Looking good

There are several theories what makes someone look good or perceived looking good by others. It might be facial symmetry or certain proportions. Others believe in Divine Proportion or Phi, which is the ratio of 1:1.618. It is widely found in nature and architecture. They say the more Phis can be found on one’s face the more beautiful the person looks. Different studies show beauty has its own rewards, such as higher salary and more attention. Even babies as young as 3 months prefer the beautiful face, so they recognise it by instinct. We also subconsciously assess the smoothness of the skin as part of the beauty and we link the whole picture to good genes, good general health and fertility. Attractive people are viewed as honest and helpful while unattractive people are viewed as rude and unfair.
So it is worth looking the best we can for our age.

With age, everything changes on the face (and body). Bony structures are slowly resorbing, fatty pads shrink, firm and elastic fibres and hyaluronic acid are decreasing in quantity. As a result, the quality of our skin declines and due to the structural and volume loss it collapses inside and sags south. Furthermore, due to chronic sun exposure on the affected areas pigment spots appear, which is commonly and falsely addressed as ‘age spots’.
So, ageing definitely has its marks on us, but it is much better than dying prematurely. Nowadays we have the technology to improve our appearance, so overall it is positive; not even mentioning that we are getting wiser with every year.

This is about prevention. In this regard, the most important thing is sun protection of all exposed areas, firstly by the means of physical protection (such as clothes and hat) and secondly sunscreen.
The next most important thing is proper daily skin care with good quality products.
What makes a skin care range good? To keep it short, I give you the three most important points:
– airtight packaging (the product cannot meet air at any point in its lifetime, so jars are excluded)
– retinol (vitamin A) content (not for pregnant or breastfeeding women)
– good quality, scientifically sound ingredients with a good base cream (vehicle).
Lastly, healthy lifestyle, good quality food, with a minimum of carbohydrates and sugary drinks, plenty of water and regular exercise has a fundamental effect on ageing, health and longevity.

You can live the healthier life ever and have the best possible genes; the signs of ageing will gradually show up sooner or later. These signs are most importantly due to sun exposure (freckles, brown spots, white spots, micro-scars, broken capillaries) and volume loss (bone resorption and shrinkage of subcutaneous fat pads).
The skin can be improved mainly with proper skin care and resurfacing procedures, e.g. peels and laser treatments, while the volume loss can be addressed with dermal fillers. Today’s technology allows us to improve our appearance with minimal discomfort, quickly and safely;. 10-15 years ago it wasn’t possible.

The quality of the skin (soft, even toned, tight, disease free, hydrated and tolerant) is a major contributing factor to attractiveness. I see people everywhere with neglected skin (dry, irritated, red, pimples of many kinds). They fail to radiate health and this is not attractive.
Every day, regular (Am and Pm) and good skin care can make a big difference in this regard. Skin is very thankful for good care. The medical treatment of skin conditions start with skincare and it is alone responsible for at least half of the improvement.
Someone with a good and lucky set of genes can go a while without skincare, but someone with dry or oily skin should take a good care to counterbalance their traits.

Good skincare

• is regular (morning and evening)
• is based on good skin care products (containing retinol)
• involves thorough cleansing of skin and moisturising
• involves sun protection for the day
• is gentle.

A good product contains valuable ingredients (selected on research and evidence) mixed into a good base cream (vehicle) which facilitates the absorption of the ingredients into the skin. The most important ingredients are Vitamin A (not for pregnant or breastfeeding women), antioxidants and other ingredients the skin needs to repair and regenerate itself. All these are sensitive to air (oxidation), so airtight packaging is a must. Pots, jars or any container when the air is in contact with the product shouldn’t be bought.
My professional recommendation for my patients is the Environ or ZO (Zein Obagi) medical grade skin care range.

You can have the best skin and the most expensive skin care products (even Environ or ZO), but you cannot control the ageing process that is happening beneath your skin, notably bone resorption and disappearance of the cushioning fat pads. For this reason the supporting structures slowly diminish beneath your skin, consequently, the skin collapses and sags south. This inward and downward movement lends a negative characteristic to ones face (sadness, angriness, sagginess, loss of femininity or masculinity and attractiveness).
It is quite typical when some patients in their mid-thirties say “I will never use Botox or fillers”. It is also typical when patients in their early forties say “…earlier I thought I would never use Botox and fillers, but now I am very happy to have them and I can look and feel good again…”. It is simply a question of time, whether how significantly and quickly the signs of ageing show up on ones face.
Sometimes I also hear this “… I wish I had found out earlier about non-surgical procedures. They make such a big difference in how I feel.”
In conclusion, it is great to have these non-surgical procedures as they allow us to look good for our age, with a relatively quick, painless and safe way, without downtime and most importantly with full control over our look, since they are non-permanent, gradual and reversible.
Do not forget; it is much easier to correct small alterations gradually started in time (mid-thirties), then waiting for severe signs of ageing and try to fix them all later.

The initial consultation is the most important part of your journey in facial aesthetics if you are new to it. Almost all patients have a different degree of misunderstanding regarding dermal fillers and Wrinkle Treatment injections. After the initial consultation with Dr Bela, you will have a good understanding of the most important aspects of your treatment such as your treatment plan, product selection, your safety, results, longevity and budget. With this information, you will be able to make an informed decision about your look and treatments.
Book your 45 min initial consultation with Dr Bela now.

Once you have the overall treatment plan and calculation you can schedule the time plan. Two to three syringes of fillers can be administered during one visit, but with more severe volume loss it can go up to five to six. Filler and Botox treatments can be combined in one visit.

If you have an important date during the year, ie. your Birthday, Christmas or a one-off big event, like a wedding, you can time your best look according to this.

It is never a good idea though, having dermal filler treatments immediately before long trips. I like having my patients and myself accessible for a couple of days following the treatment if needed.

I recommend 3 to 5 weeks between visits to give time for the fillers to settle and integrate within your tissues. This way the next session can be planned and performed on the results of the previous ones.

The Juvéderm® VYCROSS® range has an outstanding longevity of 18 months, but my own clinical experience shows that with yearly top-ups a beautiful result can be maintained. So, there is an optimum and best look during the months once your filler treatments are finished and then a slow decline (resorption of fillers) starts. Having known this, we can time your treatments to get your best look when it is most important for you.