Our Medical Skin Therapist Bryony addresses three of the most common ‘natural’ skin product myths head-on and explains why terms such as ‘natural’ are largely misunderstood when it comes to effective skincare…
MYTH #1 – Natural ingredients are superior to synthetic
We continue to hear that ‘natural’ trumps synthetic ingredients. The beauty/skin industry is abuzz with terms such as ‘natural’ and ‘clean’. The impression is that the ‘natural’ industry is growing at a fast pace but the reality is that natural ingredients are NOT superior.
This myth is completely untrue and one is not necessarily better than the other. Every ingredient has a place.
Synthetic ingredients are developed based on natural ingredients and their benefits. Synthetic ingredients can actually have an advantage as molecules can be structurally changed, lessening the likelihood of reactions and increasing bioavailability (the ability of a substance to be absorbed and used by the body). Delivery and stability can be improved, therefore increasing the shelf life of a product.
When people claim natural is better than synthetic, or that synthetic ingredients are harmful, I always ask what is your definition of natural? A truly ‘natural’ product would actually go rancid shortly after being made, having little to no effect on the skin and would be like a Petri dish hosting all kinds of bacteria. There is zero regulation regarding the use of the word ‘natural’ to advertise products, and many brands making this claim contain very few ‘raw natural’ ingredients. Natural ingredients can be toxic and often not ethically sourced. Palm oil and the devastating effect that this has had on wildlife is a great example of this. Natural doesn’t automatically equal better or safer.
I am certain a large number of consumers who are asking their skincare to be all-natural, eat more chemicals and synthetic ingredients in a day than what would typically be in an entire skincare range.
MYTH #2 – Chemical-free, paraben-free and toxic-free products are better for your skin
This is typical greenwashing – even I have even succumbed to it – especially whilst shopping for my daughter. People have a right to know what is and aren’t in their products. I love that we are seeing more education around ingredients but unfortunately, information is often being provided by those with a vested interest.
Notice that a large amount of product labelling includes more about what the product does NOT contain than what it actually does. We have seen this with food items and now many cosmetic brands are following suit. Often they list so many ‘toxic’ ingredients that the product doesn’t contain that you assume it must be good and inevitably steers you away from those ingredients in future. In fact, the benefit or danger of an ingredient is dose-dependent. There are ingredients that are toxic when ingested in huge doses but applying minuscule amounts to the skin is completely safe. The best example is hydroquinone. Used in high doses it has several adverse side effects and can be fatal if ingested. However, it can be an excellent and perfectly safe tool for treating skin pigmentation.
MYTH #3 – Clean & natural also means sustainable
Clean and natural are terms used interchangeably, but neither means a product is sustainable. While the beauty industry is continuing to advance in this area, we haven’t yet developed a way for products to be made completely sustainably. Sustainability goes far beyond if products are recyclable or made with recycled materials, it has to do with the impact on the environment, and the carbon footprint generated throughout all stages of production and distribution. At this point, it is mostly up to the consumer to ensure they are disposing of their packaging appropriately. Labelling and additional packaging mean often it can go straight to landfill. I would love to see less packaging, increased use of upcycled materials and products that are fully recyclable come into the industry. Until then “we are all responsible for the ethical disposal of any waste produced by a product or service we wish to consume.”
At The Face Place, where possible, all waste products are recycled, upcycled or repurposed with the help of Sustainable Salons. They are dedicated to minimising the impact on the environment whilst supporting other not-for-profit organizations and charities.
Our Sustainable Salons recycling bins
Our skin team are happy to chat further about the ingredients within the skincare products we use in-clinic.
All of the products we offer are safe, of the best quality and prescribed specifically to your skin needs.
We’re so excited to welcome Sheridyn to the TFP family. She is currently focusing on training and induction before her books are open at the Britomart clinic! We caught up for a little Q&A session to get to know her better…
Tell us about how you got started in Skin Therapy…
I first started in the industry when I was 19. As a young person, I didn’t always feel so confident with how I looked and I become interested in skincare, makeup etc. This is what lead me to study beauty therapy and once I started studying I become really passionate about skin, I wanted to be able to help people achieve amazing skin and feel confident going out without makeup, I also love how when you feel good about yourself and how you look it actually transforms other areas of your life.
What led you to The Face Place?
