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In my opinion, the consultation is the most important part of the patient journey for many reasons and I always give my patients the time to get to know me and ask as many questions as they like! Not only that, but I love a chat as well! 1. To Collect Medical Records A thorough, in depth form is completed by the patient during the consultation process. This is to find out about any current or previous medical conditions and medication that may impact aesthetic treatment. 2. Contraindications The definition of a contraindication is ‘a sign that someone should not continue with a particular medicine or treatment because it might be harmful.’ Often, patients may not realise that a condition, medication or even supplement may have a negative effect on treatment, and this is why it is so important for the consultation to be extensive. 3. Build Trust The consultation is an opportunity for the patient and medical practitioner to meet and discuss the patient’s concerns, goals and desired outcome. Often, consultations can take well over an hour to cover all topics and ensure both the patient and practitioner are happy to proceed with treatment. It is also imperative that the patient is made to feel like they can ask questions, feel safe and comfortable and that it is not about just taking the money for the procedure. 4. Full Face Analysis In my opinion, a full face, holistic approach should always be taken. If a patient attends the consultation with concerns of under eye hollowing, it is appropriate to assess the full face and consider the fact that loss of volume in the mid face might exacerbate the concern and need to be treated also. In the same way, some concerns may need to be treated with a combination of treatments. 5 Create An Appropriate Treatment Plan The consultation is all about YOU. The entire time that we spend together will be focussed on your concerns and what you would like to achieve. The consultation is the start of your journey with Anna Medical Aesthetics and I will use this time to recommend all of the treatments that will help you achieve your goals. It is often the case that a combination of treatments is best suited to you, but it is not appropriate to carry out all of these treatments at once. It is also my responsibility to educate you on the maintenance that is expected to keep the results from initial treatment (unfortunately, nothing is permanent!). Consultations are SO important. In some cases, my patients will return for more than one consultation to feel fully confident and educated before proceeding with treatment which I am more than happy to do! If you are interested in booking in for your no obligation consultation, you can use the online booking system or call us on 01793 959010.

WHY YOUR SKIN IS BREAKING OUT UNDER YOUR MASK AND HOW TO PREVENT IT? Wearing a mask to the shop, to your appointment or even when you’re just out and about has become the norm for a lot of us. Breakouts that form under your mask have become so common across social media, they even have their own name now – ‘MASKNE’. As glamorous as the term may sound, it’s extremely frustrating that you may never have suffered from breakouts before, but since wearing a mask you might be suffering from persistent spots. It seems that wearing the masks can cause an increased moisture-rich environment, ideal for bacteria to thrive and then lead to the formation of breakouts. Those that perhaps have to wear a mask for work are the hardest hit as they might have to wear one for up to 12 hours at a time. Acne caused by friction from fabric against the skin is not a new concept – many sportspeople that wear helmets of chin guards can suffer, but it’s definitely become more talked about since the introduction of masks into our lives. Treatment can be difficult, we don’t want to use anything topical on the skin that is too potent due to the constant friction and potential sensitisation of the skin. So the best way to deal with it? Prevent it. Wash or change your mask regularly I recently did a post about ‘treating your mask like you would your underwear’. You wouldn’t wear your knickers two days in a row, so why your mask? Also, you wouldn’t leave your dirty underwear out (I hope!) and then put it back on, so why do the same with your mask? Be sure to wash it if it’s a fabric mask or change it if it’s disposable. Wash your skin regularly We should definitely be cleansing our skin twice a day, but perhaps when you have finished wearing your mask for the day and are at home, cleanse your skin a little earlier than you usually would to make sure any bacteria build-up is thoroughly removed. Be kind to your skin Use appropriate products suited to your skin type and condition. If you’re not sure what products would be best for you, simply get in touch to arrange your skin consultation. When washing your face, treat it with care, don’t be too rough! Take your makeup before bed. Properly. There is no point investing in your medical-grade skincare products if you’re not going to use them properly. Take your time when cleansing, maybe even treat yourself to a double cleanse and if there is such a thing as face wipes in your house, please chuck them in the bin! Whilst wearing a mask, it could be a good opportunity to ditch the makeup, just for a while! Don’t squeeze or pick! As difficult as it might be, try to avoid squeezing or picking your breakouts. This can lead to scarring which can be more difficult to treat than the breakout itself. Let’s remember that (hopefully) we won’t have to wear these masks forever, so it’s just a temporary phase that we have to go through. Follow these tips and keep your skin as healthy as you can during this time! f you would like to schedule your skin consultation, please contact the clinic on 01793 959010 or use our online booking system.

