ACE Clinic is a centre of excellence in aesthetics with experts in surgery, aesthetic medicine and dentistry.  We offer the full range of non-surgical and surgical procedures for face and body in a state-of-the-art facility in London.

MB BCH FRCS

Aesthetic plastic surgeon with 15 years experience

Dr Myles Davis

ACE Clinic

EMSculpt

VASER Lipoasuction

Face lift

Buccal fat removal

Neck lift

Lip lift

Labiaplasty

Resurfacing

Clear aligners

Whitening

Obagi

Skinceuticals

Image

Invisalign

Motiva

Mentor

Juvederm

Emervel

Radiesse

Xeomin

Teosyal

Profhilo

Jeuveau

Bocouture

Belotero

Botox

Doctor / Physician

Dentist

Dermatologist

Nurse

Vascular surgeon

Aesthetician / cosmetologist

Otorhinolaryngologist

Oculoplastic surgeon

Aesthetic plastic surgeon

Excel V

Vbeam Prima

Soprano ICE

SmartXide DOT

Pixel CO2

PICO CLEAR

GentleYag Pro

Enlighten

Veneers

Potenza

Pellevé

eTwo

AccuTite

Exilis

FaceTite

Emsella

Hydrafacial

BodyTite

VASER

SmartLipo

MicroAire

Cooltech

FlexSure

Emsculpt

CoolSculpting

Zlipo

truSculpt

BCAM

ASLMS

A popular temporary hair removal method that uses wax to extract the hairs from their follicles.  Usually warm wax is applied to the skin.  The skin is kept taut while the strips are quickly peeled from the skin, removing the hair at the same time.  Waxing leaves the skin feeling smooth until the hairs grow back when the treatment can be repeated.

Waxing

Surgical remodelling of the soft tissues or cartilage of the ear to improve shape, symmetry, or projection.  Various otoplasty techniques have been described to treat congenital conditions, or changes that have occurred over time or with trauma.  A head bandage is usually required after otoplasty surgery.

Ear surgery/otoplasty

Beauty treatment for the hands that usually consists of several steps depending on the extent of service provided. These include filing and trimming the nails, pushing and tidying the cuticles, buffing and painting the nails or applying extensions with various materials. Manicure may also include hand massage and the application of moisturisers and other topical agents to improve skin texture.

Manicure

A form of cosmetic tattooing that uses pigments such as colour additives to create the appearance of makeup on the skin. Also known as permanent makeup, this treatment is used in areas such as the eye line, lip line, body of the lip, and brows.  Semi-permanent makeup is also used to camouflage scars or areas of pigment loss, tattoo the hairline, and to create the appearance of a nipple and areola after breast reconstruction.

Semi-permanent makeup

The skin is submerged in shallow water and a gentle electric current is passed through the water. The charge produces ions, atoms or molecules that have a charge, that pass into the skin. Tap water iontophoresis is commonly used to reduce sweating in the palms and soles of the feet. Weekly treatments are usually necessary to maintain an effect.

Iontophoresis

This is a procedure that can be used to surgically treat excessive sweating of the underarms or palms of the hands as well as bothersome facial flushing. During ETS, branches of the sympathetic nerves that arise from the spinal cord are deliberately cut or interrupted in order to block their function. The procedure is performed using keyhole surgery under general anaesthesia.

Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy

A method of hair removal or epilation originating in Asia that uses a cotton or polyester thread to pull fine hairs out of the hair follicles.  Due to the precise nature of threading, it is used for hair removal and shaping of the eyebrows and to remove fine hairs from the face.  Hairs typically grow back after a few weeks.  

Threading

Temporary extensions to eyelashes using various materials including silk, human or horse hair, mink or synthetic lashes.  Single lashes can be applied one-by-one, multiple or “volume” lashes, or a combination of both. The lashes are applied to the existing eyelashes about 1-2mm from the eyelid margin using a special glue.  Over time the lashes fall out and can be “filled-in” or completely replaced.  

