Aesthetic Beauty Centre Blog

To get you in the mood for Santa coming (can you believe it’s that time of year again!?) we’ve put together a range of special offers redeemable at our Sunderland and Newcastle clinics.

All you need to do is contact us in the usual way, quote the code CHRISTMAS2012, and we’ll book you in for the treatment of your choice (you can take advantage of as many of our special offers as you like!). And if it’s Christmas gifts you’re after, don’t worry, you can buy any of these treatments as a gift to someone else (subject to proper medical consultation where appropriate).

Here’s what we’re offering to help you look good and feel great this Christmas:

1. 15% off Dermal Fillers

The term ā€˜Dermal Fillerā€™ is a collective name given to a group of injectible treatments for the correction of wrinkles, folds, scars and depressions in the face. Available treatments include:

• BeloteroĀ Ā®
• Restylane and Perlane
• Thermage
• Juvederm
• Radiesse
• Sculptra
• Teosyal

We are offering 15% off all Dermal Fillers when booked before January 2013.

2. 15% off TCA Easypeels

When TCA is applied to the skin, it causes the top layers of cells to dry up and peel off over a period of several days. When the old skin has peeled off, it exposes a new layer of undamaged skin which has a smoother texture and more even colour.

Treatments start from Ā£150 and we’re offering 15% off all TCA peels when booked before January 2013.

3. 4D Ultrasound Baby Face Scan

Get a home video of your baby before it’s born! The Aesthetic Beauty Centre in Sunderland is proud to have been the first clinic to provide pioneering 4D ultrasound baby face scanning in the North of England in December 2004.

Our usual price for a video and photography session is Ā£180, but we’re offering it for just Ā£150 this Christmas; that’s Ā£30 off.

4. Dermaroller Therapy

Dermaroller Therapy provides advanced micro-medical skin-needling, a procedure that stimulates the skin to regenerate and repair itself naturally and safely, creating smoother, brighter, healthier, younger-looking skin.

We’re offering Dermaroller sessions from just Ā£180 in November and December.

5. Carboxytherapy

Patients looking to minimise the appearance of stretch marks and localised fat, are now choosing Carboxytherapy, a non-surgical treatment for fat sculpting on the face, neck, arms, stomach and legs. The procedure is also popular for wrinkle reduction and the treatment of dark under eye circles.

As part of our Christmas offering, we’re making Carboxytherapy sessions available for from just Ā£125 when booked before January 2013.

6. 15% off Laser Hair Removal

New laser technology can now help remove unwanted hair. IPL, Diode (lightsheer), Alexandrite (755nm), Nd:Yag (1064nm), Ruby (694nm) are all highly effective laser treatments that can reduce and remove even those often difficult to treat, finer hairs that are left behind by other systems after treatment.

We are offering 15% off laser hair removal treatments when booked before January 2013.

7. Thermage Non-Surgical Facelifts

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Age and Wrinkle Treatment, Botox, Dermal Fillers, Durham, Newcastle, Northeast, Skin Treatment, Sunderland, Thermage, Uncategorized

Most of us would like to turn back the clock to achieve the fresh-faced look we had in our twenties. Imagine, then, if you could do exactly this, without the need for surgery.

What once seemed an impossible dream has now become a reality thanks to advances in the use of dermal fillers. These are substances – either naturally occurring in the body, or artificial ā€“ which are injected into the skin to give it a plumper, more youthful appearance. The difference in recent years has been doctorsā€™ improved understanding of how dermal fillers work, enabling them to achieve the best results for clients.

At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, we offer many different types of fillers, including well known names like Restylane and Radiesse. When clients come to our clinics, in Sunderland and Newcastle, they receive a full consultation with one of our highly trained doctors, in which they are guided on their choice of dermal filler based on achieving their desired outcome.

For us, the customer is key, and it is crucial that they feel comfortable at every stage of the procedure. That is why they are met by friendly staff at our centrally-located Newcastle and Sunderland clinics and guided through their treatment with sensitivity and care.

As a cosmetic surgeon with many yearsā€™ experience of using dermal fillers, I would only ever work with those which have been approved. That way, I can be confident of their safety, and feel secure in the knowledge that the client will be entirely happy with the results.

