Juvederm is a dermal filler manufactured by Allergan who also make Botox®.

Juvederm has a range of dermal fillers such as Refine, Ultra, UltraPlus and Voluma.  Basically these products vary in their viscosity so that the finer versions such as Refuine and Ultra are used for fine lines and the more viscous Ultra Plus and Voluma are used more for volumising to restore a more youthful shape to the face.

Many women complain that they have a body of two halves – usually a trim upper body and a plumper lower body – variations of the classic “pear shaped” body.  This is typically genetic due to having fat cells in the lower half of the body which preferentially attract fat.  This results in the lower half of the body putting weight on first and being the hardest area to take weight off, often despite reasonable diet and good exercise levels.

Liposuction or liposculpture is ideal for this type of figure as we are literally able to sculpture the body by removing fat from the troublesome areas to enable women to buy clothes off the rack – often for the firsttime in their lives

How do I find a good clinic that I can trust for Botox® and Dermal Fillers?

Botox® and dermal fillers can provide the most natural pleasing results or they can simply look wrong.  It often depends on the aesthetic eye of your practitioner and his or her expertise and training. Choose a clinic which has medically qualified Dr’s and Nurses, who are experienced in a wide range of treatment options, and trained to advanced levels. All doctors at Palm Clinic are Fellows of the New Zealand College of Appearance Medicine (NZCAM) and Dr John Barrett, the medical director of Palm Clinic was the Foundation President of NZCAM.

Botox® and Dysport are Prescription Medicines containing 100 units of clostridium botulinum Type A toxin complex for injection. It is used for the treatment of severe frown lines of the face. It should be administered only by trained medical professionals. Arrange a consultation to discuss the benefits/risks of this procedure in appearance medicine. Cautions: people with defective neuromuscular transmission disorders, presence of infection at site of injection, glaucoma, pregnancy and lactation. Possible side effects include headaches, pain, burning or redness at injection site, local muscle weakness including drooping eyelids, lack of feeling and nausea. If you have side effects or concerns speak to a doctor. A charge applies. Note: Botox® and Dysport treatment lasts about 4 months and after this time further courses of treatment could be necessary. Arrange a consultation to discuss your own situation.

¹ Benedetto A. The Cosmetic Uses of Botulinum toxin type A. Int J Dermatol 1999, 38:6641.655

Botox® is a natural, purified protein. It is not only used for cosmetic purposes, but also for many purely medical uses. For example it is used in much higher doses very safely, even in young children with cerebral palsy, with wonderful results.

Botox® will relax the specific facial muscles that cause the lines and wrinkles that are formed during facial expressions.

At Palm Clinic, Botox® is injected by experienced “Advanced Level” medically trained Doctors and Nurses. A very small, very fine needle is used. Each little injection will sting for a few seconds. It takes 2-3 days for Botox® to start to take effect, and 1-2 weeks to see the full effect.

Individual results may vary.

Botox® is used to relax specific facial muscles that cause the lines and wrinkles that are formed during facial expressions. These will become deeper with age, until they are everlasting, even when you are not smiling or frowning, or pursing your lips. Botox® is a natural, purified protein. It is not the poison botulism.

Dermal fillers are used to restore the volume and structure to ones skin. As we age there is the natural result of thinning of the skin, skin volume reduction, and loss of bone & muscle volume.

Everyone is different. The aim of treatment at Palm Clinic is to advise you upon the best treatment for you to look “good for your age, but relevant for your age”. To look “really good, not different”.

Botox® and Dysport are Prescription Medicines containing 100 units of clostridium botulinum Type A toxin complex for injection. It is used for the treatment of severe frown lines of the face. It should be administered only by trained medical professionals. Arrange a consultation to discuss the benefits/risks of this procedure in appearance medicine. Cautions: people with defective neuromuscular transmission disorders, presence of infection at site of injection, glaucoma, pregnancy and lactation. Possible side effects include headaches, pain, burning or redness at injection site, local muscle weakness including drooping eyelids, lack of feeling and nausea. If you have side effects or concerns speak to a doctor. A charge applies. Note: Botox® and Dysport treatment lasts about 4 months and after this time further courses of treatment could be necessary. Arrange a consultation to discuss your own situation.

¹ Benedetto A. The Cosmetic Uses of Botulinum toxin type A. Int J Dermatol 1999, 38:6641.655

I’m a Man with lots of Red Veins On My Nose and Cheeks

You are not the only one. Many men have a profusion of veins, broken capillaries and general redness to their noses and cheeks. These will often lead others to think you drink too much, when you are just a “glass or two a day” social drinker. This redness and the veins are easily treated by laser or IPL by our experienced medically trained staff at Palm Clinic. It is very unlikely that you will have to take any time off work at all. Facial veins and redness can not only be unsightly and unwanted, but can also feel very uncomfortable for some.

While not common (up to 10% in some reported studies), long haul flights ie. those over 4 hours, can increase any individual’s risk of developing a DVT. This is particularly so if someone is over 60 years of age, has significant medical problems, is pregnant, is using oestrogen containing medications or has varicose vein disease.

Another simple method of helping to reduce this risk, apart from drinking plenty of non-alcoholic and caffeine-free beverages and frequently getting up to walk around, is to wear compression hosiery. There is no evidence that Aspirin protects against developing a DVT.

Palm clinic offers a full range of comfortable, affordable flight socks that our experienced team will fit for you.

Often women are embarassed to mention at a consultation that they have noticed swollen, painful veins on their vulva around the vaginal opening. They’ll often arise or get worse during pregnancy and improve around 6 months after the delivery. If they don’t, the best thing is to seek treatment as they’re probably not going to improve by themselves after this time.

Vulval varicosities can be on the vulva or run down the inner thigh. They often accompany varicose veins and can be treated in the same way. Here at Palm Clinic we will often use ultrasound guided sclerotherapy to treat vulval varicosities. So don’t put up with painful veins in the nether regions, there’s a simple solution. Just ask!

Surgery is no longer necessary to treat varicose veins. Modern techniques like endovenous laser ablation and ultrasound guided sclerotherapy are capable of treating all types of varicose veins regardless of size.

The advantage of non surgical techniques like laser and injection are that you do not need any form of general anaesthesia or sedation as they are almost painless procedures. You will be capable of returning straight back to work in the majority of cases and efficacy is not compromised.  In fact the early 5 year data for laser shows even better results than surgery.  So if you have been hanging on to your varicose veins because you didn’t want to have surgery you now have excellent non surgical options.