House Of Elixirs

New website is in production so there may be a period of time with no website access. This may affect the online booking system too so please contact me directly. Thanks!

I’ve been kinda quiet on here as I’ve got loads happening. There will be a slight price increase to some treatments (not many!) from 1 January 2027. The cost of product, regulation, premises and insurance soars every year and I can’t absorb it all. My accountant gives me great business advice as he analyses the numbers and this is what he’s suggested. ⁣
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I’ll also be holding less skincare products in the clinic and will just prescribe them as drop shipment or buy them in on demand. It saves any expiration issues or excess stock. ⁣
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The menopause service should be up and running soon. There will be options for standalone consultations (1hr or 2hr) to go over a plan for you to go back to your GP with. This appointment aims to help you understand what’s actually happening in your body and give you the basic tools to manage it. This has been working very well so far with the few patients I’ve brought onboard. There will be the option for a full coaching service and appointment packages tailored to you needs and with ongoing support. ⁣
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I’m going to stop giving menopause advice while patients are in for toxin as it’s off record and not documented. I’d rather go through due diligence and have all advice documented for better care. Not to mention, I’ve studied for almost an entire year to offer this service and need to actually recoup this cost. You’d never expect to get a therapy session or a PT session for free…..medical advice is no different, especially when it’s my sole source of income. Yes my background is general practice and I have lots of experience in various areas, but I’m no longer paid by the NHS to give that advice. Sorry guys! This boundary is necessary! No shade to those I’ve already given advice to off the record, I could easily have said no but I wanted to help. Especially with the more complicated issues you’ve had which blurred out into other clinical areas.

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Public Service Announcement! Here are a few of my favourite eye serums that perform incredibly well. It takes around 10-12 weeks for your skin to show the benefits of an eye product. Stop throwing it away after 3 weeks thinking it’s not performing! ⁣
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Inkey List Retinol eye cream: A fantastic, budget friendly entry level retinol which will help those crepey fine lines under the eyes (£13-15 from online beauty retailers)⁣
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Calecim Eye Contour cream: A bit spendy at £125 but it conditions and plumps the entire area beautifully with consistent use. A wise investment if you’re having polynucleotides as it complements a treatment course and boosts results. Smells rank though! (available from Calecim directly)⁣
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ZO Eye Brightening cream: Good for brightening dark circles and mild hollows. It’s a perfect morning eye cream for under make up. It’s a good camouflager and a decent all rounder. (£110 in clinic)⁣
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Teoxane RII Eyes: A hydrating and gentle tinted eye cream formulated to brighten and hydrate. This is good for prevention rather than cure as such. It will help delay the first signs of ageing so it’s the ideal choice age 20s - 30s. It will also help disguise your lack of sleep at weekends 😉 (£60 in clinic)⁣
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ZO Growth Factor eye serum: One of the heaviest hitters when it comes to skin conditioning. Delivers intense hydration and repair to delicate skin. The ideal morning eye cream. (£110 in clinic)⁣
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ZO Intense Eye Cream: My favourite to use every night. It has done wonders for fine lines & skin strengthening. The peptides combined with the small amount of retinol is what provides results. Light reflecting particles provide a subtle camouflaging effect (£110 in clinic)⁣
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The Puffiness Pair: This combo is a godsend if you have puffy eyes. Sodium Cromoglycate 2% eyedrops for hayfever instantly reduce oedema around the lids and the caffeine helps longer term de-puffing. Keep them both in the fridge and use them therapeutically rather than every day. (Under £20 for both from high street stores like Boots)⁣
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Honourable mentions:⁣
Dr Melaxin Cemencrete Calcium eye patches (£19/£20 from Amazon)⁣
Inkey List Bio-active ceramide eye cream (£15 from Boots)⁣
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A nice lip refresh is always satisfying! We’re still doing filler, just not as much as we used to. I feel the industry is shifting to more regenerative treatments and Ashleigh and I are putting our medical specialties to better use in private medicine. New treatments& price list on the way.

Our wee gaff had a makeover! I’m hoping I can find my Halloween decorations before October. They could be anywhere during the loft conversion/renovations 😭 This might be the first year that we have…*gasp* NO Halloween decor 😳😭 It’ll soon be time for Ashleigh to do the Christmas window and lights too 🤨

Time to book up November! Menopause clinic appointments can be booked via DM. I’ve been a bit slow getting the word out there but I’m grateful for the handful of patients who have come on board already. I don’t have a website just now so I’m relying on socials and word of mouth. I don’t have time to wait so I’ll be getting the price lists revamped with Ashleigh so we can get our new treatment lists out there. Some treatments will see a small rise in prices. The cost of products/insurance/HIS fees keep going up and it’s starting to create a fair dent! More details coming soon for menopause options.

This comes from lived experience as well as education! If you’re in perimenopause and feeling more anxious, exhausted, emotional or overwhelmed, stress may be playing a bigger role than you realise. This happened to me.⁣
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During perimenopause, oestrogen and progesterone naturally fluctuate, sometimes wildly out of sync! At the same time, your body is constantly responding to everyday stress. Your hormones help regulate cortisol (the ‘stress’ hormone) and your stress response.⁣
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When you’re under prolonged stress alongside perimenopausal hormone changes, cortisol and adrenaline remain elevated for longer periods. This can contribute to poor or disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, difficulty concentrating, low mood & palpitations⁣
Things you previously coped with easily can suddenly feel much more difficult. Another negative of all this is that prolonged elevated cortisol leads to weight gain around the middle. Weight that can be difficult to shift (thanks cortisol, you absolute dick. My jeans barely fasten now 😭)⁣
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I was burnt out, struggling with daily tasks and waking up anxious at 2/3am and struggling to get back to sleep. I knew it was the cortisol effect and I started taking steps to rectify it.⁣
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Instead, focus on supporting your nervous system and overall health. Prioritise sleep, eat at times to promote sleep, practice good sleep hygiene, reduce caffeine after lunchtime, get a good sleep/wake routine. Use supplements to promote calm. Use apps to practice mindfulness (I use the Calm app and it’s brilliant)…..or you can come in to see me and we can formulate a plan together going through all the little positive changes you can make. ⁣
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Perimenopause is a time of significant hormonal change, and stress can interact with those changes in ways that really affect how you feel physically and emotionally. Understanding what is happening is the first step towards managing it.⁣
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A few wee repairs today? Bloody rain. Messages sent out to reschedule as this is the treatment area. I’m still a bit spluttery anyway so this was the universe’s way of telling me to slow down to recover 😭