Treatments for the body

Fatty Deposits and Cellulite

Dr Elisabeth Dancey introduced the treatment of cellulite to the UK in 1993 and has since written the book, "The Cellulite Solution" and the video "Beautiful Legs". She oversaw the consumer trial of Roc's Body Contouring Concentrate and is constantly in contact with the beauty industry on the subject of cellulite. Recent research has allowed her to help launch another exciting technique - cycloid vibration therapy.

Cellulite is a combination of fluid retention and fatty tissue; either of these may dominate the picture. Mesotherapy and cycloid vibration can treat both.


Ultrashape

Ultrashape is the leading method of non-invasive fat removal in Europe, but little known here in the UK. Much publicity has been devoted to Smart-lipo and the Vaser system but these remain invasive options. Ultrashape is truly non-invasive, without downtime and free of pain.

Ultrashape is a treatment that selectively destroys fat cells with ultrasound waves. Ultrasound waves have been used for over twenty years to treat kidney stones and generate diagnostic images; a different wavelength is used to destroy fatty tissue.

The treatment is relaxing and pain-free but takes time as the co-ordinates of the area to be treated need to be fed into the computer. Once this is done the treatment moves swiftly on, the therapist passing the transducer head over the area and making the shot when the display on the computer screen dictates. This allows for a smooth result with no gaps.

Three treatments are recommended, preferably three weeks apart. Each time the improvement is approximately 30% - so 30, 60 and 90% is achievable. Best results are achieved when a fat-free diet is followed for a day preceding the treatment and for the following four days. Whilst the ultrasound is liberating fat from the resistant fat stores, you need to burn the fat as energy. Think of it like a camel living off its fat. Exercise helps, too.

Smaller areas of fat can be treated with the homeopathic medicine, Metabolites. This is an injection technique whereby the medicine is placed in the fatty tissue itself. This is known as Lipotherapy. The treated area may swell for an hour but then quickly subsides. Over the next 28 days the body is able to draw upon these fatty reserves and reduce the volume. This means, of course, that a sensible eating and exercise plan needs to be followed.


Injection Lipotherapy

Fat cells on the bottom of the body store fat six times more readily than fat cells on the upper part of the body and release them six times less readily. Thus weight loss from the lower body is almost impossible without the upper body suffering.

Furthermore, as we get older, the fat becomes less and less available for metabolism, developing into the situation where the fat is eventually totally unavailable. Mechanisms other than age and hormonal changes may also play their part in this scenario; pesticides, chemicals and trans-fatty acids are all becoming implicated. This means that whilst fat can be stored, it cannot be released. Sensible eating and exercise maintain the body in good health but may not be able to remove these fatty stores. This is why we tend to put on stubborn weight with age and certain hormonal events such as pregnancy and the menopause.

Body shape and weight problems have to be treated sympathetically in the knowledge of these facts.

We use the homeopathic medication, Metabolites, in our lipotherapy treatments. This is injected directly into the unwanted fatty tissue. This is not painful and does not really swell as such. Sometimes a small bruise may occur. The treatment is repeated every week or two weeks certainly for four treatments. After four treatments results should be visible. More treatments may be necessary, depending on the size of the problem to be treated. Homeopathy is not necessarily a fast fix, but it is safe and without side effects. Sensible eating of natural pesticide free foods and exercise will aid results and ensure that the fat is removed from these stubborn areas.


Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy is a French medical technique that involves tiny injections just underneath the surface of the skin in the problem area. This takes about ten minutes and is not painful. After the treatment you can return to normal activities, except swimming and bathing for 24 hours. The homeopathic mixture used encourages a healthy circulation and lymph fluid drainage, as well as reducing the degenerative tissue associated with cellulite.

One of the occurrences with age is the way that the fat cells behave. Whilst the fat stores in the upper face readily disappear with weight loss, stress, illness or general passage of time, fat stores on the lower face can increase. The tightness of the jawline is often spoilt by fatty deposits, known as jowls.

Homeopathic products can encourage the fat cells to behave themselves and to liberate the stored fat. We use a product known as "Metabolites"; a mixture of homeopathic dilutions known to act on fat cells.

The injections do not hurt, bruise or leave tell-tale marks. The area treated swells for half an hour, then over a period of two to four weeks the fatty area starts to diminish. Normally three treatments are recommended. As usual with homeopathic treatments, healthy non-smokers who eat a natural diet tend to respond better. Some people may not respond at all.

This treatment can be used for fatty chins and jowls. We also use the same mixture to treat eye bags.

Mesotherapy is best combined with diet, phytotherapy (plant extracts) exercise and Cycloid vibration.


Cylcoid Vibration (Vibrotone)

Cylcoid vibration has been used in the hospital environment for the treatment of lymphoedema and varicose ulcers. These medical problems are due to poor circulation; very similar to the underlying causes of cellulite.

Cycloid vibration induces a vibration of a certain wavelength in the soft tissues. This wavelength has been shown to increase the drainage of lymph fluid and venous blood, thereby reducing tissue pressure and increasing oxygenation. Oxygen allows the reduction of cellular toxins and assists in their removal. The vibration also has a direct softening effect on the tethering fibres; there is no other treatment that has this effect. Most people lose at least 1kg, corresponding to the removal of 1 litre of tissues fluid.

The treatment has been adapted to deal with cellulite. Whilst lying on a relaxing vibrating base, the therapist applies a hand held vibrating device to pin-point and directly stimulate the lymphatic drainage channels and the cellulite tissue itself. The treatment takes half an hour.

