FAQ

Botox® and other neuromuscular modulators are products derived from a bacterium known as Clostridium Botulinum, much the same way Penicillin is derived from a species of mould. This product modulates the communication between a nerve and its corresponding muscle either by slowing it or preventing it altogether. Neuromuscular modulators such as Botox can soften or eliminate lines on the face, even skin texture and skin tethering, elevate the brow, elevate the corners of the mouth and contour the jaw line.

Botox® and other neuromuscular modulators are protein molecules that interrupt the communication between nerve fibres and their corresponding muscle groups. No reports of life-threatening adverse events have ever been shown to occur using cosmetic doses of this product. These products naturally diffuse about one centimeter from their injected site and are degraded in the body after 3-4 months.

Injections of neuromuscular modulators are particularly painless because the needle size is extremely small and the injection is very superficial. Rarely does bruising occur.

Yes, with all neuromuscular products you can go to work right afterwards. There may be some slight redness or swelling at the injection site which fades very quickly and is barely noticeable.

Typically a dose of a neuromuscular modulator lasts anywhere from 3-4 months. Over time as the bulk of the muscle decreases from lesser activity, less frequent intervals are required to maintain the same effect.

Fillers are a class of products that vary in consistency and chemical makeup. Most of the fillers used today are produced from bacteria and are comprised of Hyaluronic Acid, a sugar molecule, which is ubiquitous in our bodies and forms the “goo” which keeps our cells together. Other fillers are comprised of poly lactic acid (Sculptra) and calcium hydroxylapetite (Radiesse.). Fillers are used primarily to restore volume loss in the face, which occurs with ageing, medical conditions and certain medications. Some fillers have been shown to stimulate collagen production in the body, which is helpful in restoring the structural integrity of the skin and sub-dermal areas.

Fillers can typically last anywhere from 6-12 months depending on the type of filler used and the activity of the area injected. Lips, for example, are a very active area of the face. Fillers will last a shorter amount of time in this area due to the increased movement and metabolism of product.

Since fillers are generally injected more deeply into the facial area, pain, bruising and swelling can result. Topical anaesthetic agents are helpful to minimize pain, especially in the lip area. Pre-treatment and post –treatment instructions will help to minimize bruising and swelling. It is important to note that the under eye area is notorious for bruising due to its extensive blood supply and the lip area will always swell after an injection. Occasionally small lumps can occur, which typically disappear after a few days. It is important to place the right product in the right area so that the results are seamless and natural.

Products differ in their degree of firmness and fluidity. Firmer products are placed more deeply to provide structure; more malleable products are placed in more superficial areas such as the lips or under the eyes.

A Laser is a concentrated beam of light of a specific wavelength. Lasers work well at targeting certain pigments like red and brown to eliminate them from the skin. They can also target water molecules. Lasers are tailored to eliminate the problem areas you may have in your skin, such as brown spots or broken capillaries.

Lasers are a powerful source of energy and can cause some pain when being applied to the skin. Generally before a laser procedure a numbing cream is applied to the area to be treated in order to minimize pain. The machines themselves have specific cooling technologies to prevent damage to the uppermost layers of the skin and to minimize pain and discomfort.

The amount of down time associated with a Laser treatment depends on the Laser used. The more powerful the Laser the more down time is required to heal after the procedure.

A photofacial or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) is a procedure that applies short bursts of intense light on to the skin to target specific problem areas and improve the overall texture of the skin. It is great for brown and red spots, especially broken capillaries. It stimulates collagen and elastin production in the dermis especially after a number of treatments. It is not a Laser. It has a broad spectrum of light wavelengths in order to target several different areas at the same time.

Not everyone is a candidate for this procedure. If you have a darker complexion you are not a candidate for this procedure. The reason is that IPL is specifically designed to treat pigmented lesions. The more pigment you have naturally in your skin the less likely you are to be eligible for IPL. There are other treatments available for darker pigmented skin that can help to remove dark spots and skin irregularities.

Any intense energy source applied to the skin will cause some discomfort and IPL is no different. Every effort is made to reduce the discomfort of this procedure and make it as easy as possible for patients to tolerate. A numbing cream can be used for those patients who wish to have one.

Generally most individuals will have a mild “glow” immediately after the procedure and occasionally very mild swelling occurs.

Usually a series of 4-5 treatments are recommended to achieve the best possible results.

The treatments will take about 30 minutes to complete and the results last for years.

The short answer is no. Tanning creates pigment and the IPL machine is geared to remove pigment from the skin, so it is counterproductive to have a tan when you are receiving an IPL treatment.

IPL can treat any area of the skin and is generally used for areas that have the most sun exposure such as the face, neck, back, chest, arms and legs.

A fractionated Laser is a specific type of laser where the laser beams are “fractionated” and the smaller beams penetrate into the dermis to create micro-damaged areas and stimulate the body’s natural repair mechanism. The repair mechanism removes unwanted products (like excess pigment) and stimulates new collagen and elastin, which helps to remodel the skin. A fractionated laser can be used to treat several skin conditions in all types of skin, including acne scars, stretch marks, surgical scars and fine lines.

A fractionated laser is a single wavelength of light that has been split into smaller beams of light to target a specific compound, such as water. IPL is a broad spectrum of light that is used to target several compounds at once. IPL is great for treating brown spots and broken capillaries during the same treatment and cannot be used on darker skin types. A fractionated laser is better at remodeling the skin’s structure and is therefore better with deeper wrinkles, acne scars, surgical scars and stretch marks. A fractionated laser may also be used on all skin types.

This type of laser is an intense focused beam of light that carries a lot of energy and can cause some discomfort. A numbing cream is applied to the skin about 30-40 minutes before the procedure to ensure that pain is minimal.

The down time after this type of treatment depends on how deeply the laser penetrates your skin. A low energy setting will result in less penetration and less down time than a higher energy setting but will require more frequent treatments and may not allow for deeper skin problems.

Non-ablative lasers leave the epidermis intact when they focus on the skin. Ablative lasers remove a portion of the epidermis during the treatment. There is usually more down time after ablative laser therapy because the epidermis also needs to undergo repair.

A Vampire Facial is also known as PRPM, which stands for platelet rich plasma matrix. In this procedure your own blood is drawn and put into a centrifuge to allow the plasma (straw coloured liquid containing proteins, fats, sugar and other substances) to rise to the top. The plasma is then removed and activated to allow the protein matrix that forms with clotting to begin. This platelet rich serum is then injected into the skin. The fibrin meshwork that forms provides structure to the dermis while the platelets release a number of different growth factors, which promote healing. These factors include fibroblast growth factor, vascular growth factor and connective tissue growth factor amongst others.

Latisse is a substance with hormone like action called a prostaglandin. It was a medication originally formulated to treat glaucoma. It was noted that the users developed longer darker thicker lashes over time and usage. The company capitalized on this secondary effect and has marketed this product as Latisse. Because of its hormone like effect it has been shown to reduce fat around the eye socket, which reverses once the product has been stopped. It has also been shown to cause an increase in the brown pigment in the iris, which is not reversible, so you might want to think about that if you have an eye colour other than brown.