‘The skin-tightening treatment that knocked nearly a decade off my face.’ Make-up artist Tina Young, 53, tried , an ultrasound skin-tightening and lifting treatment at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic, to give her skin a boost, making her look almost ten years younger. Tina’s Story For a long while, I was apprehensive about altering my face in any way. As a make-up artist, I’ve worked with a lot of models, actors and actresses, people who have had all sorts of procedures to enhance their physical appearance, but I’ve always been a little bit scared of taking that leap. You hear all sorts of stories, about people who have regrets of procedures that were too much or overdone. I really only knew about the knife, which was not something I would consider. It felt too risky. There was also injectable treatments, but I didn’t really feel I was ready for that yet either. At the same time, I am 53. There were days when I’d pull back on my face, just a little, while in the mirror and think, ‘Oh, that would be nice.’ Many of you will know what I mean. Discovering Ultherapy I was working on a photoshoot when the opportunity to try it out came up. Actually, I hadn’t even heard of it prior to the shoot. I was doing the make up for some ladies who would shortly be going through the process themselves. They were discussing it the whole time I’d been doing their make up. I was hearing things like ‘oh it’s amazing!’ and ‘It looks so good’ and really piqued my interest. When I was called back for the next shoot, the person in charge said to me that one of the patient case studies couldn’t make it that day, so I immediately put myself forward. The first step though, was to have a full medical consultation to assess my suitability. Ultherapy is the only FDA-cleared, non-invasive treatment for lifting and tightening the skin on the face and neck, which is reassuring. My consultation was at The Cosmetic Skin Clinic in London, everybody was so kind and caring, I felt like I was in excellent hands. During my first visit, once they explained the treatment process, what to expect and how long it takes and when I was likely to see the results, it didn’t sound too bad at all. How does Ultherapy work? They explained that they would be using a medical device to deliver waves of Micro-Focused Ultrasound with Visualisation (MFU-V) which delivers the energy to the depth of skin targeted by surgeons. This is different to regular ultrasound that you might use to see a baby in the womb. The heat the natural collagen and elastin within your own skin, increasing production, making it smoother and giving it more lift. The Ultherapy gives the collagen a kickstart putting structure back to the skin, which is what gives the skin its youthful bounce and glow. They also explained that the results would fade gradually over time, which again was that really to me. It made it seem like less of a commitment if I wasn’t happy with the . And best of all there wouldn’t be any downtime. I could just go about my day afterwards if I really wanted. That’s something that really attracted me to it. What it’s like to have an Ultherapy treatment I’m very sensitive to pain, whenever I have anything done at the dentist, I’ll always opt for pain relief, and this was no different. The medication was really just a step up from paracetamol. It was basically just to take the edge off, and as far as I could tell, it did. I felt perfectly lucid throughout the procedure. Before the procedure, my practitioner marked up the areas of my face that would be treatment with a lightweight marker pencil, rather like an eyeliner pencil. She only worked on areas where I needed a boost. As it turned out it wasn’t as much of my face as I thought. The main areas targeted were along the lower part of my face and jawline and the upper cheek area. She didn’t do anything to the skin around my eyes or forehead. The whole thing took approximately one hour. The procedure itself was a little uncomfortable, was on the lighter side of hot, around degrees C, I was told. It felt sort of like having an band snapping against your face. It wasn’t so much painful, as it was a sensation. I was definitely nervous, my practitioner was great; you could just tell she was really experienced; you absolutely feel like you’re in the best of hands. In fact, everybody at the clinic made me feel that way. The overall atmosphere made it so that if I ever decided to do it again, I wouldn’t be afraid at all. I would certainly recommend it. Recovering after the Ultherapy treatment When I left the clinic following the treatment, the sensation I was feeling was major, though I remember my face glowing with a hint of redness. I probably could’ve gone to meet for a meal afterwards and they wouldn’t have noticed. No one stared at, or anything like that. I didn’t have any swelling or bruising or anything. You really, really couldn’t tell. I have been told that some people will experience minimal swelling, but for me that wasn’t the case. Feeling ten years younger The effect was very gradual which was nice, because no one was thinking: ‘Oh what did she have done?’ People just started commenting that I looked well. No one caught onto the fact that I’d had something done, unless I told them. They thought I just looked ‘lovely’ for some reason. It was maybe two months before I caught myself having a little stare in the mirror and suddenly felt really pleased with my skin, and from there on, it just kept getting better and better. Around five months later I bumped into a