Clinic treatment may be boosted by home treatment; a massage pad can be borrowed from the clinic and used at home as frequently as liked.

Our pilot study shows six weekly treatments achieve noticeable results. We believe that the treatment can be performed more regularly (twice a week plus home use machine) to achieve results quicker.

The results can be enhanced by concurrent treatment with mesotherapy. Cycloid vibration is pleasant, relaxing and totally non-invasive.

Reconstructive Micropigmentation

(Sometimes referred to as semi-permanent make-up or cosmetic tattooing)

Faye has been drawing and pigmenting eyebrows and lips for the last two years and has now extended her brief to include repigmentation of body features lost through disease or surgery.

Because the results are semi-permanent (lasting up to five years) we prefer to give you an idea of the end result before you commit to the treatment. At the first consultation Faye will use a semi-permanent marker pen to draw in what you would like (both colour and the shape). Then it's up to you to experience the new you and decide to go ahead with a more permanent solution at a later date.

Reconstructive micropigmentation is used mostly for the following problems:

Alopecia - loss of eyebrows.

Breast surgery and reconstruction - especially for malignancy - can replace a breast
shape but forget the nipple.

White surgical scars (especially after a facelift) - can be repigmented to flesh colour
and therefore look almost invisible.

Stretch Marks, Scars and Lax Skin

Moles

We all have a few strange lumps and bumps on our skin. With age, we get more funny spots, lumps and bumps. Most of them are harmless but we may not like them. Some are not so harmless and need removal.

Mole Mate is a diagnostic tool that allows us to look at these lumps and bumps through the computer screen without cutting them out. Mole Mate helps us to decide whether they are safe to leave or need removing. If you have a mole that is suspicious, Mole Mate will tell whether or not it is suspicious, without the need for a biopsy (and of course the anxious wait). Even if they are safe to leave, we can remove them simply in the knowledge that they will not cause any harm in the future.

Mole Mate is a hand-held computer based camera that takes a picture of the lesion up to 2mm depth in the skin. The image is presented on the screen and then a series of criteria (the so-called Hunter scoring system) are applied to the images. This will give us a score that enables us to decide whether or not to refer the mole for further investigation.

Most moles that are removed need not be, or are removed with too great a margin of healthy tissue; Mole Mate saves you the inconvenience of a potentially unnecessary biopsy and the wait for the pathology report, it also gives you instant peace of mind.

Mole Mate is also useful for monitoring the growth and development of moles that may be borderline.

Mole Mate is clean and simple. It takes about 3 minutes to check each mole. You will be provided with a print-out of the results that you may keep or take to your doctor. If we find something suspicious we are able to refer you directly to a surgeon. The images will enable the surgeon to plan the best option for treatment.


Broken Veins

Broken veins appear on the surface of the skin as visibly widened, contorted reddy-purple veins, often together as fan-like flares or knots. They are not necessarily associated with varicose veins. Varicose veins are bluish in colour and cannot be treated by our non-surgical methods.

Broken veins appear most frequently on the thighs, calves and ankles, particularly in women. They can also appear on the face - the cheeks and the nose - both in men and women and are difficult to conceal.

Veins on the legs can be weakened by prolonged standing, pregnancy, trauma or are just genetically weak. The pressure of blood in the veins causes them to swell and thus become large and visible. Once swollen they do not disappear and may continue to develop.

Veins no the face are most likely due to sun exposure in earlier life. Cold winds, hot environments, UV light and other traumas can also damage the delicate veins on the face, although they can just appear for no reason. Broken veins that are red or purple can be treated with sclerotherapy; blue ones cannot.

Sclerotherapy remains the treatment of choice for broken veins on the legs. A medical solution (Scleremo) is injected into the swollen veins with the aid of a magnifying lamp. This "sticks" the inside of the veins together so that the veins is closed and blood can no longer flow through, thereby losing its vivid colour. After the treatment the area is a little red and swollen (bobbly, like a bee sting). The veins can look more pronounced for a short while but normally settle within three days - and suddenly seem to disappear.

Although veins on the face normally need two treatments, veins on the legs will definitely require three treatments, which may be spaced at two-weekly intervals. Once treated, they should remain at bay for between two and five years, certainly on the face. However new veins may appear according to the individual and these need treatment as necessary, normally on a yearly basis.

For the face we now prefer to use the DEKA Nd Yag laser device. The energy of the laser is picked up by the red colour of the blood in the veins. The energy is converted to heat which "welds" the veins together from the inside. We cannot use too much energy, so this treatment must be performed over a period of time - say three or four treatments.


Blemishes

Nobody likes blemishes, especially if they can be removed. We now have several option of removal; radiolase or minor surgery.


Radiolase

The original use for Radiolase was for the removal of skin tags, moles, red veins, warts and milia in a blood-free manner, cutting and coagulating as the tiny head moves across the lesion.

The treatment is quick and the results are immediate. The treated area will remain red for about one week before settling.

Perspiration Control

Perspiration, more often due to stress than overheating, can be controlled with BTX. Tiny doses injected just under the skin of the armpits will cause the sweat glands to stop working for up to eight months. BTX perspiration control is suitable for both men and women and is one of our most popular treatments. It provides total control in social and business situations and freedom from concern about sweating. Just look at the antiperspirant section in the supermarket to appreciate the scale of need.