Meder Beauty
You want healthy, glowing skin—but with all the products, trends, and conflicting advice, it’s hard to know what actually works. Welcome to the Meder Beauty Podcast, hosted by Dr. Tiina Meder, a former cardiologist and board-certified dermatologist. In each episode, we uncover what really matters, break down the science, and give you real, expert-backed skincare advice. Whether you’re looking to achieve radiant healthy skin, curious about anti-aging, or want to understand what’s really in your products, you’re in the right place. Rooted in science and the truth about what your skin actually needs, we’ll have in-depth conversations with leading dermatologists, medical experts, and skincare brand founders to bring you the latest innovations, evidence-based insights, and industry secrets that truly make a difference.
Meder Beauty
The Truth About Injectables and Skincare w/ Dr. Anna Kantser
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We're living in the golden age of injectables. Patients spend thousands on Botox, fillers, and skin boosters, and many start to ask: do I still need skincare, or is that just a marketing upsell?
In this episode, I sit down in London with Dr. Anna Kantser, NHS GP with a special interest in dermatology, aesthetic doctor, and founding member of the Royal Society of Medicine's Aesthetic Medicine Section, to answer that question honestly, from both sides of the needle. We talk about what actually penetrates the skin and what doesn't, why expensive creams are often just expensive marketing, and where the real evidence sits behind Botox, fillers, and collagen stimulators. We get honest about the ingredients we think are overhyped (including a frank warning about exosomes), how to spot a safe practitioner, and why a suspiciously cheap price should always be a red flag. We landed somewhere that surprised neither of us: injectables and skincare don't replace each other; they collaborate. This is how to be strategic about both, even on a limited budget.
Episode resources:
Royal Society of Medicine, Aesthetic Medicine Section
Human Microbiome Project (HMP)
Learn more from the previous episodes:
What You Really Need Every Day: A Longevity Skincare Routine
Your Skin's Renewal System: The Real Science of Stem Cells
Shop the skincare we talked about today:
Meder Beauty Biohacking Sensitive Skin Skincare Routine
Myo-Fix - Anti Wrinkle Peptide Serum
Connect with us:
Listen to the Meder Beauty Podcast on Apple Podcasts
You want healthy glowing skin, but with all the products, trends, and conflicting advice, it's hard to know what actually works. I understand. I am Dr. Tina Meder, former cardiologist and specialist in the skincare development and cosmetic safety expert. I've spent years studying the science of skin. Welcome to Matter Beauty Podcast, where we uncover what really matters, break down the science, and give you real expert skincare advice. Whether you're looking to achieve ready and healthy skin, curious about anti-aging, or want to understand what's really in your product, you are in the right place. Rooted in science and the truth about what your skin actually needs, we'll have in-depth conversations with leading dermatologists, medical experts, and skincare brand founders to bring you the latest innovations, evidence-based insight, and industry secrets that truly make a difference. We are so happy you are here. So let's go. Hello and welcome to the Skin Believe In podcast. I'm Dr. Tina Meder, and today I am in London and very happy to present you Dr. Anna Cansor, the founder of Dr. Anna Aesthetics Clinic, one of the founding members of the Royal Society of Medicines, Aesthetic Medicine sections, and general practitioners with a special focus in dermatology and specialists in aesthetic medicine. And I dare say that Dr. Anna is one of the people and doctors who represent the new generation of aesthetic medicine practitioners. Thank you so much for joining me and to invite me to your beautiful London-based clinic.
SPEAKER_01It's really a pleasure for me. And I wanted to talk about injectables in aesthetic medicine. Andrew Andropov. Yes, we are living in the golden age of injectables where we can restore volume, stimulate collagen, and improve the skin quality like never before. Many patients who spent thousands on Botox, skin boosters, fillers ask whether they really need skincare. Or is skincare just a marketing upsell? Today we will try to answer this question. And before answering this question, I wanted to ask you, Tina, why you are so passionate about skincare and what is the main focus of your cosmetic line?
SPEAKER_02Thank you so much for this question because I understand that many people see me as an unusual doctor because I am not practicing aesthetic medicine like it is usual for aesthetic medicine, you know, injectables and laser treatments. Quick fix, quick fix. Quick fixes and let's say high-tech treatments of aesthetic medicine. And I am specializing in the topical applications. So skin care and at some point a dermatological application. And it was my focus since the very beginning. And I started in the mid-90s. And my focus, first and foremost, that is the skin microbiome, since the very beginning or start of the microbiome science and human microbiome project started in 2007. So I was absolutely fascinated by the whole idea. And also new opportunities of pectides. Why, you know, we hear a lot about microbiome. Why microbiome and skin? Because actually, skin and gut, they are two organs mostly researched and studied. And we populated. Yeah, two microbiome hosting surfaces. And I would not take a risk to say that they are most populated because just recently, a few years ago, we have been thinking that the blood is sterile. Now we know it is not. We've been thinking that the brain is sterile or the womb is sterile. It is not sterile even during the pregnancy. So there will be a lot of discoveries upcoming in the next years.
