Recently featured in GLAMOUR Magazine
Alexandra Haq Mills, medical aesthetician & skincare expert also recommends products rich in moisturising ingredients “such as honey, shea butter, or coconut oil” as well as “vitamin E, which is known for its skin-healing properties”.
Consultant physician Professor Syed Haq is internationally renowned for his research into both aesthetics and ageing science. Alongside groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research, he is an advocate of regenerative medicine. Here, Aesthetics shares his insights into the speciality during a climate of innovation…
What’s your ethos for recommending treatments?
My top tip is to have a cooling-off period after an initial consultation so patients aren’t too hasty when accepting treatments, but also have time to realise their benefits. Make sure to be open about downtime, expected results and cost.
How should practitioners learn about new treatments on the market?
My first port of call is talking to colleagues about their experiences or what they’ve heard. If you’re looking to find new innovations, industry conferences like ACE, CCR or IMCAS are a great way to learn more. Make sure to read the evidence and consider your clinic demographic before committing to anything new.
How do you recommend practitioners further their medical education?
Master’s degrees in Aesthetic Medicine are a great way to develop knowledge, and I’ve seen a number of colleagues complete doctorates to hone in on specific areas of expertise. Other options like training courses or dermatology diplomas are also great. Education is essential to avoid complications.
You feel threads are becoming more popular, what are your top tips for successful treatment?
Administering threads isn’t for the faint-hearted so ensure you’re confident. It’s essential to conduct thorough training and perform supervised treatments with CE-marked products to avoid danger points. It’s crucial for patient safety to use a cannula, and barbed threads give the best lift.
The future of toxin is bright – what recent innovations are you seeing?
Multiple brands including Croma-Pharma, Evolus and Galderma have brought out new toxins recently, reflecting innovations in the field. Toxins are becoming longer lasting, but there are emerging topical and liquid forms as well.
What three treatments are the cornerstone of your practice?
We were recently featured by The Times “The best Botox doctors in the UK”
Haq, who has clinics in London and Northern Ireland, offers Letybo (from £300), otherwise known as letibotulinum toxin type A. This is a newly registered toxin in Europe and the first brand to be specifically tested in clinical trials on older patients (up to 75 years) as well as in a large male cohort. In the three studies, 1,200 patients were treated with Letybo repeatedly every 19 weeks for up to two years, in 27 centres in the US and Europe. “As we live longer, it’s very important that we are able to provide treatments that have been tested in the older patient population and show clear efficacy and safety. Older patients have weaker, thinner muscles, so one has to adjust the dose of toxin to account for this. Similarly with male patients a higher dose may be needed as the male face has more muscle bulk. With Letybo the clinicians have found the same dose works well on people of all ages and sexes, and this universal dosing will make it easier for practitioners to provide consistently good results with greater certainty.”
You can read the article below:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/1d1f1ac7-ce6f-43a5-b440-d389b3dc3120
They’re bio stimulators, which means they kick-start regeneration in the skin. Isn’t that what all the HA-based skin boosters do? ‘Yes, but rather than just providing hydration, polynucleotides are more like food or medicine for the cells, to make them produce collagen and elastin in a more meaningful way, and they also improve the extracellular matrix [the layer of the skin in which the fibroblasts live] and they’re anti-inflammatory, too.
‘They target the fibroblasts and promote hydration of the skin, and collagen synthesis,’ says Professor Syed Haq, lecturing on a new polynucleotide product at a recent aesthetic conference, ‘and they also increase the number of fibroblasts.’ At the same time, they scavenge up free radicals [unstable molecules which accelerate ageing processes in the skin] and help build up the extra-cellular matrix.
All that collagen-boosting, extra hydration and elasticity means you can think of polynucleotides as a super-charged injectable moisture treatment. ‘They can be a preventative treatment for younger skin, or a recovery treatment for ageing skin,’ advises Professor Haq.
Polynucleotides can be used to counteract dark circles under the eyes and to strengthen the thin delicate skin around the mouth. ‘The products are injected very superficially, and the procedures are incredibly quick and painless.
It is particularly useful for patients who aren’t suitable for tear trough filler, or who might have a tendency to go puffy if treated with hyaluronic-acid-based products.
marked improvement in the appearance of tear troughs (the hollow groove between the under eye and cheek), dark circles, sagging skin, acne scars, pigmentation, rosacea, dullness and hair density.
In a nutshell, reduced wrinkling and crepiness and an improvement in skin tone and hydration. PhilArt, the product that Professor Haq is working with, is good for bringing down inflammation in the skin, which can reduce the redness of rosacea for months at a time. They’re also useful for improving skin condition ahead of energy-based treatments like laser or ultrasound.
In addition,
marked improvement in the appearance of tear troughs (the hollow groove between the under eye and cheek), dark circles, sagging skin, acne scars, pigmentation, dullness and hair density.
( Info taken from Tweakment Guide by Alice Hart-Davis )
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