The concept of just filling lines, wrinkles and folds has changed over the last five or six years so that, now, as opposed to using dermal fillers on a piecemeal basis, we tend to think of the face as a structure in which the foundations need to be supported. Itā€™s more about volumising and sculpting to rejuvenate the whole of the mid-face.

There have also been advances in the way the procedure is performed. Now, when injecting a dermal filler, I use a cannula, which is a blunt needle, and this makes the treatment safer and more comfortable for the client, with less chance of bruising or structural damage. They can leave the clinic and resume normal life without any downtime.

Clients in Sunderland and Newcastle, and those who travel to our clinics from throughout the region and beyond, find that the fuller face of their youth is restored, giving them a freshness and vitality that they love. For more information, please contact us.

Image courtesy Rochelle

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Age and Wrinkle Treatment, Dermal Fillers, Durham, Newcastle, Northeast, Restylane, Sunderland

Liposuction is a term that many of us are familiar with. Most of us are aware that it involves the removal of fat to create a slimmer, more streamlined look, but what many donā€™t realise is how much it has evolved over recent years. Now it is safer and more effective than it has ever been, and even after quite extensive treatments, clients are well on the way to recovery within a day or two.

At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, we perform liposuction at our Newcastle theatre, although we also consult on the procedure at our Sunderland base, allowing clients the flexibility to choose whichever suits them best.

When a client arrives at either city centre location, they first receive a full consultation on what the treatment involves. They can explain exactly what they hope liposuction will achieve, and one of our highly trained doctors will guide them in their choice of procedure.

At Newcastle, we offer many of the newest and most innovative types of liposuction available. Nowadays, there are various energy-based techniques which make the whole process much easier, and, more importantly, much safer for the patient.

Treatments like ultrasound-assisted liposuction, or Vaser, laser-assisted liposuction (LAL), and radiofrequency (RF) guided liposuction, also known as Bodytite, involve heating the fat to make it easier to remove.
In the past, doctors used a general anaesthetic, but now a local is more common in treatments of this kind. The excess fat is collected safely and with minimum discomfort using a cannula, or blunt needle

Such have been the advances in liposuction that recovery time has been significantly reduced in the past ten years. Now a patient can leave our Newcastle clinic following a three-litre fat removal and resume sedentary activities within 48 hours. This has naturally increased the popularity of liposuction, and made it a much more attractive option to those leading busy lives.

When performing liposuction it is important to take into account the patientā€™s medical history and other factors which might affect their suitability for the treatment. At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, we would always ensure that the patient had made efforts towards weight loss and was prepared to make the lifestyle changes required to maintain this. Liposuction is a medical procedure which can have side effects and complications that we would always point out. We would also ensure that the patient had appropriate aftercare.

Allowing for these provisos, the treatment can produce dramatic and life-changing results that our clients are delighted with. For more information about our range of Liposuction options, please contact us.

Image courtesyĀ VishalKapoor

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Durham, Liposculpture, Liposuction, Newcastle, Sunderland, VASER

How many of us look in the mirror and are disappointed, or even depressed, by what we see? Often, the imperfections that blight us are fairly minor ā€“ things like fine lines, the brown spots caused by ageing, or acne scars ā€“ but that makes them no easier to live with.

Fortunately, we no longer have to, thanks to the revolutionary Fraxel Laser. This is a highly safe, non-surgical device which targets specific areas of the skin with laser light, delivering microscopic bursts of energy to burn imperfections. As it is so precise, healthy skin is left untouched, and the bodyā€™s natural healing process can quickly get under way to mend the damaged areas.

Fraxel Laser has been approved for cosmetic treatments since 2003 and has been used to treat thousands of patients, reducing or eliminating scars, stretch marks, brown spots and lines and wrinkles. The Aesthetic Beauty Centre, which has branches in Sunderland and Newcastle, is proud to have been the first clinic in the UK to offer Fraxel, and since introducing it in 2004, we have built up a wealth of expertise on the procedure.

