ‘pursing’ or ‘O’ shape when speaking and eating.

These lines can be helped with careful injections of tiny amounts of filler but can be over-filled very easily leading to an appearance of fullness above the top lip – what I call the ‘walrus’ look. I’d far prefer the lines to that !!

Repeated low dose laser therapy or intense medical microneedling with virtually no downtime, also gives excellent results.

In certain individuals, depending on the shape of the upper lip area, botox can be used to subtly reduce the intensity of this movement and give a little lip enhancement.

More permanent way of removing unwanted hair?

Laser Hair Removal

Laser therapy is by far the most effective means of permanent hair reduction. (add link to laser hair removal)

If the pattern of hair growth suggests a medical/hormonal abnormality, this should be investigated to enable the most successful patient outcome.

My hands are giving my age away

The biggest tell tale signs on the hands are the dreaded age or ‘liver’ spots and the time to protect your hands against these is now – start applying sunscreen especially in the car – UVA passes through window glass. Buy sun protection gloves for driving on Amazon.

These pigmented lesions and fine lines can be very successfully faded with a combination of creams, liquid nitrogen therapy and laser. The choice of treatment will depend on the type of lesions and the colour of the patient’s skin.

One of the biggest issues with our hands as we age is loss of volume leading to increased transparency of blood vessels and tendons. Radiesse injections are a fantastic solution.

My lips seem to be disappearing!

Unfortunately our lips are actually at their fullest at 14 years of age and it’s downhill from then!

I believe this should be the most conservative area of facial rejuvenation as it is the easiest to get wrong! Only the subtlest amount of fillers should be used to augment the lips. They should look completely natural and unfilled at the end. I often hear people say ‘I have never seen a good lip job’. My philosophy is that the good ones are never noticeable! (Small dots of botox along the rim can also help)

Reduce open pores, blackheads or breakouts?

Medical treatment may be needed for acne and blackheads.

Microdermabrasion, peels, jet hydration and a tailored skin care regimen can also specifically reduce blackheads.

Pores are far more challenging. They are essential structures in the skin and advertisements that promise to permanently reduce or obliterate them are quite misleading. Good skin care can keep them minimised and ‘cleaned out’. Lasers can certainly build up the collagen around the pores, thus reducing their appearance but some degree of maintenance, e.g. an annual treatment, may be necessary.