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Overview:
The procedure carried out by Alison West at The Sherborne Clinic differs slightly from that carried out by Matthias
Aust. When carrying out his procedures he would, at times, use a Skin-Needling Roller which had needles with a length of 3mm.
This would require the need to inject either a local or general anaesthetic.
Alison uses a Skin-Needling Roller
with needle lengths of just 1.5mm, which means that only a topical (surface-applied) anaesthetic is necessary to reduce any
discomfort that may be experienced. (An image of a Skin-Needling Roller with 1.5mm needles is
on the next page, entitled Burn & Hypertrophic Scars Images).
Alison
recently met with Matthias (Aust) at a seminar in London, and he confirmed that the same results ( up to an 80% improvement
in appearance ) could be achieved, but it would require more appointments.
This treatment works by helping to smooth
scars gently, release tight scars, and each treatment encourages the skin to normalize the collagen and elastin which makes
up the scar tissue. In scars, the collagen and elastin are 'jumbled up', subsequently creating the actual scar itself.
PCI therapy encourages the skin to produce normal collagen and elastin, helping to 're-organize'
the area treated into smoother skin.
It is ironic that scar tissue is made of 'abnormal' collagen and elastin
and that to improve it, we have to microscopically heal again by stimulating the growth of more collagen and elastin! The
act of skin-needling, together with the application of vitamin enriched serums encourages the collagen and elastin to reform
to a more cosmetic level. Every time you have a treatment, this evolution continues.
Therapy
Stage 1, Consultation:
After initial contact with Alison, the patient / client
will attend the clinic for a consultation and a 'skin sensitivity test'. The test is quite simple, it is just a plaster
with a smidgeon of topical anaesthetic on it, which is worn for 12 hours to ensure that there is no allergic reaction
to the anaesthetic. The test is a legal requirement. Further legal requirements are that patients / clients
are at least 1 year post-op and must be over 18 years of age.
If it is decided to go on to stage 2 of the therapy, patients
/ clients will be expected to apply vitamin A & C creams to the site for 2 weeks to maximise dermal collagen formation.
Therapy Stage 2, The First Treatment:
The
patient / client attends the clinic for the first treatment. Topical anaesthetic is applied to minimise any possible discomfort,
then the area will be skin-needled. The action of the surgical grade stainless steel micro needles creates thousands of 'micro-clefts'
in the skin which remain open for a maximum of 36 hours. Immediately after the skin-needling, serums enriched with vitamins
A, C and E are applied to encourage the formation of collagen and elastin. At this time, and for the remainder of the time
that the micro-clefts are open, the skin will absorb the serums at a rate of up to 400x that of normal.
No post-treatment
dressing is required, and any redness will disappear within a day or two.
Therapy
Stage 3, Aftercare:
On leaving the clinic after stage 2, the patient / client
must continue to apply the essential serums twice daily to gain the maximum benefit.
Therapy
Stage 4, Further Treatments:
To optimize the appearance, repeat procedures of
stages 2 & 3 are necessary. These can be either at fortnightly or monthly intervals, which are agreed between the patient
/ client and Alison, to decide what is best for each individual. The number of repeat procedures is ultimately the decision
of the patient / client. Once the stage has been reached where both the patient / client and Alison agree that little
or no further improvement is possible, the patient / client may then opt for the use of camouflage costmetics, or have Burns
Scar Camouflage by paramedical micropigmentation (medical tattooing) which is a far longer lasting treatment for
burn / hypertrophic scars disguise...almost semi-permanent. Please refer to relevant page on this website.
If you, or somebody that you know
has a burn scar issue, and would appreciate a confidential discussion with Alison, please complete the contact form below,
leaving a your name, a contact telephone number and a convenient time to call, and she will contact you.
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