Clients, many of whom come for Fraxel Laser treatment from all parts of Durham, Sunderland, Newcastle and thtoughout the Northeast, receive a full consultation, in which the process and its effects are explained in depth. They usually attend four to eight sessions over two to four weeks, and are able to resume normal activities within 24 to 48 hours.

Fraxel Laser produces a feeling of mild sunburn for about an hour, but there should be virtually no discomfort after that. For a few days following treatment, the skin looks slightly pink, but this is a positive sign that it is healing. Make up can be applied and shaving resumed within a short period.

As with many of our cosmetic procedures, Fraxel can work on different levels, depending on the client. For some, it provides a new lease of life, freshening up ageing or sun damaged skin; for others ā€“ perhaps with acne scars they have lived with for years ā€“ it restores confidence they thought was lost forever.

We are always careful to manage expectations, explaining that while many imperfections can be improved using Fraxel Laser, not all can be
eradicated. This helps to ensure that the client is entirely satisfied with the results and that they leave the clinic happy ā€“ an outcome we constantly strive for.

If you would like to find out more about our Fraxel Laser treatment in Newcastle and Sunderland, please contact us.

Image courtesy ofĀ GƶranĀ Arvidson

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Age and Wrinkle Treatment, Durham, Fraxel, Newcastle, Skin Treatment, Sunderland

We are all familiar with older celebrities who have undergone cosmetic surgery. An extreme example is Jackie Stallone, mother of the actor Sylvester Stallone, whose obviously modified appearance has attracted criticism.

Not only celebrities, but older people generally, are opting for cosmetic surgery as a means of preserving or enhancing their looks. At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre in Sunderland and Newcastle, we are finding that, as clients are living longer, they are keen to look as youthful on the outside as they feel on the inside, and have no qualms about turning to cosmetic procedures to help them achieve this.

In our Newcastle andĀ Sunderland clinics, we have certainly seen a change in societyā€™s perceptions. Peopleā€™s appearance is about what they can afford. Social progression has gone to such a level that people donā€™t bat an eyelid about having Botox and fillers. We have a society where we can decide what we want and we want everything today.

This applies equally to older people as it does to those in their 40s and 50s. Statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that the number of cosmetic surgery patients over 65 grew more than 352 per cent in the late 1990s to early 2000s. The American news channel ABC reported in 2002 that an 80-year-old grandmother was unashamed of having had a facelift and breast implants, and there are signs that the trend has continued to grow.

At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, we believe that modern relationships are partly responsible: you would never expect a grandfather or grandmother to be in an active sexual relationship but research shows that 30 to 50 per cent of 70-year-olds engage in sexual activity. Sometimes a partner has died and they find themselves with a new one, so we get a few clients in their late 60s or early 70s wanting to look better because they are in a new relationship.

A note of caution, however, is that as people age, cosmetic surgery can carry greater risk. At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, the clientā€™s health is paramount, and we would always ensure that they were medically fit to undergo any type of procedure.

For more information about our range of cosmetic treatments ā€“ for older or younger patients ā€“ please contact us.

Image courtesy ofĀ http://www.flickr.com/photos/23065375@N05/

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Aesthetic Beauty Clinic, Age and Wrinkle Treatment, Botox, Cosmetic Surgery, Dermal Fillers, Durham, Newcastle, Northeast, Skin Treatment, Sunderland

Why does someone seek cosmetic surgery? It is a question that we often face at the Aesthetic Beauty Centre and it can, on occasion, prove problematic.

Most of us have insecurities about our looks, and some choose to address these by having cosmetic surgery. For the majority of patients, it provides the answer, and they leave the clinic feeling happier and more confident. Yet for a small minority, underlying issues mean that no matter how they look, they feel dissatisfied or even depressed. In such cases, cosmetic surgery should not be performed.

An estimated one per cent of the UKā€™s population suffers from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). It affects men and women equally, and can start from as young as 11 and last into old age. Those suffering from the condition perceive themselves as ugly, regardless of how they look, and can often become acutely depressed.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder sufferers are typically drawn to cosmetic surgery but the Body Dysmorphic Foundation cautions against this. It states: ā€œIt is proven that surgery for someone with BDD unfortunately almost never resolves the problem. In the main it exacerbates the situation, and in some cases, shifts the area of concern to somewhere else on the body.ā€ Instead, the Foundation recommends Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and/or medication.

