The Harley Street Journal

Bi-monthly newspaper for the cosmetic and plastic surgery sector

News

Men warned about Botox and cosmetic surgery risks

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Men feel “just as much pressure as women” to have cosmetic procedures in order to look good.

That’s according to Save Face – the national register for professionals who carry out things like fillers and Botox.

The warning comes as a BBC survey suggests nearly 50% of men between 18-30 “might consider” having a procedure.

The government is about to launch a campaign in England to tackle cosmetic treatments that go wrong.

The survey, commissioned by Radio 1 Newsbeat and the Victoria Derbyshire programme, found that of those who’d had a cosmetic procedure in the past, abdominal implants and Botox were among the most common.

Save Face says they get more men visiting their site than women now and the number of complaints from them has risen dramatically.

“There is a definite trend of men seeking these procedures and in turn men who are suffering complications when procedures go wrong,” says Ashton Collins from the group.

She says images on social media and programmes like Love Island and Geordie Shore are partly responsible for men wanting to change their bodies.

As part of this BBC survey of around 2,000 men and women, respondents were asked what part of them they would most like to change – the most popular choices among men were their stomach and chest, with 34% selecting them.

Deltapoll surveyed 2,033 British adults aged 18-30. 

NHS hospitals see a six-fold rise in corrective surgery

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It’s been reported that NHS hospitals have seen a six-fold rise in corrective surgery on Brits, possibly as a result of celebrity culture. 

Jackie Doyle-Price, Mental Health Minister, blames reality shows such as Love Island, The Only Way Is Essex and Absolutely Ascot for fuelling a trend in cosmetic surgery – because they give young viewers unrealistic ideas about body image.

She’s demanded TV firms do more to stamp out ads during the hit show that encourage the cosmetic work.

Ms. Doyle-Price has pleaded with people to think twice before heading abroad to take advantage of cheap cosmetic surgery, warning that “the risk of procedures going wrong can cause devastating long-term damage to their physicaland mental health.”

And for those who do go ahead with surgery she urged them to check their practitioner is properly qualified before getting work done.

One study at the Royal London Hospital found a six-fold increase in demand last year for urgent follow-up care resulting from procedures done abroad since 2013.

The hospital spent more than £63,000 to repair botched surgery done overseas.

Meanwhile the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London had to treat 12 patients with infected fillers in the last year – costing £40,000.

She added: “The truth is we all come in different sizes. If people want to change aspects of their appearance that is fine, but they need to understand that all these procedures come with risk.”

“When it comes to fundamental operations such as boob ops, we are seeing more and more people going abroad because it’s cheap.

“I would say – please don’t do it because we are saying more and more people coming back to this country and the NHS having to put problems right.”

Ms Doyle-Price said people are travelling to places like Turkey, India and eastern Europe to have cosmetic surgery procedures that are banned in the UK.

She warned: “These people are having the Brazilian butt lift, which gives you a bottom like Kim Kardashian’s – even though that is a procedure banned in this country.”

The mental heath minister said a recent episode of TOWIE had shown someone having lip fillers done.

And she pointed to the example of Dawn Knight who couldn’t close her eyes after a botched procedure. The mother of two had to have corrective surgery that cost the NHS thousands of pounds.

Ms Doyle-Price said: “These co-called reality TV series are still promoting lifestyles which are semi-fantasy.

“It’s great to have a bit of escapism but no one should feel they have to aspire to be like these people. It’s still entertainment, it’s not real – and it can lead to real harm and cost to the NHS.”

SkinGlo announces new manufacturing and warehouse premises

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SkinGlo is proud to announce that they have invested in a new, bespoke manufacturing and warehouse premises at Eagle Park, Derby. 

The facility will produce a quarter of a million bottles of their liquid nutritional supplements per day.

David Campbell, Director, said: “Orders for our product range keep increasing as the wider market is becoming more aware of the benefits of nutricosmetics, liquid supplements for health and consumable collagen. 