/ / Guide To Hormones Guide To Hormones at Omniya Clinic in London Hormone balance is essential for age – for your memory and concentration, cardiovascular health and strong bones, as well as supporting the body’s ability to maintain health, energy and happiness. Hormone therapy is the overarching treatment of hormones. Hormone deficiency may be associated with significant changes in body composition, bone density, lipid/cholesterol metabolism, cardiovascular function, skin, physical and mental wellbeing. With decreased hormone levels, sleep patterns and immune system function may also be affected. The aim of hormonal therapy is to cause an actual change to your body by improving cardiovascular, neurological and bone health, as well as improving your symptoms and quality of life. Hormone balance Hormone balance is essential for age management – for your memory and concentration, cardiovascular health and strong bones, as well as supporting the body’s ability to maintain health, energy and happiness. Hormone therapy is the overarching treatment of hormones. Hormone deficiency may be associated with significant changes in body composition, bone density, lipid/cholesterol metabolism, cardiovascular function, skin, physical and mental wellbeing. With decreased hormone levels, sleep and immune system function may also be affected. The aim of hormonal therapy is to cause an actual physiological change to your body by improving cardiovascular, neurological and bone health, as well as your and quality of life. As we age, there is a naturally occurring decline in hormones, such as oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Balancing these hormones can have a wide-range of significant health benefits Read more about a variety of hormones, including: For more on both male and female hormone replacement therapy treatments (HRT and TRT), click the page links below. What are hormones and what do they do? Hormones are special chemical messengers in the body that are made in the endocrine system via various glands. These messengers control most of our bodily functions, from needs like hunger to more complicated systems like reproduction, and even our emotions and mood. Understanding the major hormone functions will help you take control of your health. Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), also known as bio-identical hormone therapy, or body identical hormone therapy, is a term referring to the use of hormones that are chemically the same structure as the hormones in our body. In both men and women, key hormones begin to decrease with age which can lead to health issues and unpleasant symptoms, so BHRT is used to help balance out the natural decline of our production or address general hormonal imbalances at any age. BHRT can be used for many types of health issues, for example, infertility, thyroid disease, menopause, erectile dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, fibroid, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome and adrenal fatigue. BHRT comes in cream, lozenges, gels and tablet form and sometimes injections. Depending on your diagnosis and type of hormonal issue, a specific format will be chosen for treatment, as different formats will absorb into the body at different rates. Patients who are prescribed BHRT are very closely. Doses are adjusted according to a patient’s symptoms and natural hormone levels, with the goal of keeping the dose to the minimum required to help address the hormonal issues. Overview of hormone therapy treatment varies per patient 15-60 minute appointments Initial consultation £350 Testing and medication is additional Ongoing Within 3 months if compliant with recommendations None Same day Ongoing whilst on treatment Treatments performed by GMC: GMC: GMC: Hormone FAQs Your bloods can be tested on any day, however we advise that you have them taken at approximately 9am. If you are currently taking hormone therapy, you should have your blood tested 4-6 hours after taking your dose, or if you are having an injection, halfway before your next one. Typically, you do not need to be fasting for your blood tests, unless you are having fasting insulin tested. If you are having a regular period (every days), please do blood tests 21 days after the first day of your last period. If you are having irregular periods, please do the blood tests at least 16 days after your last period, otherwise you can have your bloods tested at any time. If you are using a contraceptive pill, please stop taking the medication, wait for 6 weeks and then do your blood test. Also, if you have a coil or are currently taking hormone replacement therapy, you can have your bloods tested without stopping the therapy or removing the coil. If you are currently taking hormone replacement therapy, you should have your blood tested 4-6 hours after taking your morning dose of hormones. Typically, you do not need to be fasting for your blood tests, unless you are having fasting insulin tested. There is no right or wrong answer for this. Some women have very mild symptoms and can manage them by making changes to their diet, lifestyle and taking certain supplements. Dr Roked can also advise you on this if this is the route you are interested in as she is trained in this integrative approach’ to with menopause, not only hormonal therapy. Taking hormone therapy to deal with symptoms of the should not be seen as a ‘failure’. Women today are working well into their 60s, and life is far busier than that of women generations ago, plus life expectancy is going up. If there is a solution that helps women feel great, function better and improves their rate of ageing, it may be worth considering. As mentioned in the BHRT section, a small proportion of patients may experience some effects. This is usually due to the dosage not being quite right, and a simple adjustment can be enough to stop the unwanted effects. Your doctor will advise you on how to deal with this should it occur. The normal procedure would be to stop the treatment completely until the settle, then restart at a lower dose. Other side effects can occur and some patients can be more sensitive to hormones than others, but by communicating effectively with
