About Ageing
About Ageing
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
As we get older we start to reabsorb our bone which means our skulls are shrinking and we end having loose hanging skin. Also, to add salt to the wounds, we lose 1% of collagen for each year we age, along with loss of elasticity and hyaluronic acid. Fat is also lost from the face and sometimes redistributed. As we age we also start to notice large pores appearing, tiny red veins pop up to the surface and wrinkles form.
While our ancestors could do little about it, these days we have many options open to us which may not stop the hands of time, but can certainly slow down the effects.
The result of well planned, tailored aesthetic treatments carried out by experts could be a fresher, more youthful-looking you.
Fine lines and wrinkles
We offer a number of treatments that can rejuvenate ageing skin. One option is laser resurfacing which, as well as reducing wrinkles, can improve skin irregularities, such as pigment spots, blemishes and acne scars.
At The Garrett Clinic we use the Sciton PROFILE™ laser. A qualified medical practitioner will assess your suitability for treatment and also advise you about any risks.
Another popular option is Ultherapy, a highly-effective, non-invasive lift using ultrasound all around the face, eyes area, chin and neck.
We also offer two treatments to tighten loose skin, Pellevé or Thermage. Both of these treatments work on the same principle that controlled heating of the skin causes the collagen fibres deep in the skin to contract and tighten.
Vertical lines between the eyebrows
These are your basic frown lines, literally caused by frowning and are caused by a collagen break down. The lines can look very deep and there is really only one way to tackle them.
Firstly, we would do a stretch test to see if your lines disappear. If they do, then we would use botulinum toxin to relax the specific muscles that are responsible for you frowning. The lines will be instantly reduced and the effect can last for up to four months.
For stubborn lines which do not disappear in the stretch test we would recommend a combination of botulinum toxin and dermal filler. We use Juvéderm® which is a hyaluronic acid (HA) and very safe. The results can last up to one year.
Drooping mouth and lines from nose to mouth
These nose to mouth lines are called nasolabial folds and the drooping corners of the mouth are oral commissures.
Both of these are caused by you losing volume on your cheeks causing your skin to hang down. We can correct this using Juvéderm® Volift® or Volbella® which are hyaluronic acid dermal fillers.
Using these to replace the lost padding or volume in these areas can last up to 15 months. The treatments are very safe and can be dissolved if need be. They are also virtually painless because they contain anaesthetic.
Thin lips and lines above them
We use Juvéderm® Volift® and Volbella® to plump out thin, ageing lips. These are dermal fillers, which are made from hyaluronic acid.
Imagine that your lips are like sponges and have lost moisture. When injected with hyaluronic acid the moisture is replaced and they re-inflate, just like placing a dry sponge in water.
In our expert hands, lips can be given a very natural, fuller look which also improves the “barcode” lines on the top of your lip.
Brown spots or liver spots on hands and face
Brown spots are caused by over exposure of skin to the sun. This causes an imbalance with our pigmentation creating these darker, or hyper-pigmented areas.
We treat these with a very safe light called Broadband Light (BBL) which is a method of photorejuvenation. During the treatment the light is targeted to and absorbed by the brown spots. These areas then form crust which will fall off as the underneath skin heals. Usually this takes about 10 days. In some cases, depending on skin type and severity, several treatments may be needed.
Wrinkly or sun damaged chest area
This is an area which responds extremely well to the high frequency ultrasound treatment we carry out called Ultherapy. We treat at three levels in the skin which gives us a great result with no recovery time. You only need one session and once the session is completed results will take up to 6 months to be fully seen.
Uneven skin, enlarged pores and redness
Chemical peels could be the answer to these problems by sloughing off dead skin cells and stimulating the re-growth of new, fresh skin.
We would recommend a course of carefully designed treatments to suit individual skin types and concerns. The chemical peels we use are prescription-only Obagi Skin Systems which is a leading name in skin rejuvenation.
To view a video of a Botox Treatment please click here