Having dermal filler for the first time can be a daunting experience and it’s very common to feel nervous about it. The ‘what ifs’ tend to creep into your mind – what if something goes wrong? What if I don’t like the result? What if I end up looking fake? In my opinion, one of the most important elements of any treatment is the consultation. During this time, this is when you will get to know your practitioner, gain trust and confidence in them and discuss the best treatment option for them. I spend a minimum of an hour with my patients and ensure they have a full understanding of the treatment before they even consider proceeding. It’s also really important that a full list of side effects are disclosed prior to treatment. There are generally two instances as to why you may need your filler dissolved. The first instance is in the case of an emergency or complication to avoid a vascular occlusion. It is absolutely crucial that all injectors must have access to the filler dissolving agent before proceeding with treatment from a safety perspective. The other instance is if the patient is left with an aesthetically unpleasant outcome. What happens if I don’t like my filler? Provided a Hyaluronic Acid-based filler was used during treatment, Hyaluronidase can be injected to break down and dissolve the poorly placed filler. Hyaluronidase (also known as Hyalase) is an enzyme that causes hydrolysis of synthetic hyaluronic acid (leaving your natural hyaluronic acid intact).  Before dissolving any filler, a patch test should always be carried out to ensure that the patient is allergic to Hyaluronidase (there has been evidence to show that people that are allergic to bee stings may also be allergic to this product). Hyaluronidase is injected directly into the area where the filler is that needs to be dissolved. The treatment can sting, therefore generally lidocaine is injected to reduce discomfort.  Hyaluronidase works very quickly, and filler is broken down almost immediately but can take up to 24 hours for the full effect. It is very common for there to be swelling and bruising following a filler dissolving treatment. Who do I go to when I’m not happy? My first piece of advice to any patient that has had filler when another practitioner and isn’t happy with it is to go back and see them. This is because they have the full treatment details about where the product was placed, how much and therefore have a better idea of where to inject the Hyaluronidase.  By the same token, I completely understand that this can be an awkward and uncomfortable situation. When the patient is unhappy with the treatment, often trust and confidence in the practitioner is completely lost and therefore the concept of going back to see them again is not an option for some people.  In this case, I will do my best to help as much as I can. First of all, I will ask the patient to get the treatment notes and details so that I know exactly where the filler is and therefore where the Hyaluronidase should be injected to break it down. What are the most common problems (That need dissolving)? The lips are most definitely the area that, if not treated correctly is very obvious. Sometimes, it can simply be down to the fact that the lips are overfilled. When too much filler is placed in the lips, they can look unnatural and hard as opposed to looking beautifully balanced and soft. Poor placement can also be an issue when the lips have been treated. Filler placed incorrectly in the vermillion border (the outline of your lips) can often migrate, or may have just been injected into the wrong area in the first place. This can make the border of the lips look overly projected and full in an extremely unnatural way.  The skin around the eye area is extremely thin which means that if too much product is injected into the tear trough, it is very noticeable. Sometimes this can result in an uneven or lumpy appearance or in some cases, a bluish hue (Tyndall effect) can be visible. This can worsen the appearance of dark circles under the eye. Both can be due to a poor filler choice and/or placement or a lack of understanding about the anatomy. Why do things go wrong? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not always down to poor injection technique as to why things go wrong. Sometimes, even the very best injectors will see unsatisfactory results. It’s important to remember that everyone’s anatomy is completely individual and therefore a guaranteed outcome is impossible to give.  Should it be the case that you are unhappy with previous filler and would like to discuss this with me, please contact the clinic by clicking here or calling 01793 959010.