SPEAKER_01So probably your cosmetic is more to support microbiome than to destroy it. And that's the beauty of the cosmetics that respecting microbiome.
SPEAKER_02I think then we should change the whole paradigm of the skincare because if we've been seeing skin as an isolated organ, now we understand that the skin is a human body and any kind of biological object on our planet. We are ecosystems. So it's, you know, I love to think about the microbiome as a two-way street because we have our microbiome. So we are planets for our microbiome. But in the same time, we are very small part of the microbiome of our planet Earth. Cannot separate us. We need microbiome. Microbiome needs us. And when we care about the skin, we should keep microbiome in mind because it is part of the skin, it is a living wire of this care.
SPEAKER_01And many of my patients ask, does skincare really work? And whether molecules can penetrate deep in the skin.
SPEAKER_02That's another great question. And uh yes, skincare can really work, but that's a lot of skincare, which is not. It depends very much on the formulation, on the vision of the formulator, and there are many factors which define the penetrations of ingredients into the different skin fire. First, it is size matters. Everything which is smaller than 500 Dalton of molecular weight will penetrate into the skin easily. You cannot stop it. So the molecule to create this little molecule is so important. Retinol, 140. Glycolic acid, 128. So they kind of hit on the top. They are just going like a train into the deepest wire of the skin. Ionic acid is six millionth Dalton. So for all money on the planet Earth, it cannot penetrate. But also when we are speaking about ingredients which are with molecular weight slightly higher, like I'll say up to probably 5,000 Daltons max, you can make them penetrate into the deeper wire going through stratum cornum using different types of enhancers. We have 600 of them. Right, okay. So you can use different formulations and it's what defines a good cosmetic chemist.
SPEAKER_01That's my second question, because many creams seem to contain similar ingredients, but the price differ. And why expensive brands, let's say, uh why they're so expensive? Is it because of the technology of the cream creation?
SPEAKER_02Obviously, some brands are just marketing, right? On the camera. But I think that many of the influencers created brands. It is marketing because you know, all this investment in the Google advertisement and meta advertisement, it will take 90% of the cost of the product. And also officially, in the last year, the report of uh 2025 is still older. 52% of cost of the product. It is a cost of marketing. An oral thing. Professional brands, story can be different.
SPEAKER_01I think it's important to tell your honest opinion. And even if it's upsetting for someone, I think we're here to discuss really the science behind the products. Um why then some people have great results and some people don't? Sorry, is it because they use some products in the right way and others don't? Uh, we have already discussed the quality of the different creams, that molecule matters. But what about the patients themselves?
SPEAKER_02There are many sides in this story because molecules matter, formula matters because you can use great molecules, but formula created by an experienced cosmetic chemist can stay on the top of the skin just because it is not created with penetrations in mind, and there is a whole lie of science about penetrations of ingredients into the skin. And quality of the skin matters. Paradoxically, when you have a client with a very dry, thin, irritated skin, you can have great results from the very first days because the skin is overpermeable. And if you need something to penetrate deeper, it's a reasonable nerve. It's ready to take everything. Exactly. You put on the skin, it just goes into the deeper of the skin. But when you restore the barrier, it becomes more difficult. So it is a paradox of the skincare. It can work amazingly in the first weeks, but when you restore the healthy skin, skincare can be less efficient, less noticeable.
SPEAKER_01I find it with injectables. When people are coming with the good quality skin and we do some treatments, they see less result compared to those who never done any treatments because their skin is uh responding with uh so many results and they can see the actual difference.
SPEAKER_02I think that's also the factor of skin health itself and you know, hallmarks of aging. Now we are speaking about 12 hallmarks of aging, which it's all interconnected to each other from genomic instability to inflammation, microbiome balance, and so on. So 12 of them can be very prominent in someone else's skin. For example, if the person is aged, exposed to the stress, has some lifestyle habits which are not beneficial, smoking, uh some alcohol use, yeah, and some choice of the food and diet. Yeah. It cannot and you can have a very healthy person who probably at the same age sleeps well, is physically active, using good skincare, eating well, and not so much stressed. And once again, when the home arts of agents are not very active in the skin, the skin is regenerating better. And paradoxically, injectable materials can be resorbed faster. Yes. So it's really a two-aged sword.
