It’s hard to believe we are now officially in winter in New Zealand, and we have some exciting new treatments and initiatives at The Face Place to help you through the storms of winter and life. The new EmFace under eye applicator is here for the puffiness and lines under the eyes, and you can take advantage of our ‘4th peel free’ winter offer by purchasing 3 peels and completing your first peel with us before 30 June 2025, to receive your concession card.
Sheridyn has written an excellent article this month about the effects of stress on your skin, and for the cosmetic injectors who read our newsletters, Marjorie shares about our upcoming training courses on Hyalase and Complications Management and Regenerative Cell therapies.
If you’ve been following my journey, I last wrote from Sanoviv Medical Institute (www.SanovivMedicalInstitute.com) where I was receiving treatment for my 3rd and most serious tussle with breast cancer, in the hope that the treatments help me become permanently cancer free. I completed my 3 week course of treatments and over that time saw multiple ‘miracles’ of patients who turned around cancer and other serious autoimmune, neurodegenerative and lifestyle diseases in 2-3 weeks. I’m grateful that thanks to surgery last year and chemo earlier this year that the cancer is already out of my body, and I was not as sick as many of the patients at Sanoviv, but hearing their stories has given me great hope that the treatments I’ve had will work well for me.
I had the seroma around my recently reconstructed breast drained another 3 times at Sanoviv, along with fully packed days of treatments, medical consults and regular spa treats to keep us sane! If you have any questions about Sanoviv, I’m happy to answer them privately, just contact me on Instagram @drcatstone. I’m beyond grateful that I’ve had the time and space to fully focus on my health, thanks to our incredible team who have continued to provide excellent ongoing care to our patients with remote support from me.
In my final week at Sanoviv, my dear friend Janine joined me from Bali, flying 33 hours to be with me. Janine is the founder and owner of the incredible women’s retreat Escape Haven (www.escapehaven.com if you want to check it out!). It was so wonderful to have her alongside me as my companion for that week, and we then had another ‘bucket list’ week together in Mexico City after we left the retreat.
Janine intentionally organised everything for the week so I didn’t have to think about making decisions, and it was an incredible week! We did a taco tour of the streets of Mexico City on bikes, visited the Frida Kahlo museum, went to a Lucha Libre show (the extremely popular Mexican version of WWF wrestling, masks and all) with a super fan, had a Cuban salsa dancing lesson, and – my favourite – went hot air ballooning over the Teotihuacán pyramids and then breakfast in a cave.
My hair has been growing back in the patches where I had gone almost bald thanks to chemo, and my mum had suggested cutting off the straggly bits at the back – all that remained of my original pre-chemo hair – and having a pixie cut to make everything more even. I was struggling with the concept of cutting my hair off super short due to the trauma of cutting it short when I was 9, and then having to grow it out. I’ve had long hair ever since, and even cutting it to a bob before chemo last year was traumatic! Janine agreed with mum and booked me a hair appointment in Mexico City so I could choose either a gentle trim or go the full pixie hairstyle. I got brave and decided to cut my hair off… and then burst into tears as soon as I left the hairdressers! As my dear friend Maree pointed out to me, I was likely grieving the loss of more than just my hair, but also for the whole journey of losing both my breasts, my uterus and my lymph nodes, and the hair was just a trigger for the grief. While it’s taken me a period of adjustment, Mum and Janine were absolutely right, it does look a lot better, and the great thing is that hair grows! The whole trip has felt like a bookend to the 5 year breast cancer debacle and cutting my hair off really feels like it’s symbolic of shedding the cancer journey and starting to move back to living life fully again.
Speaking of living life fully, Beauty NZ Magazine did an incredible article on my life, founding The Face Place, and my breast cancer journey. They even put me on the cover of the magazine! You can check it out here if you’re interested (link)
I had to get the seroma around the breast expander drained again while in Mexico City, and I’m now back in Zipolite recuperating at my mum’s. It really has been a wild ride this last 5+ years and I’m thankful for all the wonderful support I’ve received from our team and our patients. I’m grateful to you for continuing to support The Face Place as I recognise the last few years have brought challenging times to many people.
I’m hopeful that we are all turning a corner and I’m a big believer that when things go down, they come up again afterwards and usually even higher than before, so I’m excited to see what the next part of our journey brings!
