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Cosmetic Surgery

Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi was the first surgeon to introduce Ellanse to the UK. Here he explains why this ground breaking new filler is so special and talk us through a couple of unique treatments he can offer using the product.

Dermal fillers are one of the biggest growth areas in facial aesthetics, as women are starting to realise that you don’t necessarily need to have a facelift to knock several years off your age. Ever since collagen first hit the market in the early 1990s and was found to be effective- if a little problematic- in the battle against ageing, pharmaceutical companies the world over have been embroiled in a race to create the perfect filler.

Since the launch of Restylane in 1996, the majority of dermal fillers have been made from hyaluronic acid- a substance naturally produced within the body, which breaks down over time. HA fillers have many advantages: you don’t need to perform a skin test prior to treatment, as you did with collagen, and they can be easily dissolved if you don’t like the effect.

However, although hyaluronic acid is much more durable than collagen, it still only lasts for six to nine months, which is great when you’re trying a treatment for the first time, but can get expensive over the course of a few years.

I’m keen to offer my patients as wide a choice as possible, so in my clinic I offer all the major filler brands, as well as the injectable volumising treatment, Sculptra, and am always on the look-out for the next big thing. In March last year, I discovered Ellanse, brand new dermal filler that offers all the benefits of HA but lasts for up to five years.

Breaking boundaries

An advanced version of current options on the market, Ellanse is the first filler of its kind to treat under-eye bags and dark circles, which are not usually treated with dermal fillers. Not only are the results instant, but this all-natural, water based anti-ageing treatment also stimulates the body’s own collagen production to deliver smoother, plumper looking skin and long lasting, natural looking results.

Made of poly-caprolactone (PCI), a well-known totally bioresorbable soft medical polymer, Ellanse retains its volume of between three and five years, before totally resorbed and removed from the body, with no residues of any kind left behind.

I was so impressed with the results possible from Ellanse that I decided to introduce it to my practice, and I have had great success with it since. Because of its unique contouring and sculpting capacities, I realised that you can do things with it that are not possible with other dermal fillers, and so I started to experiment with new ideas.

Dimple creation

Dimple creation

Dimples are caused when the facial muscle is shorter than normal; it pulls on the skin and forms an indentation when smiling. They are genetic trail, so you either have them or you don’t, but over the past few years, with celebrities such as Cheryl Cole hitting the spotlight, they have become a very desirable facial feature.

If you know facial anatomy very well- my background is as a facial plastic surgeon- then it is possible to create an impression of a dimple through non-surgical means, and Ellanse is the ideal product with which to do this.

First of all the patient to perform a series of facial manoeuvres, such as whistling, clenching and smiling, while I study the face to see where the muscles are sited and how they move. This shows me where to create the dimple.

Dr Ayham Al Ayoubi

Dr Ayham Al-Ayoubi: I then inject Ellanse around the area to create a circular ring deep in the dermis. An indentation forms in the middle of the ring, which mimics the effect of a dimple. If you did this with HA fillers, they would just dissolve with facial movement, but Ellanse’s make-up means that it will become more defined with the process of inflammation.

“Ellanse is the first of its kind to treat eye bags and dark circles”.

 Non-surgical facelift

The non-surgical facelift is pretty much the holy grail of facial aesthetic treatments.

Realistically, at the moment, the effect can only be created with a combination of temporary dermal fillers and injectable volumisers, such as Sculptra, but the problem is that the effects of Sculptra, whilst impressive, take a few months to show, by which time the wrinkle-filling benefits of HA filler will have worn off, so you have to start again.

I have found that Ellanse is the perfect partner for Sculptra to create a true injectable facelift: Ellanse instantly gives a dramatic improvement in the treatment of fine lines and wrinkles on the face, whilst Sculptra will work over a period of months to significantly enhance the shape of the jaw line and the volume of the face.

Because the effects of Ellanse are long lasting, wrinkles are still filled when Sculptra starts to take visible effects, and because both products work to stimulate your own collagen production they perfectly, giving you an incomparably plumper up, dewy-looking glow, which will last for an astonishing four to five years.

Facing the future

I will continue to seek out the best new treatments to offer my patients, because I want to be able to provide a truly exceptional service and give patients the face and body they have always dreamed of. For now, I think Ellanse is the best product on the market to provide both instant and lasting results, without the pillow-face effect.

To rread more about Dr Ayoubi in the media, click here

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