We know that if you haven’t had any type of medical anti wrinkle treatment before it can be daunting, especially if you don’t know what to expect. Even if you have previously had cosmetic medicine treatments, you will need to make sure that we understand your needs and that you feel comfortable with us. We will take the time to explain everything to you carefully, making sure to answer all of your questions. Most of our clients tell us they enjoy the confidence that comes from being better informed about our treatments.

If there are medical reasons why you shouldn’t have any particular treatment or if you simply decide our treatments are not for you, no problem. We are always happy to talk to you about our services and how they may help you individually without you feeling any pressure to eventually receive a treatment.

Not all medical anti wrinkle treatments are the same, and we hope to make sure you have the best possible experience. Let us know about your previous cosmetic medicine experiences, the things that were good and the things that could be improved and we will do our best.

If you think you might choose to have a treatment on the day of your appointment many people like to reduce their risk of getting a bruise. To do this, avoid vigorous exercise an hour before your treatment and for the remainder of the day after your treatment. Also, avoid taking blood thinning medications and some of the natural medicines and vitamins that thin the blood for three days before and three days after your treatments.

Examples of medicines and natural medicines that thin the blood include:

• Aspirin
• Anti-inflammatories (Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Indocid, Naproxen etc)
• Fish Oil and Omega 3 and Krill Oil
• Vitamin E
• Ginko Biloba
• Ginseng
• Garlic

Medications prescribed by a doctor for a medical condition should not be interrupted for a cosmetic procedure. If you are taking Aspirin for a pre-existing medical condition, we recommend that you DO NOT stop taking this in preparation for your cosmetic treatment. If you have been prescribed any other blood thinning medications like clopidogrel (Plavix, Iscover), or Asasantin, or Warfarin, or Clexane it is usually for a very good reason and these should NOT be stopped for any cosmetic treatments.

Many people have their medical anti wrinkle treatments while they are on these medications. Careful technique makes it possible to still have most treatments with only a slightly elevated risk of bruising.

Arnica is a herbal medicine that many patients and doctors are convinced helps to reduce bruising if taken for a few days before and a few days after treatments. It is available both as an oral preparation and as an ointment. There is no scientific studies to support its effectiveness, but we know it is safe and inexpensive and see no problem in taking it to try to reduce your risk of bruising. Many people report no bruising or much reduced bruising as a result of taking Arnica.

When you arrive we will ask you to fill out your contact details, general information and go through a health questionnaire. The health questionnaire will form part of your medical record and will be kept in the strictest confidence in accordance with standard medical records regulations. If you are not sure about any questions or choose not to answer any questions, that is fine we can talk about it during the consultation.

You will also be shown a copy of a consent form which will contain information about the procedures we will be discussing (you will not be asked to sign this form until we have discussed everything and you are happy to proceed). Before you decide to have any treatments we will talk about the risks and benefits of the procedures so you can decide if you wish to proceed. There is no pressure to decide on the day, many people like to go home and think a bit more, do some more research or ask more questions.

We always discuss your particular circumstances and needs and tailor our treatments to suit you. Many people contact us asking for advice on which brand of wrinkle relaxing medicine or dermal filler product is best. The simple answer is that what is best for one person is not always best for someone else, which is why it’s best for you to see us face to face. After we evaluate your appearance and your concerns we can advise the best procedures and products to suit you.

If you are anxious about needles there are a number of helpful techniques we can use to make the experience as comfortable as possible. For more information about each of our treatments, please follow the cosmetic treatments link.

We understand that nobody wants a bruise and we do our best to fine tune our techniques to be as gentle as possible and to reduce bruising risk as much as possible. However, we can never guarantee that bruising won’t occur. This is why we advise to get treatments before special events at least three weeks prior to your big day.

Most clients after muscle relaxer injections will have a few barely noticeable and slightly red bumps at each injection site. After a short wait (10 minutes) makeup can be applied and its unlikely that anyone will be able to tell that you have had any type of treatment.

Most of the time with filler treatments, say nine times out of ten, our clients can put on some mineral makeup soon after their treatment and go back to their work or to see their friends and nobody will see any sign of their treatment except for their refreshed appearance.

After some treatments like with Platelet Rich Plasma treatments and Dermal Filler to the lips, we normally expect an extra degree of swelling, in most cases this will have settled in 24 to 72 hours.

All of our techniques are made comfortable with a combination of gentle technique, ice and or local anaesthetics. We do not prescribe or recommend any sedatives or strong pain killers because they are almost never justified. For this reason there will be no issue with driving safely immediately after all treatments.

For Muscle Relaxer treatments:

• You should wait for 10 minutes before applying make-up

We ask that for 4 hours after the treatment:

• You refrain from falling asleep
• Avoid lying down with pressure on the treated area

We ask that for 24 hours after the treatment:

• You do not partake in vigorous exercise
• You do not expose yourself to very hot environments such as saunas hot tubs or sun baking
• You refrain from rubbing or massaging the treated area
• You avoid any tight or firm prolonged pressure on the treated area (for example avoid wearing swimming goggles or a motorcycle helmet that fits tightly on the treatment area)
• You should wash your face much more gently than usual and avoid exfoliating scrubs and facial massages or other facial treatments

For Platelet Rich Plasma Skin rejuvenation treatments:

• Expect to look puffy and swollen in the area of the injections. For most areas this will subside in under 24 hours, for under the eyes this will be significantly reduced by the second day but slight puffiness can last up to 3 days.

For 72 hours:

• Avoid direct pressure or massaging the treated area
• Avoid applying ice to the area
• Don’t take aspirin or anti-inflammatories (like Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Indocid, Naproxen etc)

Follow-up
Depending on your circumstances and the type of treatment we may recommend a review appointment around 10 to 14 days after your treatment. All follow up is free of charge and any additional treatments or “touch-ups” are free of charge.

We value your time and we do our best to keep to our schedule. Occasionally our clients require more time than has been allocated to them and we need to help them with their particular needs which can cause us to unexpectedly run late. We hope you understand that sometimes this is unavoidable and we are sure you’d like us to spend more time with you if you had any unexpected needs.

We know that sometimes life throws us all last minute challenges, so please let us know if you can’t make your appointment or if you are running late so we can try our best to accommodate.