Dr Lawn has been interested in aesthetic medicine since he heard about it in 2010, when he was working as a general practitioner. He had always had a deep passion for the arts, and found pleasure in applying an eye for beauty to a medical pursuit. With a speciality in fillers, as well as treatments for the nose, cheekbones and chin, he has a deep understanding of how to make the most of your best features, and how to keep them looking good for years to come.
Q: What is your approach to anti-ageing?
I think that a holistic approach is crucial to achieving natural results. At the Renewal Institute there are four pillars of preservation that guide us. The first is supplementation which will help to heal your gut and correct any imbalances internally. Medical skin care is the second – to use at home both to prepare your skin for treatment as well as to maintain the results you’ve achieved with treatment. In-office treatments, like lasers and chemical peels, are used to treat the condition of the skin, and injectable treatments like neuromodulators, fillers, and threads treat lines and volume loss.
Q: How does that approach differ for patients of varying ages?
For patients in their 20s, the trend is to start aesthetic treatments at a younger age. At this age, treatments are mostly preventative as opposed to corrective. When collagen production starts to slow down as patients hit their 30s, it’s important to treat the epidermis when it comes to pigmentation and adult acne. Some patients ask about treatment for the beginnings of a double-chin.
Those in their 40s are standing on the brink of being able to preserve themselves or having to twist Father Time’s arm to peel back a few years. At this age it is still quite easy to stimulate collagen with collagen induction treatments. The skin around the eye is much thinner than skin found anywhere else on the body and thus ageing shows there easily. Depending on the patients needs a plan will be set up to achieve results and to maintain this as the ageing process continues.
We definitely have to negotiate with Father Time when patients come to us in their 50s to achieve a natural youthful look. More treatments and multiple combination treatments will be required. It is also worth mentioning that the earlier a patient has started with treatments, the easier it is to maintain a youthful and glowing complexion, as the skin has never had the opportunity to form deep lines and have always produced collagen – so at this stage it makes a big difference whether you’ve had treatments done in your earlier years.
Q: Why are even the best topical treatments not enough for anti-ageing?
Firstly there is a strong gut-skin relationship, so only treating topically and not doing gut repair or correcting hormonal imbalances is taking one step forward while taking one step back. Secondly home care will never be as potent as in-office treatments. I often tell patients it’s like comparing it to brushing your teeth – just because you brush and floss your teeth twice everyday doesn’t mean that you don’t ever have to see the dentist – it helps, but there are still certain treatments required in the chair. Medical skin care aids us in achieving great results and topical treatments assists us in maintaining this.
For more information go to skinrenewal.co.za
If you want to know more about a medical approach to aesthetics, you can read this interview with Dr Lilliana Gilla Lulli.
