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Adrian Richards Wins RealSelf 500 Award

Buckinghamshire Plastic Surgeon Recognized as Top Social Influencer in Cosmetic Surgery.

Clinical director of Cosmetic Courses, Mr Adrian Richards is one of 500 doctors in the nation to receive the prestigious RealSelf 500 Award, out of nearly 13,000 board certified specialists with a presence on RealSelf—the leading online community helping people make confident choices in elective cosmetic procedures.

RealSelf top 500 LogoIn a time when 1 in 4 U.S. adults share their health experiences on social media channels, the medical professionals that made the 2015 RealSelf 500 are recognized both for having an outstanding record of consumer feedback and for providing credible, valuable insights in response to consumer questions about elective cosmetic treatments, plastic surgery, dentistry and more.

Mr. Richards qualified as a Doctor in 1988 and for 12 years specialised in plastic surgery. He is a member of both the British Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (BAPRAS) and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). He now has private clinics based at premier locations, including the Northampton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire and London. Mr. Richards recognises that his patients demand excellence from plastic surgeons; consequently he continuously collaborates with other plastic surgeons worldwide to bring new surgical and non-surgical innovations to his practice for the benefit of his patients. As a respected figure in the industry, Adrian is often invited to speak at events and conferences, and has made several appearances on national radio and television, including Channel 4’s ‘How Not to Get Old’ and ‘Bodyshockers’.

“In 2015, these 500 doctors collectively impacted tens of millions of consumers, with nearly 30% of our total doctor content posted by this relatively small group,” said Tom Seery, RealSelf founder and CEO. “When I started RealSelf, many doctors questioned why they should ‘give away’ their expertise ‘for free’ on the web. Now, eight years later — and with over one million doctor answers on our platform — we are proud of the standard this select group has set. They’re leading the way by empowering millions of consumers to gain access to the information they need to make smart and confident health and beauty decisions.”

Image Showing Realself Star RatingsMr Richards is an expert contributor to RealSelf, and to date has posted 558 answers to questions on RealSelf. Each month people from all over world ask important aesthetic-related questions, such as “massaging a rippling implant?” or “Possible infection in BA stitches?”  Mr Richards also maintains a patient star rating of five out of five stars in RealSelf reviews. For more information on Mr Richards, please visit www.aurora-clinics.co.uk and for the full list of RealSelf 500 Award winners, visit http://www.realself.com/RS500.

About RealSelf

Since its founding in 2006, RealSelf has created the world’s largest community for learning and sharing information about cosmetic surgery, dermatology, dentistry, and other elective treatments.

With patients researching practitioners and Plastic Surgeons, having an online presence on trusted resource sites for reviews has never been more important. With RealSelf’s extensive collections of reviews, photos, videos and Q&A’s, it has become one of the most trusted resources for those who are looking for help beyond the beauty counter.

If you would like to join RealSelf and start your online reviews and presence, you can sign up by visiting www.realself.com.

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Can Azzalure be Used in Areas Other than the Glabellar?

Azzalure Question:

Dear Cosmetic Courses,

I really enjoyed Mr Adrian Richards’ presentation and the Foundation Course on Saturday . They were very good and I hope to shortly join you on the 4 hours 1-1 practical session.

I would like to ask you a question about Azzalure:

In addition to the glabellar area can Azzalure be used safely in other areas like the crow’s feet and the forehead ? If yes, how much is the recommended dose to use?

Azzalure Answer:

Thank you for your email- we are glad you enjoyed the course.

The answer to your question is yes you can use Azzalure for these areas- Mr Richards tends to use 3 units of Azzalure for each unit he would have used of Botox or Vistabel.

He finds that this a very similar effect and works well.

If you haven’t already, have a look at www.cosmetic-courses.co.uk where you should find more training material on this topic. There has recently been a Blog dealing specifically with this subject which you might also like to read.

With best wishes

The Cosmetic Courses Team.

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How do you Know you are Getting the Best?