Eyelash extensions

The tubes (vas deferens) carrying sperm to the urethra are cut and tied so sperm cannot enter the female reproductive tract.  The procedure is performed under local or general anaesthesia.  It is a form of permanent male sterilisation, although surgically reversing a vasectomy may be possible.

Vasectomy

The foreskin over the penis is trimmed and removed during this surgical procedure. It may be performed if the skin around the tip of the penis is too tight (phimosis) or for religious or cultural reasons. Circumcision may be performed under local or general anaesthesia.

Circumcision

Correction of the bony swelling or lump that occurs on the inside of the foot at the big toe joint. A bunion (hallux valgus) can be treated surgically by removing the bump or cutting and realigning the bone so it looks straighter. In severe cases fusing the toe joint might be the best option.

Bunion surgery

Non-surgical methods that may slow the progression of a bunion ansd relieve pain include properly fitting shoes, wearing special splints at night, shoe inserts or pads, medications, massage and ultrasound.

Bunion non-surgical treatment

A treatment for feet that often includes clipping, filing and shaping the toenails, polishing and painting the nails, and removing dead skin cells. Various types of pedicure are available. Many include pampering therapies such as soaking the feet, removing hard skin with a pumice stone, and moisturising.

Pedicure

Foot orthoses or orthotics are externally applied fittings, supports or splints designed to improve the function or position of the foot. They can be used in conditions where the arches of the feet need support, or where there is bony distortion or poor alignment such as in bunions. Proper fitting and selection of orthotics by an expert is necessary.

Orthoses

Orally administered drugs to improve a condition, improve health or enhance wellbeing. Medications often play a complementary role in aesthetic procedures and skin therapies. They may also be recommended for the treatment or prevention of infections.

Medications

Braces are small mechanical devices made of metal, ceramic or plastic, used in orthodontics to straighten teeth. Braces are positioned, adjusted and tightened over time in order to move the teeth. They are used to improve the appearance and function of teeth when there are crooked teeth, gaps, or problems with the bite such as overbite or underbite.

Braces

Crowns are coverings, usually made of ceramic or alloy, used to cap or cover teeth than have been damaged or require restoration.  The tooth is first reduced to allow the crown to be attached using cement.  Bridges consist of more than one crown fused together and may be used to replace a missing tooth or teeth by using existing teeth as anchors.

Crowns and bridges

Surgery designed to make the penis appear longer, usually in the flaccid state.  These surgical techniques include cutting the suspensory ligament in the pubic area and a V-Y plasty where skin is cut in a V shape but stitched in a Y shape to lengthen the skin and make it less tight.  Liposuction of fat at the base of the penis is sometimestages performed to make the penis appear longer if it is partially buried.

Penis lengthening surgery

A tiny needle is placed in thread veins and a substance called a sclerosant is injected into the blood vessels. This causes the thread veins to close or block off, resulting in elimination of the unsightly vessels. Several injections are usually required depending on the extent and location. Compression bandages or stocking are required for a period of time afterwards to ensure blood vessels remain closed and results are optimised.

Microsclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is used to treat varicose veins non-surgically.  Sometimestages air is mixed with the sclerosant substance to form a thicker, more potent substance.  This is referred to as foam sclerotherapy.  Ultrasound can be used to direct the needle into the varicose vein.  After the sclerosant is injected, compression bandages or garments are applied to squeeze the abnormal veins closed.

Sclerotherapy

This is treatment of a nail that is ingrown and causing pain, swelling, inflammation or infection. The nail can be partially or fully removed under local anaesthesia. Usually injections are given at the base of the toe, a wedge (or all) of the nail is removed, phenol is applied to prevent the nail from growing back, and a bandage is applied.

Ingrown toenail removal

Clear aligners are plastic, removable devices designed to straighten teeth. A mould of the teeth is taken to create the aligner, and computer modelling is used to design subsequent moulds that place pressure on the teeth so that over time the teeth move to the desired, straightened position. Several different aligners are placed every couple of weeks for several months until the final position is reached.

