Frequently
asked questions

All injectable and device-based treatments at Silk Clinical are performed by registered nurses with prescribing oversight from a doctor. Cosmetic injectables in New Zealand are prescription medicines, so every plan is reviewed against your medical history before any product is drawn. We do not employ beauty therapists for clinical treatments. If you are deciding between clinics, we suggest asking each one who is doing the actual injecting and what their training and continuing-education record looks like. Ours is documented and we are happy to talk through it in your consultation.

Yes. Every new client has a consultation before any treatment, and most existing clients have a brief reassessment at each visit. The consultation covers your medical history, current medications, what is bothering you, and what a sensible plan looks like over the next six to twelve months. For some clients the honest answer is to wait, or to start with skincare rather than injectables. We will say so when that is the case. Consultations are around twenty to thirty minutes and can be booked online or by phoning the clinic.

You can book online via our online booking system, which shows live availability for every treatment and practitioner. You can also phone the clinic on 03 365 5774 during opening hours, or email bookings@silkclinical.co.nz if your question is more involved. New clients are welcome to book a consultation first if they would prefer to talk through options before committing to a treatment. A small deposit is taken at the time of booking and credited against the cost of your appointment.

Silk Clinical is at 66 Victoria Street, Christchurch Central 8013. The clinic sits within walking distance of the central city and the Victoria Square area, with on-street parking available nearby. We are a single-site clinic and all treatments are performed at this address. If you are travelling from elsewhere in Canterbury or the wider South Island, we can usually accommodate same-day consultation and treatment for established procedures. For Volnewmer specifically, please allow extra time as the full-face protocol runs around sixty minutes in clinic.

We accept all major credit and debit cards, EFTPOS, and bank transfer for treatments booked in advance. Gift vouchers purchased through our online voucher system can be redeemed against any treatment or consultation. Payment is taken at the end of your appointment unless a deposit has been required at the time of booking, in which case the balance is settled on the day. We do not currently offer in-house payment plans. For larger treatment plans we are happy to schedule sessions across several months so the cost is spread.

Botox and Dysport are both prescription botulinum toxin type A products, used to soften the muscle activity that creates dynamic lines. Botox is made by Allergan, Dysport by Galderma. The molecules are slightly different in their accessory proteins, which affects diffusion: Dysport tends to spread a little further from the injection point, which can be useful in some areas and less ideal in others. Onset is similar, around three to fourteen days. Duration is broadly comparable, with Dysport often lasting four to six months and Botox around four. Your nurse will recommend the product that suits the area being treated.

Most clients see results lasting three to four months from a single treatment. Duration depends on the muscle being treated, the dose used, your metabolism, and whether you have had previous treatments in the same area. Repeat treatments often hold a little longer over time as the muscle adapts. We recommend booking your next appointment when you start to notice movement returning, rather than waiting for the effect to wear off completely. If you are also concerned about the underlying skin quality rather than just movement, Volnewmer RF skin tightening is a complementary treatment we can talk through at your visit.

No, not in our hands. Silk does not aim for that look. We dose conservatively to soften muscle activity rather than abolish it, so your face still moves and reads as yours. If you have been treated elsewhere and felt your expression looked flat or static, please tell us at the consultation. We will plan around it. We will also sometimes recommend a smaller dose than you have asked for, or a staged approach over two visits. If a fully immobile result is what you are looking for, we are not the right clinic for you and we will say so.

Most modern hyaluronic acid fillers last between nine and eighteen months, depending on the product, the area treated, and how your body metabolises the gel. Lip filler generally lasts six to twelve months as the lips are more mobile. Cheek and chin filler in deeper planes often lasts twelve to eighteen months. Filler does not vanish overnight at the end of that window: it gradually softens and loses volume, which is why we usually review at six and twelve months. If you would like a treatment that addresses skin quality alongside volume, ask about Volnewmer or Ultraformer MPT at your visit.

Yes. Hyaluronic acid fillers can be dissolved using hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down the gel and is fully reversed by the body within hours. We keep hyaluronidase in clinic at all times as part of our emergency protocol for vascular events, and we also use it electively when a client wants a previous treatment removed or adjusted. Dissolving is not without consequence: it can affect surrounding tissue and the result is sometimes a softer, slightly emptier look than before. We will talk through what to expect honestly before booking a dissolving appointment.

There is no fixed answer. Most clients having a single area treated for the first time use between half a millilitre and two millilitres in total, but this depends on your anatomy, the area, and what you are trying to achieve. We assess the face as a whole, not just the area you have asked about, and we will sometimes recommend treating a different region first if that is where the underlying issue sits. We would rather under-treat at the first visit and review at two to four weeks than over-fill and have to dissolve. A staged plan often gives the most natural-looking result.

Both treat skin laxity without surgery, but they work at different depths using different energy. Volnewmer is monopolar radiofrequency at 6.78MHz, which heats the papillary and reticular dermis to trigger collagen remodelling and improve skin texture and tone. Ultraformer MPT is high-intensity focused ultrasound, which delivers focal coagulation points deeper, including at the SMAS layer, for a lifting effect along the jawline and brow. They address different concerns and are often used together. At Silk we will assess which device, or which combination, fits the result you are after, your skin condition, and your timeline.

Yes. We installed Volnewmer in 2024 and remain, at the time of writing, the only clinic offering the device anywhere in the South Island. Volnewmer is distributed in New Zealand by Cryomed Aesthetics, and the device list they publish is the source we check this against. If a clinic closer to you starts offering it, we will update this answer. We mention the exclusivity not as a marketing point but because clients ask: it is the reason people travel from Dunedin, Queenstown, and Nelson for treatment.

