It’s my first day in the magical city of Lisbon, my first time visiting Portugal, and I’m sitting on the veranda of the historic Torel Palace boutique hotel in a ray of sunshine looking out at this beautiful little city while catching up on my notes from AMWC Monaco, the biggest conference in our industry. After Portugal, I head to Brazil for a wedding and then have been invited back to Necker Island, which I’m seriously considering. I feel very blessed, I truly am living the dream 💗🙏😻
Monaco was a bit of a culture shock after being a beach hippie in Mexico for a month, and it also gave me a good slap in my energy levels, so I was in bed every night at 9.30 pm after a quiet dinner, rather than heading out socialising and networking until the early hours as I’ve done in the past! It was lovely to catch up with many dear friends who teach at the top levels of our industry and to discuss existing and upcoming treatments with them. This year while there was nothing truly groundbreaking (other than EmFace, which we already have!), there were lots of ‘tweaks’ that we can implement in clinic, including some new techniques using BotoxⓇ in the neck to provide a better definition of the jawline. Give us a month or two to play with the treatments and you’ll start to see some tweaks and changes.
A big change that you will start to notice in clinic is our transition to becoming paperless (finally!). When I started the clinic almost 22 years ago, I had the intention then of becoming paperless – it only took 22 years! 🤷♀️ After Easter you’ll start to see us using iPads again, this time with the ability to input your notes directly into the system. You will also be sent your forms electronically to complete before attending your appointment – if you can do this before your appointment it means we have more time to focus on you and your concerns. It has taken a lot of work to find and develop a system that is robust, confidential, and (relatively) easy to navigate and I am so proud of the work our team has put in to bring it to life! Please bear with us as we have the inevitable teething issues, but we are super excited to finally ‘go live’ after a lot of work and training behind the scenes. Please feel free to send us your ideas and feedback as we implement the system – with your help we can make it even better!
I had a lovely month in Mexico with my mum, and was joined by my friend Rani for the last two weeks, which livened things up a bit! I was looking after my health with sunrise meditations on the beach, and evening walks with my mum and stepdad David along the beach to watch the sunset. Rani and I were fortunate to go out whale watching on a boat and we saw eagle rays jumping out of the water, and went swimming with them! We had lots of fun adventures like snorkelling, ecstatic dancing, and featuring in a promotional video! If you want to see more of my adventures in Mexico, you can check out my ‘Mexico 2023’ highlights reel on my Instagram – @drcatstone. Rani was incredible at capturing our holiday with the most amazing videos and photos! I was quite tearful saying goodbye to my mum, but incredibly grateful for the sunshine, swimming in the waves each day, beautiful food, and great company. Mum and David are building a house there, so I know I’ll be returning again – they’ve even built a ‘Cat Suite’ for me to stay in when I visit!
I’m still super excited about EmFace, and can’t wait to get back for my next treatment, which will be in May when I return to NZ. EmFace even got a mention in the latest Fashion Quarterly magazine! We are currently treating a patient with Bell’s Palsy (paralysis of one side of the face due to damage of the facial nerve) to see if we can help improve the tone of the paralysed muscles, so I’m super excited to see the results from that! I’ve also had friends and patients who have had the treatment messaging me about the immediate results they are seeing and how excited they are about them! If you are curious about EmFace and interested in a consultation to see if it’s appropriate for you, please get in touch with our wonderful team. Our reception team can answer most of the common general questions, but if you are specifically interested in whether it’s appropriate for you, you’re best to make an appointment for a consultation.
I will be running a training session on treating Bell’s Palsy patients with injectables on 2 May for our team, and have decided to open it up to other injectors in the industry. If you’re interested or know someone who might be, please check our social media and training section of the website over the next few weeks to register!
We are delighted to welcome the lovely Mel to the Britomart team on reception. She will be taking over from Isaac and we wish Isaac all the very best in his future endeavors. Mel is warm and bubbly, and has recently moved from the Philippines with her husband and four-year-old son. She has an excellent background in customer service and we are sure she’ll be a fabulous addition to our amazing team!
We are also excited to be running a Pink Ribbon Event this year at our Takapuna clinic. We will be showcasing many of the treatments people are curious about if they haven’t had them, with live demos of EmFace, nutritional skin peels, and Vampire Facial Plus, and will have a touch-and-play station where you can play with the different types of fillers direct from the syringe, to see and feel how they are different. We will also show you the filler dissolving process with hyaluronidase, and how quickly it works on HA filler. You’ll have the opportunity to ask all your burning questions about these therapies or anything else in the clinic, and you’ll receive a TFP voucher equivalent to the price you pay for the ticket. All ticket sales from the event will go to the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ. Find out more and purchase your ticket for the event here.
Breast cancer has certainly been a bigger and longer journey for me than I originally anticipated. We know that 1 in 8 NZ women will experience breast cancer, so I feel so very fortunate that my journey has been one of survival – I’m very conscious there are many who don’t have that privilege. We have so many patients who have been affected by this disease, and I’m keen for us to provide support for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ and all the incredible work they do with education, screening, and lobbying for change.
Most of all I’m very grateful for our incredible team, who run the clinic so smoothly while I continue to focus on my recovery, and the support of our wonderful patients like you, who are the lifeblood of our business and the reason we are excited to get up in the morning and come to work.
Obrigada and tchau (thank you and bye) from Portugal.
Sending lots of love and hugs,
