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‘I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date, no time to say Hello, Good-bye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late……’
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When the hare bumped into Alice he didn’t have the time to stop and chat. He dashed off to somewhere else so very much more important. This was not only very rude but probably also very stupid. He ought to have taken time to stop and ‘smell the coffee,’ as the Americans say. Another American saying I do particularly like was most often said to me when I was bobbing up and down on a surf board on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii.

‘There’s always another wave Bro’.’

And you know something, there always was.

Sometimes when I start off these rants I have a specific target in mind, a particular treatment or innovation to discuss or a particular point to get across. Other times I just start off with a spark and see where it leads. This is obviously one of those times.

March is traditionally the beginning of Spring, a time for renewal and rebirth. The green shoots start to appear above the surface of the soil and we start to think of the warm months to come. We start to make holiday plans and think about whether we are ever going to fit into last year’s swim wear.

A recent report seemed to suggest that we were inevitably programmed by our genes to be fat or thin. But does this let those of us with a weight problem off the hook, or does it simply mean that we have to try even harder than most to get that svelte figure. This can be read both ways and I am sure there will be those out there now stuffing cream cakes in their mouths saying it is not their fault, and science has now proved it…. But then unlike the March Hare we must not rush past this glorious conclusion. We must stop and take some time to think about its true implications.

There probably is a genetic variation in the tendency to store fat or burn up calories. We certainly see evidence of this every day. But Genes don’t provide any guarantee they just make some things more likely and some things harder to achieve. My genes would never have let me reach six foot in height but my nutrition and my health would dictate whether I reached the dizzy heights of five foot five (which I did) or only reached four foot eleven. So you truly get to decide how much weight you will carry. You may find it harder or easier because of your genes, but it remains within your grasp.Through the above article, we can recommend you the latest dresses.Shop dress in a variety of lengths, colors and styles for every occasion from your favorite brands.

One problem that most people have with all the varied diets out there is that they seem to think that if they make one mistake then the whole thing is no good so they give up all together. This just isn’t true. It wouldn’t of course be a good idea to make regular mistakes every day, but one little slip doesn’t spoil the point of the whole thing. Just take a moment to draw breath, ‘smell the coffee’ and then keep on going as before.
‘There’s always another wave Bro’.’

Yes there always is.

Till next time.

Funny stuff skin! Isn’t it? We all are completely surrounded by it. Some of us have rather more than we want. It stops all the messy bits falling out onto the floor. Yet most of us completely ignore it.

Skins has been described as the body’s largest organ and it does so many things other than stop us falling apart. It keeps bugs out and our insides in. It helps regulate our temperature. It regulates our internal water and excretes toxins. Combined with small levels of sunshine it even creates Vitamin D which is essential for healthy life. It tells us a lot of information about the outside world in terms of heat, texture, pressure and pain. It helps us attract members of the opposite sex both with looks and smell! It even tries to keep the sun from doing too much damage to us too….

And this is where we have a problem. For the last 40 to 50 years or so it has been fashionable to have a ‘tan’. It certainly wasn’t in Victorian times when the only regularly tanned were the farm workers who spent all day in the sun and couldn’t avoid it. The fashion then was for ladies to look pale and ‘wan’ to display their delicacy and their need to find the right man to look after them. About the time when package holidays became popular there appeared to be a growing need to show off to those back home how good the holiday was by how much sun there was out there.

Demonstrated best by how golden brown you could look. Interestingly this trend has continued long after anyone was able to get a tan at home with a sun bed!! For unfortunately very little money. Best not to get me started on sun beds or we might be here all day.

So lets get this straight. Ultraviolet light is bad for your skin. It makes no difference where the ultraviolet comes from and very little difference which type it is A or B.

In fact the reason it goes brown is a desperate attempt by your skin to protect itself from further damage. Pretty much all of the features of the ageing face can be put down in part to photo-ageing. i.e. damage related to exposure to ultraviolet light.
Now I am not trying to suggest that if you lived permanently in a cave excluded from ultraviolet light, then you wouldn’t age. That is obviously not true, but you would age more slowly. Yes you would!

So what would I suggest, apart from living in a cave, to help this problem? Well firstly can we all start preferring paler skin? If not white then at least a little less brown…..? Also fake tan is great. and no I don’t have any shares in fake tan products.

Secondly don’t go on holiday and lie on the sun loungers all day. Just don’t. From the neck down I am not too bothered, but those bits will give the game away later. So at the very least keep you face out of the sun as much as possible. Hats! Yes I like hats, and there are a huge variety but I just prefer those that keep the most sun of my face (apologies to my wife and daughters not withstanding!!). By the way you will get more than enough colour to your face walking to and from the sun shades and the bar!

Sunscreen. Absolutely. In fact I often tell my patients to put on sunscreen even in England even in the middle of winter and even if they are going to be inside all day. At least then if you do pop out you already have it on….
Oh yes and don’t forget the Vitamin D argument. ‘Sun is good for you because it helps you make vitamin D’. Well I have it on good authority that the amount of skin exposure you need for your daily vitamin D requirements can be had by exposing the palms of your hands to the direct sun for 5 to 10 minutes. That’s it.

The Australians are much better at this than us with their Slip, Slop and Slap recommendations and the fact that most of them are now very much more covered up than us.

So Slip on a top, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat!
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If you have ignored this advice in the past and already have significant sun damage the good news is I can help a lot. It won’t necessarily be cheap but plenty of things can be done to improve your skin.

I am not sure whether I should say this but every morning I get up and give thanks for nicotine and sunshine as they make me a fortune!!!

So please stay out of the sun as much as possible and can we all please go back to valuing good healthy pale skin???
Till next time.

The fireworks have just faded from view and our thoughts turn to the Christmas festivities. But just before we rush headlong into that let me sum up my pep talk for this time of the year. It really only amounts to one sentence.Just say No!