I have been a fan of The Face Place for years – if you asked my previous co-workers – it was always a business I talked about and even told my clients to go to as it was the only place I fully trusted for injectable treatments. It has always been a goal of mine to work here!
What are you looking forward to about working at TFP?
I am really looking forward to learning more in the industry as I know all the clinicians at The Face Place are experts in their field and I am just so excited to be part of the team and to start seeing clients.
What are your favourite treatments to perform and why?
My favourite treatment has always been micro needling as it treats a number of concerns. But I feel that may change to vitamin A peels because the results that I have been shown are amazing.
What can clients expect when they come to see you?
When clients come to see me they can expect that I will always do my best to give them a great experience. I truly care for my clients and I want to deliver the best possible results. I try to live by the motto that if someone comes into contact with me I want them to feel happier for meeting me.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like going for walks, playing squash with my partner, going to the beach, swimming in the ocean and snowboarding.
My heart goes to everyone affected by the heavy rains and flash flooding over the last week. I sincerely hope you are safe, warm and dry, in your own homes, and for those who have been flooded and evacuated, I hope you have good support and get back to your homes soon. I know several of our team have dropped things off at the evacuation centres, and I’ve been so proud of how our team has responded. Our lovely nurse Beck lives in Puhoi and got stranded in Albany on Friday night when her bus got flooded. She was rescued by one of our other team members, Teresa, and stayed with her the night. We decided to close on Saturday to ensure everyone was safe, as we care for the safety of our team and patients first and foremost. Fortunately, our team has come off relatively OK with some flooded basements and leaky houses, but nothing devastating. Our wishes and condolences go to those who have lost family or livelihoods, as I know so many have been badly affected. As was pointed out in our ‘Hive’ of Allergan trainers – so far it’s been 3 years of calamities of biblical proportions – bushfires, erupting volcanoes, ‘plague’ and now floods… hopefully this is the last of them!
A big celebration for the last month was Chinese New Year, where we welcomed the Year of The Rabbit! Gong xi fā cái – wishing you prosperity and good fortune.
The first weekend of Chinese New Year I was flown over to Sydney for our first full face-to-face, in-person Allergan Faculty Meeting since the lockdowns in 2020. It was so wonderful to see friends and colleagues from the faculty and have a good catch-up, as well as take part in some awesome workshops learning better ultrasound, leadership and research skills! We had some really informative sessions on how to critically appraise research papers, and the meeting was held at the Allergan Medical Institute’s ‘new’ training centre. It’s been open for over a year, but with travel restrictions and everything else, the kiwi contingent missed its official opening and this was our first viewing. At lunch, we had a beautiful bunch of ‘flowers’ that was actually spectacularly iced cupcakes (I ate the icing and left the muffin behind 😹)! The surprises continued… we stayed at the Shangri- La, and had a wonderful surprise when we got back to the hotel having an Ang Pao (lucky red packet) on our pillows! It was also a wonderful opportunity to catch up with one of my besties, Mal, for dinner on Friday night, so I came away from the weekend with both my heart and brain full of goodness!
A sunny morning walk to the Sydney Opera House.
Allergan Faculty Meeting friends and colleagues.
Out for dinner with my good friend Mal.
At the end of last year we welcomed Tegan to the team as our fabulous new medical skin therapist in Takapuna (OMG, she gives the BEST facial massage, even just having her clean my face is bliss!), and now we welcome Sheridyn, who will be joining Lauren and Bryony in Britomart! After struggling for months to find the perfect skin therapist to join our team, we found two, and they are both amazing! Sheridyn is currently going through our intensive onboarding and training process, but we’re super excited that she’ll soon be available to see patients 🤩 With our lovely nurse Camille coming back from maternity leave on the 22nd of February, we will finally be back to a full team! I want to thank you for your patience over the last 18 months as we have navigated various forms of maternity leave, and health leave and finding the right people to join our incredible TFP family.