A special wire is passed into the vein using ultrasound to guide it into the correct position.  Once in place, radiofrequency energy is used to heat the varicose vein from the inside, destroying the lining of the vein.  This causes it to close, resulting in a reduction or removal of the abnormally dilated areas.  The procedure is minimally invasive and usually performed under local anaesthesia.

Radiofrequency ablation

A material called cyanoacrylate is used to glue the vein closed at certain points along the vein.  Using ultrasound to direct the guide wire, a small volume of this glue is injected and pressure is applied to hold the vein closed.  When successful, the vein sticks and the abnormally dilated parts of the vein shrink.  Glue closure is a relatively new, non-invasive technique for treating varicosities in some people.

Glue

Surgery designed to flatten and improve the contours of the male chest due to excessive tissue. There may be excessive gland and fat beneath the skin. The gland can be removed surgically through an incision around the nipples. Since gynaecomastia is often a mixed picture of fat and gland, liposuction is frequently performed to improve results. Gynaecomastia surgery can be performed under local or general anaesthesia. A compression garment is applied after the procedure.

Gynaecomastia surgery

Pulses of electromagnetic energy are passed through the tissues and into targeted muscles of the body. Modern devices use applicators that can target the abdominal wall muscles, the buttocks, and the arms. Thousands of muscular contractions are induced during a treatment, increasing muscle tone non-invasively.

High-intensity focused electromagnetic therapy

A dental filling refers to the filling of a tooth after decay or accidental chipping with a special material. Amalgam has been used for many years and consists of a compound with silver, zinc, tin, copper and mercury. Composite fillings are white or tooth coloured and are more frequently used these days.

Dental filling

A series of small injections of a purified neurotoxin that temporarily blocks nerve impulses to muscles or other tissues, causing the muscles to relax.  When muscles relax, the overlying skin moves less, effectively reducing wrinkles.  Botulinum toxin injections can be strategically placed for various other indications, including rejuvenation of the upper and lower face, reducing sweating, and medical conditions such as migraine. The effects usually wear off after a few months.

Botulinum toxin injections

The most commonly used fillers today are non-permanent and consist of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring molecule found in skin, joints and in the eyes.  Several brands of hyaluronic acid filler are available.  They all comprise a clear, soft, sterile gel that is injected into the skin or beneath the skin to soften lines, contour facial features, or add volume.  Fillers may be injected under local anaesthesia, and results can last about 6-18 months.

Fillers

The brows are lifted using keyhole surgery.  Small incisions, usually 4-5,  are made behind the hairline and instruments with cameras and lights are used to guide the surgery.  During the endoscopic brow lift procedure the tissues near the brow are released under the skin so the brows can be elevated to the desired position.  The tissues may then be anchored to the bone to maintain the brow lift.

Endoscopic brow lift

The brow is lifted by placing an incision at the brow hair itself.  This incision may be placed in an existing line or wrinkle to hide it as much as possible.  Some skin is removed and the incision is closed with stitches, lifting the brow to an elevated position.

Direct brow lift

The brow may be lifted or elevated using threads to make the eyes appear more youthful or to improve the aesthetics of the eyebrow shape. The most commonly used threads are filaments made of a dissolvable material, such as PDO, which are inserted into or under the skin under local anaesthesia. Some threads have cogs or cones to grasp the tissue, and they may be anchored to the deeper layers higher at or behind the hairline.

Brow lift with threads

This surgical procedure helps make the eyes appear more youthful by removing excess skin, muscle and fat between the eyelids and brows. A small incision is made in the crease of the eyelid either under local or general anaesthesia. Fine stitches are used to close the incision and these are usually removed 5-7 days after surgery. Upper blepharoplasty rectifies the hooding that occurs with aging in some people.