But the truth is, everyone’s lips are unique and therefore to suit a variety of different concerns, there are many different techniques and products that I use. It’s a common misconception that all lips should be treated the same in a lip augmentation treatment.Whether it’s beautification, restoration, hydration, balancing or asymmetry correction, there are many reasons why my patients are interested in having their lips treated. Natural lip fillers? Different indications require different techniques. A 25-year-old that would like a little more volume or perhaps correction of asymmetry will require a different technique, amount of product and consistency of the product compared to a 70-year-old that would like to hydrate and restore the lip volume… All of these factors should be carefully considered and selected to suit the patient’s concerns. As we age, the definition between the skin of the face and the lip can become less apparent, and natural lip fillers such as MaiLI can be used to redefine that edge for proportion. Some people will require a little bit of hydration, some will require more volume and others will require full profile balancing. Some results can be achieved in one session, and some will need multiple sittings of treatment to achieve the outcome they want. Different products can also have a significant effect on the outcome of the treatment, therefore Lip Fillers product should be carefully selected by your practitioner to suit your aesthetic goals for natural looking results. Product placement is also crucial. Too much product in the wrong part of the lips can leave you looking unnatural with the dreaded ‘trout pout’ or ‘duck lips’. A thorough consultation to assess your lips, discuss your concerns and goals and have the chosen treatment and product explained to you in detail is essential before treatment. The majority of my patients have similar concerns before the procedure; ‘Is it going to look fake?’‘Am I going to end up with duck lips?’‘Will my family and friends notice?’ ‘What natural lip fillers can be used for a perfect lip augmentation” It is important to remember that swelling post-procedure is almost definite in patients following lip treatment. This can make the lips look larger, but this is not the final result and should not be confused with overtreatment and cause you to panic! I am a firm believer that aesthetic treatments should only be used to achieve natural results and accentuate your natural beauty or correct asymmetry as opposed to trying to significantly change the way we look. Dermal fillers can provide amazing results when they are used in the correct way! SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE AND MORE IS LESS!

Imagine This: ✓ You’ve been seeing your Personal Trainer once a week and working out twice more at the gym every week for the past 2 months. ✓ You’ve been eating really well (and allowing yourself the odd treat) and you’re feeling great. ✓ You’ve lost nearly a stone and you’re in the best shape you’ve been in for as long as you can remember. But when you look in the mirror, you notice the two stubborn areas of fat that no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to shift. Your double chin and your ‘love handles’. You question how you could ‘spot reduce’ these areas of fat with exercise, but know that it’s a genetic trait in your family to carry fat in these areas (thanks Mum and Dad!). Some of you won’t need to imagine this story, you may have either been there or you’re feeling this way right now! It can be the most frustrating feeling when you’ve committed yourself to eating well and maintaining a healthy exercise routine but still  have those stubborn areas of fat that just won’t shift. What if I told you that there was a solution? An easy one at that… Fat dissolving injections! Sounds too good to be true, right? – WRONG This treatment can be highly effective at targeting localised areas and quite literally dissolving fat. Too good to be true?  It’s important to note before we continue that this is not a solution or easy alternative for weight loss (That would be too good to be true!). If you are overweight and have weight to lose, you need to focus on eating less, moving more and taking a simple approach to losing weight before you consider having this treatment. How does it work? It’s important to note before we continue that this is not a solution or easy alternative for weight loss (That would be too good to be true!). If you are overweight and have weight to lose, you need to focus on eating less, moving more and taking a simple approach to losing weight before you consider having this treatment. What areas can be treated? One of the great things about this treatment is that there is both a face and body treatment. Say goodbye to that stubborn little pocket of fat under your chin that no matter how much weight you lose, still bothers you!  There are multiple areas on the body that can be treated; inner thighs, back fat (that dreaded muffin top), saddlebags, abdomen, arms and knees. Sounds great, how long does it last? The best bit? The results of this treatment are permanent. In this treatment, the fat cells are actually being completely destroyed.  However… The results will only remain permanent if you continue with a healthy lifestyle – maintaining a good diet and regularly exercising. This isn’t a solution to getting rid of fat alongside an unhealthy lifestyle. If you put the weight back on, fat will return! What can I expect? Following your consultation, the treatment involves multiple injections directly into the area of concern. You won’t see results immediately – it can take up to 2-3 weeks for a visible reduction of fat. This is because once the fat cells are broken down, the lymphatic system then needs to flush the fat away. It is normal for there to be redness and swelling (particularly when the double chin is treated) following treatment.  Generally, a course of treatment is needed every 4 – 6 weeks. The amount of treatments that are required will vary depending on the individual, and how much fat needs to be broken down. Usually, around 3 – 4 treatments are needed on the body and 2 – 4 for the double chin.  If you are interested in learning more about fat dissolving injections and whether this might be suitable for you, please get in touch to book your Consultation with Anna. You can contact the clinic here or call 01793 959010.