For Volnewmer RF, most clients have a single full-face session and then review at six months. Mild to moderate laxity often responds well to one annual treatment thereafter. For Ultraformer MPT, a single session is usually adequate and the result builds over three to six months as new collagen forms. Where laxity is more pronounced, a combined plan using both devices six to twelve weeks apart is often the better answer. We will set out a realistic schedule at your consultation rather than book a fixed package up front.

Very little. After Volnewmer most clients have mild redness for a few hours and can return to normal activities the same day, including light makeup. After Ultraformer MPT some clients have minor swelling or tenderness along treated lines for a day or two, and occasionally small bruises where deeper transducers were used. Neither treatment requires time off work. We do ask you to avoid intense heat, sauna, and vigorous exercise for forty-eight hours, and to keep sun exposure low for a week. Full aftercare instructions are emailed to you on the day.

Volnewmer and Thermage are both monopolar radiofrequency devices operating at 6.78MHz, so the underlying physics is similar. Thermage has a longer global track record and a larger published evidence base. Volnewmer is the newer device and uses a different tip and cooling system, which the manufacturer reports allows higher peak energy with less surface discomfort. In practical terms most clients find Volnewmer more comfortable than older Thermage protocols. Both target skin laxity in the dermis. We are happy to talk through the evidence honestly at your consultation, including the limits of what radiofrequency can and cannot do for you.

Most clients describe the sensation as a deep, brief warmth at each pulse, not pain. The Volnewmer handpiece has integrated cooling that protects the skin surface during energy delivery, and the protocol uses lower per-pulse energy than older RF devices. We do not numb the face for Volnewmer, as feedback from the patient is part of how we set the energy correctly. If you find a particular zone uncomfortable, we adjust on the spot. Most full-face sessions take around sixty minutes. If you have had RF treatment elsewhere and found it unpleasant, please tell us so we can plan accordingly.

For most clients a single full-face Volnewmer session is the starting point. Results develop over three to six months as collagen remodels, and we review at the six-month mark. Mild to moderate skin laxity often responds well to one session, with a maintenance treatment around twelve months later. More pronounced laxity may benefit from a second session at three to six months, or from combining with Ultraformer MPT on a different visit. We will set out an honest schedule at your consultation rather than commit you to a fixed package up front.

Volnewmer triggers collagen remodelling in the dermis, and the new collagen behaves like your own. Most clients see results that develop over three to six months and last between one and two years, depending on age, skin condition, sun exposure, and lifestyle. The treatment slows the visible signs of laxity but does not stop the underlying process. Most clients return for a maintenance session every twelve to eighteen months. Ongoing skincare, sun protection, and where appropriate other treatments such as Ultraformer MPT or skin peels help the result hold longer.

In practical terms, no. Most clients have mild redness for two to four hours after treatment and a light flushed feeling that settles by the next morning. Makeup can be applied the same day if you wish. We ask you to avoid intense heat, sauna, hot yoga, and vigorous exercise for forty-eight hours, and to keep direct sun exposure low for a week with a daily SPF 30 or higher. There is no peeling, no scabbing, and no marks on the skin. Most clients return to work the same day or the following morning without issue.

Yes, and for many clients the combination is what produces the most coherent result. Volnewmer pairs well with Ultraformer MPT, which works at a deeper plane, when laxity is more pronounced. It also sits comfortably alongside dermal fillers, anti-wrinkle injections, and PRP, provided the sequencing is right. As a rule we ask you to wait two weeks after injectables before having Volnewmer, and to space PRP separately. If you are interested in a combined plan, ask about our combined treatment plans at the consultation and we will set out the schedule.

Volnewmer suits clients with mild to moderate skin laxity, fine lines, and reduced textural tone, particularly across the lower face, jawline, neck, and around the eyes. It works for most skin types and tones. It is less suitable if you have significant jowling and are looking for the kind of result a surgical facelift produces, in which case we will say so honestly and where appropriate suggest a surgical referral. Volnewmer is also not appropriate during pregnancy, with active skin infection in the area, or with certain implanted electronic devices. We screen for these at consultation.

Volnewmer was launched in New Zealand in 2024 by Cryomed Aesthetics and is sold to clinics on a region-by-region basis. We invested in the device when it became available because the underlying RF physics was strong, the cooling and energy-delivery design addressed problems we saw with older devices, and there was a clear gap in the South Island for a non-surgical lifting option of this depth. No other South Island clinic has chosen to bring the device in to date. If that changes, we will update this answer; the exclusivity is a fact, not a claim.

Specific aftercare depends on the treatment. As a general rule for injectables, avoid touching or massaging the treated area for four hours, keep makeup off for the rest of the day, and avoid alcohol, intense exercise, sauna, and facials for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Sleep on your back the first night where practical. For device treatments such as Volnewmer or Ultraformer, the same heat and exercise restrictions apply for forty-eight hours, plus daily SPF 30 or higher. You will receive written aftercare instructions by email on the day of treatment, tailored to what was done.

Mild redness, tenderness, and small bruises are common and settle within a few days. If you notice anything more significant, sustained pain, blanching, vision changes, signs of infection, or symptoms that worsen rather than improve, contact the clinic immediately on 03 365 5774. After hours, the same number directs to our on-call protocol. We keep hyaluronidase and emergency medication in clinic and follow a written protocol for vascular events. Do not wait if something feels wrong: early review costs us nothing and resolves the great majority of concerns quickly. We would always rather hear from you sooner than later.

Clients must be at least eighteen years old for any cosmetic injectable or device treatment at Silk Clinical, and we will ask for photo identification at the first visit. For most preventative anti-wrinkle work we see no clinical reason to start in the early twenties. For dermal fillers, we are usually more cautious again and prefer to wait until facial maturity, which for most people is in the mid to late twenties. Skin treatments such as peels and microdermabrasion can be appropriate earlier where the indication is clear. We will say no when the answer is to wait.