Are Cosmetic Surgeons the Experts When it Comes to Botox & training?

There was a very interesting debate on the RealSelf forums recently (where you can go to ‘find, share and discuss the real story about any cosmetic surgery treatment’).

A forum user was asking whether they would be better to go and see a Cosmetic Surgeon or Dermatologist (Skin Problem Specialist) for their Botox® injections.

Some of the responses provided by resident forum experts were very interesting.

• It’s all about experience, with Botox® said one US Plastic Surgeon. The “most expert” Botox® specialist can be measured in terms of a Practitioner who has the most anatomical knowledge of the areas which they are treating; which amounts of product work to produce the best-looking, longest-lasting results; how regularly they themselves perform the treatment. He points out that Cosmetic Surgeons are, in a sense, artists and trained to have ‘a good eye’ for what looks natural and effective when performing Botox®…other Skin Care Experts may have a better developed eye for other areas, such as skin abnormalities. In terms of experience, many Board Registered Plastic Surgeons have simply been working in the area far longer and performed more procedures than your average Dermatologist. But he also provides a fantastic quote: “a very experienced Dermatologist would be a better choice than an inexperienced plastic surgeon”.
• Ask about their Allergan Account Level – the same Surgeon gave a great tip that you can guage how regularly a Surgeon (or Dermatologist) is practicing Botox by asking their Allergan account level. “Allergan is the manufacturer of Botox, and has various levels of accounts by doctor or by practice based on how much Botox they are purchasing. Levels include silver, gold, platinum, platinum plus, diamond and then black diamond is the highest, meaning they are in the top 1% of injectors nationwide.”
• Cosmetic Surgeons understand limitations of Botox® says another forum user from Montreal. They have ‘the experience to know when surgical correction is the best treatment in their armatorium of aesthetic tools’ which means they don’t believe Botox® is some magical cure-all. They are therefore more likely to manage patients’ expectations of the results, suggest possible alternative treatments and be realistic about the possibilities which can be achieved with each patient.
• What about Dermatologists? Of course there are those on the thread arguing the flipside. Dermatologist Mitchell Schwartz points out that both Cosmetic Surgeons and Dermatologists are skin specialists. In fact, he says, Botox® treatment was initially developed by a dermatologist and an ophthalmologist.

The big thing they all keep coming back to is experience, experience, experience.

And it got me to thinking…

This forum thread was from a patients’ perspective. But what about delegates: nurses, doctors and dentists interested in training in Botox®?

Is Botox® Training better with a Cosmetic Surgeon?
Surely the same principles apply…

Ideally, you want to train with a company who has team members with a range of experience: not just all cosmetic surgeons, or all doctors, all dentists, Aesthetic Nurses or all dermatologists. You want to take aspects of each of their knowledge and learn from what they can teach you. Unfortunately (probably due to the fact that “birds of a feather flock together”!) a lot of training providers are strongly skewed towards one “type” of team.

At Cosmetic Courses, our Training Team is a real eclectic mix. We have Cosmetic Surgeons, RGNs (Registered General Nurses), Doctors, Medical Aestheticians. The one thing they all have in common is that they are dedicated experts in the field of aesthetic medicine. And they are all headed by a renowned Cosmetic Surgeon: Mr Adrian Richards of Aurora Clinics.

The benefits of Cosmetic Surgeon-led training?

• Expert advice from Mr Adrian Richards, The Daily Mail’s ‘Home Counties Leading Plastic Surgeon’: over 12 years’ international specialist experience in aesthetic medicine with numerous procedures to draw on. Watch him on Youtube to see him in action…his reputation is second to none.
• Receive in-depth marketing and business advice on how to make it big.
• See the bigger picture: put non-surgical procedures like Botox® and dermal fillers into the context of cosmetic surgery as a whole and get advice on assessing your patients in terms of all the possibilities for improving them facially.
• Train in the surroundings of a renowned Cosmetic Surgery clinic with 4 fully-functioning and equipped Clinic rooms: this is our National Cosmetic Training Centre.
• Train at the very most professional level: our training is in no way intimidating (just check out our testimonials section to see all the comments about our friendly team!). But by coming to a Cosmetic Surgeon-led provider, you can rest assured that you will be amongst other doctors, nurses and dentists intent upon getting the very best start to their medical aesthetic career. Training with Mr Richards and his team is intense, comprehensive and, above all, inspirational.