At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, we have seen a number of such cases over the years and would never perform a procedure on someone we suspected of having Body Dysmorphic Disorder. We know that about ten to 15 per cent of patients presenting in cosmetic clinics have mild to moderate forms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, they literally want to change their body. They donā€™t like it and will spend hours in front of the mirror. We, as doctors, need to be careful to screen these people out because you can never satisfy them.

At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, a psychological questionnaire is used to help identify suspected BDD sufferers and others for whom cosmetic surgery may not be appropriate. There has been a recent push for patients having invasive cosmetic surgery to have a psychological assessment pre-procedure as standard. To some extent, the patient has to take some responsibility but you need to identify the hidden agenda.

If you want to know more about the Aesthetic Beauty Centre and our commitment to the highest standards of patient care, please contact us.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/butterflywings/

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Aesthetic Beauty Clinic, Cosmetic Surgery, Durham, Newcastle, Northeast, Sunderland

In the past, those wanting to keep up with fashion would go into a hair salon with a magazine cutting and ask for a similar look. Now, they might go to a cosmetic surgeon and do the same for their face and body.

While cosmetic surgery has been performed since antiquity, it has never been more widespread, or more socially acceptable, than it is today. Terms like BotoxĀ are commonplace, with celebrities openly discussing having the anti-ageing treatment, and it is usual for ordinary men and women in the northeast to go for regular cosmetic procedures such as fillers and modern alternatives to liposuction like Liposculpture, Smart Lipo and VASER.

Clients throughout the northeast ā€“ from Durham, Newcastle, Sunderland and further afieldĀ ā€“Ā are becoming increasingly conscious of their looks, demanding ever-higher standards of physical perfection. We are happy to perform procedures to enhance their appearance, but in a responsible manner and in full consultation with the individual, enabling us to manage and, ultimately, fulfil their expectations.

As founder and principal cosmetic surgeon at the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Iā€™m used to clients coming to me and saying: ā€œLook at Brad Pitt, I like his eyebrowsā€, or ā€I like Angelina Jolieā€™s lipsā€. Sometimes, you are trying to create a human being who has Katie Priceā€™s breasts, Angelina Jolieā€™s lips, Kylie Minogueā€™s bottom and Nicole Kidmanā€™s brow. People bring in magazine cuttings and say, ā€œI want my nose or my lips like that.ā€

At times, requests can seem outlandish, and my colleagues and I advise clients against having any procedure we deem to be excessive. Instead, we offer alternatives and make suggestions based on our wealth of experience in the field of cosmetic surgery in the northeast of England.

The fact that the recovery time following surgery is now greatly reduced has helped to broaden its appeal. Before the 80s, recovery time was long, so after a breast augmentation you would often take three or four weeks off work. Now, our clients walk out of the clinic within three to four hours and they are back at work within ten days.

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Aesthetic Beauty Clinic, Cosmetic Surgery, Durham, Liposculpture, Liposuction, Newcastle, Northeast, Smart Lipo, Sunderland, VASER

Do you like the idea of smoother, tighter and younger-looking skin without surgery or recovery time? If so, then Thermage may be for you.

This procedure, while still relatively new, is proving extremely popular with clients at The Aesthetic Beauty Centre. It involves specially-designed tips being placed against the surface of the skin and heat being passed through them into the tissue that lies beneath. The natural protein, collagen, contracts and thickens, and this produces a tightening effect, reducing wrinkles.

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Aesthetic Beauty Clinic, Age and Wrinkle Treatment, Durham, Newcastle, Northeast, Skin Treatment, Sunderland, Thermage

It's not for girls!

As anyone who suffers from migraines knows, the pain can be excruciating, causing significant disruption to your life. You can suffer sight loss, weakness of the arms and legs, watering of the eyes and nausea, eliminating sometimes ten to 15 days in every month.