SPEAKER_01Yes, that's true. Um, I want to ask you, what is wrong with retinol?
SPEAKER_02You you know me. People see me as uh uh retinol water. I'm not. I actually I love retinol. Retinol is one of the most researched ingredients in the cosmetic science. It is a great uh ingredient. The problem with retinol first, it is systemic absorption, which cannot be excluded because the molecule is very small, it's absolutely biologically identical to the human body, vitamin A at the form. So our body can use it not for the skin only, because retinolic acid is what makes our body to renew not only the skin, but our intestine and even our brain. So when you eat well, when you have the naturally high level of the vitamin A, and you start to use topical applications with retinol, good quality of retinol, it can bring the risk of the overdosage of vitamin A.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, as we know, vitamin A can be a teratogenic uh component, and it's not allowed to use in pregnancy if you are using for this reason. Strong retinol, topically, even.
SPEAKER_02It's still a discussion about it because actually there are only eight cases we've been formally recognized as a retinal teratogenic, so embryo harm. But eight cases, it is not zero. So, me personally, I think that we should be careful. And also when retinal journey started in tobacco application in the 80s, they we've been very limited in the choice of ingredients. Now we have a lot of ingredients, we have 12 retinal-like categories. So you can replace retinol to avoid it, and me personally, I think that retinol should stay in dermatology, should be used safely under the medical control. But speaking about the skincare, especially preventative skincare, we can go safe.
SPEAKER_01I have uh recently a patient who was um chatting with a very famous beauty expert on the plane, and he told he asked her, tell me one thing, one thing which I can do and which will give the excellent results. She said, very strong retinol, the one that you get from the pharmacy, you use it once a week, that's the best thing. And when I heard that, I thought probably your skin will be shocked when you apply it on the face, and for a couple of months you'd be burned, and you can achieve the same amazing results using either very low concentration of retinol or using amazing uh molecules like enzymes. I think many of your cosmetic brands, uh the cosmetic products, they have so active components. Can you tell a bit more about the actually active components?
SPEAKER_02First of all, if someone asks me what is the best thing to use for my skin, I will ask about their skin. Right. Because it can be different target. Retinol can treat acne pigmentation, it can be used as an anti-aging ingredient and so on. But if you go deeper in the skin needs, if it is someone who is really worried about the skin aging, I will go probably first for microbiome rebalancing because now that's a lot we can do. They are different prebiotics, probiotics, so we can regrow useful and we can delegate a big part of our work to this microflora, which is able to synthesize, highly case it, and to do a lot of things and to protect skin cells and so on. And another thing I will probably consider peptides. Also, we have a lot of them and some remodeling peptides. What is the magic about peptides? I think they're everywhere now in uh but can you tell a bit more why peptides? What do they do? What is the magic? Magic of peptides, and they can be used as a language. They are messengers. With peptides, we can gently speak with every cell in our body. And obviously, as a skincare expert, I'm speaking with the skin. But now peptides is uh kind of the new hope and the pharmacology. And look, GOP1 drugs peptides. Weight loss drugs is peptides? Absolutely. You we just now we learn how to speak with the brain center to ask it to not eat too much. We can use peptides, which is speaking only with overexpressed pigment cells, which are already harmed by the old violet, asking them to go back on the normal way of the melanin production. And now we have about thousands of peptides. So we have this dictionary.
SPEAKER_01I think it's a future of medicine as well. There are many inductible peptides not yet approved. It's Ked, I think it's developing extensively.
SPEAKER_02It's absolutely transforming medicine. We are on the edge of the real precision medicine when many of conditions can be treated much safer, much more efficient without drastic side effects. Because peptides, what are peptides? Chains of amino acids, which used like letters, because you know you changed the uh sequel, the sequence of three letters in the word. It's a different language, yes. Same with peptides, and now we can speak with our body, and once the word is used, amino acids are absorbed and used to build muscles, yes, in our body or vessels.
SPEAKER_01So it's everything is very easy. Um I want to ask you about pigmentation because you mentioned peptides for pigmentation. I want to ask you, some of my patients they apply religiously their SPF, but still they develop pigmentation. What do you think is the problem? I noticed, I think on your website there are recommendations how to use skincare, and one of the recommendations was for SPF, and I want you to actually tell about this.
SPEAKER_02We still don't have SPF. I'm working on the formulation for 14 years. I'm still not. You haven't found the perfect one. No, because you know there are a lot of really good quality SPF products in the world, and I don't see the point to add another one. Just the same. So I want to do something different. But SPF, now I will say something very controversial. Why? Sunscreen, it is an illusion, and it is a dangerous illusion. Sunscreen is a last wire of the sun protection. People should not see sunscreen as an only sun protection. It doesn't forget.
