Aquagold: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Aquagold?
Aquagold is treatment for skin rejuvenation. Aquagold is a trademark device that is actually a small vial, mimicking a baby jar. The lid of that jar has a set of brilliantly engineered sterile micro needles. These micro needles are gold plated and when gently stamped into the skin, deliver the ingredients of the jar at an appropriate depth into the skin. So, Aquagold skin treatment is a precise mesotherapy that vehicles skin energising ingredients into the layers of the skin where they are needed the most.
Is Aquagold the same as Microneedling?
A well-known fact of micro needling is its ability to stimulate collagen. The principle lies in causing small cylindrical mechanical injuries by micro needles at an appropriate depth, where the post-treatment skin healing delivers the collagen stimulating effect. Microneedling opens up micro channels on the skin. The concept of microneedling is limited to the physical micro injuries and the stimulation of collagen with a subtle skin stretching effect as a result. In the past, the treatment has been boosted by sprinkling patients own Platelet Rich Plasma to achieve a physiological effect as well. This was known as the famous ‘vampire facial’. Aquagold is a specialised Microneedling that is more efficient and has way more benefits than microneedling alone.
What are those benefits and how does it Aquagold work?
Aquagold treatment opens up channels and the ingredients of the vial are injected into the skin. The use of Gold in skin care is attributed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. So Aquagold can be understood by knowing its three-fold effects:
- mechanical stimulation of collagen by microneedling.
- benefits of the elemental Gold-plated micro needle.
- the goodies of the cocktail in the vial being delivered into the skin.
As the ingredients of the Aquagold device are injected into the skin with each stamp, it makes it a more accurate delivery of the ingredients that may include the Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) of the patient as well. This clearly makes it a better treatment than microneedling alone and we like calling it the ‘master vampire facial’.
What are the ingredients of the cocktail in Aquagold device?
That is exactly where the essence of the treatment lies and can be tailor made for individual needs. Broadly speaking we use micro doses of muscle relaxing injections, nutrients and vitamins for the skin, essential ingredients to improve the skin texture and luminosity. A personal Favourite of The Manse is to add patient’s own platelet rich plasma, that just takes the treatment to the next level of outcome.
Antiwrinkle injections on the full face? Will it not make the face expressionless?
Not at all. The micro doses used are just perfect for the skin to feel relaxed and shiny. It is no where near the muscle relaxant doses required to relax the muscles of expression. We rely majorly on the beauty of this micro dosing, to achieve the improvement in enlarged pores and getting rid of the very fine lines and crepey skin. An additional benefit is its effect on the sweat glands of the face. This makes it a favourite treatment for our patients who have to work under the heated bright lights in front of the cameras. They feel they do not sweat as much and it helps them to maintain their make up for longer.
Is the treatment painful?
The treatment itself is not painful. However, there is an element of discomfort associated with the microneedling aspect of it. The microneedles are very fine, and majority of the patient tolerate it well. In order to enhance the comfort of the treatment, there is an application of topical numbing cream for about 30 minutes prior to the treatment. It makes the Aquagold treatment considerably tolerable.
How long does the procedure take?
The procedure itself takes around 30-40minutes.
My mother is not keen on getting fillers or antiwrinkle injections. Can she still have the Aquagold treatment?
Absolutely. As the ingredients of the Aquagold device are specific to a patient’s needs, your mother can still have a plump healthy looking skin by reaping the benefits of the gold plated microneedling, the delivery of nutrients, vitamins and essential ingredients and the PRP. Similarly if someone does not wish the PRP added to the Aquagold device, they can have the benefits of the essential ingredients alone with this state of the art delivery system. It is very flexible. However, in order to achieve the maximum benefit of this treatment, we advise to use the full strength cocktail in the Aquagold device.
How many treatments are needed?
The effect of Aquagold is visible in a couple of days. The skin appears plump, youthful and more hydrated. The fine lines and overall healthy-looking skin with improvement in pores and skin quality is visible in a few days’ time. Patients report a delightfully healthier looking skin after the treatment. This is not a makeover treatment and lasts around 8 – 12 weeks. For this reason, it can either be repeated every 3 months or can be planned a week prior to any social event.
What areas can benefit from this treatment?
Aquagold is a treatment designed for the face, neck and décolletage. The patients report a highly satisfying outcome in all these areas. We have noticed a marvellous effect around the eyes in our patients due to its hydrating and skin smoothening effect. Overall, the effect can be seen as improved texture of the skin, increase in the skin glow, healthy looking hydrated skin, decrease in pore size, improvement of mild acne scarring, reduction in fine lines and subtle temporary improvement in rosacea.
Is there any downtime associated with the Aquagold treatment?
Immediately after the treatment there is skin redness that can last upto 24 hours. This can be understood by being equivalent to having a skin flushing when out in the sun for hours. This is obviously due to the micro needling and the time required for the skin to settle down. It is highly advised not to use any cosmetic concealer or make up for about 24 hours. This is important as the open micro channels need time to heal. Any cosmetic product applied can clog these channels leading to possible infection.
Who can benefit from the treatment?
Anyone looking for a skin rejuvenation procedure with minimal downtime and maximum benefit. It is suitable for all ages, skin types and ethnicities. It hydrates and smoothen the skin. We recommend it as the best treatment available as a final hour preparation for an upcoming event. This treatment can prove to be the last treatment a few days prior to when you wish to look your best. Our regular patients, who have kept up with the regular needs of their well-maintained personal and in-clinic skin routines, love to get an Aquagold treatment a week before a big social event.
Patients with the following issues in particular love Aquagold:
- facial sweating
- large pores
- dehydrated skin
- redness
- crepey skin
- fine lines
Is there anyone who should not have this treatment?
As a rule in cosmetic medicine discipline, we do not treat pregnant or lactating females. This goes for not just Aquagold, but any cosmetic medical treatments. Also, rarely if anyone is allergic to the natural element ‘Gold’, this treatment should be avoided.
Can Aquagold treatment help with Rosacea?
Rosacea is a recurrent complex skin condition that needs a detailed regimented approach. Aquagold is not a treatment for Rosacea, but can help those with the symptoms of a rosacea-type skin. However, certain studies show that antiwrinkle injections has a role in improving the flushing of the face due to its vessel shrinking properties. In our experience we have seen a small number of our patients with Rosacea where Aquagold treatment helped improve the facial flushing. This may be due to the effect of micro dose muscle relaxing injections and the hydrating calming effect of the essential nutrients on the inflamed flushing of Rosacea. Although it works beautifully to improve the redness for a short period before an upcoming event, it should not be considered as a treatment for Rosacea.
How much does the treatment cost?
The price is variable and depends upon the ingredients of the tailor-made cocktail for an individual patient’s need. For the detailed pricing on Aquagold and other treatments please visit the pricing page.