Upper blepharoplasty

This procedure helps improve under-eye bulges or bags as well as loose skin. The incision used is either just under the eyelashes in the skin (transcutaneous) or on the inside of the lower eyelid (transconjunctival). Variations in lower blepharoplasty include trimming away excess bulging fat, repositioning this fat to reduce under-eye hollows, and supporting the outer lower eyelid with fine stitches to prevent it from sagging and improve the shape of the lower eyelid.

Lower blepharoplasty

Fat is taken from one part of the body, such as the inner knee or lower tummy, using a mini-liposuction procedure, and injected into the face to add volume, contour, or define certain features.  The procedure requires careful technique to ensure as much of the fat as possible survives. The fat cells are injected using special blunt instruments called cannulas.  Fat grafting can provide a lasting effect in facial rejuvenation either performed on its own or in conjunction with other procedures.

Fat grafting

These soft, flexible implants consist of medical-grade biocompatible silicone that can be implanted into human tissues.  Implants come in various shapes and sizes to enhance or augment features including the chin, cheeks, and lips.  An incision is made and the implant is placed using sterile technique. Silicone implants are permanent and do not dissolve, but can be removed or replaced.

Silicone implant

A surgical procedure using an incision at or behind the hairline to lift the soft tissues of the forehead. A forehead lift can improve deep forehead wrinkles and lift the brows. The procedure is usually performed under general anaesthesia and requires some dissection under the skin to effectively lift the forehead and hold it in place.

Forehead lift

Surgical correction or reshaping of the nose performed as an open or closed procedure, depending on the aims of surgery. Open rhinoplasty requires more extensive incisions to display the structures under the skin. Sometimes cartilage grafts are used to reshape the nose. Rhinoplasty can be performed to make the nose straighter, more defined, reshape the tip, reduce nostril size and refine other nasal features. Rhinoplasty and septorhinoplasty are also performed to improve breathing.

Rhinoplasty

In some cases, fillers are injected into the soft tissues to reshape the nose and make it appear straighter or more defined.  The most commonly used fillers for this purpose are non-permanent fillers like hyaluronic acid, a clear, sterile, biocompatible gel substance.  Other non-surgical rhinoplasty techniques use botulinum toxin injections to elevate the tip of the nose.  Some doctors use threads to modify the appearance of the nose.

Non-surgical rhinoplasty

An incision is made immediately under the nose to hide the scar, and a variable amount of skin is removed. When the incision is closed with stitches, the lip elevates, resulting in a more youthful or rejuvenated appearance. The surgical lip lift can also evert the upper lip, making it appear fuller. Stitches are removed after approximately one week. Variations in the shape of the incision are designed to lift the lip in different ways, such as defining the cupid’s bow.

Surgical Lip lift

This fat gives fullness to the lower face, between the jowls and the cheeks.  Partial removal of the buccal fat is performed to reduce a full lower face, or “chipmunk cheeks”.  Buccal fat removal is usually done through a small incision on the inside of the mouth where the fat is gently retrieved.  It may be performed under local anaesthesia or as part of other surgical procedures.

Buccal fat removal / Bichectomy

A lift of the middle part of the face including the cheeks, nose-to-mouth folds and mouth corners. This may be performed through incisions placed behind the hairline near the temple, in the lower eyelid, and in the mouth. Special stitches may be used to lift and suspend the tissues of the midface to improve the shape of the face, reduce sagging, and lift the cheeks.

Midface lift

This surgical procedure has been used for many years to improve sagging of the face due to aging. A traditional facelift incision is usually made in front of the ear, along the hairline, and inside the hairline. There are various types of facelift procedures. Drains and bandages may be placed to ensure optimum recovery after surgery. A neck lift is frequently performed at the same time.

A short scar facelift is a surgical procedure that lifts the face through an incision that may be shorter than a traditional face lift incision.  The incision is usually placed in front of the ear.  Different techniques can describe a short scar facelift.