The answer for some is Botox Ā®, a treatment more commonly used to combat fine lines and wrinkles. This Botulinium protein is injected into the muscle beneath the skin of the eyebrow area, forehead, temples or upper neck, causing it to relax. While it may seem unorthodox, many patients suffering from migraines or tension headaches have found it significantly reduces their pain. It can even prevent a recurrence of the problem for an average four-and-a-half to five months.

The Aesthetic Beauty Centre was one of the first practices in the Northeast to recognise the efficacy of Botox Ā® in treating migraines. Cosmetic surgeon Dr Ash Dutta was trained in its use in this context by a consultant neurologist at Hull Royal Infirmary in 2003, and has been providing it ever since. In 2011, it was officially licensed for migrainous headaches.

Dr Dutta is convinced that Botox Ā® can work, but is aware of its limitations. ā€œYou need to be absolutely clear that there is a distinct possibility that it may not be right for you and it may not give you any symptom relief,ā€ he said. ā€œItā€™s impossible to predict. However, if you do get symptom relief, you can continue. About 40 to 50 per cent of patients benefit from it and they absolutely vouch for it.ā€

The treatment is available on a small scale on the NHS, but it tends to be sporadic. At the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, patients are always asked if they have seen their GP and tried other remedies first. If Botox Ā® doesnā€™t work initially, they can come back in two weeks for a further dose, and if it still proves ineffective, they are referred back to their GP or neurologist.

With an estimated five to eight per cent of the population suffering from migraines, and many more from painful and sometimes debilitating tension headaches, a simple series of injection of a harmless protein may be just what they are looking for.

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Aesthetic Beauty Clinic, Age and Wrinkle Treatment, Botox, Durham, Newcastle, Northeast, Sunderland

As one of the bodyā€™s key natural resources, we are familiar with the life-giving properties of blood. Now it is being used to breathe new life into your looks in the Vampire facelift.

Put aside thoughts of Count Dracula. Despite the sinister-sounding name, this treatment is becoming increasingly popular in Sunderland, Newcastle and throughout the northeast of England as an entirely natural way of enhancing your appearance. A small amount of blood is simply taken from the forearm and, following a carefully controlled process, injected back under the skin of the face to make it look fresher and more youthful.

The Vampire facelift is offered at the Aesthetic Beauty Centre alongside a range of more conventional fillers, and it doesnā€™t appeal to everyone. Yet a growing number of clients specifically request it and are happy with how their looks are rejuvenated. The advantage is that nothing artificial is being put into your body, so the risks are reduced.

Dr Ash Dutta, a cosmetic surgeon at the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, said: ā€œWe draw about 28 to 30mls of blood and spin it in a centrifuge to separate the red and white blood cells from the Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), which is what we inject. The principle is that when you cut yourself, the bleeding that happens brings in all the best healing proteins from your blood.

ā€œPRP has been used for burn patients and in various types of operations to heal the injured or damaged area quicker. The healing time has been significantly reduced and the scars look better.ā€

When a client comes for an anti-ageing treatment, they might need advice on what may best suit their needs, and it is then that the experts at the Aesthetic Beauty Centre can help. The options include natural, artificial and autologous fillers, which, as in the Vampire facelift, are taken from a personā€™s own body. What is most suitable depends on the individual and which area they wish to target.

Dr Dutta, who works across Aesthetic Beauty Centre’s Sunderland and Newcastle clinics, said: ā€œFillers work best with lines on the lower half of the face. Most people come with an idea but we can talk them through their individual needs and what would work best for them. Itā€™s all about which product you need to use for which particular area.ā€

Clients can rest assured that at the Aesthetic Beauty Centre, they are in safe hands. Whichever anti-ageing treatment they choose, they can be confident that it will be carried out with professionalism and care. Dr Dutta said: ā€œItā€™s all about providing treatments in the right, ethical way, which is suitable to the wants and needs of the individual.ā€

Image (C)Ā twm1340

Category: Aesthetic Beauty Centre, Aesthetic Beauty Clinic, Age and Wrinkle Treatment, Botox, Dermal Fillers, Durham, Newcastle, Northeast, Skin Treatment, Sunderland