Melasma is a common condition that affects mostly women. It is characterised by pigmentation that is located on the forehead, cheeks, between the brows, or upper lip in most cases. Melasma has always been a difficult problem to treat. Lasers such as the Medlite laser have been used successfully to help break down the pigmentation, and have no downtime. Usually multiple sessions are required though.

Of late, we have had some very impressive results treating melasma with the Fraxel’s new wavelength (1927nm) , even on olive or darker skin types. The laser essentially heats tiny columns in the skin, allowing the pigmentation to be extruded out of these columns. The results have amazed us! The downtime for this treatment is about 4-5 days, depending on the level of treatment. Patient feedback has been very positive, with reports of much more even skin tone, improved skin texture / smoothness, and of course, improvements in the melasma.

It must be remembered that laser treatment of melasma is only part of the overall treatment. It is important to avoid and reduce UV exposure, as well as use appropriate skin care to help reduce pigmentation production.

For more information on melasma, click on this link;

For more information on the Fraxel laser, click on this link;

Sometimes the best time to get things done is on your holiday period!
We are delighted to inform you that for the first time we are extending our hours over the Christmas Period.

Templestowe hours

Christmas Eve – 10am – 3pm
Monday 27th Dec – 9am – 5pm
Tuesday 28th Dec – 9am – 5pm
Wednesday 29th Dec – 9.30am – 4pm
Thursday 30th Dec – 9.30am – 4pm
Friday 31st Dec – 9.30am – 4pm
Monday 3rd January – PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Berwick hours

Christmas Eve – 10am – 2.30pm
Monday 27th Dec – PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Tuesday 28th Dec – PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Wednesday 29th Dec – CLOSED
Thursday 30th Dec – CLOSED
Friday 31st Dec – CLOSED
Monday 3rd January – PUBLIC HOLIDAY

You may have heard of the Fraxel laser. It has been around for about 5 years or more now, and it was the first fractional laser for the treatment of skin. Basically, it fires micro-columns of laser energy into the skin to help rejuvenate skin by causing remodelling of the epidermis and dermis. Being fractional, it only treats a portion of the skin and leaves the parts in between the micro-columns intact. This reduces recovery time and risk, whilst providing excellent results. It is used for the treatment of acne scarring, surgical/traumatic scarring, pigmentation, wrinkles, skin texture, and general skin quality improvements.

About a year ago, the Thulium wavelength (1927 nanometres) was added to the Fraxel laser, in addition to the original wavelength (1550 nanometres). The Thulium wavelength has greatly expanded the ability of the Fraxel laser to treat a various of skin conditions. The Thulium wavelength targets the more superficial parts of the skin, and as most skin problems tend to be closer to the surface, this wavelength as many applications. It is very useful for the treatment of; pigmentation, wrinkles, and skin texture. We have been using it with great success so far on faces, necks, and decolletage.

For more information on fraxel, click on this link.
http://www.thevictoriancosmeticinstitute.com.au/fraxel-laser/

I have recently been using a home skin needling kit from Medik8. It is a cylindrical roller with 0.2mm needles coming out of it. Sounds like a torture device, but actually doesn’t hurt a lot. It simply makes micro-injuries to the skin, which allow your skin care products (such as topical retinoids or vitamin C) to penetrate deeper into the skin, and it also stimulates new collagen production. There is mild redness of the skin for an hour or so after each treatment, and a bit of tingling of the skin post rolling. Most importantly, I have noticed a real improvement in my skin in the past couple of weeks. Much smoother, and softer.
For more information, click here;
http://www.thevictoriancosmeticinstitute.com.au/store/medik8/titanium-dermaroller/992/

Allergan have released a new version of their filler (type V) with local anaesthetic built in. This filler is the longest lasting and thickest of all of Allergan’s dermal fillers. It is typically best used in areas such as the cheeks, mouth corners, jawline and other areas that need larger volumes.

By adding local anaesthetic to the product, this has allowed us to reduce patient discomfort, and also reduce the need to nerve blocks that leave you numb for hours. The filler literally numbs the areas immediately as soon as it is injected.

Our feedback from patients on the product is that it is much more comfortable, and often they say that they barely felt anything!

From a results perspective, the end result is exactly the same as the older version of the filler without local anaesthetic.