I recently visited a rather unique clinic in Westminster, hidden away off Millbank in the basement of a Pharmacy is a little-known newly launched concept; Haus of Skin. While there are numerous aesthetic clinics in London this clinic, run by Dr Hamid and Dr Hussain, has its routes in something rather interesting and unique, medical and longevity-based treatments, where the route of a skin problem is viewed in a more medical stance than what is merely skin deep.
Consultation at Haus Of Skin
I went in for a consultation at Haus of Skin with Dr Haroon Hamid; we chatted through my medical issues, skin problems and what I have tried before. We discussed why things may not have worked for me in the past because the route of my issues were not addressed just treated on the surface. This led on to a comprehensive digital skin analysis using a camera set up that could look at my skin in different lights to really look beneath and find out my issues.
The analysis revealed some things I knew and some I did not. Firstly, I know my skin is very dry, always has been, this skin analysis proved this and this it seems is one of the major contributors to my wrinkles, as well as my expressive face. But it also showed some interesting sun damage that at present is not showing on my face but with time will. To combat this Dr Hamid suggested some medical grade skincare that would help reduce and even reverse this damage.
To aid with the skin dryness Dr Hamid suggested Profhilo®, a revolutionary ‘beneath the skin’ hyaluronic acid moisturising treatment, made with the patented NAHYCO® technology. Essentially a liquid moisturiser, Profhilo® has one of the highest concentrations of hyaluronic acid on the market, that not only boosts and hydrates the skin, but also remodels ageing and sagging tissue. How it works is that ultra-pure hyaluronic acid is precisely injected into the area being treated.
Unlike wrinkle reducing and dermal filler treatments, Profhilo® stimulates collagen and elastin, attracting water in the deeper layers of the skin. As a stabilised product, the activity on dermal cells will last longer than that of a non-stabilised gel. During this time the stimulation of four different types of collagen and elastin takes place by slow release of hyaluronic acid. The stimulation results in significant tissue improvement, therefore Profhilo® is a skin booster but it also has a significant tightening effect on the tissue.
Dr Hamid injected the Profhilo® into four sites on each side of my face minus the forehead, it is a little painful but it’s over so quick the procedure does not require numbing or local anesthetic. You can walk straight out from the clinic post treatment without any downtime with the results taking a few weeks to show, but my skin is looking plumper, less lacklustre and more dewy. Overall I feel it just makes my skin look healthier and less dull.
While at Haus Of Skin I had the opportunity to interview Dr Haroon Hamid about the new clinic and why they are different to other aesthetic clinics in UK.
Interview with Dr Haroon Hamid, Co-Founder of Haus Of Skin
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you ended up at Haus of Skin?
Myself, Dr Hamid, and Dr Hussain, both General Practitioners with an interest in alternative medicine and holistic wellbeing, recently founded Haus of Skin. When brainstorming our approach to this clinic and how we wanted to tackle the health and wellbeing sector as well as the aesthetics sector, we were keen on ensuring there was a strong medical component to our work. We felt that many clinics class themselves as “medi-aesthetics” or “Medi-Spa” but have little to no focus on the actual medical aspect. We wanted to change this approach and to have a much more medicalised and scientific approach to skincare as well as health and wellbeing.
My background (Dr Hamid), is as a GP, with a number of years experience working in aesthetics, having completed the Level 7 Diploma in Injectable Aesthetics and Skincare. I have also spent the past few years delving into the field of Longevity research and have worked with top researchers from across the globe to create a series of highly bespoke and potent IV infusions. I wanted to hone in on this expertise and develop it further through Haus of Skin – hence a big emphasis on our medical and longevity based treatment offerings.
Dr Hussain, also a GP, is a brilliant diagnostician. Having worked in a variety of sectors, from NHS General Practice, to Prison GP work and as a Private GP. He has experience in the private medical world and understands the nuances of how to navigate this world. With a penchant for diagnostics and proactive medicine, he shares a similar ethos in doing early investigations to then allow for a roadmap for better health.