In todays fasted past world, stress feels like a normal part of life. From work deadlines, family commitments to social pressure it seems to never end. Our bodies respond to stress in ways we may not even be aware of, especially when it comes to our skin. For example, have you ever noticed breakouts before a big event or dull tired looking skin after a stressful week.
Stress has a profound impact on the skin, influencing everything from acne to premature aging.
The science behind stress and skin:
When you’re stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. While cortisol is essential for survival (it helps us to respond to danger) prolonged high levels can cause issues for your skin.
1: Breakouts and oily skin
Cortisol triggers your sebaceous (oil) glands to produce more oil, which can clog pores and lead to breakouts.
2: Weakened skin barrier- sensitivity and redness
Chronic stress weakens the skins protective barrier, making it more vulnerable to irritants, pollution and allergens. This can lead to increased sensitivity, redness and conditions like eczema and rosacea flare-ups.
3: Inflammation- Worsening skin conditions
Stress promotes inflammation, which can worsen skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and dermatitis.
4: Slower healing-longer breakout recovery
Stress slows down the skins natural healing process. This means that cuts and blemishes take longer to heal.
5: Collagen breakdown-Premature Aging
High cortisol levels break down collagen and elastin, the proteins responsible for keeping skin firm and youthful. Over time, this can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of skin elasticity.
6: Dehydration and Dullness
Stress can disrupt your skins moisture balance, leading to dehydration and a dull complexion. When the skin is lacking hydration, it looks tired as less radiant.
How to protect your skin from stress
While we can’t eliminate stress completely, we can help minimise its impact on the skin with a home-care regime and lifestyle changes.
When it comes to skincare, having a specialised plan from a medical skin therapist is always key as each person’s needs are different. Things that may help stressed skin is focusing on barrier repair by incorporating ceramides and niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier, hydration is always important incorporating hyaluronic acid to help keep the skin plump and a daily SPF is essential as stressed skin can be more vulnerable to UV damage.
Lifestyle changes that can help is getting regular exercise, as movements help to lower cortisol and boost circulation for a healthy glow.
Prioritise sleep : aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to allow your skin time to repair.
Mindfulness practices can be helpful for some people ie meditation, deep breathing or journaling can also be helpful to reduce stress levels.
Lastly focusing on nutrition can be helpful as well:
Supporting gut health: Naturopaths are great to help with this, increasing probiotic rich foods and fibre.
Final thoughts,
Your skin is a reflection of your overall well-being, and stress plays a significant role in its health. By managing stress through self-care, lifestyle adjustments, and a consistent skincare routine, you can minimise its effects and keep your skin glowing.
Next time life is feeling overwhelming, take a deep breath not just for your mind but your skin too!
I’m one week in to my three weeks at Sanoviv, the medical health retreat in Mexico, where I’ve come to become permanently cancer free after my 5 year journey with breast cancer. It’s a beautiful facility looking from steep cliffs over the Pacific Ocean, and our days are extremely full of treatments. We have our phones switched on airplane mode the whole time we are in the facility, to reduce the impact of EMF’s, so I get less than an hour every night before bed when I can check my messages, call my mum and catch up on emails.
There are many people here who have come here with much more advanced diseases than me, and I’m delighted that there have been some wonderful success stories. I befriended a young kiwi woman with 3 kids at home, who has been here to treat recurrent bowel cancer that had metastasised throughout her peritoneum and around a major blood vessel. The doctors in NZ told her it was inoperable. She’s now coming to the end of her 3 week cancer program that I’m also on and just got the results of her latest MRI taken 2 days ago – there is one remaining nodule that has shrunk 30% and shows signs of necrosis, but the rest of the cancer is GONE! Even more reassuring is that her blood cancer markers are completely back to normal.
A man here with myelodysplastic syndrome, the bone marrow cancer that killed my dad, also had a great response to the 3 week program – his best blood work since before his diagnosis in November – so he is staying an extra week for further treatment to give his body the best chance of total recovery. He is planning to come back with his wife every year to do a health reset.
People come here for Lyme Disease treatment, autoimmune issues, long covid treatment, neurodegenerative disease and regenerative treatments as well as cancer, so there is a real mix of treatments and people.
