What You Need to Know about Medical Aesthetics (But Were Afraid to Ask)

I’m Embarrassed About Visiting the Clinic

It is common for our patients to feel embarrassment about coming to us about their skin condition. But it’s important to remember that we’ve seen it all, and not only that we’ve all suffered from a skin condition at some time, be it acne or rosacea to unwanted hair. We frequently carry out laser hair removal treatments on every part of the body, including the sensitive private parts, and if we were embarrassed to do this, we wouldn’t. There is zero judgement, our practitioners just want to do a good job for you, so please don’t worry! Our professional team of qualified practitioners will sit down with you and will help to make you feel at ease during your consultation, addressing any concerns you may have and giving you honest advice on which treatments would be best for you.

Below we have put together some answers to the questions that we come across most frequently which will hopefully help you to feel more relaxed about coming to see us.

Why Are Some Places Cheaper Than You?

It’s important to realise that when you come to us for treatments, you’re paying for our medical qualifications and experience as well as premium, safe products and treatment technology. For example, people offering cheap filler treatments may only have a qualification to perform treatments after a one or two-day training course, but they don’t have the knowledge, ability, experience or skills to cope if you experience a side effect. Our prices reflect the medical training, on-going training and decades of experience and knowledge of our registered nurses and consultant dermatologist. As a physical clinic, we are always here – in the unlikely case that you are worried after your treatment or you need further advice, you know exactly where to find us, seven days a week. People who don’t have a base can, and have unfortunately been known to, go off the radar, in which case, how would you find them and get help?

The technology and safety profile of our treatments are never something that we scrape on. Taking the example of fillers again, the UK market is flooded with cheap fillers; this isn’t the case in the US as they are far more selective and strict about what fillers practitioners can choose from. At The Skin to Love Clinic, our medical practitioners only ever use the highest quality, well known, safe brands of filler (the same goes for any of our treatments). This is so that, as a priority, our treatments are safe for you, the results of your treatment aren’t compromised and your results last for as long as possible for you as an individual.

As our patient promise says: ‘we would never offer you a treatment that we wouldn’t offer to our families or have ourselves’.

Are Muscle Relaxing Injections Poisonous?

It’s a common misconception that wrinkle relaxant is a poison, but it is actually a protein that is derived from a bacteria and is safe to use. It is regularly used in mainstream medicine for conditions in adults and children such as excessive sweating, migraines and to treat some of the symptoms experienced by people with cerebral palsy. Its use as a cosmetic treatment only came about after a doctor treating someone medically for an eye squint noticed that the patient’s crows feet were looking better. The rest, as they say, is history.

Are Fillers All the Same?

The short answer is no. There are a lot of fillers on the market of varying quality. When it comes to fillers, you get what you pay for – the price is usually an indication of the safety standards, length of success and quality of ingredients and possibly the experience and accountability of the practitioner. See above ‘why are some places cheaper than you?’ for more insight.

Are All Lasers and Devices the Same?

In the same way that people popularly refer to vacuum cleaners as ‘Hoovers’, people often use brand names for similar devices, whether or not they are actually that brand, e.g. Fraxel Dual. So be aware that when a clinic refers to a machine by a brand name, it might not actually be that brand and therefore the treatment results may not be as you’d expect them to be. Why do some practitioners do this? Simply that they’ve invested in a ‘lesser’ device with technology that is inferior and, frankly, they’re riding on the back of more expensive, superior brands, Buyer beware! Research the treatment beforehand and pay attention to the appearance of the device the practitioner uses.

Why Do I Need a Consultation Before My Treatment?

A consultation is very important for 1) your safety 2) for you to understand what treatments are suitable for you from a result and contraindication point of view 3) allowing you to plan your treatment if you have an event coming up or to plan for any ‘down-time’ after the treatment 4) your practitioner to explain the type of result you may expect to achieve so that your expectations are aligned.

When talking about a treatment, you need to go into more depth to make sure that you understand all your options, what the treatment will involve and how long you can expect to wait for any side effects to fade. For example, there are treatments that often involve a bit of bruising, so if you’re planning to have it before your wedding, you absolutely need to know that!

We have published detailed FAQs about every treatment we offer, so if you would like to know more about specific ones, please visit the relevant page on our website. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us to find out more.

Disclaimer: This blog is not to be used for diagnostic purposes. We are all unique which means that our results, recovery and suitability for any type of treatment will vary. Always seek the advice of a professional should you have any health or cosmetic concerns or to discuss treatments specifically for you.