SPEAKER_01That's that's the problem because they apply SPF and they think they're protected and they don't uh forget about other methods like wearing a hat or staying in the shade.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, just some lifestyle habits. And also you should understand if your circadian rhythms are disturbed, your skin can be much more vulnerable to the ultraviolet during the day. Because with a good circadian rhythms, we have nature of circadian sun protection from 11 until 3 p.m. If you didn't sleep well, if you have circadian troubles, this sun protection can be moved to the evening or to the morning time. Antioxidant food. If you don't have enough of antioxidants circulating in your body, like it's a kinetic C. Absolutely. Vitamin C in many of them, flavonoids, anticyanides. Actually, it's easy to replace with the food because sea color, eat color. Everything colorful, it is full of antioxidants because plants' pigments, they are powerful antioxidants. And if you don't have enough of antioxidants, if you have a bad oxidative profile, it aggregates the harm of your skin.
SPEAKER_01And also, of course, other conditions like pregnancy or some people have medications that could trigger your skin to produce more melanin. However, you know, I noticed in your advice that when you apply SPF, you mentioned you need to have a good portion of it. It's like five, seven mL. So if you imagine for your face, you need to apply a spoon, a teaspoon of SPF. It has to be a good amount, and you need to reapply it every two hours, really, so it works.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yes and no, because it uh it is rule created once again in the 90s. Now, fortunately, they have new level of sunscreens in the recent years. We have more efficient filters and formulations. Now they are smarter. So five, seven milliliters. Now it's not mandatory for new sunscreens, right? New because no one did it.
SPEAKER_01No, I miss it. It's so uncomfortable. It's so uncomfortable, and skin is so super shiny. You don't want to shine that that much. You like you don't want to look ugly. You don't want to look ugly, exactly. I think it's it's good when you're on holiday and everyone is with these white faces and under the burning sun. But actually, if you're in town just traveling from home to work, you don't want to be looking to it. I always say that you need three sunscreens.
SPEAKER_02And uh best choice if they're prescribed by you aesthetic doctors, dermatologists. So the first sunscreen, it is your 9 to 5 sunscreen, working days. Because if you are like me, or probably you don't spend to London. You go to your office in the morning and you're coming back in the evening. Yeah. So probably 20 minutes on the sun, it's uh best you can have. But makeup, great foundation, this 3035 plus sunscreen level will work and you will look great. And it is important. In the weekend time, when you spend more time uh outdoors, it can be different, so it can be more powerful sunscreen, like 50 plus. But I also suggest to use tinted formula, women at least, because first of all, it's easy to see how you apply it. True, when it is tinted, that it's controllable, and also it looks nicer. It's really unifies the skin color, and only on holiday.
SPEAKER_01Sometimes if you have even have a good skin quality, you it it's like makeup, it gives you a little bit of a color, and it's still it it looks very good and natural. Uh, talking about ingredients, going back to ingredients. Do you have any overhyped ingredients, you know, that you heard of? And having you here as an expert and spending decades for developing skincare, you probably know what actually what works and actually doesn't work. So any overhyped ingredients that you can name?
SPEAKER_02Some hypes sometimes a hype is born like a star is born. And for example, Bakuchol. It is an amazing ingredient, it's retinal-like, it helps the aging skin to age more gracefully. And it is very similar mechanism. But God only knows why Bakuchol had this hype and dozen of ingredients with the same action did it.
SPEAKER_01Maybe it was, you know, because uh the retin retinals are giving uh side effects. I think when it only appeared it was something like an alternative to a retinol. That's why people got to know it so much.
SPEAKER_02And Bakuchello is great but there are also a lot of ingredients which are similar to Bakuchol, but everyone knows Bakuchol. And no one is speaking about like Matrix of 3000. Yes, true. Maybe the name is longer. Yeah maybe the name is longer start on the nose. And other exosomes now absolutely hyped.
SPEAKER_01I completely agree. Even with injectables it's um something that are all over the place and in the UK the it's allowed only to microneedle them and uh you you don't really inject them but in Asia for let's say last five years they've been injected. But there's so much hype exosomes are everywhere. What do you think about them?
SPEAKER_02I think they are very dangerous because exosomes are responsible for horizontal DNA transfer. So it is a genetic transfer from another biological organisms to yours organisms. And we don't know how it works.
SPEAKER_01We don't know we don't know uh they are not allowed um in China if in China there's something is balanced it must be really bad or dangerous.
