Barbara Freytag discusses HIFU training and their new course launching at Aesthetic Medicine Live 2017

Date: Saturday February 4, 2017

Time: 11.20am

Where: Live Stage, Aesthetic Medicine Live, Olympia London

Topic: HIFU for the Face with live demonstration

Speaker: Barbara Freytag, principal at Academy of Advanced Aesthetics

Training within the aesthetic industry has traditionally been led by manufacturers and distributors selling their products and technology. Technological advances from the medical world into non-medical aesthetics over the last decade have far outstripped any advances in educational criteria for operator qualifications. It is precisely because of the increasing sophistication of the technology now becoming available in the non-surgical sector, that far greater skills should be expected from the operators.

The Government’s awareness of problems in the fast growing cosmetic procedures market resulted in the Keogh review of 2013. Despite continuing growth in the market subsequently and a continuing growth of reported treatments gone wrong, the government has maintained its faith in industry self-regulation.

Keogh highlighted problems associated with unethical marketing practices, misleading advertising and in particular, lack of training. A regulatory framework of training exists throughout the rest of Europe, but does not exist in the UK. Despite this, the government did not chose to set up statutory regulation , relying instead on continued industry self-regulation with patient safety being the priority.

This has given rise to the January 2016 formation of the JCCP (Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners) aimed at providing a framework of regulations and guidance for the public / patients in an unregulated market. Its remit includes the establishment of guidelines to accredit and assess practitioners and training providers in the non-surgical sector. It is a focal point for all stakeholders in this sector tasked with reducing risk for all parties, to agree with the CSA (Clinical Standards Authority set up in the summer of 2016) a set of clinical standards to be used for registration and the development of recognised educational training qualifications.

The need for a meaningful consensus across all the bodies involved in some way in the non-surgical cosmetic procedures market has been apparent for a very long time, but the many vested interests have never before come close to agreement. This may now be about to change.

The latest technology rapidly transferring from the medical to the cosmetic world is HIFU - High Intensity Focussed Ultrasound. It is essentially a series of ultrasonic pulses focussed at varying depths under the dermis (1,5mm 3mm and 4mm) to create a “hot spot” which starts a wound process stimulating the body’s natural regenerative healing process to produce new collagen and thereby rejuvenate and tighten the skin. The fact that a wound and subsequent healing process are instigated deliberately, implies on the one hand pain resulting from the wound and on the other the potential for patient / client harm. The potential for things to go wrong is twofold and considerable  - the quality of the equipment and the competence, skill and training of the operator.

It is really only in the last year or two that very cost effective machines have come on to the market and that the problem of a knowledge gap has become apparent. These machines have been developed from their predecessors rather than from independent research and so there is a serious lack of knowledge and experience available on the part of the manufacturers and even more so for potential operators.

Early HIFU has been associated with pain - “no pain, no gain” - but the latest HIFU technology has made huge strides to reduce any painful experience for the client when administered by a skilled and well trained operator. Any pain should be slight and pass very quickly if the safe treatment guidelines are followed. 

Barbara Freytag is Principal of Academy of Advanced Aesthetics, one of the county’s leading training academies in advanced aesthetic treatments. Barbara has taken a keen interest in the growth of HIFU as a treatment because of her medical background in radiography and thus understanding of ultrasound, and is currently finalising the course with a view also to align it with the new CSA guidelines when they are formulated later this year and is liaising with the JCCP, as are a number of other leading aesthetic treatment providers, to ensure that standards set will be meaningful and most importantly, safe for all clients.

As with all her advanced courses, Barbara appreciates that the best therapist not only commands the machine operation to ensure the clients comfort, safety and effective treatment outcome, but is also completely aware of the contra indications to be taken into account and considered before treatment, to recommend alternative treatments and safety when delivered with HIFU, and, If there were to be a problem, to make the right intervention. It is at those times that a greater command of the core knowledge behind the treatment becomes invaluable.

To keep updated with developments in HIFU treatments, keep an eye on the website www.academyofadvancedaesthetics.com and the medical press. HIFU is a very effective development in aesthetic treatments and particularly when applied as a part of a combined plan of associated treatments, and will produce superb results - come to the Aesthetic Medicine Live and see Barbara’s live demo on HIFU on the LIVE Stage and see some of the remarkable “before and after” photos of real clients and maybe even book in for a training course that will give you a new skill set to set your clinic apart from your competition.

As a special show offer the Academy of Advanced Aesthetics is offering visitiors an "Introduction to HIFU" course with CPD points and lunch for £100 as a prelude to the new course. Visit them on stand J29. 

For more information, please call  01353777303 / 07747696815