“In recent months demand has increased significantly, so our production needs to scale swiftly. Rest assured we will still conform to our strict GMP guidelines, production values and quality systems

“In order to create the bespoke manufacturing layout, we commissioned an DSP and Interior specialist to produce the turnkey design & fit out, converting an empty shell into a fully functional production facility.

“Our Eagle Park development follows 18 months of consistent growth for us, which has included increasing our team with ten new members fulfilling roles right across the business.

“We’ve always believed that the future success of our organisation lies in our people. We’re delighted to be bringing in new talent to help us take the business to the next level.” 

The premises are now open.

Instagram clamps down on cosmetic surgery posts

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Body positivity campaigners are celebrating after Instagram announced new rules for posts about weight loss products and cosmetic surgery.

Some posts will be hidden from under-18s while others promoting “miraculous” weight loss products will be removed. 

There have been increasing concerns over the impact promoting diet products can have on young people.

Actor and campaigner Jameela Jamil said the move was a “huge win” in the fight against the diet and detox industry.

How do the new changes work?

Unrealistic “get thin quick” promotions will be taken down and young people will be restricted from viewing some posts related to dieting and cosmetic surgery if they have an incentive to buy. 

Users will be able to report posts they think violate the policy, and Instagram will review them to decide whether they need to be restricted or taken down.

The changes will also apply to Facebook, which owns Instagram.

But the restrictions will only apply to users that Instagram knows are younger than 18 – and the app does not ask users for their date of birth when they sign up.

Instead, users signing up are simply asked to tick a box declaring themselves over 18 or not. If they sign up using a Facebook account, their age information is pulled from their Facebook profile – which is also not usually verified.

Why is Instagram changing?

There has been increasing concern over the effect the cosmetic and diet industry is having on people through the promotion of unrealistic goals.

In February, the medical director of National Health Service England, Stephen Powis, called for a ban on celebrity-endorsed social media ads promoting weight loss aids, stating that products were having a damaging effect on the physical and mental health of young people.

A BBC investigation found children swapping graphic images of weight loss and advice on how to make their illnesses more extreme were commonon the platform.

Emma Collins, Instagram’s public policy manager said: “We want Instagram to be a positive place for everyone that uses it and this policy is part of our ongoing work to reduce the pressure that people can sometimes feel as a result of social media.”

Advice had been sought from experts in the field of social media policy, she added.

Professor Chris Bunker wins Sir Archibald Gray Medal

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The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) is pleased to announce that Professor Chris Bunker, past-president of the BAD (2012-2014), is the winner of the 2019 Sir Archibald Gray Medal.

Named after the founder of the BAD, the Sir Archibald Gray Medal is awarded as the BAD’s ultimate accolade for outstanding services to dermatology.

Professor Bunker is a Consultant at the University College London Hospital. 

Women missing from breast implant register

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About one in three NHS clinics and one in four private ones offering breast implant surgery in England have not submitted any patient data to a national safety registry.

NHS Digital set up the service in 2016 after the PIP (Poly Implant Prothese) breast implants scandal. 

Poor record-keeping at the time of the scandal meant many of the thousands of women affected were unable to find out if they had been given faulty implants.

Women in England who have had breast implant surgery are being urged to make sure their details are added to the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry so that they can be easily traced if something were to go wrong with any brand of implant.

Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price said: “It’s vital that patients undergoing breast implant procedures encourage their surgeons to record their details on the registry, to safeguard their health.

“The confidential record allows patients to be contacted if their safety is at risk and will hopefully give people the confidence they need when making decisions on surgery.”

Rajiv Grover, of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said it was quick and simple for health professionals to register their patients’ records.

And he hoped more women would be happy to join the register. 

“The PIP scandal underlines the importance of having a national register,” he said. “Had there been one at the time, tracing the people who might need to be assessed and treated would have been much easier.”

UK’s stem cell bank say cosmetic surgery could be dramatically improved with the use of stem cells

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Experts say that penis enlargement, along with a host of other cosmetic surgical procedures, can be significantly aided by using tissue grown from stem cells, which is the same as the body’s own natural material.

This new age of ‘plastic’ surgery will, say the UK’s stem cell bank StemProtect.co.uk, use no synthetic or harmful materials at all, and will instead be done using exclusively cells grown from the cells people can store in stem cell banks.