We had our first full team training day for the year last Tuesday and dedicated the afternoon to practising how to deal with the very rare but serious ‘emergency scenarios’ such as anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction), cardiac arrest and filler-related blindness so that everyone on the team knows how to recognise and manage them, and what their specific role might be if they ever did occur. We have fortunately never seen any of these emergencies in our clinic (thankfully), but that is even more reason to practice the protocols. Our senior team – Marjorie, Marilou and Sanja – ran different scenarios in each room, and each deserves an Oscar for their acting! We mixed the scenarios up with some fainting and panic attacks, which can sometimes look like anaphylaxis or cardiac arrest, just to keep the team on their toes! We had loads of fun, learnt heaps, and were able to make some subtle improvements to our processes to make things more efficient if anything ever did happen. I’m so proud of the teamwork and skills our team displayed, and I think we all came away more confident we could handle an emergency should anything ever occur in our clinic (🤞🤞 it never does).
Cupcake flowers at the Allergan Faculty lunch.
The TFP full-team Emergency Scenario training.
Trialling the EmFace technology.
If you’ve been watching my social media, you might have noticed some stories come up about a new non-surgical face-lifting device I’ve been trialling. I’ve been watching colleagues I respect talk about EmFace overseas, so when I was offered the chance to be one of the first in NZ to trial the technology, I jumped at it! The results I’ve seen in the company’s photos after a course of just 4 treatments have been impressive, and it works well alongside injectables, as the EmFace technology electrically stimulates the ‘lifting’ muscles of the face: the forehead muscle, frontalis; and the smile muscles, zygomaticus major and minor, and risorius; as well as stimulating collagen and elastin to thicken the skin and soften lines and wrinkles, using radiofrequency to gently heat the skin to 42 degrees. Three pads are applied to the face – one on the forehead and one on each cheek – and I found the sensation quite pleasant… it feels warm and a bit ‘prickly’, like lots of caterpillars walking on your skin where the pads are. When the muscles are stimulated the forehead lifts and the smile muscles contract, which feels funny but quite OK. The stimulation of the lifting muscles is meant to tone them so they are more active, and patients who have had the treatment report a more defined jawline, fuller cheeks, lifted brows and softened wrinkles in the cheeks and forehead. It’s good for those who are nervous about injectables, and it’s also great alongside the injectable treatments as it enhances the results we can achieve. I’m super excited about it!
The only other technology that comes close to EmFace is another new technology called Trilift, which uses RF, RF needling and Electrical Muscle Stimulation, but does it in a slightly different way, so I’m going to trial that technology as well, to compare. The Trilift is a 6-treatment course, while EmFace is 4 treatments each spaced a week apart. Both would potentially be around $5-6k for a course of treatments, and results tend to last about a year before needing some maintenance. If I decide to go with one of the machines, we will be the first clinic in NZ to have it, so watch this space in the next newsletter!
I’m heading back to Sydney on the 9th and 10th of February for the EmFace official launch but will have to watch the recordings from the masterclass on the 11th, as I’m coming back that day to take my step mum to Ed Sheeran for her birthday. She has been looking forward to the concert for months, and after the last few years, my focus is family first.
I’ve been really missing my dad over the last few days, and have had some big sobbing sessions today. I’m not sure if it’s the weather, or that my phone keeps flashing up photos of him, or that I went and watched the new Avatar movie in 3D and felt completely overwhelmed by the rollercoaster of intense emotions that it evoked! I understand it’s a natural part of the grief process, and so I just go with it and allow the emotion to come up and move through me.
It’s been a pretty emotional last few years for a lot of people, but it’s times like this that people really come together and community plays an even more important role. If you are struggling in any way, please reach out for help – talk to family, friends, your GP or a helpline. Having been through tough times myself I know it can feel pretty overwhelming at times, but tough times pass, and it’s amazing how much easier they are when you have other people supporting you. As my psychologist Geraldine said at our last session, sometimes even just telling someone immediately helps to lighten the load.
I’ve found that as my stress increases, self-care becomes even more important, and I love that our clinic helps to nurture and support so many people just by virtue of the fact that we care, and we offer so many incredible treatments that help people feel better. A favourite stress buster is the Healite LED light, with a gorgeous relaxing head and neck massage.
For me, another way to manage stress is learning new things, as it builds new neural networks and new skills that can help us manage our lives more successfully. Part of what brings me joy is training people in the things that I’m passionate about. We had another very successful Profhilo Workshop last month, and have our Vampire Academy and Hyalase Workshop planned for this month. We’re also very excited to have the amazing plastic surgeon Rita Yang giving a talk on ‘How to respectfully consult with the gender-diverse patient’ on the 14th of Feb. If you are a cosmetic injector, you can join us in these training sessions and can register here. Part of a successful community is understanding and respecting diversity, so I’m thrilled that we will be learning some more tools around this very important topic.