For both of us, when it came to aesthetics, we want to have a much more medicalised approach – every single skin condition is a medical problem, not an aesthetics problem. The private world of aesthetics has a beautiful fusion of medicine and cosmetics – it is just not that widely used or emphasised, but the best results are always seen with ongoing prescription grade skincare. They might not look the best on a shelf, but the certainly work!
To this extent we were very selective about which brands of topical creams and lotions we would stock and use – and ones we do certainly pack a punch! There are of course other elements of aesthetics which are not medical, profile balancing based treatments, skin tightening treatments etc, and we are proud to offer some of the best treatments for these. Again, we wanted science and research backed devices, long lasting, natural results that builds a core foundation after which the finishing touches with treatments such as dermal fillers can be applied.
When it came to services and staff, we only wanted the best in their field and medically oriented. Our lovely Dentist Dr Judge, who does our injectable aesthetics is a dentist first and foremost but with a penchant for aesthetics and is brilliant at what she does. We took this a step further and have Psychologists on board – top in their field, having run their own psychology departments in the past, but a vital aspect of how we perform our consultations and treatments – we not only ensure there is no psychological element at play for reasons for treatment, but if there is, we have in house psychologists who are able to provide guidance. Of course, their role is much larger than this, offering CBT, DBT, Psychology counselling, Autism and ADHD assessments amongst many other treatments.
What is the most popular treatment at your clinic?
For us currently our most favoured treatment is Sofwave. A brilliant face and neck treatment that provides a lift. A brilliant device that has long lasting effects and builds collagen and elastin in a natural way. The best part – non invasive, no redness, no downtime, no restrictions pre or post treatment and long lasting. The perfect foundation for any further work that might be wanted.
What is the treatment you most like to administer?
Sofwave for us has the most satisfaction – immediate results which only get better over time. However, I am most excited and anticipating our medical work. I have a passion for longevity and biohacking and when we are able to launch this (we are awaiting our regulatory approval which is imminent), however, the extent to which we can delve into one’s health and wellbeing and the degree of onward roadmap for ones wellbeing we can provide is unparalleled!
Have you seen a change in aesthetic trends in recent years?
Yes absolutely. I have been in the aesthetics field for a number of years and especially during covid there was a huge demand for dermal fillers, possibly because of lockdowns and people being home and with downtime available. We actually saw a surge in Surgical Rhinoplasty during this time!
I feel that recently there has been more of a push towards more natural treatments and a more subtle look, almost an ageing gracefully trend. I feel that Sofwave and our approach to this treatment exemplifies this – allowing the body to naturally boost the building blocks to slow down the signs of ageing.
What are the next exciting products coming to the market?
For me, the most exciting treatment coming to market is medical and is exclusively through Haus of Skin. We recently teamed up with a company based in California, called Intervene Immune, headed by Dr Greg Faye and Professor Steven Horvath. They developed a treatment protocol that reverses your biological age by 2 years, but importantly has a host of health benefits – increased immunity, an increase in white cell count, better joint and muscle strength, an increase in muscle mass, sharper cognition and increased energy – amongst much much more.
Longevity research will often make claims from studies in mice or primates, but this treatment, called TRIIM-X, based on Thymus Regeneration, is a game changer in the Longevity field. A treatment that has been through human trials and is FDA approved and ready to hit the market. At Haus of Skin we hold the exclusive rights to provide this treatment throughout the UK, Europe and Middle East, and are due to launch this very very soon. We are extremely excited about this and can not wait to get going.
Lastly, what does the future hold for you?
An important question! Having just opened doors over the past 2 months, we are certainly still finding our feet, finding our demographic of clients and an approach to our marketing strategy that is tailored to our services. We are ambitious and would love to expand further, to outgrow our current space and have more branches in London and the UK.
In particular through our medical work and TRIIM-X, we feel this will be a huge statement of intent from our end in terms of being on the Longevity map, and being spoken about in those circles – a very niche circle! We would like to be a part of shaping the future of the aesthetics world, making it more regulated and showing that the medicalisation of aesthetics work is possible and an important step. Mind and Body optimisation is our underlying ethos and goal, and we will push to continually try to mould our services around this concept.
To book a consultation at Haus of Skin see online at Haus Of Skin.
