During medical training in France, Doctor Hugo Pin spent a year working in Facial Surgery, assisting the surgeon in complex facial reconstruction procedures, repairing damage done by cancer or trauma.

“I always kept the secret desire to become a surgeon, but life and family quickly sent me overseas and I started to work as a GP in the West Indies,” he says. The first time Dr Pin heard about Botulinum Toxin (botox) was from female friends, gushing about how good they felt after the procedure.

“When I started in general practice in Australia nine years ago, I began training in aesthetic medicine,” he says. “I rapidly added more training, more qualifications and was travelling overseas (France, USA).”

Three years ago, Dr Pin founded Sunshine Vein & Cosmetic Clinic at Peregian Beach, which is dedicated to treating unsightly veins and cosmetic treatments.

profile: What is the most common cosmetic treatment?
hugo: Botulinum Toxin injections to treat fine wrinkles. It is the first step when a young woman starts to notice wrinkles in the crow’s feet area, or between the brow lines. Dermal fillers come after, used to replace loss of volume when ageing.

profile: What are some patient concerns when resorting to cosmetic treatment?
hugo: Their first concern is: is it going to be too much? Everyone wants a natural look, but they also want a significant result, so the goal is to find a balance between using enough fillers to correct the concern, and not doing too much.

profile: What is the main demographic using cosmetic treatment?
hugo: Around 95 per cent are women – from 25 to 75. I have a lot of patients over 65 coming for unsightly vein removal or facial cosmetic treatments. They want to look good at the grandson’s wedding or be able to wear a bathing suit at the pool or at the beach, without the confronting looks and it’s ok to do it! They deserve it, there is no vanity in that, just a loss of confidence to repair. There is a new trend for men to have Botulin Toxin and fillers to look younger as well, it is still a small trend, but men are not afraid anymore to ask for cosmetic treatments. Interestingly, it’s their partner who sends them most of the time.

profile: What are some lesser known treatments?
hugo: Amidst the non-surgical new lifting procedures, the latest Dissolvable Thread Lift, launched in Australia last year, is an exceptional tool to finalise and refine our approach to natural and non-surgical face maintenance. Another treatment people may not be aware of is the use of PRP (Platelets Rich Plasma), which is using the stem cells in one’s own blood to rejuvenate one’s skin through micro-punctures or skin needling (Dermapen). The treatment is suitable for the face (eyelids, cheeks), neck, décolletage, inner arms, knees, inner thighs, and is especially useful for hair growth. It is sometimes called the “Vampire Lift” in magazines.

profile: How do some of those more advanced techniques, like deep dermal fillers or resorbable threads, work?
hugo: Resorbable threads is a technological innovation offering women a redefined face, restored volume and reduced wrinkles in a 30-minute treatment, for a result lasting up to 18 months. This treatment combines two effects: lifting and regenerating. The lifting effect is the result of compressing and elevating tissue and adjusting the thread. In this way, the doctor reshapes the surface of the skin and makes it smoother. Once the threads are in place, the Poly-L-Lactic acid acts on the deeper layers of the skin and naturally stimulates the body so it produces its own collagen. This continues over time and increases the volume of saggy areas and restores shapeliness to the face gradually and naturally.

profile: How is the popularity of cosmetic treatment increasing?
hugo: I see more and more women around 45 to 50-years-of-age that never had anything done on their face or legs. Meanwhile the young women want to stay young and start with light treatments like lasers. It is possible, if you use the different techniques according to your individual needs to age gracefully, while still looking like yourself, and keeping the need for surgery at bay.