We’ve seen some incredible community spirit both at work and in my street the last few days (houses on the lower side of our street all got flooded in the rains), and I hope that continues. Thank you for being part of our community, and for all your love and support over the rollercoaster of the last few years. Without people like you supporting us, we wouldn’t have such an incredible business and a wonderful team of amazing people. We look forward to seeing you in clinic soon!
Happy New Year and a big welcome to 2023! I hope you’ve had a lovely break with family and friends, and that much good health, happiness and great abundance await us all in the year ahead!
In February we welcome the lovely Camille back from her maternity leave – we are excited and delighted to have her back in clinic, and it also means we now finally have a full team back on board, after 3 years of massive disruption in our schedule due to lockdowns, maternity leave and lots of health leave due to Covid and other illnesses. We currently have a few people on annual leave, but now is a good time to book and get your appointments in place for the next few months!
My planned surgery for 13 December didn’t proceed, as I unfortunately, got Covid the week before surgery and had to isolate at home. We had just finished moving house, so I got to know my new room very well! Luckily we have a gorgeous sunny wee alcove where I could read my books when I felt up to it. Anaesthetists won’t do a general anaesthetic for elective surgery for at least 8 weeks after Covid, so with my travel plans for the first part of this year, it has now been pushed out to 11 May.
I also very sadly missed my nephew Lachie’s 10th birthday party in Ashburton thanks to Covid, so I had a LOT of luggage when I went down just a few weeks later for our family Christmas. It was our first Christmas without dad, so there were a few tears and shared memories here and there – it was poignant and the first of many important ‘firsts’ without him. Thank you to the people who reached out to me over that time to see how I was coping, it was so lovely to have your support!
In the days before Xmas, we visited some of the Xmas light displays around Ashburton as a family, and then just enjoyed hanging out and keeping things casual for Xmas day. We celebrated my sister-in-law Grace’s birthday up at the Methven Hot Pools on the 28th, and it was wonderful to just have time together as a family.
Off to Ashburton with excess luggage!
Christmas light viewing with my nephews.
Soaking in the Methven Hot Pools.
On the 29th I flew to Rarotonga for New Years – a last-minute decision by a couple of us to join friends living over here… and yes, I’m still here! I was meant to fly back last Sunday, but with the storms in NZ, I’ve been caught up here and will now be returning back next weekend, unless an earlier flight becomes available. It’s been a wonderful way to see out the old year and welcome in the new energy of 2023 – a beautiful blend of active and relaxing, staying with friends right on the beach and doing SUP, snorkelling, walks, massages, lunches and dinners – and pretty much a daily fruit icecream! We did a sunset lilo drift every day for the first few days, including in the middle of a storm, with us giggling and being smashed by waves while being blown back to shore! My favourite activities so far have been getting our ‘team uniforms’ super muddy with Raro buggy tours, and then washing off in a waterfall, and going to ura (the traditional hip gyrating dance) fitness classes with the locals – those ladies can move!
Lilo drifting in paradise
Adventures with the girls.
Real fruit ice cream every day 🙂
Pre-Raro Buggy Tour…
During the Raro Buggy Tour…
Post-Raro Buggy Tour at the waterfalls for a swim!
Another highlight was swimming with the turtles with Louisa and Albe from Ocean Toa. They have such respect and care for these majestic creatures, and also have a beautiful way to give back to the local community, with $10 from each person paying for a tour going to their educational program – Ocean Tamariki – which teaches local children ocean and lifesaving skills so they can be more confident in the water. It’s great to see a small local business doing such great things!
We saw out the old year having to stop and swap cars on the side of the road due to a faulty wheel (pretty symbolic of the last year in many ways!) and we saw in the new year with dinner and dancing at Tamarind House – one of the nicest restaurants on the island – and fireworks at Muri Beach. Let’s hope it bodes well for an auspicious year ahead!
Swimming with turtles care of the Ocean Toa team was incredible.
Fishing time!
The best memories with great friends.