I’ve been having daily IV infusions (continuing on the great work with the IV Vitamin C infusions that my team was doing for me, plus different IV’s for chelation and some to weaken any cancer cells that might be in my body), so I spend 2-4 hours a day most days receiving IV infusions. I’ve continued with hyperbaric treatments and am receiving general and regional hyperthermia which is designed to simulate my immune system to work against any remaining cancer cells. The general hyperthermia heats my core temperature to greater than 38C to simulate a full body fever, and the regional hyperthermia heats the tissues of my breast and lymphatic tissues that supply the breast to 42C – the same temperature we aim for with ThermiVa when we are treating leaky bladder. This coming week I’ll have an immunotherapy where they infuse my own natural killer cells and T-lymphocytes that they’ve harvested and expanded from a large sample of my blood taken when I first arrived. They expose these immune cells to breast cancer cells so they know what to target and then unleash them back into my bloodstream to mop up any breast cancer cells that might be moving around my body still.
Alongside the physical treatments I have a psychologist, mind-body therapist and energy healing sessions in the ‘quiet room’, looking out over the sea. I’ve seen dolphins playing in the water almost every day I’ve been here! There is a full spa where I’ve received lymphatic massages and craniosacral therapy so far, and they have swimming pools and thalassotherapy pools with an infrared sauna and cold plunge, but I haven’t been allowed to go in the sauna or pools while my port has been accessed (they leave a needle in the chemo port on my chest all week to use for the daily IV infusions, rather than constantly inserting a needle in it daily). I have regular colon hydrotherapy, reviews with a nutritionist twice a week, a personal trainer once a week, daily fitness and meditation, and daily reviews from my doctors.
The breast with my expander boob has been tight and painful since I arrived in Mexico on 1 April, and I’ve been taking antibiotics as it’s been hot, red and swollen. We finally managed to ultrasound it when I got to Sanoviv and it showed the seroma (fluid) had collected around the implant again, but it now has 6-7 compartments. We took some fluid out of the biggest compartment, which has helped make it more comfortable, but don’t want to take the risk of introducing an infection around the implant by trying to put a needle into every compartment, so this coming week we will do a repeat ultrasound and likely take some fluid out of the expander so it reduces the pressure on the tissues. Apparently, it’s highly unusual to have such prolonged and angry seroma, so my plastic surgeon has suggested that we do surgery to explore what’s going on when I get home.
At home, the team is doing a wonderful job of keeping the clinic humming. We have now had several articles on our IV Vitamin C infusions, which we combine with LED light therapy and a neck and shoulder massage. You can also read in this newsletter about different therapies for migraines, and how to treat and prevent skin pigmentation. I’d highly recommend having a skin consultation at this time of year to review your skin products and treatments, as sometimes things change as we come into colder weather. If you’ve not yet had a skin consult with us, autumn/winter is a great time to start prepping your skin for spring and summer, as skin changes can sometimes take 6 weeks to 6 months to start seeing change. If your skin is feeling dry and flaky with the change of season, our skin team is here to help!
With Mother’s Day just around the corner you can spoil mum (or yourself!) and also get an incredible deal with our Mother’s Day Special vouchers, which give you 20% more – spend $800 and get $1000 worth of treatment!
It has been wonderful spending 3 weeks with my mum in both Mexico and Canada before coming to Sanoviv. My heart is full. I had 5 days in Zipolite staying with mum before we flew to Calgary for a week for my step-grandma Maurine’s 90th birthday – where I was the surprise guest! I met up with the Entrepreneur’s Organisation Chapter in Calgary and was even a guest speaker in their event ‘transformational leadership in turbulent times’. I got to go to my first ever ice-hockey game, which was just thrilling!
Then two more weeks with mum, working remotely, heading to the beach every morning for sunrise meditation, my first gym workouts in 6 months, beach walks at night and lots of chats and hang out time in the pool.
One of the key messages for me, currently being surrounded by so many people who are here to treat life-threatening diseases, is how important it is to spend time with family and the people you love. To cherish and appreciate them and let them know regularly how important they are to you. So please, hug and cherish the mother-figures in your life this Mother’s Day. Whatever your relationship with your mum, you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them 🥰
May is also a poignant time for me as it would have been my dad’s 75th birthday on 9 May. We re-watched the Netflix documentary about the Blue Zones with Dan Buettner, ‘How to live to 100’ and it was a great reminder of the importance of food, natural exercise, community, and holding faith. I wrote about the Blue Zones research in both of my books, and have seen the documentary before, but I highly recommend re-watching it, it’s a beautiful way to examine what’s important in our lives.