Just say no to that extra mince pie, just say no to that sixth glass of wine at the office do, ( and definitely say no to the jerk who suggests you photocopy your derrière for a larf!!) Just say no to the snog in the stationary cupboard with that bloke from the third cubical down who you always thought was cute but you never dared to talk to. You get my drift.

Are there any positives to this? How’s about just say no to skipping breakfast. Despite what many appear to believe, those who start their day with a substantial breakfast probably burn up even more calories in their day than skipping the breakfast might appear to have saved. Just say no to the sandwich and the packet of crisps. A light salad and a piece of fruit will certainly delay the pre Christmas bloat. Or how’s about a steaming bowl of delicious soup. Just say no to slobbing in front of the telly. A brisk wintery walk in the crisp fresh air will not only be more refreshing for your mind but set you up for a good nights sleep too.

Perhaps some ‘just say yes’ suggestions too. Bear with me on this one if it seems strange but tomorrow morning when you are staring bleary eyed at yourself in the mirror, stop for a second, look a little more closely and then repeat after me…..
‘Yes, you are looking damn fine today!’ Make sure you have a big grin on your face when you do it. Even if you don’t really think it. Try it every day for the next week and see how much better you feel.

Just say yes to heading to bed early. The extra potential for conjugal relations not withstanding a little more sleep can refresh and rejuvenate your mind and body in ways that you have forgotten for a long time.

Just say yes to that new hair do. A change of clothing or a change of look can do wonders to your self esteem. We all want to look our best, we all want to look good for our age so don’t forget the cleansers, toners and moisturisers. And yes, if the skin is starting to look a little tired, if the wrinkles around the eyes are just a little more set in their ways, if the jowls have started to make more than a slight appearance, even these can be improved. It doesn’t need a surgeons knife or a kings ransom, and no one else need ever know.
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FREE consultations can always be obtained from an expert in this field. Call the girls at Eternal Youth Clinic, Alderley Edge on 01625 598 000 to arrange a convenient appointment.

Halloween, the run up to Bon Fire Night, dry wind blown leaves, darkening evenings, gardens to clear, rubbish to burn. These are the thoughts which assail us as we put away the summer clothes and start to wrap up warm for the winter. This may also be when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the bathroom mirror, and be perhaps a little less happy with what we see.

The sun tan fading, the skin looking less peachy, the lines starting to deepen again. The weight gain from all the lavish dining out. We start to realise the the kind of damage wrought by all that Sun, Sea, Sand, Sex and Sustenance and we wonder if it would be as easy to clear up as the garden.

Well the good news is that to some extent it can.

There are certain immutable principles and some harder areas, but it is possible to reduce the damage caused by the summer vacation. Ideally prevention is better than cure and hopefully a high factor sun screen and regular hydration were already part of your daily regime. If not remember this for next year.

But what can we do after the fact?

Certainly moisturization will need to play a significant part. Re-hydrating the skin both from the inside and the outside. Increasing the intake of fruits and juices and good old fashioned water helps to re-hydrate the body as a whole but this is very much reflected in the face. Moisturizing creams can be simple and effective, but there is often a need for a more significant boost. Whilst Botox is only good at improving movement related lines fillers can improve and retain skin hydration. Newer photo-dynamic therapy such as Omnilux can stimulate fibroblasts in the skin which serves to rejuvenate and renew the skin texture too. This gentle and very pleasant treatment usually follows a light facial and is therefore very relaxing. Microdermabrasion can also help to slough off the dead outer layers and reveal the fresher inner you.

More significant problems do require more significant treatments. So we do have access to Thermage for skin tightening and Fraxel to resurface the skin and rejuvenate the outer surface.

​These treatments though more expensive do certainly provide more visible changes in the skin structure and appearance.
Further suggestions and recommendations can be obtained at a FREE consultation at the Eternal Youth Clinic in Alderley Edge. Please call the girls on 01625 598 000 to arrange a convenient appointment.

When I started in this business seven years ago, I began as most did, with Botox and Fillers. More precisely Botox and Restylane.

In fact my very first product was Restylane as I wasn’t too keen at first on ‘That poison’. This is a very natural reaction for patients too, and I quickly became comfortable with injection techniques and marvelled at how much visible difference could be achieved with relatively small amounts of the gel.

It was very satisfying to see the immediate improvement in the appearance of lines and wrinkles, literally in front of your eyes. The subtle enhancement of a pair of lips can be very satisfying. More significant lines and volume loss can be replaced with patience and a few more syringes.

Increasingly however my patients asked if I did Botox and so I decided to go and learn that too. I went on a course down in London and I was given a demonstration by an eminent Plastic Surgeon. He said something that I have often repeated to my patients. Botox is one of the safest drugs on the planet. It can never do anything that is permanent.

​This is both a plus and a minus. As a plus it makes it extremely safe. If anything does not go exactly according to plan then we just wait for it to wear off to complete recovery. The minus is that if we do like the result (As most of my patients do..) then you will need to repeat the treatments on a regular basis to keep the effect. But that minus is also exactly why it is so safe.
This duo allows for a fairly wide variety of treatment options so that almost all patients can be given some degree of benefit with products that are both safe and reasonably priced.

So when looking through the latest articles about some new and unfortunately fairly expensive technological marvel, don’t entirely dismiss the simpler treatments. They can often provide a significant benefit and also they are a gentle way to begin the process of looking the best you can.
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It also bears saying that no single technological marvel can be the answer to every patient’s needs. A good friend of mine once said that if you build a house with just a hammer, then you don’t get a very good house. You need other tools to help. A screwdriver, a drill, a saw etc. So to get the most from all that is available you almost always require a combination of treatments in a logical treatment plan to achieve the best results.