While over here, I’ve been using a wonderful tool called Year Compass to reflect on the learnings from the last year and set intentions for the year ahead. While I know a lot of us experienced significant challenges last year, it’s been great to look back and reflect on the positive impacts these have had, or how it has helped me learn and grow. I’ve definitely shed a few tears looking back at the times with dad, and his passing and funeral, but I also had so much joy from that process, and really feel like it brought our little family even closer together. While Tamoxifen and Covid completely kicked my butt and knocked both my physical and mental health, they also pushed me to work more ‘on’ the business and less ‘in’ the business.
The year ahead for me has a real focus on family, travel and bucket list items – I’ll be going to Mexico at the end of February to spend time with my mum, before going to Monaco for AMWC – one of the biggest and best conferences in our industry – then to Brazil (a bucket list place) for the first time for a friend’s wedding (rescheduled from 2020), before heading to a leadership conference in Capetown and hopefully gorilla trekking in Rwanda (another bucket list item). From there I’ll call in to see one of my ‘conference wives’ (good friends in the industry that go to conferences together) in Jo’Burg, and then home for my surgery in May. My experiences with my health in the last few years have reinforced my YOLO attitude to life!
After two cancer journeys plus two serious scares in the last year, along with not tolerating the cancer-preventing medication Tamoxifen, I have had a real fear of the cancer coming back. At the end of last year, I started seeing a psychologist to work on this, alongside the grief from my dad’s passing. My hope is that with their help, I will come out even stronger from these experiences, and can inspire others going through these journeys. For the last 2-3 years, my mantra has been ‘where is the opportunity in this challenge’, and I’m excited to learn some more tools to help me make the most of these challenges.
Whether 2023 brings joy and success or more challenges – or most likely, a mix of both – I hope that whatever this year brings you takes you closer to the things that bring joy into your life! For me, I’ve realised that these are training, travel and experiences with family or friends. I’m so grateful for your support over the last few years as I’ve been navigating the changes in my life, and send all my love and blessings for a wonderful year ahead, whatever it brings!
Red veins/capillaries or vascularity (also referred to as spider veins) are a common concern and one that our Medical Skin Therapists see regularly. To understand the ins and outs of how they’re formed, the possible causes and treatment, we caught up with our super-talented Skin Therapist Bryony for a brief run down…
What are capillaries/vascularity/spider veins?
These are widened blood vessels visible near the skin’s surface, also known are telangiectasia or referred to as spider veins. Often harmless but sometimes associated with several medical conditions.
What causes them to form?
These can be caused by a vast number of reasons, although chronic uv/environmental exposure is one of the leading causes we see in clinic. Smoking, anything that causes chronic inflammation in the skin, repeated sinus infections, pregnancy, trauma. Anything that accelerates a breakdown of supportive tissue, such as collagen and elastin, means the tissue is more vulnerable to damage, thereby exacerbating the condition as we age. Often it is a combination of these factors over a long period of time that will cause them. And as the skin becomes thinner vessels are more visiable. Some people are more genetically predisposed to telangiectasia – people of English, Scottish, and Irish descent and people who carry the mc1R gene (redhead gene).
What can IPL and Laser treatment do to help?
IPL and laser work by using light energy to target specific chromophores (targets) in the skin. Pigments in hair and skin are targeted but also hemoglobin (blood). The blood supply is cauterized, and the vessels shut down. This often requires a series of treatments taken between four to 6 weeks. It is common to start with IPL treatment and then treat stubborn vessels individually if needed with laser.
Pre-treatment
Post 4x full-face IPL treatments spaced 4 weeks apart. Established on medical-grade homecare prior to starting treatment.
Pre-treatment
Post 4x full-face IPL treatments spaced 4 weeks apart. Established on medical-grade homecare prior to starting treatment.
Finally, there is no quick fix! Though IPL and Laser treatment can remove the vessels, it is not treating the cause therefore they will often return if the skin is not supported with appropriate essential nutrients. Utilising SPF, and topical vitamin A and C to support and protect the skin before and post-treatment are necessary in order to achieve and maintain results.
Find out more about IPL treatment here and read Skin Team Leader Lauren’s blog about whether IPL is right for you.
Now is a great time to be making your skin a priority. If you’re new you can book an Initial Skin Consultation with me or Lauren in our Britomart clinic or the lovely Tegan based at Takapuna. Otherwise, if you’re already a skin client of ours, book a skin catch-up with your current Skin Therapist to review and plan your treatments for the year ahead!
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.
