Surgical procedures Vs Non-surgical for the younger woman

Reports show that women are getting more and more anxious about ageing – the average woman reckons she has spotted her first wrinkle by 29. A poll of 2000 women by a UK-based skincare company, showed top concerns of females at this age to be: facial hair, wrinkly cleavage, double chins, thinning lips and their bottoms ‘heading south’. Women are becoming increasingly inclined to take evasive measures to seek quick-fix solutions.

The Aura Clinic non surgical cosmetic therapy in Harley Street

Don’t make sudden choices to go under the knife.  If you are anxious about ageing you should get clued up on surgical and non-surgical measures and all the available options to deal with your aims and concerns. There are many avenues you can explore including natural, dietary and non-surgical procedures, which are a lower-risk solution.

Dr. Dayal Mukherjee, director and lead clinician of The Aura Clinic London, warns that younger consumers especially, need to know the pros and cons of surgical measures: “I have indeed seen people in their late 20′s with concerns about early age lines, although most female patients I see below age 30 seek either lip or cheek enhancement. Prior to treatment I always try to advise these patients well on the pros and cons and the fact that there will be an ongoing need. Most accept this and are relatively well-informed to start with. Preventative Botox is a bit of a myth and can mislead young people, because if you stop having Botox, wrinkles will eventually reappear, although studies have shown that Botox is required less frequently as time goes by.”

The benefits of non-invasive procedures are that they can indeed prevent or significantly delay the need for surgery by keeping the face well rejuvenated, without needing a general anaesthetic. There are lower risks, lower pain, and lower down-time with such treatments compared to surgery, at most taking an hour of your time. Furthermore, Botox and dermal fillers are usually reversible, should this be required or desired.

So, if you are considering treatment, look at all the options available and seek guidance from a qualified aesthetic surgeon or physician.

The Aura Clinic London welcomes any questions or requests for guidance, and we can be contacted on 02072990389 or info@theauraclinic.com, where one of our aesthetic doctors will respond to you.

The new cosmetic surgery guideline – Psychological Assessments

The Royal College of Surgeons’ new code of practice requires patients to be considered for psychological assessment before surgery by practitioners and has been widely welcomed by aesthetic clinicians.

These guidelines are a reminder to all aesthetic clinicians to be vigilant about pre-existing psychological issues that may seriously impact the outcome of any treatment. It is equally important to consider the impact a treatment could have on the patient and his/her psychological health. In patients with anxiety disorders or body dysmorphic syndrome any treatment may in fact make problems worse, as patients’ negative perceptions of themselves may be the primary problem.

It is not always easy to recognise which patients should be psychologically assessed or offered counselling before treatment is considered, and certainly more robust guidelines, and indeed training initiatives, should be developed. Most aesthetic clinicians are probably more likely to decline treatment to a patient outright, rather than go to the trouble (and perhaps cost) of referring to a psychologist only to be advised against treating anyway.

At the Aura Clinic London we have been looking at ways to approach this problem in a way that is sensitive towards such patients, and we certainly have therapists we can refer to if we think this is the best recommendation for the patient. We remain convinced however that it is only a small minority of patients in whom psychological referral would be indicated. We find that the vast majority of our patients tend to be well informed, well researched, and with coherent objectives and expectations of their aesthetic treatment.

What is non-surgical Jaw Debulking?

Diagram: Masseter muscles

Non-surgical jaw-debulking is an under-utilised but highly effective treatment for facial rejuvenation in women and men.

The masseter muscles  are bulky muscles situated at the angles of the jaw, responsible for chewing and grinding of the teeth. With age, these muscles gain bulk, with the effect of widening and hardening the rear part of the jawline. This is very obvious in men, and jaw bulkiness is a prominent feature of male maturation and ageing. Sometimes this can look good, but often the masseters get too bulky and add unnecessary age to a masculine face.

A tiny amount of Botox, carefully applied in the correct anatomical positions, can successfully relax these large powerful muscles of mastication and cause them to gradually shrink and de-bulk over the course of a few weeks. In correctly selected patients, this procedure can produce a delightful rejuvenating effect on the lower face.