Many of my lovely patients come to me with skin concerns that they have noticed more so during or after the menopause. There are many ways that the menopause can affect the skin: Lines and wrinkles As oestrogen levels drop, supportive fat in the face, neck, hands and arms can cause wrinkles to appear. Loss of collagen and elastin production and repair Lowered oestrogen levels can result in a slowed production and repair of structural proteins (collagen and elastin) in the dermis of the skin. This can lead to loss of firmness, wrinkle formation and the skin can become lax. This lack of repair can be exacerbated if the skin is exposed to UV rays. Thinner epidermis (the upper skin layer) The blood flow in the dermal capillaries are reduced during the menopause and less nutrients and oxygen are available. This leads to thinning of the epidermis and a slower cell turnover rate. This can be accompanied by a reduced barrier function leading to water loss and dry skin. More prone to Sun Damage The number of melanocytes (cells responsible for the production of melanin) reduces during menopause. This means that we have less protection (melanin is responsible for protecting the skin), making it more susceptible to sun damage. This can also mean more risk of hyperpigmentation/age spots. Excess oil production During the menopause, as oestrogen levels decrease, testosterone is more prevalent in the body. Testosterone stimulates sebaceous glands to secrete thicker sebum resulting in oily skin and in some cases, adult acne. A Personal Perspective on Training As much as this might seem like a very long list of negatives about the menopause, it’s not all doom and gloom! This is why I choose to use the incredible collagen-stimulating product, Ellanse. Not only does Ellanse provide volume to the skin and reposition the tissue to appear more youthful (like a dermal filler) but thanks to its unique properties, it will also trigger the natural production of your own collagen. This means thicker, healthier, glowing skin! The effects are gradual and long-lasting, ensuring a natural, youthful look. It’s also really important to ensure that you are using good quality products that are suited to your skin. An SPF is always a necessity, regardless of age but it’s even more important during these hormonal changes due to the limited protection that our melanocytes are able to provide for us in the skin.

We hear so many brand names being thrown around within the Aesthetic industry and it can be really difficult as a customer to know what the benefit of each product is and whether it’s the right product for you. In this blog, we are going to talk about Ellansé. However, it’s important to mention that the Consultation that you have with your Practitioner is personal and should help you determine the best treatment for you. We are all beautifully unique and my view is never a ‘one size fits all’ approach. So, let’s get started. What is Ellansé? In the most simplistic terms, Ellansé is a collagen-stimulating filler. It is injected in a similar way (perhaps with a little more expertise) to a dermal filler to provide volume, combat signs of ageing and rejuvenate the skin. However, Ellansé is so much more than just a filler. The easiest way to understand the product is to view it from a step by step approach. How does Ellansé work? Day of treatment Ellansé is injected like a dermal filler into the areas of concern. Generally, a full-face approach is taken when using Ellansé and the product will be distributed into the whole face – treating areas like cheeks, jawline, temples and in lines and wrinkles. You will see immediate volume and improvement. However, the best is yet to come… Following day It is normal to experience swelling (perhaps a little more than when treated with a regular Hyaluronic Acid based filler) and you must always prepare for bruising. These aren’t definite, but it’s important that you are aware of the potential of swelling and bruising. Over the next 6–12 weeks This is where the magic happens! Over this time frame, the gel that was initially injected to provide immediate volume will completely break down and disappear.  