SPEAKER_02I mean not bad that I recently have been on the conference at Royal Society of Medicine and there was this uh one of the doctors actually she was present there her case was discussed she was injected with the human derived exosomes uh not in this country it was in Dubai and from the beautiful face she got completely scarred face some kind of autoimmune process was triggered and she developed uh sclerodermia we don't know how it works that's a problem also it can transfer preon's infections cruitsyacups and it can be extremely dangerous it can manifest in dozen of years and viruses exosomes they are responsible for viruses transfer and when I hear people speaking about young women who've been uh well uh the blood was well researched come on you are speaking about exosomes from placenta and they are vulnerable young women who donate the placenta yeah for these purposes because it just works like that let's wait and see in yeah yes I always say there will be some brave people who will experiment with themselves and they can observe yes I like the position of the UK and this instance they wait they look they observe and then they allow if it's really safe.
SPEAKER_01It is wise yeah if skincare can do all these things why injectables need it at all?
SPEAKER_02That's a great question because skincare is not almighty you know for me I imagine the skin needs as a pyramid you know like muscle pyramid then in the very foundation you have safety you have the food access and on the very top you have spiritual growth you cannot grow spiritually if you are hungry and just running from the tiger. And so that's the same for me in my mind it's a pyramid muscle for the skin then in the foundation it is not even the skincare.
SPEAKER_01It is the sleep lifestyle the healthy diet and healthy food physical activity and in the middle it would be the skincare because skincare can help rebalance the microbiome to restore and maintain barrier function of the skin to improve the antioxidant protection of the skin and do many ways and also to interact with the skin targeting some cell function I would completely agree with you on this role distribution in the pyramids because I agree that injectables are in the top because of the amount of the injectables we deliver to people it's not everyone has injectables but everyone has to look after the skin and use at least some basic uh elements like moisturizers like SPF but uh when we're talking about injectables I think injectables it's about the volume contour and skin health where there's skincare I think it's about texture and skin health so we are skin is a 3D organ and we are looking at it from different angles and of course injectables they can't treat the uh skin with a problem like rosacea acne but also they can't really cover that surface and some of my patients say most of them they use good skincare but some of them don't use skincare at all they they even barely moisturize the face and after procedures uh sometimes if they had a skin pill their skin looks worse and they ask me Dr. Anna I had these treatments but today you can see I can see small small wrinkles on the skin and I'm asking her did you use any creams at all?
SPEAKER_02No, I didn't they've been not educated properly because you know it is a big mistake of the education because skin needs help unfortunately skin probably human body is not really born to live in the modern cities probably we are not evolved enough to live in the city like London under the stress. So there's lots of pollutants. Probably before 25 before 27 your skin is a fighter like your body is a fighter but later you need help and people think then skincare it's just a luxury it is not a luxury it is an essential it is more hygiene. Well especially when I don't have enough hand and for example in dental practice God bless no one has this illusion that you can whiten your teeth once a year without using tooth exactly that that's a very good comparison. Yeah it just toothbrushing and toothpaste it's less expensive than skincare. That's how it works. But you need skincare even the simple one good cleanser good moisturizer sunscreen it is the minimum for the skin 30 plus it's it's like your three three things that you can buy and have that will be cleanser moisturizer and skin my favorite three step routine will be the gentle microbiome respecting cleanser antioxidant moisturizing serum because antioxidants it's much easier to incorporate them in the water based solution line and moisturizer or sunscreen or both of them so still simple still minimalist still not nine steps.
SPEAKER_01Not like Korean cosmetics we're discussing with Tina before the podcast uh we're talking about Korean steps and skincare uh it's multi-componental and not everyone has time for that I would say busy women working women they just simply don't have time yeah me I don't have time no I have one minute in the morning one minute of the evening and maybe 20 minutes once a week I'd say yet your skin looks amazing.
SPEAKER_02Oh stay so much actually I'm a living experiment because when I launched my brand in 2009 everyone told me not everyone but a lot of people and a lot of my colleagues told me then let's see what you will think when you will be older because I was like 37 probably now I'm 54 and I thought okay I will experiment I will not inject myself I will not do laser or anything I will see how your skin can live with skincare. But regular skincare just micro efforts every day skin is an organ which is able to be grateful. It takes years but you'll see it one day and uh but I'm not the saying to everyone that you don't need injectables because I'm experimenting on myself and when quite experiment it's just you know I think it's only fair because as a topical skincare developer I think it would be not fair yeah I agree. It's it's my responsibility to see how things work. But let's talk about injectables because I'm not an expert in injectables. As I say I never did it to myself and I never performed to practice injectables in my life I am focusing on the topical but it is very interesting topic and now it's evolving so much.
