Healthcare Commission Registration – What does it mean?

Following Government investigations concerning some aspects of the private medical market place in the UK, The Healthcare Commission was recently set up to approve and monitor clinics offering certain medical aesthetic treatments. Current legislation means that providers of cosmetic surgery or Laser and Intense Pulsed Light treatments need to be registered and annually inspected. In 2006 a further amendment to legislation will mean that all clinics offering injectable treatments, such as Botox® and Restylane® will also be required to register with the commission.

Registration requires us to continually monitor and improve all aspects of our service, and ongoing (unscheduled) regulator visits by The Healthcare Commission will also provide external and independent reports on all aspects of MediZen's services.

Not all clinics you will come across offering medical aesthetic treatments have undergone this intense scrutiny of all aspects of their service. When you visit MediZen you can be confident that everything that we say and do has been checked and approved by an independent regulator, giving you that added peace of mind.

Improve Your Complexion – Zap Those Thread Veins

Unfortunately, there are no “magic creams” or home remedies to deal with this problem, which is likely to become worse as time goes by.

MediZen have, however, been successfully treating clients for a number of years using microsclerotherapy – which is a very effective procedure for the reduction of leg thread veins. However, it does have some potential drawbacks when used on the face, including possible scarring - which is why we’ve recently invested over £35,000 in the latest Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology.

Intense Pulsed Light systems use carefully controlled flashes of light to selectively heat up and damage certain structures within the skin. They are very versatile systems – and we also use ours to remove unwanted hair, age spots and to improve acne. In the case of thread veins, red pigment contained in the affected area can be targeted with light generated by the IPL system. This energy heats up the thread veins causing damage to the cells in the veins resulting in a gradual shrinkage of the vessel and reduction in the visible appearance in the skin over a period of a few weeks. The treatment is simple, quick, and well tolerated - and most thread veins can be successfully treated with three to six separate sessions. With affordable prices from £75/session many of our clients see this as a great investment in helping to improve the appearance of their complexion.

For further information about Intense Pulsed Light treatments, please visit our website at www.medizen.co.uk or alternatively phone us on 0121 308 4373 for an information pack or to request a FREE consultation with our Nurse or Skincare Specialist.

Special Offers

Recommend a Friend

Stuck for ideas for Christmas presents or just want to treat yourself this Christmas? Why not pop in and see the fabulous range of SkinCeuticals gift packs - available to order with products of your choice and a free gift wrapping service – the perfect Christmas gift!

We also have a new exciting range of Susan Posnick make-up, which includes a self-dispensing, refillable powdered foundation containing SPF 26 protection in 13 colour shades, plus blushers with attached powder puffs and concealers.

Botox® – More Flexible Booking Options

Unique DMK Programs For All Skin Types

 

Left picture: Cheek wrinkles before treatment
Right picture: Improvement after a series of DMK treatments

 

MediZen recommend a course of six treatments which are £75.00 per treatment. A course of seven treatments is also available for £450.00 - which also includes a maintenance treatment.

We also offer stronger and more advanced treatment courses to suit different skin conditions.

In The News

Botox® Best for People With Most Severe, Frequent Headaches

I have experience in the specific use of Botox® for chronic headache in some of my NHS patients and the occasional private patient through MediZen, and in general we have seen a positive result.
 

In addition, over the years, I have noticed that a significant number of MediZen’s clients who have been treated with Botox® for the reduction of frown lines and wrinkles have also found that previous episodes of recurrent headaches have been reduced after treatment”.

 

Botox® is not approved by the UK authorities as a specific treatment for headaches, but a number of clinical studies are showing very positive results and the manufacturers of Botox® are organising larger trials in the hope of gaining approval in both the US and Europe for Botox® as a treatment for chronic headache.

 

Skincare Facts vs Skincare Fiction

 

With the ever increasing array of ingredients and products claiming “anti-ageing” properties being promoted in Department Stores, Pharmacies, Beauty Salons, Spas and Specialist Clinics – it’s not surprising that many people are now confused about how to effectively protect and improve their skin using at home treatments.

 

Over the last few years, MediZen have carefully screened the scientific literature in order to select products that ONLY contain ingredients that are scientifically proven AND widely accepted by Cosmetic Dermatologists and Skincare Specialists worldwide. To help simplify this confusing area for our customers, we continue our series of articles focussing on key skincare ingredients and the evidence for their use with a look at Vitamin C.