As always, I’m beyond grateful for our incredible team, and for the ongoing support from you as our cherished guest. Without you we would not be a business, so we appreciate that you choose and trust us for your treatments.
Most of us exhibit pigmentation in UV exposed areas to some degree or another, perhaps a light-yellow staining on the skin, to obvious dark patches. In addition to this, UV damages the structural collagen that supports the skin’s tiny blood vessels. This collagen damage makes blood vessels more fragile and more likely to rupture, causing dilated capillaries. Along with potential DNA damage, it also causes thinning of the skin, forming fine lines and wrinkles. It degrades the skin at various levels as well as breaking down the lipid barrier – the important excretions of the skin that protect it from bacteria, viruses and retain essential hydration.
It’s important to recognise that this doesn’t just occur because of active sunbathing – it often happens with incidental UV exposure: driving, sitting by a window, walking around, going about your daily business.
How do our bodies try to protect us from this damage?
The first line of the defence mechanism against UV is melanin (an epidermal pigment), and UV absorbing pigment in the skin, which dissipates UV radiation as heat. (That’s the warmth you feel in the skin when exposed to the sun).
A tan is an immune response to try to prevent damage to the cells and of course is a necessary function to produce pre vitamin D3, but with extreme climates and various genetic ethnicities being genetically predisposed to sun damage, it commonly results in irreversible damage.
Cell receptors at the surface skin cells can respond to UV induced damage by apoptosis or cell death to avoid DNA mutations, but excessive and continuous exposure override our natural protection. As a byproduct of this UV induced damage, something called ‘Reactive Oxygen Species’ is produced which cell DNA is particularly susceptible to, causing the cell to repeat these mutations when new cells are formed. As well as the unwanted aesthetic outcomes of brown spots of pigmentation, and skin thickened spots called actinic keratoses, this can eventuate into skin cancers.
What are the mechanisms of ingredients involved in sun protection?
Sunscreen is of course, the most obvious go to, but it gets a lot more complicated if you really want to get effective about your protection. Our skin naturally uses nutrients from our food, that help to neutralise some of the antioxidant damage caused by UV as well as Vitamin A, which amongst many other things, can repair DNA. Depending on your environment and exposure time, often these natural mechanisms of protection are not sufficient, so it’s essential to replace them topically, to maintain healthy skin.
Sunscreens
Firstly, buy the best formulas for sunscreen: ideally it might contain additional antioxidants or peptides for repair. Liposomal technology is also incredibly effective as it releases the active ingredients slowly, giving more sustained protection. All sunscreens degrade off the skin with time and should be applied every 2 hours.
Inhibition of Tyrosinase (an enzyme involved in melanin syntheses)
These ingredients will help overproduction of pigment.
Arbutin
Konica acid
Licorice extract
Vitamin C
Azelaic Acic
Tranexamic acid
Melanin Transfer Inhibitors – helps control how much melanin is transferred to the keratinocyte or skin cell.
Niacinimide
Soy extract
Lignin peroxidase
Resveratrol
Antioxidants – reduces oxidative stress from UV that stimulates pigment
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Ferulic acid
Green Tea Extract
Glutathione
Hormonal pathway modulation. Oestrogens and inflammatory mediators can stimulate the pigmentary pathway. The following ingredients can help reduce the negative effects
Tranexamic acid
Cysteamine
Exfoliation – promotes cell turnover, aiding in faster removal of melanin laden cells
Alpha hydroxy acids
Beta hydroxy acids
Retinoids – promotes cell renewal and reduces melanin synthesis by repairing DNA
Ok, so this might sound complicated, but it can be simplified with a few products
Firstly, an effective sunscreen, that you reapply regularly.
A Pigment targeted product that has many of the above ingredients all in one product.
A retinol (Vitamin A) product that is appropriately active for your skin (different levels of vitamin A are tolerated differently by different people) to help reverse damage.
An antioxidant serum, likely containing some or all of Vitamins A, B C and E
The Face Place Skin Team have always taken pride in offering our clients a holistic experience to get tangible results for your skin. We would love to see you for a skin consultation and give you the very best advice for your skin.
