Non-surgical and cosmetic procedures have come a long way since the late 1990’s. I think nowadays people just want to look better, not different. They still want to look like themselves, only a better version.
I spoke to Dr Brenner from Faceworks in Carlow about the advances in non-invasive beauty treatments. “It’s a very exciting field of medicine to work in as there are so many innovative treatments being developed. While the dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle treatments are as popular as ever, we now have many other non-invasive and safe options available to give really natural results. We have seen a lot of interest in the PRP facial (also known as the Vampire facial) which uses a small sample of the client’s blood, extracting repair and growth factors which are then used to stimulate skin renewal. We are hoping the injectable treatment for under-chin fat will be approved over the coming months in Ireland, following years of successful treatments in the US.”
Anti-wrinkle injections and fillers
Anti-wrinkle injections and fillers are still the top two non-surgical procedures performed worldwide. Anti-wrinkle injections work on wrinkles which result from making facial expressions, such as forehead wrinkles, vertical lines between the eyebrows when you frown (often referred to as (the 11’s) and crow’s feet. It acts by impeding the nerve impulses that cause the underlying muscle to activate, resulting in smoother and tighter skin.
Facial Fillers
Facial fillers function very differently to anti-wrinkle injections. Fillers add volume to the skin. Dermal fillers are used to treat static wrinkles caused by loss of volume or the effects of gravity e.g. naso labial folds (the lines from the nose-mouth).
Non-surgical Body Contouring
Liposuction is still the gold standard for fat removal, yet it is invasive, expensive and requires downtime. A lot of other options for fat loss, toning and contouring are available from Vaserlipo-suction to fat freezing.
Vaserlipo uses ultrasound body contouring technology to eliminate fat from various areas of the body. It is a minimally invasive procedure with no sedation or general anaesthetic required. Dr Khalout in Castlknock Cosmetic Clinic says ‘The procedure works by using ultrasound technology to break down and separate fat cells which literally shake the fat cells while leaving fat, blood cells and nerves unharmed. The loose fat cells are then removed by gentle suction’.
Fat Freezing
Fat freezing can come under lots of different names – cool sculpting, cryolipolysis but they all do the same thing – freeze fat! Sabrina from Aphrodite Laser & Beauty Clinic says ‘that between 20-40% of the fat cells begin a natural removal of elimination through the body which can take 2-4 months. Results are gradual, but it is very noticeable permanent fat layer reduction’.
Laser Tattoo Removal
Laser tattoo removal has seen a huge increase over the past few years and a recent poll conducted by Syneron-Candela claims that 39% of 2,000 people regretted getting their tattoos. A tattoo will stay on the body because the ink particles in your tattoo are two large to be broken down by the body’s natural immune system. The laser breaks the tattoo particles down and the smaller particles are naturally removed by the body. Most professional tattoos typically require 7 to 14 treatment sessions at monthly intervals. Unfortunately, no pain no gain. You should expect to experience slight discomfort but it won’t feel any worse than when you were getting your tattoo in the first place.
Double Chin Jab
Fat dissolving ingredient Kybella is creating a stir in the US. It was used first in 2015 for the treatment of double chins. The only disadvantage is that it requires multiple treatments and lots of injections, which requires a little downtime as swelling can last for a few days.
