Skin refinement therapies at the Aura Clinic London® can be put into two broad categories: chemical exfoliation using peels, and collagen induction therapies (CIT).
These therapies not only tackle actual skin damage, e.g. acne scars, fine lines, and sun damage, but can also be used to improve skin quality, radiance and firmness in patients without undamaged skin.
Chemical peels can be if varying strengths, from mild to very deep peels.
We believe in recommending a soft approach for the majority of patients, with mild-moderate chemical peels that can be repeated over several weeks or months, and very much tailored to the individual patient’s result.
Again at the heart of our philosophy is a thorough discussion and understanding of our patients aesthetic concerns and objectives.
Chemical brands we use at Aura Clinic include Mesoestetic® and Dermaceutic®.
CIT refers to procedures that stimulate the skin into kick-starting its own regenerative, healing and renewal processes.
In all cases, this stimulation brings about increases collagen content in the skin, conferring youth, firmness and elasticity. It is quite like pressing the skin’s own biological “repair button”, accelerating the production of new skin cells, new micro blood vessels (improving the circulation to the skin), and boosts levels of proteins such as collagen and elastin.
The CIT procedures we offer range from: medical microneedling (dermaroller), mesotherapy, and of course platelet rich plasma (PRP) therapy which you can read about in our Face Couture™ section.
The dermaroller device is a one-use, sterile-packaged hand-held roller with small “micro-needles” embedded all around the rolled head (see photo in slider above). These micro-needles are 3-5 mm in length.
With the entire face disinfected and anaesthetised with local anaesthetic cream, but with the patient fully awake and alert, the dermaroller is applied in gentle rapid multi-pass movements over every part of the face, or specific area of concern. The neck and décolletage is often also treated in the same sitting, if the patient requires.
The immediate result is an appearance of blotchy red patches all over the facial skin, with a background pinkish-red glow which we call a “hyperaemia”. Although it looks alarming at first, this appearance is the strongest indication to your doctor that your treatment has started working.
The deliberate, measured minor trauma caused to the skin by the dermaroller, kick starts the skin’s natural healing response with some degree of urgency, and the first step of this is increased blood flow, which is why the face glows pinkish-red.
The blotchy red areas are patches of pinpoint bleeding which release platelets, growth factors and other substances that accelerate cell healing and renewal.
At the end of the procedure, the facial skin is cleaned and calmed with an antioxidant cooling (“chiroxy”) cream.
A strong sun cream (SPF 50) is then applied to the skin before the patient leaves. The patient will be given sun protection which he/she must apply without fail for 2 weeks after the procedure, as during this period the skin is particularly sensitive to sun exposure.
Dermaroller therapy can be performed after application of cosmeceutical preparations to the face. These cosmeceutical substances can include antioxidants, supernutrients and hyaluronic acid to nourish the skin and remove fine lines of ageing. Microneedling drives these substances deeper and more completely into the skin, which the skin can absorb far more efficiently in its “stimulated” state.
Another therapy which uses the body’s own healing processes and substances to renew, repair and revitalise the skin.
Please see our Face Couture™ section for more detailed information about PRP.