A combination of fat collected via liposuction, and healthy stem cells from a patient’s own body, can provide a new form of penis, breast and bottom augmentation that far surpasses any kind of enhancement surgery available before.

The benefits for patients are many. As it’s taken from the patients themselves, the body is far less likely to reject the material used for the enhancements. This makes surgery a much less risky procedure for patients, and could improve recovery times as well as making the results look much more natural than alternatives.

And in addition, the augmented parts will age better than synthetic materials and are less likely to need correcting at any point in the future.

In previous years, some patients who have undergone breast augmentation have hit the headlines when their implants have leaked or even exploded, causing health problems as well as a great deal of distress.

A spokesperson for StemProtect.co.uk said: “We’re entering a new age of cosmetic surgery, one which is striving to not only look more natural than ever before, but which is also seeking to use more and more natural materials and procedures to achieve the finished look.

“People are now very aware that natural is better, but at the same time they want to improve their appearance wherever they can. The result is something that stem cells can really help with, growing tissue from a person’s own cells so that it’s not rejected by the body.

“Nowhere is this more useful than in complicated and sensitive surgeries such as penis enlargement. Anything other than natural tissue is always a big risk, but with stem cells you can effectively just improve on nature using all the original materials.”

The same process can also be used to make breasts and bottoms bigger, both procedures that are increasingly becoming commonplace as people take advantage of the falling cost of cosmetic surgery.

In a survey carried out by StemProtect.co.uk, 95% of those surveyed said they would consider stem cell procedures over traditional plastic surgery if they were to choose one of the two in the future.

Sarah, 29, is currently considering a breast augmentation and is researching her options. She said: “I’m being really careful and not rushing into booking anything just yet. Your health is really important, so even though I do want the procedure I want it to be as safe as possible.

“The idea that I could use my own cells instead of adding anything else into my body is really appealing and I’m tempted to wait for that option before I actually get it done.”

Sarah and those like her may not have long to wait. With stem cells being hailed as the potential answer to health problems from ageing to hereditary disease, it’s no wonder they’re also now being explored as an alternative to cosmetic procedures too.

Zapping fat to look good on SnapChat

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Clinic launches combination of body contouring and skin tightening for those looking to be pretty as a picture without filters

An aesthetic clinic in Wales is offering a new cosmetic treatment designed to give social media users a simple solution to looking good on social media.

Combining non surgical body contouring and skin firming treatments, The ME Clinic in Cardiff is helping snap-happy folk feel more confident on popular apps like Snapchat.

Having been inundated with clients seeking body reshaping and skin rejuvenation to feelmore confident both in real life and on social media platforms, the team at The ME Clinic believe this is due to celebrity culture.

Social apps that rely mainly on photos, such as Snapchat and Instagram, are behind the rise in young men and women seeking fat reduction treatments, according to The ME Clinic.

Offering clients body contouring, fat reduction and skin tightening treatments all without surgery, these 30 minute fat-zapping procedures are proving more popular with those under 35.

Lipofirm Pro is a non-surgical treatment loved by celebrities including Kerry Katona and Katie Price, and offers quick, safe and simple skin firming and body contouring designed to offer subtle reshaping results.

You’ve probably heard of the body contouring treatment Lipofirm Pro, but how does it work?

We can all be affected by our waist sizes, or those annoying lumps and bumps that we just can’t seem to shift.

The treatment is incredibly straightforward. An experienced professional will use the specialised device to heat and stimulate areas of the body and face. By engaging the fat cells and skin with heat, the treatment, in turn, acts in a squeezing motion; the clenching andreleasing motion which is created stimulates the release of fat cells.

During body treatments, Lipofirm Pro will be used to firmly massage the targeted area, essentially destroying the fat cells which will be removed naturally through the lymph. Removing the fat from the area and displacing it for removal is effective, as the fat removed will result in inches lost around the waist.

Results can be seen after the first treatment, but to achieve the best results, the practitioner will suggest the optimum number of treatments.

