21 years ago, in February 2000 Envisage Clinic began business on the Gold Coast.
I had been working as a cosmetic medicine doctor for several years prior to that, in fact since about 1994, at first in a part time capacity and then full time.
But 21 years ago Envisage Clinic was born as an independent Cosmetic Medicine clinic.
At that time Cosmetic Medicine was in its infancy.
There were only two other non-surgical cosmetic clinics on the whole of the Gold Coast.
Also there were not the treatments and products that we have available today – in fact apart from resurfacing Lasers and IPL we only had bovine collagen injections for anti-wrinkle treatments and no fillers that could be used for volume replenishment.
Some things have not changed. I was one of the first doctors to offer Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments, which I have performed since about 1994-5.
I always knew that this treatment was versatile and effective, so although it was initially disparaged by some dermatologists and plastic surgeons I have always offered it and over the years Envisage has become extremely experienced in its use.
We have also never changed our philosophy. Envisage has always been a medical clinic first and foremost. Here the patient always comes first, and has never been just a client to be sold to.
It goes without saying that there have been a plethora of changes in the cosmetic industry in the past two decades.
There has been a massive and continually expanding number of new products and treatments, some of which have been amazing advancements and some of which have been massive flops.
Even as a doctor working in the area I find it hard sometimes to navigate the maze of new treatments to ascertain which are worth pursuing and which are not worthwhile.
I believe that at Envisage Clinic we have generally made the right decisions so that we bring to our patients the best, most effective treatments and the most reasonable prices.
The other big change has been the corporatisation of Cosmetic Medicine.
Chain clinics, franchised clinics, mega clinics, clinics owned by business men and women and clinics owned and operated by nurses are all commonplace now.
As so many of these are operated purely from a profit perspective so it becomes more and more commonplace to see the wrong treatment performed on the wrong patient by the wrong therapist, leading to an increased risk of unsatisfactory outcomes, side effects or adverse reactions.
It saddens me that every few months there is another news article either in print or on the television about a patient who has been left scarred or disfigured by a botched procedure.
Of course seeing a doctor or a medical clinic does not remove all risk, I still make mistakes and achieve sub optimal outcomes, but hopefully it very greatly reduces the risk of something going wrong.
Let’s face it, you are much more likely to have an issue at the hands of a non-medically qualified operator at a clinic that maybe is not as tightly regulated or run at the same ethical standards as a medical clinic would be.
Generally the sensible advice is always the same – always make sure that the cosmetic clinic you go to has a fully trained and experienced doctor onsite.
You will probably find the cost of treatment at a medical clinic is much the same – sometimes a little more, but in fact sometimes the same or a little less, so why not have that extra level of safety and peace of mind.
I want to make 2021 – Envisage Clinic’s 21st year – a very special year.
To achieve that we will be rolling out 21 very special offers over the next six months – and lots of smaller offers too!
So keep your eyes peeled and make sure you read our emails and follow us on Facebook to see the offers come up.
Article by Dr Christopher Leat – Medical Director Envisage Clinic Benowa
| Dr Christopher Leat – Medical Director Envisage Skin Clinic Founder and Director.Dr Christopher Leat has 33 years’ experience in Medicine and is a member of The Royal College of Physicians of London. Dr Leat has devoted the last 18 years to Cosmetic Medicine and is recognized throughout Australia as one of the most experienced doctors in the field of Cosmetic Medicine. |
