Hands, Neck & Décolletage
It's not only your face that gives your age away. The quality of skin on your hands, neck and chest also influences how young and attractive we appear. The good news is, that there are great non-surgical treatments now, which improve the appearance of these important, tell-tale zones. But first, let's talk prevention!
It's a sad fact that when most people apply their daily skincare products, they tend to focus on the face and miss out the rest. You may not think twice about this now, but neglecting your hands, neck and chest may well come back to haunt you when they no longer live up to your well-maintained face. Check out the celebrity magazines or even people on the tube and you'll notice this mismatch quite a lot. So from now on, make this the rule. Whenever you apply your facial skincare,
always take it down to your chest - think 'hairline to nipple line'.
And don't forget the backs of your hands!
Bio-revitalisation
Bio-revitalization is an excellent treatment for the hands, neck and chest, which improves overall skin 'quality', fine lines and deep-down hydration.
Our bio-revitalisation treatment is different from traditional 'mesotherapy'. We use high-dose, stabilised hyaluronic acid (Restylane Vital or Restylane Vital Light) with a proven efficiency and safety record. Scientific studies have proved that stabilised hyaluronic acid not only enhances the visible appearance of the skin, but can also improve its elasticity, hydration and surface roughness. It is more effective than non-stabilised hyaluronic acid and studies have also shown it has antioxidant effects and the ability to induce the skin's collagen production.
Bio-revitalisation with stabilised hyaluronic acid is done as a course of three to six sessions at three to four weekly intervals. We perform the treatment after application of an effective numbing cream as pain prevention. For an even better effect, bio-revitalisation can be combined with medical needling (see 'Gel Needling lift', below).
Prematurely aged hand before (left) and after (right) bio-revitalisation treatment
Costs:
Bio-revitalisation of hands, neck or chest (per session) - £420
Medical needling ('collagen induction therapy')
Medical micro-needling is a great, natural anti-ageing treatment that 'helps the skin to help itself'. Instead of injecting substances into the skin, this treatment only involves a sterile roller ('dermaroller') equipped with hundreds of ultra-fine needles.
Medical needling mechanically mimics the effects of fractionated laser technologies (such as Fraxel) by creating microscopically small punctures in the dermis. This intentional injury induces thousands of tiny, controlled wound-healing responses in this deep layer of the skin. Consequently, growth factors and fibroblasts are stimulated into synthesising new skin matrix, including collagen. In time, this will lead to a firmer, more elastic skin. As we get older, our skin gets 'lazy' and collagen production slows down. With medical needling, we give skin a gentle nudge to remind it to keep making fresh collagen.
The great thing about medical needling is that we can induce effects in the deeper layer of the skin (the dermis) without having to fully strip the protective outer layer (the epidermis). Why is it so important to stimulate the dermis? Dr Stefanie calls the dermis the 'backbone' of the skin - the layer of collagen-containing connective tissue where the most prominent skin ageing processes takes place. With needling we can reach the dermis without significantly damaging the skin surface. The superficial punctures close again quickly which is important, as the epidermis protects our body from water loss and environmental damage.
Medical needling works well for improving overall skin 'quality' and texture and reducing fine lines on the hands, neck and chest. It is not a single treatment, but has to be done in a course of three to six sessions. The procedure is performed after application of an effective numbing cream as pain relief. For even better results, medical needling can be combined with hyaluronic acid bio-revitalisation (see 'Gel Needling Lift', below).
You may have heard of needle-rollers for use at home. The highest quality, sterile titanium micro-needle on the dermal rollers that we use in clinic are more than five times as long (1.5 to 3mm versus 0.2 to 0.3mm). Not surprisingly, they're much more effective than home rollers in every respect! However, home rollers can greatly enhance the penetration of active ingredients from skincare and are thus a beneficial adjunct.
Costs:
Med. Needling with Dermatologist - hands, neck or chest (per session) - £450
Med. Needling with Medical Cosmetician - hands, neck or chest (per session) - £325
'Gel Needling Lift'
Here in our clinic, we pioneered the technique of combining skin bio-revitalisation using stabilised hyaluronic acid gel, with medical needling. What we have found is that due to their synergistic effects, these treatments work more powerfully in combination than when performed singly. We have called our exciting new procedure the 'Gel Needling Lift'.
A 'Gel Needling Lift' improves skin 'quality', texture and elasticity, reduces fine lines and gives the skin on hands and chest its 'plumpness' back. A 'Gel Needling Lift' is done in a course of three to six sessions at six to eight weekly intervals. The treatment is performed after application of an effective numbing cream as pain relief.
Aged hands before (left) and after (right) a 'Gel Needling Lift'
Costs:
'Gel needling lift' - hands, neck or chest (per session) - £530
Chemical Peels
For the backs of the hands and the chest TCA (Trichloroacetic acid) peels are very effective. A TCA peel reduces sun damage with fine wrinkling and irregular pigmentation such as 'age spots', and improves skin surface and texture. TCAs are always performed by our Dermatologist. There are different TCA strengths on the market. High strength TCA peels are performed as a one off treatment. They are very effective, but have considerable downtime and potential side effects.
In our clinic we use a gentler TCA peel, which needs to be repeated four times, each at weekly intervals. After completing this course, you will achieve the same end result as with the higher strengths TCAs, while having less downtime and a lower risk of side effects. TCA peels work particularly well for more mature skin with significant sun damage.
Costs:
TCA peel (course of 4 sessions) of hands or chest - £1350
Improving irregular pigmentation & age spots
Localised 'age spots' or 'liver spots' (lentigines) on the hands can be frozen in clinic. This is a very straightforward procedure, but post-treatment, the spot will be red for about four to six weeks. More widespread irregular pigmentation on the décolletage can be treated successfully with a TCA peel (see above). We can also prescribe special skin-lightening creams and tretinoin-containing repair creams to enhance the results.
It is extremely important to combine any treatment for pigmentation with a broad-spectrum sun protection product of SPF 50-90. Remember - a single day of excess sun can undo months of treatment!
Costs:
'Freezing' of 'age spots' (in addition to consultation fee) - £30