In women, bulky masseters can also be addressed as part of a global facial approach to  anti-ageing, for example in complement with cheek enhancement and peri-oral rejuvenation using dermal fillers, creating the demure ‘heart shape’ outline to the feminine face that is the prized outcome of aesthetic surgeons and physicians.

Bruxism, which is a phenomenon of night time jaw-grinding, is more common than people think, and probably contributes to masseter muscle bulk (in both men and women) and hence facial ageing. It can also be an unpleasant and painful condition to suffer from.

Applying botox to the masseters can address this problem, and in so doing can also rejuvenate the lower face in these patients who tend to have bulky masseters anyway.

If any of the issues above affect you or if you would like more information, please send us an enquiry at info@theauraclinic.com, or call us on 02072990389 to receive a call-back from one of our aesthetic doctors

Cosmetic surgery fads, are they worth the risk?

Every week we hear of new technologies and new treatments which claim to be revolutionary or the next big thing.

Recently CO2 (carbon dioxide) injections were being hailed as ‘the new botox’. This new treatment is promoted as carboxytherapy – said to eliminate wrinkles, dark under-eye circles and fade scars. Scientific based reports commented that CO2 persuades the body it is lacking in oxygen, which prompts a release of oxygen into the blood, improving circulation in the area.  Many experts have raised questions as to where the evidence lays within its effectiveness.

The Aura Clinic London’s facial rejuvenation expert Dr Dayal Mukherjee has a clear view on this: “There is  no definitive evidence at present to prove its effect, but even the scientific theory would appear to be unsound and without depth.”

When considering any treatment, you should be careful not to just jump on the bandwagon and fall for the publicity. Many are yet to be fully scientifically tested for side-effects or for sufficient evidence of their success rates.

We at The Aura Clinic London cannot urge people enough to be vigilant of new unproven rejuvenation procedures as the full range of their effects are likely to be unknown.

We encourage patients to thoroughly research any treatment they are thinking of receiving. Online research can be very helpful, but sometimes questions can remain unanswered. The Aura Clinic London welcomes any such queries, and we can reached via email info@theauraclinic.com or telephone 02072990389. You will receive a response from one of our aesthetic doctors who would be happy to advise.

The high-brow trend

A growing trend through 2013 is the super high brow made famous by royal trendsetter Kate Middleton. Whilst many ladies are unable to access make-up artists to achieve this slick look there is another way to get a temporary ‘super brow’.

Rather than go under the knife, non-invasive surgery is the safe option providing natural non-permanent results. We at The Aura Clinic have found that there is a growing popularity amongst young women coming in for our non-surgical brow lift procedure.

Kate Middleton

The treatment for this look includes a highly selective application of botulinum-based muscle relaxing injections that produce an altered agonist-antgonist balance within the muscles of the upper face, achieiving a youthful, revitalised brow line and forehead.

The high brow trend may not be here forever, so rather than going permanent, opt for a non-surgical procedure to get you the Middleton makeover without the high risk. The key is subtlety within our non-invasive procedure, which lasts between six to ten months depending on the individual.

Another benefit of this procedure is that there is hardly any time needed to recover, a lower chance of complications, no scars, and a far lower cost.

Coming new to The Aura Clinic very soon: non-surgical eyebrow lifts using the revolutionary Silhouette Soft® suture technology. Launched at the 11th Anti-Ageing Medicine World Congress in Monaco 2013, this suture technology is a refinement of the well-established Silhouette Lift® suture (used since 6 years) in the sense that it is a fully absorbable stitch which can produce effective upper face, mid-face, jawline and neck lifts within a one-hour procedure that does not need a general anaesthetic.

You can find more information about this technology on www.silhouette-soft.com. Please check back on our blog, website, or facebook page (www.facebook.com/theauracliniclondon), for updates about this exciting new procedure soon to be introduced at The Aura Clinic London, or enquire at our clinic by telephone/email.

If you are considering any kind of treatment, we recommend thorough research of the procedure beforehand. Should you require professional advice, please email our aesthetic doctors on info@theauraclinic.com, or telephone 02072990389 to request a call-back. We will be delighted to assist you.

MPs call for tighter regulation on cosmetic surgery.

Last week, Labour Party MP Ann Clwyd introduced the Cosmetic Surgery (Minimum Standards) Bill to the House of Commons, claiming that it would establish minimum standards for the practise of cosmetic surgery. The bill also included non-surgical procedures like derma rollers, lip fillers and non-invasive facelifts.

