Monday 24 August 2009

A Vaser Lipo case study on Twitter!

If you follow Dr Ravi Jain on Twitter, you'll know that he frequently posts about patients (anonymously of course!) and how they're getting on after their Vaser Lipo, so we thought you may be interested in another Tweeter we've found.

Kym K, of Denver Colorado, posts as TimeForUpgrade, and her twitter stream is all about the journey she has been on since deciding to have Vaser Lipo on her neck, arms and tummy.

From before the surgery, Kym has detailed her thoughts and worries:

Woke up 4 am. One day before surgery. Excited. Anxious. A bit nervous. Big changes ahead.


Her hopes:

Going to bed. Getting up at 4:30am to be at hospital at 6:00am for vaser lipo and tummy-tuck. Planning this for 6 months-my future awaits!


Her experiences during the process:

First day post vaser lipo and tummy tuck. Cant believe the minimal arm & neck discomfort.


And afterwards:

First day post vaser lipo and tummy tuck. Cant believe the minimal arm & neck discomfort.


Just left post-op appointment. Dr is thrilled with the results and I feel great.


Rested all day. Getting ready to take off all garments & shower. It will be the first look I get of myself after Vaser Lipo & tummy tuck.


WOW! Finally got to see what I look like. Neck is amazing. Arms look great. Less than one week & I am going out in public. I am so happy.


Here at Riverbanks Clinic, we're thrilled to see Kim tweeting about her experience in such details, and really happy that she's sharing with the Twitterverse how great she feels after Vaser Lipo.

We'll leave the last word on the subject (for now!) to her:

I am now 4 weeks post surgery and feel great. My neck & arms look fantastic! The recovery from the tummy tuck is coming along.


Be sure to follow Kim on Twitter to keep up with her progress!

Monday 10 August 2009

Skin complaints and how to treat them - #5: Blood Blisters

As the final entry in our mini series of skin complaints, we're going to talk about Blood Blisters. If you've been affected by amy of the skin complaint subjects we've covered (Acne, Age Spots, Rosacea, Sun Damaged Skin or Blood Blisters) then please do contact us at Riverbanks Clinic.

Blood blisters form when the blood vessels and tissue beneath the skin are damaged without breaking the skin. These are painful and unsightly and are formed when a pool of blood and lymph fluid is trapped under the skin’s surface.

Treatment: The best treatment for this complaint is a ND:YAG laser. This is a very quick way of removing these unflattering blood blisters without scarring the skin.


To find out more about the latest treatments for these and other skin complaints, visit Riverbanks Clinic.

Skin complaints and how to treat them - #4: Sun Damaged Skin


Having covered Acne, Age Spots and Rosacea in previous blogs, now we turn to Sun Damaged Skin.

Remember, we're always available to talk about any skin complaints you may have, and to let you know whether we can help with them, on 01582 762 877.

#4 - Sun Damaged Skin

The harmful effects of over exposure to the sun present themselves as skin cancer, uneven pigmentation and Rosacea, amongst other health problems.

Treatment: The first step is to spend less time in the sun or use a high factor skin protection cream. The two main treatments are Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and SmartXide Laser Skin Resurfacing. Prevention is often better than cure, and using a powerful antioxidant agent such as idebenone has been shown to be very helpful.

Tomorrow we talk about Blood Blisters.



Skin complaints and how to treat them - #3: Rosacea


#3 in our mini series of blogs on common skin complaints that can be treated at Riverbanks Clinic.

Dr Ravi Jain, our Medical Director, specialises in cosmetic dermatology and the treatment of skin complaints such as Rosacea.

#3 - Rosacea

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that affects the cheeks, nose and forehead areas of the face. It results in the skin having a flushed, blotchy red appearance and produces red, pus-filled bumps in the skin. If this condition is not treated, it becomes worse with time. Rosacea is often mistakenly confused for eczema. Although the condition is currently incurable, there are treatments that can reduce the appearance of the Rosacea.

Treatment: The appearance of Rosacea can be greatly reduced using a combination of professional skin products; light therapy and IPL laser treatment as well as anti-inflammatory and antibiotic medication, both topical and as a tablet.


If you would like to talk to someone about reducing the appearance of Rosacea, why not contact us now and we'll be happy to talk you through the process, as well as making an appointment for a no obligation consultation.

Skin complaints and how to treat them - #2: Age spots

Number 2 in a series of blogs about skin complaints and how to treat them, by Dr Ravi Jain, an expert in cosmetic dermatolody, and Medical Director at Riverbanks Clinic, based in Harpenden, Herts.

#2 - Age spots

These are often known as Liver Spots or Sun Spots. They are actually signs of damage from UV exposure. These age spots are often found on the hands, face, shoulders, arms and head. The spots appear in middle age as the skin, which has been weakened by sun exposure fails to regenerate with the same capacity. At this point, the age spots begin to show.

Treatment: Using treatments such as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and SmartXide DOT Laser Therapy, the appearance of age spots can be reduced, and in some cases entirely removed.


If you would like to talk to someone about removing Age Spots, please contact us at Riverbanks Clinic for a no obligation consultation.

Tomorrow - Rosacea

Skin complaints and how to treat them - #1: Acne

Dr Jain of Riverbanks Clinic specialises in cosmetic dermatology and minor surgery. He believes that any skin treatment can be an emotional experience – from the anticipation of greater self-assurance and improved confidence, to the relief of peeling away old acne scars and with them, painful memories.

With this in mind, here is the first in a series of posts on skin complaints and how to treat them.