Short scar facelift

The Minimal Access Cranial Suspension (MACS) lift is a surgical procedure that lifts the face through an incision along the hairline and in front of the ear.  The tissues under the skin are lifted using stitches that are anchored.  Some skin is removed near the hairline. The MACS lift may be considered less invasive than some forms of traditional facelift.

MACS lift

A deep plane facelift is a surgical facelift procedure involving techniques that pass deeper into the face, underneath the muscular layers.  This differs from facelifts that lift and stitch skin and underlying layers that lie close to the skin.

Deep plane facelift

A surgical neck lift usually involves tightening the muscles to remove the sagging and improve the angle under the chin, as well as lifting and trimming excess skin. This is commonly performed together with a face lift. The incisions and scars vary, but can be behind the ear and into the hairline and a smaller incision under the chin to access the muscles. A neck lift is a definitive surgical rejuvenation that requires healing and recovery.

Various threads are used to lift different parts of the face, or even body. These can be dissolvable or permanent materials, and have different appearances. Some are smooth, some have tiny hooks or barbs, others have cones. A thread lift is usually performed under local anaesthesia as a minimally invasive treatment. The threads may be anchored or ‘free-floating’. Some thread lifts require small incisions whereas others are inserted through punctures without making incisions.

Thread lift

Liposuction is used to contour the body by removing fat that lies under the skin through special suction tubes called cannulas. Liposuction can be performed under local anaesthesia or general anaesthesia. Almost all parts of the body can be treated with liposuction. Various forms of liposuction exist, including those that use suction alone, or those that use energy to assist the procedure, such as laser, ultrasound, or vibration.

Liposuction

Surgical facial contouring sometimestages may include bone resection: removing part of a bone with special tools to change its shape.  Bones that can be shaped or resected during aesthetic procedures include the nose, mandible, and chin.  Bone resection is usually used when modifying the soft tissues over the bones is either not appropriate or effective enough to make the desired change.

Bone resection

An invasive surgical procedure that can be used to create sharper definition of the jawline.  Usually part of the submandibular salivary gland is removed through an incision under the chin during a face and neck lift procedure. The gland can create a bulge in the neck under the jawline on both sides; submandibular gland resection is designed to reduce this bulge and provide more thorough contouring.

Submandibular gland resection

A peeling treatment that uses lasers, such as carbon dioxide and erbium lasers, to remove the outer skin layers precisely. The type of laser and settings used determine how the skin peels and heals. Laser skin resurfacing is used to reduce sun damage, pigmentation, and fine wrinkles. The treatment usually requires some form of anaesthesia and special skin care during the healing period after the treatment.

Laser skin resurfacing

A skin resurfacing or peeling treatment that uses chemicals, usually special acids, to remove the top layer of skin. A chemical peel is indicated to treat pigmentation, sun damage, acne, or fine wrinkles. The depth of peel, results, and recovery period depend on which chemical is used during the peel. Chemical peels can be superficial, medium depth, or deep peels. Peeling agents include salicylic acid, azelaic acid, glycolic acid and trichloroacetic acid (TCA).

Chemical peel

Lasers are powerful devices that emit light at certain wavelengths in order to have an effect on tissues in the skin or body. Ablative lasers vaporise or peel skin. Non-ablative lasers usually heat skin without peeling. Lasers can heat collagen effectively, causing improvement in texture, tightness and pores. Lasers can be used to rejuvenate by treating blood vessels, removing hair, stimulating biological processes or peeling the outer, unwanted layers of skin or tissue.

Laser rejuvenation

Microneedling is a treatment where numerous tiny needles penetrate the skin to stimulate collagen, resulting in tighter skin with fewer lines and improved texture. The needles are small, usually up to three millimetres in length, and arranged on a device such as a stamping tool, pen, or roller. Local anaesthesia may be used to numb the skin before microneedling is performed. The skin can appear pink after the treatment, which may be repeated several times for best results.

