Less is More...

Created on 31st July 2008

Dr Mike Comins talks to Olivia Young about Macrolane, the brand new treatment that is giving women the natural look they desire

For women scared of invasive surgery or worried about the unnatural looking breasts sported by some celebrities, there is an innovative new treatment on the market that can give you a subtle enhancement but won't leave people wondering if you have had anything done. Manufactured by Q-Med, makers of Restylane which is one of the most popular fillers on the market, Macrolane has been developed as a nonsurgical body shaping treatment that can naturally regenerate body contours.

Leading cosmetic doctor, Mike Comins of The Hans Place Practice in Knightsbridge, London, feels that Macrolane's advantages over traditional breast augmentation are manifold:

• A more natural look
• A bespoke treatment: your doctor can tailor the volume required to each individual
• Non-invasive: an injection, rather than an invasive operation, which in turn means less trauma and downtime afterwards
• The product, Macrolane, is a natural non-animal based product (like the well-known product Restylane but just with larger particles), that occurs naturally in the body and is biodegradable, breaking down and eventually exiting the body within approximately two years. This means it's not a permanent treatment unless you want it to be and, if you do, you can have yearly topups to maintain it
• It doesn't hinder a mammogram like an implant might

Hyaluronic acid is the skin's fluid sub-structure which organizes other substances, such as collagen and elastin, to give your skin its form. Over time the distribution of hyaluronic acid changes and it is why our skin gets drier, thinner and more flaccid and less elastic as we age. Macrolane is the first body shaping treatment using hyaluronic acid. It is based on Q-Med's unique patented NASHA technology (Stabilised Non Animal Hyaluronic Acid) and when the skin gains additional hyaluronic acid, in the form of Macrolane or Restylane for the face, then it gets help retaining its softness, youthfulness and its volume restored.

Market research has shown that there are a significant number of women who wish to adjust the shape of their body in a natural, nonpermanent way that does not involve the use of implants or body fat in a major surgical procedure. The body gradually metabolises the hyaluronic acid in Macrolane and, eventually, it is completely eliminated. The fact that the effect is not lifelong, but changing, creates a natural quality and effect not available with implants. It is intended to last for twelve to eighteen months and each individual treatment programme will include a yearly top-up as required if the patient feels they wish to continue or increase the effect.

Many women are also very hesitant about undergoing general anaesthesia or the prospect of being left with a disfiguring scar. Rather than cutting into the patient to insert an implant, a small incision is made through which Macrolane is injected. With Macrolane, the process takes a mere fifteen minutes under local anaesthetic in a sterile, clinical environment, such as a minor treatments room. Patients have a consultation before the treatment and also go back two weeks after the treatment for a check up. Recovery time is quicker than conventional surgery but the treated area will feel tender for a few days and patients may wish to adjust their day to day activities. Although the breasts may initially feel hard, as with any breast enhancement procedure, they return to feeling normal within a fortnight.

Dr Comins is one of only a handful of UK doctors authorised by Q-Med to administer the filler and is at the forefront of what can be achieved. He has found that it works very well for prepregnancy women with a size A or B cup who would like to go up a size and for women, post-pregnancy and breast feeding who don't wish to increase their size but want to restore their original breast shape and contour.

With women increasingly wanting a more natural look, does Dr Comins think that Macrolane will become a serious alternative to implants? "Absolutely, for the reasons above. It offers a more natural look but is a less traumatic option for women that require more volume, or a nicer shape to their breasts or buttocks. It can also effectively re-shape similar areas for men."
CSMUK