SPEAKER_01So tell us more yeah exactly the the injectables uh started to appear at the end of the 1990s 2000s when they just appeared on the market and developed to the degree and extent that uh most of people at least once in life they tried something and it looks like now in some psychology of people that it's like going and doing their nails or a haircut. Talking about injectables I think what is interesting to talk about is about the evidence. What is truly working? Where's the evidence? Is it marketing as well as yourself you mentioned there is a lot of marketing in the cosmetic industry I'd say there is a lot of marketing in the static industry. Even more maybe I think even more I agree and uh surprisingly popular procedures like vitamin injections or I mean acid injections alone don't really have strong evidence base behind them. If we talk about hyaluronic acid and injections with hyaluron there is more evidence. There are randomized control studies on large groups of people showing the improved hydration improved radiance and in some cases elasticity. However there are no kind of long-term studies suggesting that they actually reverse aging they act for some period of time and you need to do them repeatedly for them to work. There is more evidence around Botox product probably and is used in from in medicine to treat medical conditions like chronic migraines, muscle spasticity and again the effect is predictable but short lasting temporary there is more evidence about collagen stimulators like polyalactic acid or calcium hydroxypophyte there are studies that proved histological studies randomized control studies that prove that collagen is getting produced more. However we don't really have long-term data to say that it's actually modifying the aging process and when the substance is in the skin your skin responses and produces collagen but whether it works when it's not in the skin that's a question.
SPEAKER_02How can you have long-term data if the whole story started in probably a hundred years we will yeah probably a hundred years we will and what I find really surprising that very often in the press media even on TV or movies uh they're speaking so basically about ejectables or she had botox when they see lips augmentations so I think first of all people probably should understand better what you have in your tool buckets that you have as a box I man would normally call botox for everything lips Botox foreheads breast bote everything is Botox like a name exactly I think the simplicity is because people like the information to be delivered in a simple way another way to talk why it's so simplified as I say many people take it as a nail procedure or a hair procedure and they are satisfied with the minimum information they have. They should understand that it is a medical procedure so it should be done by a doctor absolutely who has a proper education who has a real medical training because oh my God I'm sorry to say it but there's still a lot of people who are looking for better price and going for people who have no certificates no education at all they are buying this injectable product online and it is very dangerous.
SPEAKER_01So how to recognize a good practitioner like here thank you I think when you mentioned the price there are three main components in the price for the aesthetic procedure first is the price of a product not all haronic acid is the same. Secondly technology and production of the gel itself companies invest money in cross-linking technology haronic acid doesn't stay in the skin for long native molecule stays in the skin for a few days to make it last longer companies invest and chemically modify the gel to make it last longer they invest to understand how the what are the sizes of the molecule cohesivity density this all has to be regulated and also advanced cleaning technologies are used to get rid of toxins and elements that shouldn't be in the gel because if you have something extra that shouldn't be there your skin will respond with inflammation or there is a risk of nodule formation. So that's one part of the story. This other part of the story who is injecting and it is a big part of the story as well yes because I would say the cheaper product with the right rheological structure placed in the right level will outperform the expensive product placed wrongly very hence I think the biggest kind of difference in the price is the abilities of the injector I would say you will be safer if you go to a registered medical practitioner rather than a beauty salon where they do nails and the nail practitioner or hairdresser does it for you because believe me they do.
SPEAKER_02I would probably say then if it's someone who's offering great discounts for me it's a red flag.
SPEAKER_01Yeah because good products they can't be cheap it will talk about Botox. I recently was approached on WhatsApp by Kulyan Company or Chinese company I don't know and they were sending me like a booklet with prices for botulinum toxin like 20 pounds per bottle if you compare with the registered products it will be like 150 per bottle. So the difference is huge and you need to remember that Botox is a medical product and the concentration of this toxin is very important. If it's a lot of the toxin in the bottle it can have side effects detrimental health.
SPEAKER_02For me it's even it's so frightening actually because the botulinum toxin it is a biological weapon.
SPEAKER_01Yeah and just before the launch of aesthetic procedures based on the botolyn toxin it was very well protected in the military sizing mostly because it's the most toxic substance a drug viralise uh the nerves not to tell scary stories but in the press there in the British press there were some side effects described by patients injected with the unregulated product ending up having problem uh swallowing the biggest problem as I understand then botolinum toxin can diffuse can be systemically absorbed and can affect the respiratory function and it can be very harmful. I think uh the official regulations are it is advised not to inject more than 500 units at the same time so it depends on the amount of the product you're injecting and depends on the place we're injecting if you're injecting in the neck and you go to the person could have uh difficulty swallowing but I would say it is quite a studied project and even in pregnancy NHS would use fotulinum toxin injections for pregnant women who have terrible migraines and medications are contraindicated in this case we use it why not yeah it's used in pediatry used in ophthalmology it's used for Parkinson's treatment it is a great treatment but in aesthetic I think you can be safe when you are in a good hand practitioners like Dr.