Microneedling

This treatment uses tiny needles to penetrate the skin and deliver heat at the same time.  Radiofrequency energy passes through the needles in order to provide heat, either through the whole needle or just the tip. Radiofrequency needling is designed to stimulate collagen and tighten tissues more than needling alone.  The treatment is usually performed using local anaesthesia.

Radiofequency needling

A non-ablative laser is a laser that does not peel away the outer layers of skin during treatment. The wavelength of non-ablative lasers does its job by heating specific targets in the skin or tissues, such as collagen, blood vessels, or hair follicles,  without vaporising the skins surface to any significant degree.  Non-ablative lasers usually do not have the recovery and downtime associated with ablative lasers.

Non-ablative laser

Light emitting diode (LED) devices produce light wavelengths that correspond to light in the visible spectrum, such as red and blue. LEDs may be placed over the face, shielded using eye goggles, to treat acne, wrinkles, redness and other conditions.  Blue light is purported to treat acne, whereas red light may be used for collagen stimulation or hair growth.

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is used to have an effect on cells in tissues without heating them.  Light at a certain wavelength is delivered to the tissues using the device at a low energy.  This may be used to reduce fat or weight non-invasively.

Low-level laser therapy

Cryolipolysis, also known as fat freezing, is a non-invasive body contouring treatment that uses cooling of subcutaneous tissues to cause the fat cells to die. This results in localised reduction of fatty areas in the body. A device is placed on the tissues for a period of time during the treatment. Specific areas only can be treated depending on the applicator used.

Fat freezing

A treatment used to tighten and lift areas of the face or neck non-invasively using a device that delivers sound waves through the skin.  The sound waves focus precisely, generating heat in tiny zones at different depths.  The heat creates tiny injuries that result in collagen stimulation, providing a tissue tightening effect.  There is usually minimal or no downtime and a single treatment is used to produce results that improve during the months following treatment.

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)

Vascular lasers can treat variety of conditions including dilated or unsightly blood vessels. The lasers employ a specific wavelength of light the targets the blood in blood vessels, heating the vessels and effectively destroying them. Vascular lasers include pulsed-dye lasers and NdYAG lasers.  They can be used for conditions such as leg telangiectasias or “broken veins”.  A number of treatments may be required for optimum results.   

Vascular laser

Definitive removal of something from the body through an incision and dissection, either under local or general anaesthesia. 

Surgical removal

This is used to remove unwanted skin cells by freezing them. The area is sprayed until temperatures are so low that the skin lesion freezes. More than one treatment may be necessary to remove the unwanted cells. Cryotherapy, or therapy that induces very low temperatures in tissues, may also be used to treat unwanted fat. This is called crylipolysis or “fat freezing”.

Cryotherapy

Lasers use a specific wavelength of light to exhibit their effects. The wavelength determines the target for that specific laser. Most lasers are designed to heat and destroy a specific target and leave surrounding tissue untouched and undamaged. Lasers can peel skin, remove hair, rejuvenate skin, treat vascular conditions and remove pigmentation and tattoos. Various safety protocols are required when lasers are used, such as eye protection with goggles or eye shields.

Laser

The pigment in skin tattoos is destroyed using a powerful laser.  Only lasers with very short pulse durations, such as picosecond lasers, are able to break down the ink particles in tattoos effectively during these treatments.  Usually several sessions are required to clear the tattoo as much as possible.

Laser tattoo removal

This is a blood product that is prepared by spinning a whole blood sample in a centrifuge in a special syringe. The blood separates into different components, including plasma rich in platelets, cell fragments that release growth factors. The gold-coloured platelet-rich plasma is used to rejuvenate tissues such as skin or hair, usually by injecting it in small droplets.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)

The device is used to remove the outer layer of skin using plasma. Plasma is a form of matter generated when atoms in gas molecules, such as nitrogen, lose their electrons and become positive ions. Although a plasma device is not a laser, it can have similar applications, such as tightening skin or removing fine lines. Plasma devices may remove the top layer of skin, resulting in a some downtime during healing.