On 60Minutes recently, there was a feature showcasing the decisions of women in their 50s such as Justine Bateman of Family Ties fame and 80s supermodel Paulina Porizkova, and their decision to not have injectables and to age the way nature intends. I’ve yet to watch the whole feature, but it continues to bring up […]

There is a recent trend of famous actresses and models embracing ageing and encouraging other women to do likewise. It is refreshing, certainly far more so than the famous women of similar vintage claiming all they use is olive oil. We now have some famous and beautiful faces that are showing us firsthand what ageing […]

If you've followed the series from your 20s through to now, you know the basics:  sun protection is the holy grail to ageing well  good longterm lifestyle habits are key - eating mostly well, limiting alcohol, not smoking (or quitting) and exercising regularly are all good habits to implement sooner than later  obtaining personalised medical […]

The 50s are often the decade where it may feel like it all goes downhill, especially if you are female.  Perimenopause may have begun to make its mark known from your mid 40s, but it is often not until menopause that many women begin to struggle - the plummeting in oestrogen levels can cause an […]

For many of us, our 30s can be a time of much change. Many of us may have children, with pregnancy and associated changes, breastfeeding, chronic sleep deprivation and wrangling little children. Additionally many of us may be dealing with work outside the home at the same time, and making progression on the career ladder, […]

Here in the Southern Hemisphere, we consider ourselves lucky that summer coincides not only with school holidays, but also, Christmas, New Year and the end of one year and the beginning of another. As the busy year begins to wind down, it seems the perfect time to lie back, take some time off no matter […]

Not everyone wants to have injectables.   The vast majority of people who contact us at Skin Essentials are afraid of injectables.  They usually come in frightened of having lips or anything, that looks too obviously fake.  They come in armed with pictures on Instagram of what they do NOT want to look like- big pouts, […]

At Skin Essentials, we focus on a holistic treatment plan, with the aim being a long term relationship between you and our team of practitioners.  As such, we encourage appointments so that adequate time is allocated to discuss your concerns, expectations and whether we can meet them in the allocated budget.  At present, it is […]

As we age, the repetitive use of the facial muscles under our skin begins causes wrinkle formation that progresses from being dynamic (ie present only when we use those muscles eg frown lines) to being static (ie present even when those muscles are not being used eg “angry lines” or “the 11s”; the grooves that […]

A few weeks ago, my team and I were trained in the use of a machine that allows more uniform and less uncomfortable injection of the same drug used in dermal fillers, directly under the skin.  I have posted about skinboosters before here and here.  Until recently, I was doing these manually, with great results […]

Source - Plastic and Reconstructive Journal, 2009 by Guyuron - Looking at 180 sets of identical twins at the annual Twins Festival in Ohio These articles by plastic surgeon Dr Guyuron set out to examine risk factors for ageing that could be controlled by what doctors commonly refer to in Medicine as ‘modifiable risk factors”, […]

Last week my staff and I added Platelet Rich Plasma treatments to our list of offerings.  It generated a fair bit of buzz on Facebook and Instagram, and with good reason, so read on if you’re curious!  What is Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)? PRP is blood plasma, or the golden liquid left behind after blood […]

What is interesting to me, and strikes me during cosmetic clinics, is that most people that I see, are drawn into cosmetic clinics by the (cheap) prices, BUT: – have no idea what they had in the past elsewhere (brand, anti-wrinkle vs filler; amount; injector experience and qualification)– sometimes I see these people because they […]

Common, recurring themes that come up when I am discussing treatment with patients is that of expectations, and cost. When I meet people for the first time, or they contact me to chat, if inexperienced, most are unaware of the basics – the difference between anti wrinkle and filler treatment for example. What each does […]

Giving You More Options with Medical Grade Skincare As I’ve branched into skincare and injectables, I field many enquiries regularly about skin regimens, if I know any that are worth spending on, evidence-based and what I would recommend.   As women, we feel a real pressure in a society that judges us first, by our looks. […]

Two years ago, I wrote about SkinBoosters, and how they add hydration to the skin and improve general skin quality over time.  During that time, I have been using the skin boosters on my patients for multiple reasons:  Help improve the effects of sun damage in summer Help add hydration to the skin to combat […]

There’s no denying we live in a time when there is enormous pressure to look good. Synonymous with the word “good” is the word “attractive” and “young”. Or young-er. To that end, from a young age, we feel pressure to look a certain way, dress a certain way and sometimes, to have attributes that nature […]

As we age, depending on our ethnic background, our age, the amount of pigmentation as well as genetics and other factors such as smoking and regular use of sunscreen, we develop lines where the muscles of our face regularly move under the skin. Over time, these give rise to wrinkles- first these are dynamic; these […]

Question: I don’t need anti wrinkle or filler treatment! Do I? Dr Imaan:  Before I began training in this field, I used to think similarly. When we are in our 20s and even early 30s, we are blessed with beautiful plump skin and provided we look after our skin with some basics, a skincare regime, a […]

Question: I look after my skin and it’s in fairly good condition but it’s starting to sag around my mouth and jaws, making me look sad and old. It upsets me to see this in the mirror. What can I do about it? Dr Imaan: It can be upsetting to look at ourselves in the […]

I often get people coming in and asking for filler, afraid it’ll change the way they look, or be too obvious. Most of the time, they underestimate how much they need; occasionally, I get caught out too. Most people don’t want to look like The Real Housewives of Sydney. They don’t want to look fake, […]

This lady has been my patient for a full year now. I first met her on November 26th last year. She’d never had any injectables but was keen to try some anti wrinkle treatment in her early 40s. This is with her full consent. This lady took a year almost to the day- dark sunken […]

Like any decent doctor and surgeon, my consent process for any procedure is fairly extensive- I explain many many things; what can go wrong; what to expect- immediately, soon, in two weeks’ time and in the next few months. When it’s time for a top up. If I have consent to take photos and use […]

So why is that a problem? Well. This is where my passion for primary prevention, ie General Practice, which is the speciality focused on preventing things from going south in the first place, shows. Prevention is always better than cure, so I encourage people to be proactive about their skin just like their health. So […]