Sarah talks about her cosmetic skin treatments with Dr Bela

In the 5^th episode of the Clinic DRIVE series, I took Sarah with me who is a patient of mine for cosmetic skin treatments.

“A little bit of history, so you came to me in December 2013, so almost 4 years ago.

Dr. Bela: And how do you remember that time? How did you find me? And what kind of results you were looking by having these cosmetic skin treatments?

Sarah: The results I was looking for is I felt like I was getting eye bags underneath my eyes and I’ve got a friend who works with you at the Medispa and I was asking her to recommend anybody that could help me with this as in, anti-wrinkle injections. I wasn’t 100% sure about dermal fillers back then because it always frightened me; some of the stars they look a bit too much with having too much fillers but when I spoke to Kelly, she reassured me that you were the person I needed to come and see. So, the first meeting I had with you, I actually had a mole check that was one of the reasons why I did come because there was a mole that I was worried about. So, we did that first and then we had a consultation and then you advised me that your face as well as going down, goes in a little bit and that’s why it seems your eye bags are more prominent but they probably always have been there. So, you advised me by having just a small amount of fillers in my cheeks, which is not very much at all, that would lift my face slightly and the Botox around my crow’s feet, that I was more worried about. It would help not solve the problem but make them not so obvious and a little bit of in my forehead but I still like to have movement when I’m talking, I don’t like frozen, I think because you can be quite expressionable with your face and I don’t want it to look stiff.

Dr. Bela: So, we can see your before picture above, this is the image that I took the very first time when you came to me and we can see the signs of normal ageing here. So, nothing to do with skincare or sun protection because in this case we are talking about the superficial fat pads beneath the skin and as we age, they shrink and they disappear and as you said, the skin collapses and sags South and with fillers along the cheeks mainly because cheeks are the backbone of the face, so they support the upper face and they lift the lower face. So, with a little bit of fillers along the cheeks, we can give projection and we can achieve; it’s called a “Liquid Facelift” and which is an amazing thing for me after so many years is altogether during the 4 years, we have put 7 syringes of fillers into your face and if you visualize, a teaspoon is 5 mil, which is 5 syringes. So, we just put a little bit more than a teaspoon and you can see the beautiful results, you can see the ‘after’ pictures or the before-after pictures side by side above and you can see how the cheeks improved and through the improvement of the cheeks, how the under eye area improved as well. And obviously, due to the anti-wrinkle injections, the upper face, the forehead looks better as well.

Sarah: I think I was probably getting late 30s that you start thinking about cosmetic skin treatments and actually what I was going to say the one thing that did worry me about the anti-wrinkle injections was what you’re putting into your body. Now, I have a little girl which I’ve told you about, who’s got cerebral palsy, she has Botox put in her legs and she’s she started having that done at 6 years old so, if they could do that to my 6-year-old daughter, that was another turning point for me, it was a light bulb that I thought I am gonna have it done as well.

Dr. Bela: Very interesting

Sarah: Yeah, because it’s used for lots of reasons in medical terms, you know, such us underarms but like I said if they’re happy to put it in a child, then I’m happy to have it done to my face.

Dr. Bela: Absolutely, very valid, very good point.

Sarah: I think even over the time, I think you’ve improved in the 4 years that I’ve come as in, to start with, I had to put a filler down in the tear trough but you don’t do that no more, it’s just a very small amount in the cheeks, you know, the results are amazing and I think the look you get with my husband he knows that I have it done, he’s not always sure when I have it done but he will come home and say “oh you look fresher today, you look fresher”.  And I think the only way you can describe it is, it’s like being able to wear no makeup again when you were younger so, I wouldn’t want everyone to look at me and say “oh, look what she has done to her face”, there’s no way that’s not how I’d want to advertise it even for you, I wouldn’t want that and I think you’ve just got to look fresher in the face and that’s it.

Dr. Bela: And when you finally came, for how long time you had been thinking about coming and finding someone to have your face improved?