SPEAKER_02Anna and who is using good quality products with all understanding.
SPEAKER_01And I think with experience of 10 years believe me the more I inject the more I'm careful. Yeah I always say the bravest doctors are young doctors.
SPEAKER_02Exactly so how do you decide what kind of injectables someone needs?
SPEAKER_01Practically I assess what is the problem what is the need dynamic lines they are normally muscle driven so butinotoxin could help. If it's a volume loss contour changes then the lap or collagen stimulator if it's a screen quality concern like fine lines and laxity of the skin then we can use skin boosters energy based devices. But then of course we are assessing the anatomy the aging morphotype of the patient then proportions are very important and uh safety profiles autoimmune conditions whether they had any treatments before the side effects and it's important to assess the expectations of the patient because sometimes expectations are unrealistic.
SPEAKER_02And unfortunately it's quite often because some people they think you're a fairy godmother almighty can do everything. And also I think that some ethic problem and limitations sometimes and remember in my French clinic once I've had a patient who asked me how to get round eyes because her husband loves all I can I suppose in your practice sometimes you meet patients who are asking for something which you don't think can be helpful beneficial for patients.
SPEAKER_01Yeah patient selection is very important and it's our duty as doctors to see whether the patients come with the right reason for treatment and sometimes they know if they're seeking for something that is not uh helpful for them and can be achieved.
SPEAKER_02I think in France they have good practice especially plastic surgery they are obliged to signalize if they suppose it is a psychological problem. Like it dysmorphia and they cannot perform any plastic surgery before than two weeks after the first consultation.
SPEAKER_01Yeah it's a called cooling period yeah when the patient wants something it's better for them to think about this and if they're sure then they would do.
SPEAKER_02Obviously it is not when we are speaking about when it is something which can be dramatically changing can be or easily reversed. Easily reversed agreed so better to get cooling period. That's great.
SPEAKER_01But let's say I have two questions first of all if it is one injectable treatment which can be good for almost everyone like with skincare a moisturizer cleanser and SPF would be good for most of the patient almost everyone with these skincare injectables I would say mostly for everyone it would be good to have a skin booster with hyaluric acid and some amino acids because they do improve high hydration radiance and it would be nice to have this effect. Especially for probably some urban dwellers in the category 40 plus yeah and uh if they are using all the skincare and the skincare is good ready then we can and they still have a problem then a bit of injectable will deliver the product deeper and boost boost the skin yeah and what is an injectable which is most overrated in your opinion I would say probably uh the concept or of non surgical facelift uh is overrated rather than injectable alone the concept because in many clinics you could see a non surgical facelift and we don't really know what it means. Often it would mean an energy based device That would deliver some energy to the kind of lower phase to lift it up. And it is a misconcept because the sucking of the skin when the patient is having a change in the contour, there are multiple reasons for that. And it starts from the volume loss, changes in the ligaments, laxity of ligaments, fat redistribution, muscle overactivity. All of these components, they overall affect the way the person looks. And only one single base device can't sort it out. Best thing is the combination approach approach, a bit of the botulinum toxin to relax the muscle, restore the volume where you're lacking it, and it builds the skin bullets. Some smart smart, smart, yeah, not one one off. And this is a misconception because these energy-based devices are so expensive and they can on the high street, a procedure could cost a thousand one thousand five hundred pounds per procedure. You need three of them. And people are really expecting to have a facelift without completely.
SPEAKER_02Because they've been promised the facelift, literally. Yeah. So that's understandable why the expectations can be wrong.
SPEAKER_01I never promise anything that I can't achieve. And I think that's the reason of my success, because people trust me, and I would rather say that you might have an improvement, but you would not be like that person in the picture. You have a different anatomy, you have different lips.
SPEAKER_02That's why I love your practice so much because you promised less, but you delivered more. I think answer is the gold key to success. Yeah, absolutely. And another question are there a lot of people who are afraid that injectables can be addictive. And we see examples sometimes, you know, in the photo and some celebrities who literally say, Oh my god, I couldn't stop.