A migraine is more than just a headache—it is a complex condition that can cause severe, long-lasting pain and a range of other symptoms. It affects approximately 45,000 New Zealanders. It is characterized by persistent headaches lasting more than four hours per day, occurring at least 15 days per month, with at least eight of these headaches exhibiting migraine-specific symptoms. These include throbbing pain, moderate to severe intensity, one-sided discomfort, and sensitivity to light (photophobia) or sound (phonophobia), often accompanied by nausea or vomiting.
Available Treatments for Chronic Migraine
While there is no definitive cure, various treatment options such as medication and lifestyle changes can help manage symptoms effectively. Common treatment approaches include:
Over-the-Counter and prescription Medications – Pain relievers, triptans, and preventative medications can help reduce migraine severity and frequency.
Lifestyle Modifications – Identifying triggers such as stress, poor sleep, or certain foods and making adjustments can significantly improve symptoms.
Alternative Therapies – Acupuncture, meditation, and dietary changes may complement traditional treatments.
BOTOX® Injections – An emerging option for chronic migraine sufferers, BOTOX® has shown promising results in reducing headache frequency for up to four months. Although the precise mechanism of action is not fully understood, many patients report significant relief. While this treatment is not yet officially registered for migraine use in New Zealand, it is available with patient consent.
When to Consult a Doctor
Chronic migraines can be life-altering, but effective management is possible with the right medical guidance. If you experience frequent and severe headaches that interfere with daily activities, consulting a healthcare professional is essential. Your doctor can help identify the most suitable treatment plan, considering both traditional and alternative approaches.
For individuals who have exhausted conventional treatments without success, exploring options like BOTOX® injections could provide much-needed relief. Discussing this option with a medical professional can help determine its suitability for your specific condition.
Although the use of Botox® for migraines is not yet a registered use in New Zealand, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2010, and it can be used with your signed consent. The Face Place have treated many migraine sufferers with Botox® over the last 20 years.
Chronic migraines can be challenging to live with, but proactive management and treatment strategies can significantly improve quality of life, offering relief and restoring daily functionality.
Marilou Bobis, Senior Advanced Cosmedicine Nurse
Botox® is a prescription medicine for the treatment of frown lines, horizontal forehead lines and crow’s feet round the eyes. Botox® has risks and benefits. Ask your doctor if BotoxⓇ is right for you. If you have side effects, see your doctor. You will need to pay for Botox® and clinic fees will apply. For details on precautions & side effects consult your healthcare professional or the Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) at www.medsafe.govt.nz. Botox® treatment lasts about 4 months and further courses of treatment may be necessary. Should only be administered by trained medical professionals. (contains botulinum toxin A 50,100 & 200 units) Allergan (NZ) Limited, Auckland.
Toka Puia AT Carpark is the closest under-cover option at 15 Northcroft Street. Pay by Plate at the pay machine or via the AT Parking app ($2.50 per hour on weekdays / free weekend parking for a limited time only).
Other options…
Northcroft Street Parking (pay by meter) – One hour – $1.50 – Two hours – $3 – Hours thereafter – $3 per hour
Wilson Parking – 11 Northcorft Street (pay by plate machine or Parkmate app) – Casual – from $3 per hour – Earlybird (Mon-Fri) – from $14 valid for 12 hours – Night (Mon-Fri from 4 pm) – $4 flat rate valid until 8 am – Weekend (Sat-Sun) – $4 flat rate, valid for 12 hours from time of purchase
Anzac Street Carpark (pay by plate machine or via the AT app) – First 2 hours – $1.50 per hour – Hours thereafter – $3 per hour – Monday – Saturday (6 pm – 8 am) – No Charge – Sunday and Public Holidays – No Charge – Motorcycle and Mobility parking P180 – No Charge
Britomart Carparking
Currently, Britomart Carpark is offering 2 hours free parking* with a receipt of $50 or more from a Britomart store (such as The Face Place).
Britomart Carpark Valet Parking $20* for two hours (includes parking charges) $5 each additional half-hour to a daily maximum of $45 (to midnight). Available from 10am-8pm.
The Central Valet drop-off point is located on the corner of Gore and Tyler Streets, opposite Takutai Square. Drive in via the entrance on Gore Street, where you’ll be greeted by a friendly valet concierge. Leave your engine running, take your ticket and your car will be parked for you. Retrieve your car by taking your valet ticket to Britomart Car Park Reception on the corner of Britomart Place and Scene Lane.
Train An excellent alternative with Britomart Train Station being a short walk to us, plus, public transport is 50% off until 30th June 2023.
