Dermal fillers are a popular, non-invasive treatment, that make it possible to restore lost volume to the face. This technique helps to contour your face and tackle fine lines and wrinkles. We use dermal filler to perform the following procedures:

Botox is a brand name of a purified toxin produced by a form of bacterium known as Clostridium botulinum. Scientists have developed a method of diluting the toxin so that it loses its toxic properties while retaining its ability to cause muscle relaxation and smoothening of wrinkles.

the damaged external layer of skin to reveal the underlying newer, firmer and smoother skin. It is recommended for reducing fine lines and wrinkles, blemishes and age spots as well as irregular pigmentation on the face and neck.

Different types of chemical peels are available for use in different skin types. They vary in the degree of penetration and peeling. Stronger chemical peels penetrate very deep into the skin layers and give better results but cause more discomfort and delays recovery time. Strong chemical peels such as phenol peel need general anaesthetic during treatment and pain medications after the treatment. Patients can expect redness around peel that lasts for a longer duration. These traditional chemical peels also can cause infections, hyper-pigmentation marks and may leave permanent scars.

To achieve the best possible outcome and avoid untoward effects, please inform the aesthetician if you have any of these conditions:

• Prone to cold sores
• Keloid scars caused by previous cosmetic procedures
• On medication for any illnesses

These factors are important and can affect the outcome of the peel treatment substantially. After any peel treatment, you should protect your skin from sun exposure and avoid smoking as these factors affect the healing process.

Hyperhidrosis is a pathological condition that is characterized by excessive sweating unrelated to increased physical activity or a rise in temperature. This may cause embarrassment in social situations and even interfere with activities of daily living.

Microneedling is a skin-rejuvenation procedure involving the use of a special device that makes very fine punctures in the skin. This triggers the production of collagen and elastin to fill up the microscopic punctures which result in improved texture and firmness of the skin. The procedure can reduce stretch marks, pore size, and scars.

Acne

A common skin condition occurs when hair follicles are plugged with dead skin cells and oil. They commonly occur on the face, neck, chest, back, and shoulders. This condition is commonly seen in teenagers. It is a relatively benign condition that may resolve on its own. In severe cases, it can cause scarring.

What are the different types of acne?

• Whiteheads: These form under the surface of the skin and appear as a small white bump on the skin.
• Blackheads: These pimples form on the skin surface and are black in colour.
• Papules: These are small pink bumps that can be painful when you touch them.
• Pustules: These pimples appear red at their base and are filled with pus.
• Nodules: These are large, painful, solid pimples.
• Cysts: These are deep, painful, pus-filled pimples and can cause scars.

Are there any triggering factors?

Acne may be triggered by hormonal changes that occur during puberty, mensuration, pregnancy, and starting or stopping birth control pills. It can also be caused by certain medications such as lithium and oily creams.

Treatment Offered

At Fortes Clinic, Dr Najia Shaikh will recommend a treatment protocol from a variety of options depending on your skin type and the severity of your condition to bring back a healthy, smooth appearance to your skin.

Post-acne Scarring

Scars left behind on the skin after the acne has healed.

How does post-acne scarring occur?

Post acne scarring occurs when the skin is damaged by acne and the body responds by producing either too much tissue (hypertrophic scar or keloid) or too little tissue (atrophic scar).

What types of acne result in scarring?

Scarring from mild and moderate forms of acne is usually not permanent. However, picking and squeezing acne can increase the risk of scarring. Severe forms of acne which are usually painful cysts filled with pus tend to leave permanent scars.

What are the different types of scars that can be formed by acne?

Scars can be of the following forms:

• Having a gradual depression (rolling scars)
• Deep and narrow (ice pick)
• Depression with a sharp border (boxcar)
• Thickened and inflamed (hypertrophic or colloidal)
• Dark pigmentation (not true scarring; slowly heals without treatment)
• Pink or red regions (not true scarring; slowly heals without treatment)

Treatment

At Fortes Clinic, Dr Najia Shaikh will evaluate your skin type and suggest the ideal treatment procedure to completely resolve or significantly reduce your post-acne scarring.

Melasma

The formation of brown-grey patches on the skin surface. It is commonly seen on the cheeks, forehead, nose, chin, or any part of the body that is frequently exposed to the sun.

Who is more likely to get melasma?

Women are more susceptible to this condition. Approximately 90% of the incidences of melasma occur in women. People with dark skin and those with a relative who has melasma are also more at risk for developing this condition.

What causes melasma?

The cells in the skin that are responsible for pigmentation become hyperactive. The exact cause for this hyperactivity is unclear. The triggering factors are thought to be increased sunlight exposure, change in hormones during pregnancy, use of birth control pills and hormone replacement.

What are the symptoms of melasma?

Besides the unsightly appearance caused by the blotches of dark pigmentation on the cheeks, forehead, and other sun-exposed areas of the skin, there are no other symptoms.

How is melasma diagnosed?

Your doctor may be able to make the diagnosis by examining your skin and discussing your symptoms.

Treatment

At Fortes Clinic you can expect to receive an in-depth evaluation by Dr Najia Shaikh to determine the triggering factors and cause of the melasma/hyperpigmentation. Individualized therapy will be provided from various treatment options to ensure a marked improvement in the appearance of your skin.