Ms Clwyd said that the proposed legislation was needed to help prevent the “horrific consequences” of botched cosmetic surgery. “The medical profession has always been controlled and regulated by strict ethics,” she said, “But the voluntary codes of practise have been breached by some operators to make quick easy money.”

The debate surrounding ethics in cosmetic surgery debate reached the house of Commons this week.

Ms Clwyd also called on more control over the way cosmetic surgery is advertised “Too many people are suffering and being disfigured at the hands of cowboys who are being given a free rein to abuse the British public’s trust in the voluntary system of medical ethics.

“Responsibility clearly lies with the government to take action as soon as possible to stop any more innocent people being subjected to butchery at the hands of some greedy, unscrupulous and incompetent people and to introduce the kind of regulation for cosmetic surgery that is long overdue.”

We here at The Aura Clinic London agree whole heartedly with Ms Clwyd. Director and Clinical Lead, Dr. Dayal Mukherjee said “It is vitally important, not only to our business, but most importantly to you, as our patients, that you have complete and utter confidence in the treatments we will go through together. Ethical behaviour is the very cornerstone of our practise. We do not try and force you into unnecessary treatments, and we are not here to be a commercial outlet for the promotion of under-tested, under-established therapies that happen to be all the rage. We will not show you exaggerated of enhanced before and after photos, of you, or of previous patients.”

“As such, we at The Aura Clinic London give you our assurance of the highest standards of quality and safety within the aesthetic industry. And if we provide you a treatment, we take ownership of this and call you back for a free consultation to see how you like the results.”

The Aura Clinic London take pride in our professional consultations and ethical use of anti-ageing treatments and anti-wrinkle therapies.

If you do want a consultation, and don’t want to have to be concerned over dealing with cowboys, why not visit our website at www.theauraclinic.com or give us a call on 020 7299 0389 and let our friendly and knowledgeable staff talk you through what The Aura Clinic London can do for you.

Based in London’s prestigious Harley Street, The Aura Clinic London offer a wide range of bespoke non-surgical rejuvenation therapies, including non-surgical facelifts, dermal fillers, lip enhancements, anti-wrinkle treatments and anti-ageing therapies.

Nancy Dell’Olio says Cosmetic Surgery “Twice a year is perfect”.

Nancy Dell’Olio claims that twice yearly visits to the cosmetic surgeon for Botox injections are what keep her fine lines and wrinkles at bay.

Nancy Dell’Olio says twice yearly trips to the cosmetic surgeon for botox injections, lip enhancements or dermal fillers is perfect.

The 50 year old former fashion model was recently asked if her luscious lips were the result of dermal fillers. She confirmed that non-surgical lip enhancements were her secret and  said ““We must always do little things to take care of ourselves which prevent doing major work later on, like facials and even a little Botox when you need it.”

Miss Dell’Olio is a very public champion of non-invasive cosmetic surgery saying “It’s something you can do without going too major and you still look like yourself. There’s nothing wrong with Botox, as long as you have the right doctor and the right measurement. Twice a year is perfect.’

Director and Clinical Lead at The Aura Clinic London, Dr Dayal Mukerjee said, “Botox injections relax muscles of the face and so very effectively eliminate wrinkles, but effects wear off usually between 6 – 10 months. A trend that has been well noted however is that over time, Botox injections seem to last longer. So while effects may last 6 months in patients new to botox, 3 or 4 years down the line it can be seen to last for a year or even more in many patients. The exact reason is not known. So I never advise my patients that they will need it twice a year, they simply come back for repeat treatment once they see the effects beginning to wear off. And remember, as Nancy says, the intention is to prevent needing major surgical work later on !”

If you’re unhappy with the way that you look or how other people perceive you, why not visit our website on www.theauraclinic.com or give us a call on 020 7299 0389 and let our friendly and knowledgeable staff talk you through what The Aura Clinic can do for you. Then come in for a free consultation from one of our experienced aesthetic practitioners.

Based in London’s prestigious Harley Street, The Aura Clinic offers a wide range of bespoke non-surgical rejuvenation therapies of the face and neck, designed to make you look younger and feel better.