But what about my results I hear you ask?! During this time frame, the PCL microspheres within the product will trigger your body’s natural collagen production. This means that the volume that was initially there from the gel that was injected will in time be replaced by your own body’s collagen. Cool, right? This ensures a very natural result and I love this product for its collagen-stimulating and rejuvenating properties. After 3 months It gets even better than that! Due to the collagen-stimulating properties of Ellansé, this means that not only does the product provide volume, but there is clinical data to prove (and it’s clear from my pictures below) that the general skin quality and texture is significantly improved also. We hear so many brand names being thrown around within the Aesthetic industry and it can be really difficult as a customer to know what the benefit of each product is and whether it’s the right product for you. In this blog, we are going to talk about Ellansé. However, it’s important to mention that the Consultation that you have with your Practitioner is personal and should help you determine the best treatment for you. We are all beautifully unique and my view is never a ‘one size fits all’ approach. So, let’s get started. Who is Ellansé for? Pretty much everyone. The product is generally most suited for mature patients that are looking to rejuvenate their full face and are considering a liquid facelift. However, Ellansé can also be very effective in younger patients to treat acne scarring due to it’s regenerating and rejuvenating properties. How long does it last? This is a key benefit of Ellansé – it’s longevity. There are a few options with this product, but the one that I tend to use lasts for a minimum of 2 years. There are also two other product options – one that lasts for 1 year and one that lasts for 3 years. We would discuss the appropriate product for you during your consultation. Check out my pictures on facebook page and patient stories – these are some of my patients that I have treated previously.  (They were very pleased!) If you are interested in having Ellansé treatment or would like to book in for a consultation, you can contact the clinic directly on 01793 959010 or contact us here.

It’s a common misconception that SPF only needs to be applied to the face when going out into the sun or when you’re on holiday.  In fact, you should actually apply your SPF on your face every single day regardless of the weather to combat premature photo-ageing even when you’re not going outside and even in winter. It’s really important to ensure that you use an SPF with UVA and UVB protection. So, what should I be looking for? SPF stands for ‘sun protection factor’ and the numbers following (for example SPF30 or SPF50) refer to how well the product will protect your skin against sunburn. A simple formula is used to calculate the SPF number – the number of seconds that it takes a patch of skin to slightly redden when covered in sunscreen divided by the number of seconds it takes to slightly redden with no sunscreen. There are two basic types of UV rays; UVA and UVB. UVA rays generally penetrate more deeply into the skin and are responsible for damaging elements within the skin such as collagen and elastin. This can lead to free radical damage, pigmentation and premature ageing. UVA rays can penetrate through glass too. UVB rays affect the more superficial layers of skin and are responsible for sunburn. Both UV rays can contribute and have a major part to play in the formation of skin cancers.   With more and more jobs being computer based and us spending an increasing amount of time on our phones, it’s also really important to use a product with Blue Light (HEV) protection.   There is now increasing data to show that Blue Light (the light that is omitted from your digital devices like your phone, laptop, tv) has been shown to contribute to premature skin ageing. Some research suggests that Blue Light can be more damaging than UVA and UVB as it can penetrate all the way down into our dermis (where our collagen and elastin live). So, what should I be looking for? Ideally, you need to look for a product that is broad spectrum, meaning that it’ll protect you from UVA and UVB. It is also worth looking for a product that specifically blocks Blue Light. Zinc and Titanium based SPFs are generally favourable for blocking Blue Light, but not all of it.  I personally advise using an SPF50 – some of favourite brands are ZO, SkinTech Melablock, Heliocare and Neostrata SPF50+.  It’s also worth mentioning that you can also ensure that the ‘night mode’ or ‘night shift’ setting on your phone is activated which takes the blue hue out of your screen and makes it a more yellow tone. This is not only beneficial for your skin, but also ensures reduces the impact of blue light on the eyes. This can reduce eye strain and allows the brain to relax and prepare for sleep.  I cannot recommend the daily use of SPF enough – prevention is always easier than cure! For any more advice about SPF and the best suited one for you, you can contact the clinic directly on 01793959010 or contact us here.