Sarah: Probably a year, but it’s not the sort of thing that you talk about, you don’t say to someone “where did you do that Botox?” or “where do you go?”. It really isn’t the sort of thing that you talk about so like you said everyone tends to keep a bit of a secret. So, it was merely like I say my friend, I’ve known Kellie all my life and I asked her about it because I know you can trust her and I know she works in, you know, in a reputable sort of place, have it done as well because that’s the only option, you can get it done anywhere but how do you know? we don’t want an eyebrow frozen up here. You really have got a trust to who you’re working with.

Dr. Bela: Can you talk a little bit about the procedure itself, the discomfort level, the time it takes?

Sarah: It doesn’t take very long that’s one thing, and it’s not painful it’s just a little bit of discomfort while it’s being done. You don’t actually feel anything going into your skin, it’s a needle basically, it’s as only as having a small injection. And as regards after, I do find I’ve got quite sensitive skin anyway, I do find that it’s tender and I feel I wouldn’t have it done if I was going on a big night out. I’d have it done a couple of weeks before then just in case you do get a slight mark. I expect how I feel is I’m gonna look in the mirror and it’s gonna look bruised or swollen but it doesn’t look like that at all.

Dr. Bela: And have you had any complications after these cosmetic skin treatments?

Sarah: That’s the only thing I would say, it’s just the tenderness afterwards. I always plan when I’m gonna do it so that I think what is coming up the next couple of weekends then I will have it done there for the occasion; ie. Christmas or, you know, and it’s a couple of times only a year really something possibly three but the fillers is twice and I’d rather have less each time I come, then have it too much so that it lasts.

Dr. Bela: And the natural look is very important.

Sarah: I used to work in the industry and it’s moved on so much since I was there, it was a lot more about relaxation when I was working there. Now, people want results, they do want instant results and that is what you get with these cosmetic skin treatments such as fillers and anti-wrinkle injections. Like, you’re going to book a course of something, you have to wait, you know, but this is instant.

Dr. Bela: And what do you think about that? Is it pure vanity having these cosmetic skin treatments or through the improvement, you feel better, you feel more confident, so overall, it improves your whole quality of life.

Sarah: Obviously there’s a certain amount of vanity involved in having something like that done, but I think for me, I suppose it’s like when you had a shower and washed your hair and, you know, you can face things better, can’t you? so it does give you confidence that you’re not trying to hide your face or worry, you know, it’s different now to what it used to be many years ago, people who did probably grow old more gracefully but now we can have these small procedures; it’s not like having a facelift which is very invasive. These are very small things that you are having done that make a huge difference to your face and how you feel.

Dr. Bela: What will be your message to those women and men who are looking or thinking about these cosmetic skin treatments but haven’t found the courage to find a clinic and book a consultation?

Sarah: Get on the phone to you right now and Google your number and phone up and just come and see you! Just come and see, you know, you haven’t got to have it done, you’re only going to advise what you would do, you don’t have to have fillers, you don’t have to have the anti-wrinkle injections, one or the other, you know, try one first and then combine them there, you know, just come and see and be advised. I think you’d be amazed by how, you know, it’s only twice a year, how much little time it takes and the results that you get for the fresh look, it’s just a fresh look, that’s all it is. It’s just a look that when you haven’t got your makeup on, it’s amazing, I would go out without makeup on now.

Dr. Bela: Which is very very good. So, for this reason, I have a free aesthetic consultation which is really no obligation 15 minute consultation about what kind of improvements can be achieved through these cosmetic skin treatments such as Dermal fillers or anti-wrinkle injections anybody can book and I listen to the patients thoughts what she or he would like to be improved on her face and I examine the face and I come up with a treatment plan; we talk about efficacy, safety, price, everything so, you leave after this 15 minutes free consultation with quite a bit of a knowledge so, you are equipped to make a good decision about these treatments so, you are free to come, you’re free to decide so, I would encourage everybody to book a free consultation and find out more during that about cosmetic skin treatments.”