Clinic launches Tinder Toning treatment

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We all know the benefits of filters to improve our photos, but how far would you go to get attention on dating apps?

A new cosmetic treatment costing from just £150 is now available in clinics across the UK called Tinder Toning: a non-surgical skin firming beauty treatment designed to lift and contour the face.

Using Lipofirm Pro, clients can smooth fine lines, shrink pores and lift skin on the face and neck, replicating all the benefits of your favourite filter to enable you to look your best on popular dating apps that rely on photos.

Helping you look photo-ready, as well as drop dead gorgeous in real life, the Lipofirm Pro treatment – playfully coined Tinder Toning – is a safe and fast way to improve the appearance of the skin and create a flawless look.

Sagging skin on the neck, décolleté and face (along with wrinkles) are common problems associated with sun damage and ageing. This is mainly due to decreasing of collagen production as skin loses its quality. During Tinder Toning, Lipofirm Pro uses radio frequency energy to stimulate the collagen production and strengthen the skin structure.

Tinder Toning is designed to gently tone and firm the skin and improve the skin’s appearance painlessly – without the dangerous or downtime associated with invasive methods. Radiofrequency is an entirely non-surgical way of tightening loose or lax skin around the forehead, eyes, cheeks, mouth, jaw line, jowls and also the area under the chin/neck.

It heats the dermis (the deepest skin layer) through hand pieces without damaging the epidermis (the top layers of the skin), to stimulate new collagen growth and provide an improvement in skin laxity and appearance, to remodel and enhance dermal density with minimal risks.

This is a great way of reducing fine lines and wrinkles, shrinking enlarged pores and improving skin tone and texture as well as dull skin, without painful or invasive treatments – and sessions cost from just £150

New Online Skincare Superstore Launches

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The best kept secret for at-home professional skincare is now out, with the launch of a brand new online shop: Vida Essential.

A top aesthetics company has launched a new online advanced skincare outlet for men and women seeking professional skincare and anti-ageing products at affordable prices.

Offering customers access to high-end brands and skincare from the UK and Europe, such as Toskani, Vida Essential is a one-of-a-kind proposition.

On top of basic skincare products we know and love – such as moisturisers, cleansers, face scrubs and sun protection – Vida Essential offers more advanced products such as collagen boosting creams, skin tightening serums, and anti-wrinkle cocktails, as well as make-up.

With the addition of wrinkle reduction serums, glycolic acid purifying gels, and antioxidant lifting agents, as well as post-aesthetic treatment recovery skincare, this new online store promises to provide visitors of all ages with a skin health haven.

Some of the popular additions to the new Vida Essential website include:

  • Lumiderm Vitaflash: placed under makeup to immediately tighten skin
  • Radiance Eye Contour: diminishes eye bags and dark circles by improving microcirculation
  • Bamboo Hidratonic: boosts cell turnover with a gentle peeling effect

Face 9Providing brands previously only found in cosmetic clinics, Vida Essential is designed to offer women and men an online community where the most effective skincare and anti-ageing products are available at the best prices.

The same old brands found in most high-street retailers often promise much but deliver very little. This new proposition is designed to allow savvy shoppers – with an avid interest in advanced skincare – access to the products cosmetic doctors trust to improve skin, all from the comfort of home.

Eddy Emilio, Director of Vida Aesthetics and the Vida Clinic in Dorking, launched the Vida Essential after realising the of diversity in the UK marketplace meant many clients were being left unsatisfied by their skincare and post-cosmetic treatment recovery products.

“Vida Essential is the only online shop to offer prestigious and innovative retail products to the public which are both results driven and meet strict criteria for quality and effectiveness. Our brands are carefully chosen to ensure customers get the best results possible,” Eddy says.

“We are continuously seeking new products and brands in skincare, make-up and other cosmetics, so our members can be sure of new lines to try way before they hit the high-street. Our online team has years of experience in the beauty and aesthetic market so if you have a particular skin concern you need to resolve, you can contact an expert for advice on the best combination of products.”

The Vida Essential shop is now live and can be accessed via www.vidaessential.com