#1 - Acne

Acne affects mainly adolescents but also many adults too. Whilst the facial eruptions are unsightly and embarrassing, the resulting facial scarring is often far worse. Hormone surges cause an increase in sebaceous secretions that become blocked in the skin along with dead cells and skin bacteria. Eventually, these clogged areas erupt as acne at the surface of the skin, often leaving the individual with scars on their face.

Acne Treatment: There are a range of skin treatments for acne itself, which include special skin care products and medication. For acne scarring, there are also many options. SmartXide Dot Laser therapy can be used to resurface the skin. When this is combined with professional skin care products and light therapy, the appearance of acne scars is dramatically reduced. Using Dermal fillers may also improve the appearance of the skin, these are injected beneath the skin of the scars and fills the area where the scar is. Other treatments for acne scars include AHA Skin Peels and Medical Microdermabrasion.

If you would like to discuss non surgical cosmetic treatments for Acne, please feel free to contact us now at the Riverbanks Clinic.

Tomorrow: Age Spots

Monday 3 August 2009

Getting rid of acne with Botox

More Botox news - the famous anti-wrinkle treatment is also being hailed as a miracle cure for acne on The Plastic Surgery Channel this week (video below).

"Shah has used Botox to treat acne in 100 patients. He has found that injecting Botox into the skin can essentially “freeze” the pores into place. This quickly prevents them from producing excess oil, and as a result, patients no longer experience the greasy clogging in their pores that leads to acne."

The segment ends with a warning that care must be taken, and we reiterate that - always see a qualified reputable practitioner when considering Botox - remember, Dr Ravi Jain of Riverbanks Clinic is a qualified, reputable and experienced practitioner, with plenty of testimonials from happy and satisfied patients.

Curing migraines with Botox


More Botox news today, this time telling us that Botox can be used to cure migraines, something we spoke to you about a while ago.

The Daily Mail reports that 1 in 8 of us are affected by migraines, and if you've had one you'll know that the syptoms are awful:

  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • numbness
  • visual disturbances
  • temporary paralysis
Rather than putting up with it, or spending out on an expensive and invasive operation, the Mail's Health Editor decided to give Botox a go.

And she's delighted that she did!

"For me, having Botox injected into my frown muscles has been nothing short of miraculous."

"He warned me that I might have a headache afterwards (I didn't). The relief was instant: my forehead felt relaxed and light, as if I'd been on holiday."

"One month on and I am migraine-free."


So if you're suffering from migraines, Botox might be the cure for you. To talk about this, and other uses of Botox, why not book a no obligation consultation with Dr Ravi Jain of Riverbanks Clinic?

Curing depression with Botox ?

We've spoken at length in the past about the many uses for Botox - it's not all wrinkles and crow's feet, as we keep telling you!

You may have read in The Times over the weekend that Botox is now being tested as a cure for depression.

“The basic principle is that there is feedback from the body to the brain so the brain always knows what the body is doing,” said Marc Axel Wollmer, the psychiatrist in charge of the trials being held jointly at Basle University, Switzerland, and Hanover University, Germany.

“If we have an emotion like joy or grief we also have a facial expression that corresponds,” he said. “Studies indicate that if we deliberately produce a facial expression, there is a change in feeling.”

The article goes on to relate this to the age old advice that if you're nervous at a party, smiling will help you to enjoy it more, as the body takes its cue from the facial expression.


An initial test of using Botox for depression on 10 people showed that of the 10, 9 are no longer depressed and the 10th has reported that he/she feels better.

It's early days, but we'll keep you posted, both here and at our Riverbanks Clinic website!


The horrors of years of tanning, and how to fix them

You may have read in the Daily Mail over the weekend how TV presenter Anna Ryder Richardson finally realised that her lifelong love of tanning had lead to more than she expected.

Says Ryder Richardson: "I knew that my love of tanning would encourage wrinkling but I was horrified when she [the surgeon] told me that it speeds up the destruction of collagen, which gives plumpness to your face"

She goes on to tell how in her 20s she had a sunbed at home and used coconut oil in the summer to get a quicker and better tan - no SPF50 for her! And let's not forget that stint in the I'm A Celebrity Jungle, which may have seemed like heaven for her tan, but would have played hell with her skin.

The problem, as the article states, is that:

Collagen loss, she [the surgeon] explained, happens to everyone, particularly after the age of 35. Collagen is an elastic tissue that helps build cartilage, ligaments and tendons.

It is also responsible for skin strength and elasticity and is the main component of the lower layer of skin - the dermis.

The production of collagen slows down in your early 30s due to the ageing process. This is when the face starts to lose volume and your cheeks can start to look gaunt by your early 40s.

But the loss of collagen is greater when your skin is exposed to sun and ultra-violet (UV) light.

The rate at which it diminishes varies from individual to individual, but exposing your face to sunlight continually over decades could speed up the rate of collagen depletion and the corresponding loss in facial volume by ten years or more.


So Ms Ryder Richardson turned to Sculptra, a non invasive cosmetic procedure that can fill out your face to restore the plumpness of youth and give you a kind of facelift that lasts between 18 months and two years.

And she appears to be thrilled with the results, saying "After six weeks, my skin was definitely looking better. My cheeks were fuller. Filled out by the extra volume, the jowls that were beginning to appear have vanished. At 12 weeks, and after having had the second treatment, my face is looking generally fuller and more lifted. Friends keep telling me I look 'really well'."

Dr Ravi Jain, of Riverbanks Clinic sits on the advisory board to the makers of Sculptra and has treated many patients worried about the effects of tanning on their skin. To find out more about the Sculptra 'facelift', visit the Riverbanks website now!