Macrolane Breast Shaping - Advanced Techniques

Macrolane breast shaping injections are a fairly recent addition to the range of cosmetic procedures available in the UK, being introduced around 12 months ago. Due to this there are approxinmately 50 clinics that offer the Macrolane treatment, though the numbers are increasing.

Macrolane is a Non Animal Stabilized Hyaluronic Acid (or NASHA) based product manufactured by Q MED, a Swedish company. It takes principles form Q MED’s Restylane range of facial dermal fillers, especially their Sub Q line of fillers. The Restlyane family of cosmetic products is considered one of the market leaders for its results and it has been used to treat over 9 million patients to date.

Macrolane is a much simpler procedure than standard breast implants and is used to enhance cup size and shape the breasts for a more desired look. Unlike the typical implants you hear about, Macrolane only increases a cup size by 1 or 1½, but this is to ensure the optimal breast shaping is achieved.

Before the Macrolane procedure there are several factors the cosmetician will take into account such as what method or technique will be used for anaesthesia, the incision site, the canula track, how much of filler is required and where it will be placed in the breast to achieve the desired shape.

One hundred mls per breast was the standard amount of macrolane injected, though it is now fairly common practice to inject around 120mls per breast (sometimes more, up to around 140 - 150mls if required though this depends on the client’s pain threshold entirely). Anaesthetic is applied to the breast to alleviate any discomfort or pain; several cosmeticians are now using fine spinal needles which are considered a much more comfortable option when injecting anaesthetic.

The incision site that the Macrolane filler will be injected has become something of a controversial debate. Many cosmeticians are now beginning to inject Macrolane from above the breast as opposed to the more conventional method of injecting from under the breast. The reason injecting from the top is controversial is that each injections incision will leave a tiny scar, no big deal per se, but Macrolane normally requires a top up every 12 months or so, thus the procedure and in turn the injection will have to be repeated. These repeat injections can lead to a more noticeable scar over several injections, however if the injection is administered under the breast this is much less noticeable and hidden by the shadow of the breast.

The actual site of product placement is crucial to achieve the most optimal results. The Macrolane breast shaping injections need to be carefully placed in the retro-mammary space between the breast mammary gland and the pectoralis major muscle in the chest. The cosmetician must always ensure that the track of entry of the canula is sealed.

So over the past year or so the delivery of Macrolane breast shaping injections has developed as cosmeticians gain more experience with the product and procedure this in turn has led to more confidence in the product and procedure from clients considering this treatments.

Dr S.R. Bassi is the lead cosmetic physician at Selston Cosmetic Clinic, North Nottingham’s premier medical cosmetic and laser clinic. Visit our website or give us a call to find out more about Macrolane.

Microdermabrasion - Q & A

Recently I was asked a few questions about the benefits and uses for medical microdermabrasion so I thought I’d post a few here for people to browse through and hopefully answer a few questions.

Q: What are the benefits and advantages of Microdermabrasion?
This is probably the most important question and one that requires answering before anything else. The benefits are what it can be used to treat, which includes acne scarring, stretch marks, age and sun spots, wrinkles and several other skin related issues.

The advantages of Microdermabrasion are that is has very little risk or side affects associated with it, that it takes only a short while for the procedure, normally around 20-30 minutes, it is one of the invasive cosmetic procedures available as it merely removes the top layer of dead skin and it can be used on many areas of the body, including the hands, face, neck, chest and back. Other advantages include the very minimal (if any) down time and that microdermabrasion requires no anaesthetic. It can also be used on all skin types and colours.

Q: Is microdermabrasion safe to use if I have Eczema?
No. We would never suggest microdermabrasion for people who suffer with eczema as it is invasive to the skin. This in turn can aggravate or worsen the condition and should be avoided. This is important to remember if you are thinking of using a home microdermabrasion kit.

Q: Can microdermabrasion be used on whiteheads (spots)?
A: Yes it is quite safe to use microdermabrasion to treat whiteheads. Microdermabrasion cleans deep into the pores of the skin and removes excess oil and dirt which clog these pores up. After treatment many whiteheads are removed and stubborn one that are not, are greatly reduced in visibility.

Q: Will microdermabrasion make my skin dry?
As a rule no, such an occurrence is extremely rare. If you do notice your skin becoming dry after treatment it is fine for you to simply use a variety of skin creams or lotions to rehydrate it.

Q: Can microdermabrasion be used to treat Rosacea?
Due to its nature, microdermabrasion is not a viable way to treat Rosacea, as a matter of fact using microdermabrasion will actually aggravate the condition making the symptoms worse. Again it is important to remember this when considering a home microdermabrasion kit – don’t!
There are other cosmetic procedures available to treat Rosacea, such as cosmetic laser surgery, but microdermabrasion is not one of them.

Q: Does Microdermabrasion help reduce signs of ageing such as age spots and wrinkles?
Microdermabrasion is very effective in making skin appear younger after treatment. First up it will leave a more rejuvenated and fresher layer of new skin once the old layer is stripped away. Secondly it even out the skin texture which mean the removal or reduction of superficial wrinkles. Finally it can minimise or even remove age spots when removing the dead skin layer.

Q: Will microdermabrasion make my skin look healthier?
Microdermabrasion stimulates skin cell renewal which is required to achieve good levels of density and elasticity in the skin. Along with this cell renewal, the vacuum function of the microdermabrasion tool sucks up dead skin, dirt and hardened oil on the skin which improves the skins texture and tone.

If you have any more questions regarding microdermabrasion or its benefits or issues that may be associated with it, please ask us and we will try to help as best we can.

Roberta James specialises and runs the Medical Microdermbrasion and Chemical Skin Peels department at the Selston Cosmetic Clinic in North Nottinghamshire.

Dermaroller Therapy - Skin Rejeneration

Dermaroller Therapy is a new treatment to help rejuvenate the skin and help with the problem of ageing skin, sun damaged skin, acne scarring and stretch marks.

Dermaroller therapy utilises a technique called collagen induction therapy, or “skin needling”. What this involves is a specially designed medical device with multiple fine needle points is rolled across the skin. This causes miniscule pin pricks which the body in its wisdom sees as damage to the skin. It then goes about healing the injured area as it normally would any other wound.

The repair and regeneration process then begins as new collagen and elastin is produced and continues over the following few weeks, and over a course of treatments you will see much improved results.

What is surprising to most people is that the procedure is remarkably comfortable – it only requires a topical anaesthetic cream which is very effective to the depth required for this treatment. The experience will range from pleasant to only mildly uncomfortable; many patients have found it genuinely relaxing

The procedure itself takes around half an hour. Following the treatment the skin will appear red for a short while only, similar in appearance to moderate sunburn. Most of the redness settles rapidly over a couple of hours and is easily covered. The skin is usually completely recovered by the following day.

These results of this collagen induction therapy are equivalent to the results that can be obtained by aggressive laser treatments, but without the risks or downtime, and at a fraction of the cost. Dermaroller therapy is availble at Mulberry House cosmetic clinic.