When I look at the treatments we’re working on at the moment and this coming year – I realise they’re mostly around moving tissue from one part of the body to another (transfer) and harnessing the body’s own regenerative systems.

Augmenting the results of laser treatment with your own growth factors
In January, while most people were still on holiday, we conducted a pilot study into the use of laser and platelet rich plasma (PRP) to improve a very common problem: stretch marks.Medically known as striae, and then further classified usually as to their colour (red – rubrae, white – albae, and there are others), many women have these as a consequence of pregnancy. In our study we asked for 18 volunteers with stretch marks; we then did a fractional erbium laser treatment with a Fotona laser on both sides of the body, in the area of the stretch marks. This was typically on the abdomen.

Then we took some blood from the patient’s arm and concentrated their platelets to create PRP.

Finally, the PRP was applied in three different ways (six patients in 3 groups) to only ONE side of the body.

In three month’s we’ll review the results and an independent doctor will compare the different treatments, to enable us to understand the boost that PRP might give to laser treatments. PRP is already a popular treatment in sports medicine and facial rejuvenation but it seems that combination treatments might have a synergistic effect compared to single treatments.

Moving fat around the body
Liposuction has been around for over 30 years now and is the most popular cosmetic surgical treatment.

Rather than discard the collected tissue, it is possible to move it to another area of the body where people often want more fullness and augmentation – face, breast or buttocks.

One of benefits are is that it’s all your own tissue (compared to silicon breast or buttock implants) so the risk of ‘rejection’ is removed. Another popular outcome is that you lose fat from where you don’t want it! A win-win.

We have been refining the technique of fat transfer for the past 15 years and now perform the procedure quite commonly, either as a larger procedure in an accredited day surgery with an anaesthetist and general anaesthetic, or as a smaller procedure in our clinic using just local anaesthetic.

After 3 months we will know how much of the transferred fat will remain long term. It’s not as precise as using an implant but it does give patients who want to use their own tissue (and wish to have a little liposuction in the process) an alternative to implants.

Improving facial appearance with growth factors and collagen biostimulators
Dermal fillers are one of the most popular treatments done in cosmetic clinics. There are dozens of different types available, each of which is slightly different, and useful for many people.

However some people who have been having these treatments for years find that their faces can look a little ‘puffy’ and appear to have lost definition. This can be because the standard dermal filler products can attract water once their particles are broken down to small fragments by the body’s natural mechanisms.

There is now a range of bio stimulating dermal fillers available that work in a different way. They are a gel that contains micro-spheres that stimulate collage. Whilst they do provide a volume enhancement immediately, they also have the added benefit of stimulating collagen. This translates as an improvement in skin quality. These products can be longer-lasting too – up to 4 years!

The best, most natural and long-lasting results are achieved when we combine a number of the regenerative modalities together – such as laser with PRP and bio stimulating fillers.
Facelifting with resorbable threads

Facelifting with resorbable threads

Many patients want a true lifting effect for their ageing face; dermal fillers are available, and a facial fat transfer can replace lost volume, but facial threads can lift the facial tissues into a better position quickly and with a rapid recovery, lasting up to 18 months.

The absorbable threads of Silhouette Soft have tiny cones attached to them. These lift the tissues to combat gravity and result in an immediate improvement in appearance.

Done in our clinic using local anaesthetic (in under an hour) the procedure is safe and effective.

An added benefit of the material that the threads are made of is collagen stimulation – so not only are the facial tissues in a more youthful position, but the skin quality is also improved.