It’s swiftly coming into the busiest time of the year and while it’s a joyous time for sure, it’s also the one many of us seem to fear because all those catch ups and parties result in endless photos you have to be in. I get asked by my clients all the time for advice on what people can do to freshen up their appearance and look fresher in photos. Often I hear people talk about Botox as an umbrella term for all the many cosmetic procedures available but that’s so not the case! Botox is indeed incredible and has many uses (I just stopped in to get my top up the other day) but that’s really just scratching the surface of what’s on offer. Here’s a little rundown on my favourite treatment options available at Clinic 42 that’ll have you photo ready for party season with almost no downtime.
Fine Lines and wrinkles
It’s fair that we start with Botox as it is the number one non-surgical cosmetic procedure available today, simply because it just works. It’s not about having a ‘frozen’ face; the whole point of having Botox is someone else shouldn’t be able to tell it’s been done, they’ll just think you look amazing. Of course it is possible to stop movement in certain areas if you like but a more natural approach is to simply reduce the movements in line causing areas to prevent and reverse the signs of ageing while still being able to make expressions. Why get it done this early? If you’re new to Botox it can be best to do it in stages to ensure you get the look you want while retaining as much movement as you want too. Each application can take a week or so to take effect and it lasts months so it best to get in a month or so before you want the end results. There’s no downtime at all with this, in fact by the time you’ve got in your car and driven back to the office no one else will be the wiser.
Having a consultation at Clinic 42 with Dr Ellen
Plump it Up
If you have deeper lines on your face or are looking for some extra volume and lift in certain areas, fillers can be a great option. Fillers are ideal for those deep semicircles under the eyes and sunken hollow cheeks and the best option for those deep lines we get between the nose and mouth. This is also amazing for nose shaping and contouring. Again, very little downtime and, if administered by a certified professional, can produce a very natural looking result.
Lip Love
Fillers are also what’s used to plump up the lips. Lips are taking centre stage at the moment in make up with international trends seen in matte liquid lipsticks, high shine glossy lips and even glitter lips. It’s not about going huge with your lips, and in fairness to your possible hesitations here, many people make this mistake when getting their lips done. Go subtle and reap the rewards. You don’t want the top and bottom lips to be 100% even; it looks better if the bottom lip is slightly fuller. This is another one that’s great to do over time so you can see the effects and adjust if you want more.
Picture Perfect
If you long for perfect healthy skin in photos, this is the one for you. Photo Finish combines hyaluronic acid, a natural moisturiser, with botulinum to minimise pores and fine lines and give your skin a soft smooth glow. It revives tired dull looking skin, fine lines and stimulates collagen to plump and firm your skin. This is amazing for the face, neck, chest and hands. You’ll be a little red after the treatment so you may want to take the afternoon off but the following day you should be totally fine and should start to see results in about a week. When I had this done I followed up with an LED light facial immediately after and it took away literally all the initial redness completely.
Acne Treatment
Unfortunately acne isn’t just for teenagers; us adults struggle with it too. An LED Light Treatment is perfect for this. It’s a diffused light that actually penetrates deeper than laser light and can be applied over a larger section of skin at a time. The blue LED light (as opposed to red) has anti inflammatory properties and can kill harmful bacteria, making it ideal for serious cases of acne. Blue light is also amazing for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (or winter blues) in case our patchy weather is still getting you down!
Expert Advice
If you’re not really sure what you need and you want to chat with a professional about what options could suit you and your budget, get in touch with the team at Clinic 42. The team is comprised of fully qualified doctors who have a deep understanding of facial anatomy and what the best options are, so each patient is in skilled hands.
Clinic 42
09 638 4242
321 Manukau Road,
Epsom, Auckland
photography by Jarrad Mapp