SPEAKER_01Is it true? I wouldn't call uh that injectables are addictive in the medical way, because addiction means withdrawals, cravings. We don't see it uh with bojacks and thillers. However, people they are used to look nice and well treated, and when the products are winning off, they can see their natural aging. That's why they have maybe this uh sensation that actually they're age more or there is something wrong. And we we we aim not to create addiction, should enhance your own features that you have, and you shouldn't feel that you can't live without this. And I think aesthetic should make people feel better about themselves. Exactly, not to change, yeah, not to make it noticeable. That's a misconception. Big misconception and aesthetics, there are two positive and negative. Positive is when people think that they can achieve everything, there is no long-term data that injectables can rejuvenate uh aging process, and negative misconception is both will make me look frozen, or everyone would see you can't see it on my face, you can't see it on my patients' faces. It all looks natural.
SPEAKER_02It's everything that's about the balance, yeah. And about some common sense, yeah, I will say. And I think that we have now a new generation of aesthetic doctors like yourself, because you are free of all this euphoria of the first years.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I agree. The more experience you have, the more kind of you're expectant towards the new technologies that are coming and you want to be conservative. Yeah. I think there is a last maybe question that we can discuss with you, because some patients uh in my clinic they say, oh doctor, I can for my skincare, I can dedicate 100 pounds a month. Thinking now and having discussed that skincare is super important and you can't replace skincare with injectables. And injectables is something that is on the top of the pyramid and it's nice to have sometimes in some cases. What would you say, let's say we have a between us to share 100 pounds per month? What do you think you could uh introduce?
SPEAKER_02I think you should be strategic. Because obviously you can spend a lot of money for skincare injectables, it's not a secret, right? But if you are strategic, if you understand what you need and how often you need something, it is easier to create some uh payment as well. For skincare, I will say the first row, go for professional skincare. I explain why. Because it it has the proof already, because aesthetic doctors, clinics, they will not work with non-efficient skincare. Because you will not be back if it didn't work. Yeah. And retail doesn't care about it so much because people are still back. But in professional, it would be efficient, and if it is well chosen by practitioner, good quality practitioner, it will work on your skin. So I will say let's go for the budget uh gentle cleanser, which is not stripping your precious microbiome, your precious lipids, and antioxidant protection and good sunscreen, which you will better sunscreen, the one you are comfortable to use. Yes. And also you can create the budget to get some injectable help if needed. Yeah. A few times a year. Yeah. So I can go with.
SPEAKER_01I would say, of course, I can't point it out exactly, but if I need to name only one, I would say probably butilinum toxin because it's proven, it's effective, it relaxes and acts on the course of dynamic lines. And it's something that you can budget. In fact, from my practice, I see that patients who let's say can't afford many treatments, they would come twice a year for Botox and good skincare, it will be there like optimum.
SPEAKER_02Also, you can combine with a good quality skincare because look, we have this myfix peptide-based concentrate, which can prolong results outside. It costs about 85 pounds, yeah, and it will be good for the whole year.
SPEAKER_01Because uh Botox, as we know, it stays in the tissues for three months, and then the molecule is simply not there. Some people see a clinical effect up to six months because the muscles are slowly kind of waking up. And in that period when your injectable has wind-off, you can use the peptides and uh prolong the effect and the smoothness of the skin.
SPEAKER_02You know, muscle diets will keep your superficial layer of muscles very relaxed for six months longer, and it's not very budgety thing.
SPEAKER_01And I think there are some real areas where we can't really inject because of this possible the penetration and distribution of the products in the corners of the eyes. We have lots of small wrinkles. Please, you can use neuropeptides, which are now so effective and can mimic the injectable. They don't replace each other. Yeah. They're very elaborate.
SPEAKER_02Kind of collaborate, kind of partnership, and also the good skincare. It can be not so expensive. In MEDA, I will say if people ask me what I should have with a limited budget, I always say cleanser.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_02Because a good cleanser will improve the efficiency of all types of skincare which you're using after this cleanser, and bad cleanser will kill everything. So spend money for cleanser. Great.
SPEAKER_01So here we are. We have our routine. We discussed very intriguing, provocative questions today. And I'm so delighted to have this chat with you. And I hope we will have a next episode in a couple of years. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Because we absolutely didn't speak about so many things we should speak in the future, but right now we came to the conclusion. So an aesthetic doctors and beauticians, skincare and ejectables, they are not replacing each other. It is a collaboration. So you can have both if you think strategically. Thank you so much for this discussion. Thank you. Thank you to see you soon. Thank you for joining us today on the Matter Beauty Podcast. If you found it helpful, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an expert skincare team. Have a question or topic you'd like for me to cover? Send me a message at podcast at meterbeauty.com. And let's keep the conversation going. Also, you can visit MatherBeauty.com and discover Mather Skincare which I created. And if you enjoyed the show, I'd love if you left the review. It helps us refine the podcast and keeps us growing. Until next time, stay healthy, stay going, and take care of your skin.