 

Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid)

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus fruits and vegetables. A deficiency in this vitamin causes scurvy, which results in fragile tissues, and bleeding gums; often mentioned in stories of early sailors on ships which lacked fresh fruit and vegetables.

It has been known for many years that Vitamin C is vitally important for the proper functioning of the skin.  In fact – this was first mentioned in Grays Anatomy British Edition (a famous medical textbook) where the necessity for vitamin C to be present in the production of collagen (a key structural component of the skin) was clearly outlined over 70 years ago!

 

Vitamin C can benefit skin in two important ways; it has been shown that adding vitamin C to a culture of fibroblasts (the collagen producing cells of the skin) dramatically increases the synthesis of collagen. Secondly, vitamin C is an antioxidant and can help reduce skin damage caused by free radicals. So, when vitamin C is properly delivered into skin cells, there is a good chance that it will help to reduce wrinkles and improve skin texture.

Vitamin C – Tablet or Cream?
In the last 10 years there has been an explosion in the number of skin rejuvenation/anti-wrinkle products which contain vitamin C. Do their claims have any substance? Do these products work – if so, which is best?

 

The situation is a little complicated. On one hand, vitamin C does possess definite merits for wrinkle reduction and skin rejuvenation. On the other hand, most vitamin C products don't work!

 

The oral route:
Some skincare practitioners recommend at least 1000IU of Vitamin C in the morning with breakfast and 1000 at night with dinner – but this is controversial as, only about 10 percent of the vitamin C reaches the skin, which some clinicians contest is of little benefit for reducing wrinkles.

 

The topical route:

Vitamin C is also relatively unstable when put into a cream or serum – in the presence of air or other oxidizing agents, vitamin C is easily converted to an oxidized form. The oxidized vitamin C is not only incapable of boosting collagen production or scavenging free radicals but actually promotes free radical formation causing damage to vital molecules such as proteins and DNA. In poorly prepared or poorly stored skin care products, vitamin C may already be oxidized by the time you apply it to your skin.

Other factors to be aware of include:

• Vitamin C must be in the form of L-Ascorbic Acid. Lately, there have been many new skin care products touting the benefits of other, more stable and less irritating forms of vitamin C. Among these, vitamin C ester is probably the most recognized. However, the skin cells can only use vitamin C in the form of L-Ascorbic Acid. While the stomach can easily break down and convert vitamins into forms used by the body, the skin lacks these enzymes. Anything applied topically MUST be in a form that is instantly usable to the skin cells. New science shows that these other vitamin C derivatives do get into the skin, but they are not converted.
  
• The vitamin C must be present at high concentrations. Vitamin C is best absorbed in concentrations of 10-20%, with 20% showing the maximum skin absorption levels.
  
• Studies prove that vitamin C must be at an acid pH in order to be absorbed by the skin. A pH range from 2.8-3.1 is optimal.
  
• The formulation must be stable. L-Ascorbic acid is an inherently unstable molecule. If it is not stabilized, the vitamin C quickly oxidizes and loses its efficacy.

Conclusions
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is one of the relatively few topical agents whose effectiveness against wrinkles and fine lines is backed by a fair amount of reliable scientific evidence. The trick is finding the right product which contains enough Vitamin C to penetrate the surface of the skin and enter skin cells to increase collagen production, and is stable enough so that it doesn’t break down before our clients buy it.

Our favoured product – both for in clinic treatments and at home use – is SkinCeuticals Topical Vitamin C Serum.   Formulated at the precise concentration proven to deliver maximum amounts of vitamin C to the skin, SkinCeuticals Serum 20 contains 20% L-ascorbic acid to help protect against damaging UVA/UVB rays, prevent premature signs of ageing, and stimulate collagen production. This antioxidant treatment is lightweight, fast-absorbing, and provides optimal levels of anti-ageing treatment. It is ideal for normal or oily skin.

 

Even when using an optimal formulation, however, not everyone will respond to vitamin C treatments. The chances are improved when vitamin C is a part of a comprehensive regimen to rebuild collagen in your skin  - which is why SkinCeuticals now combine their Vitamin C products with Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid to create the most powerful anti-oxidant combination currently available – but more of that in the next newsletter!

 

For more advice on improving all aspects of your skin’s complexion and texture - why not book in for a free consultation with Katie, our Skincare Specialist, on 0121 308 4373.