Rosacea

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that primarily affects the face. Initially, it presents as facial redness. Then gradually red pimples and pus-filled bumps will appear. Rosacea may appear on the nose and cheeks where small blood vessels become visible and the condition is called rhinophyma. Rosacea may also affect the eyes and cause conjunctivitis and/or blepharitis.

Who is more likely to get Rosacea?

Rosacea is more common in adults, women and fair-skinned people.

What causes Rosacea

The exact cause is uncertain but rosacea is often triggered by hot or spicy foods, alcoholic drinks, sun exposure, strenuous exercise, stress as well as very hot or cold temperatures.

What are the signs and symptoms of Rosacea?

The most common symptom is frequent blushing or flushing (redness) of the skin that affects the central part of the face –chin, cheeks, nose and central forehead. Small red pimples and pus-filled bumps known as papules or pustules may appear. Small blood vessels across the nose and cheeks are dilated. The area of the skin may be swollen warm and red. Other symptoms may include burning sensation, fluid under the skin (oedema), and dry appearance of the skin.

How is Rosacea diagnosed?

Your doctor may be able to diagnose the condition by collecting a thorough medical history and by observation of the lesions appearing on the skin.

Treatment Offered

At Fortes Clinic, you will benefit from the vast experience and expertise of Dr Najia Shaikh who will perform a complete evaluation, identify possible triggers and prescribe treatment for the rosacea to bring back the health and vitality to your skin.

Non-surgical rhinoplasty is a medical procedure which involves injecting dermal fillers to alter the shape of a person’s nose without invasive surgery. The procedure has quickly become one of the most sought after in non-surgical aesthetics. This is because it can dramatically alter the shape of the patients nose, by focusing on hollowed areas and lifting the tip. When done correctly this significantly changes the appearance of size and shape of the nose. The procedure takes a few minutes with minimal pain and zero recovery time. It is quickly becoming a preferred alterna- tive to the surgical rhinoplasty.

Similarly to our other treatments, the jaw line definition procedure is carried out by injecting dermal fillers into specific areas of the jaw to increase definition. This is the perfect treatment for anyone lacking definition in their face, either genetically or due to ageing.

Facial contouring is another trending procedure in non-surgical aesthetics. Dermal fillers are injected into specific areas of the face, such as the cheeks, to increase the natural definition of the face; as is often done with make-up. Numbing cream is always applied to the face so there is minimal to no pain involved with this procedure.

The chin is an important area of the face and with subtle augmentation can help to balance a patients’ profile and provide symmetry to the face. This balance and
symmetry is beautifying. After a numbing cream is applied, dermal fillers are injected into the chin helping to redefine the area.

This treatment is very popular with celebrities and for good reason. To replace lost volume in the sunken tear trough we carefully inject dermal filler beneath the skin under the eyes, brightening the dark circles. This treatment will give the area a more bright and rejuvenated appearance.

This treatment focuses on the creases around your mouth caused by your muscles when we talk and smile. Dermal filler is used to fill out the folds around the area, reducing the look of visible wrinkles in turn achieving a smoother overall appearance.

As we age the production of natural collagen and elastin start to reduce and wrinkles then start to appear. The injecting of dermal filler into the marionette lines help smooth out the area and plump up the look of a once drooping mouth,
achieving the desired definition to the lower face.

Also known as an 8-point facelift, this procedure allows a versatile approach to
facial contouring, by looking at how dermal fillers can be used collectively to
redefine the face; as opposed to focusing on just one area. This gives a noticeable
reshape to the face without going under the knife.

If your skin colour has become dull due to decreased blood flow, your facial features are demonstrating slight volume loss due to droopy musculature and decreased collagen, and you have lost the pink glow of health that radiates from youthful skin, you may be an ideal candidate for Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)/Dracula Therapy/Vampire Facial therapy. This therapy is a non-invasive procedure that can be used to rejuvenate your skin and give a youthful appearance to your face. It utilizes the body’s natural healing power to slow down and in some cases even reverse signs of aging.

The procedure can be used to treat:

• Fine and coarse wrinkles
• Decreased skin elasticity
• Thinning of skin
• Scars from acne or surgery
• Pigmentation asymmetry
• Loss of subcutaneous fatty tissue
• Early stages of baldness.

The 3 Steps of the Vampire Facelift procedure:

Shaping a Naturally Beautiful Face: Your doctor will inject a hyaluronic acid filler to certain areas of the face to create a younger appearance while keeping the shape natural.

Isolation and Activation of the Rejuvenating Power of Your Blood: A small quantity of your own blood will then be drawn. This blood is centrifuged to isolate the platelet-rich plasma portion. This step should take about 10 minutes. The platelets are then activated using calcium to release at least 8 growth factors that are used for the healing of injured tissue.

Bringing Back the Youthful Healthy Glow to Your Face: After applying a numbing cream to your face, a very small needle is used to inject the growth factors back into your face. These growth factors activate multipotent stem cells in the skin to produce new collagen, blood vessels, and fatty tissue under the skin. This results in great looking, youthful skin.

When injected into the scalp and eyebrow area, the platelet-rich plasma can revive dying follicles creating a healthy environment for hair growth.

There is virtually no downtime after the procedure. The effects of the procedure improve over 2-3 months and last for about a year.

The benefits of a Vampire Facelift include:

• Improved texture, tone, and colour of your skin
• Smoothening of wrinkles and fine lines
• Growth of collagen
• Improved skin tone and clarity
• Younger-appearing skin and increased hair growth.