Elan Medical Skin Clinic’s aesthetic therapist, Amy (pictured with Charlie when he was tiny) is returning in April
Elan Medical Skin Clinics in Rayleigh and central London is delighted to announce that Amy, our aesthetic therapist will be returning from maternity leave in April. So get in quick before her book fills up!
Amy is an experienced aesthetic therapist and her fields of expertise are:
As if it wasn’t looking bad enough for sugar, our London skin expert Sue Ibrahim from Elan Medical Skin Clinics is warning clients about the effects it can have on our skin.
From acne to ageing, wrinkles to blemishes, sugar has a lot to answer for. Sugar and high GI (glycemic index) foods lead to a spike in insulin levels and this causes inflammation throughout our bodies. Sugar also binds to collagen making the skin stiff. The technical term for this is a process called glycation. It’s simple really: less sugar equals better skin – and the results can very often be seen in just a week.
Insulin spikes are linked to acne breakouts and can cause the skin to appear red and inflamed. This is because inflammation produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles.
If you have acne scars, speak to Sue Ibrahim, nurse consultant in dermatology at Elan Medical Skin Clinic to find out how she can help.
As if having acne wasn’t bad enough, the scarring left behind can cause as much upset as the acne itself. The medical micro-needling and fractional skin resurfacing treatments at Elan Medical Skin Clinic will significantly improve the appearance of acne scars, allowing you to feel more confident and happy with your complexion.
Acne can lead to scarring when the most severe types of spots – nodules and cysts – burst and damage the overlying skin. Scarring can also occur if you pick or squeeze your spots, so it is important to avoid doing this.
Don’t let winter get the better of your skin! Help is at hand from Elan Medical Skin Clinics in central London and Essex
As the nights draw in and the temperature drops, you may have noticed the effects of winter starting to take their toll on your skin. Winter can also be a particularly troublesome time for people who suffer with rosacea.
London nurse consultant in dermatology, Sue Ibrahim, from Elan Medical Skin Clinics in Whitecross Street and Rayleigh, Essex has worked with skin issues for more than 30 years and here she shares her wisdom.
A beautician will often recommend that you have a facial once a month, but this may not be a good idea for everyone, says our London and Essex skin expert, Sue Ibrahim.
A beauty salon facial may be relaxing but the benefits to the skin are usually only temporary and an worsen skin conditions such as dermatitis, acne and rosacea. Beauty Salon facials generally only offer short term hydration of the skin which products that contain a lot of pseudo scientific mumbo jumbo that has no evidence behind it.
Facials that have been developed by dermatologists, on the other hand, may provide longer term improvements to the texture and clarity of your skin. A dermatology grade facial will contain evidence based ingredients that can slow down the ageing process at the cellular level of the skin. They help regenerate new, healthy skin.
Dermatology grade facials may not be as relaxing as a facial at a beauty salon, but they can significantly improve your skin.
Woman talks to skin experts at central London’s Elan Medical Skin Clinic about PCOS
If you suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) you have our sympathy, says skin expert, Sue Ibrahim from Elan Medical Skin Clinics in central London and Rayleigh, Essex.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that affects how our ovaries work. As well as causing problems when trying to get pregnant, the condition also leads to a number of other symptoms. Not all women with PCOS will have all of the symptoms, and each can vary from mild to severe.
If you are a teenager going through puberty, a grown-up suffering from adult acne or a woman with the polycystic ovarian syndrome’s side effect of increased spots, you have our sympathy.
Active acne and the resulting scarring can have a lifelong effect on our self-confidence. It seems that everyone has some ‘helpful’ nugget of advice or comment to make and when you’re in the thick of a breakout, they just make you feel worse.
Elan’s nurse consultant in dermatology, Sue Ibrahim, is here to blast some of those myths and explain some science-based facts that might help people of all ages understand acne.
Acne is a disease of the pilocebaceous unit in the skin. The cause is hormonal. The hormone Testosterone causes an enlargement of the sebaceous glands in the skin, that start to produce an excess of oil production. As the skin sheds its surface, the dead skin cells stick to the excess oil causing a blocked pore.
Acne bacteria are all around us but when the pH balance of our skin is maintained at slightly acidic level of pH 4.6 the acne bacteria are less likely to live on your face. If the pH balance of your skin is incorrect the barrier function of the skin is impaired. If the acne bacteria enter into a clogged pore where there is no oxygen, they thrive and multiply, causing a spot or a cyst under the skin.
This can happen at any age.
Contrary to popular belief, acne is not just a skin condition that occurs in teenagers. At Elan Medical Skin Clinic we see acne in a wide age range of our clients.
Acne is also not caused by eating greasy food. In fact, diet has very little impact on acne at all. It is purely a hormonal problem.
Both men and women produce the hormone Testosterone. Men produce Testosterone in greater amounts than women and the female hormone Oestrogen helps suppress Testosterone production in women. It is therefore not surprising that women who have lower Oestrogen levels are more likely to suffer from acne, particularly around the time of their monthly period.
Acne is commonly triggered by
Our DermaActive Acne Programme can be purchased from our online store. However, booking a Dermatology Consultation will ensure that you also receive the prescription only medication that you may need.
At Elan Medical Skin Clinic, we ensure that you receive a thorough consultation prior to any treatment programme. We will make sure that your treatment programme is devised to your individual needs and concerns. We can also help you with the cosmetic and psychological aspects of acne and acne scarring.
Book your Dermatology Consultation today…….
Don’t let skin conditions ruin your life – speak to Elan Medical Skin Clinic in Essex and central London
Skin conditions can be embarrassing at best – and downright painful at worst. If you suffer from acne, melasma, rosacea or psoriasis you will know only too well that no matter how common the complaint may be, they way it affects you is very personal.
Many of our patients have spent many unhappy hours visiting their GP, spent time taking prescribed drugs – some of which have horrible side effects – and spent hundreds of pounds on creams and lotions that haven’t made a scrap of difference.
A sympathetic ear