Well, it’s definitely starting to feel like winter has hit – brrrrr! Fortunately, it’s a great time of year to have your IPL treatments if that is part of your skin plan. If you are curious about what IPL can do for your redness, rosacea, brown spots/pigmentation, and general skin texture, it might be worth seeing one of our skin team to take advantage of our IPL offer! You will need to have your skin properly ‘prepped’ with the appropriate medical grade skin care before you proceed with IPL, as the treatments we provide use a medical grade machine that is much ‘gruntier’ than the cheaper beauty therapy grade machines commonly used for cheap deals. Having your skin prepped means you will get much better results and less chance of side effects, to keep you safe and maximise your the results of your treatment.
There have been lots of events, training opportunities, and workshops again this month. One of these was the AST Aspect Platinum launch where we were awarded a plaque for being one of the inaugural clinics to be offered the range in NZ. The launch was very well attended by our team – we were the biggest team there – and we were in excellent company, with many of the top boutique or high-end clinics in NZ also attending.
I have been using the Platinum range since I got back from overseas, and Tegan has noticed a dramatic change in my skin. The range is designed for perimenopausal and menopausal skin, so it probably makes sense! There are higher concentrations of some incredible skin ingredients in the Aspect Platinum formulations, and at the event, the CEO, Heather, spoke about how it can be a ‘workout’ for the skin and sometimes take a little getting used to – like upping your weights at the gym after being the same for a long time – but quite honestly I found it a reasonably easy transition. We have worked with AST and Aspect since 2003, when I first looked at the Cosmedix skin range over in the US, and they were the local distributor. So it has been an honour to be part of the journey leading to the development of the Platinum range. You’ll see the big grey recycling boxes in clinic, so remember to ask if it might be right for you.
Our Pink Ribbon event on 25 May was a great success – raising $1000 for breast cancer with some wonderful guests who came to explore a ‘behind the scenes’ look at some of our treatments, and hear me share my breast cancer story. Our guests were divided into smaller groups for the activities and got to play with some expired dermal filler to see what the different products feel like, and then watch as we dissolved it with the hyaluronidase enzyme. They then had the opportunity to observe demos of the Vampire Facial Plus (with Eve), Nutritional Peels (with Sheridyn), and my favorite new toy EmFace (with Tegan), and ask their questions in an intimate setting. We had a really good response to the demos, and then when I was sharing my story, I had a wee moment where I burst into tears, which was completely unexpected (especially by me!). We had some wonderful support, with Ehab from BTL attending to help with the EmFace demo (and bringing some yummy EmFace cupcakes!) and Kennedy from Kontent & Co taking lots of incredible photos during the event, plus our incredible team did an amazing job of organising the day. Thank you to everyone who was involved! 🙏💗
Nurses Queza & Beck have written an informative blog on using fillers to create more masculine features by strengthening the chin, cheeks, and jawline, sharing some of the latest knowledge our team learned in the Advanced Masculinisation Workshop that was facilitated for them last month. We have always had a relatively high number of male patients coming through the doors, and this is definitely an area of increasing demand. Check out the blog if you haven’t already!
As part of the training faculty for Allergan – who make Botox®️ and Juvederm®️ – I was able to remotely attend a live stream of Mauricio de Maio’s MD Codes Immersion 2-day course in Bangkok. Mauricio is the inventor of the MD Codes, an ‘architectural’ way of using larger volumes of dermal filler to create almost surgical-type results, while still keeping the face looking natural.
We use a mix of the architectural MD Codes and a more tailored ‘artistic’ approach in our treatments, but occasionally there are patients who might benefit from the full MD Codes system. Mauricio was using 12-20 syringes of filler in a patient in one session, and creating an incredible ‘wow’ before and after, but even he says that the ideal plan is to do 4 syringes per session and a month between treatments. Most of our patients don’t require these large volumes, and we modify his techniques to use smaller amounts while tailoring them to the person or go completely into the artistic realm where we can get subtle but significant change with small volumes placed in just the right area – whatever technique we use, it is tailored to the individual with the aim of getting the best possible results. I learned a few new techniques to share with the team and was especially excited to see the live stream as two of my dear friends from the faculty were speaking on stage with Mauricio, as they have been mentored by him over the last few years.
Yesterday we ran an industry-first Complications Workshop where the cosmetic doctors and nurses attending were invited to submit interesting or complex complications they had experienced, then research the possible causes and latest management of these complications, and present their learnings to a group of peers – both from TFP and from other clinics – as a powerful educational experience.
This format is loosely based on the ‘Grand Round’ format which is used for multidisciplinary team learning (for doctors, nurses, physios, OT, etc) in the hospitals. Fortunately, our industry has very few serious complications, but sometimes there are complex cases that might not look like exactly one of the normal complications. These cases – while rare – take a bit more brainpower, and the research is constantly updating and changing, so this was a great opportunity for everyone involved to think, learn and grow. It was a great success and we look forward to holding these sessions at least annually moving forward.
While supporting our team in honing their case presentation skills, I’m also currently working on my own presentation for EmFace, as I have been invited to speak about it at The Clinical Aesthetics Symposium this Friday! It is an honour to be invited to speak and looks like it’s shaping up to be an excellent learning event for our industry.
I’ve been pretty quiet this month, recovering from my (hopefully final) reconstructive operation on 11 May. I’ve learned from this journey the importance of proper rest and recovery, so I spent a full two weeks at home resting, sleeping, and recovering, and have slowly been getting back into a little bit more activity. I’m recovering pretty well from the nipple reconstruction and fat grafting to improve the shape of my breast, although some of my donor sites are still a bit sore and slower to heal. I’ll be heading off to Bali for some sun and further healing in the middle of this month, and will hopefully be fully healed and almost back to my normal self by the time I get back! It’s been a long and tumultuous journey since first being diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2020, but like the rest of the world coming out of Covid, I finally feel like things are starting to come back to normal. I’m going to give it a couple of months to make sure this feeling is sustained, as I have had ups and then crashes in the past… but it finally feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel!
If you supported some of the Pink Ribbon 🎀 initiatives around NZ this month, Thank You, from the bottom of my heart 💗. The Breast Cancer Foundation NZ does so much for people and families affected by breast cancer.
As we rattle towards the shortest day of the year this month, please stay warm, healthy, and beautiful! Take care of yourself and those you love, and we look forward to seeing you in clinic!
With massive cozy hugs,
Dr Cat 😻💗🤗