To find out more about Cosmetic Courses’ great range of Cosmetic Surgeon-led training, call us today on 0845 230 4110 and find out why we are the outstanding choice for your medical aesthetic training.

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The Curse of Leslie Ash: Permanent Fillers cause Permanent Problems

When you set up your own Medical Aesthetics practise, you will quickly find a Ghost that haunts you. You will particularly experience her looming shadow if you decide to offer Lip Filler treatments. But we can pretty much guarantee that her name will crop up over and over regardless. “I don’t want to end up looking like Leslie Ash!”: it is a plea from your clients that will become all-too familiar.

The Leslie Ash “Look” is certainly not high on most people’s aesthetic wish-list. You have most probably seen the recurrent pictures in the media of her now infamous “trout pout”. The unfortunate woman has been hauled over the coals as an example of Cosmetic Surgery Gone Wrong in every woman’s mag. article of that theme ever since her Lip Body treatment in 2002.

Ash originally claimed she had collagen Lip Implants to correct her disappearing top lip (an unfortunate but common side-effect of ageing) and maintain her image in the public eye. Ironically, the treatment had the opposite effect, bringing her notoriety for all the wrong reasons. Back in 2003, the actress typically told the Press that her permanently swollen, upwards-curled top lip was a terrible accident and the result of a reaction to the collagen in the implant. By 2010 she had conceded that it was not an implant at all, but an injection of liquid silicone (the same lethal cocktail responsible for the recent death of Claudia Aderotimi) which had caused the ridiculous effect.

“The Curse of Leslie Ash” is therefore that hundreds of women who would otherwise have considered lip-enhancing treatment have now been put off completely. And of those that do approach you for procedures, a large number will need reassurance that they will not leave your Clinic looking similarly over-the-top or caricatured.

In his talks to delegates attending Medical Aesthetic courses at the Cosmetic Courses National Training Centre, Mr Adrian Richards (Consultant Plastic Surgeon) is always keen to set the facts straight. For starters, there should be broader awareness of precisely which treatment Leslie Ash underwent: it seems very wrong that by initially shielding the truth, she has created mistrust and fear of both Lip Fillers and Lip Implants. Prospective clients do not realise that Dermal Fillers are not the same as the injections which she had, and can give lovely subtle enhancement to both the lip body and border (in the hands of a qualified, trained medical professional). Nor do they always understand that she did not have a Lip Implant at all and that it is therefore well worth investigating the potential of Permalip implants. In fact, Mr Richards highly recommends the Permalip implant as a method of augmenting the lip body: these implants come in a huge variety of sizes and shapes, are sculptable, safe and above all can be removed if necessary.

In contrast, Liquid Silicone injections, like Ash had injected into her lips by a plastic surgeon whilst at a friend’s house, is permanent. And as Mr Richards warns all his trainee Aesthetic Practitioners, ‘Permanent fillers cause Permanent problems’. In Leslie Ash’s case, the silicone set around the muscles in her lips and it is now impossible for surgeons to remove it.

So there you have it: of course, however silly the actress may have been, she is also incredibly unfortunate. She is certainly not alone, but possibly receives more publicity about the matter than most and will almost certainly be one of the names you come to regard as a bug-bear. Instead of getting irritated by this, however, try to see your role as educating your clients, so that others do not make the mistakes of Ash and others. With this knowledge, you can ensure that you offer only the best and most suitable treatments and therefore provide genuine reassurance that your clients will not walk out of your Treatment Room and straight into the Gossip Columns!

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