Autumn beauty special: our local experts share their top treatments for the season
Is your skin showing signs of a summer – indeed a life – well-lived? Or perhaps you’re considering more advanced physical improvements? Undo any damage and up your game with advice from the foremost local experts.
Is your skin showing signs of a summer – indeed a life – well-lived? Or perhaps you’re considering more advanced physical improvements? Undo any damage and up your game with advice from the foremost local experts.
Our panel includes appearance medicine specialist Kate Schuler of Tauranga’s Fraser Clinic; Cindy Hooker and Tasmin Crocker, owner and manager respectively of Papamoa’s Reveal Skin & Body; Katie Mead, owner of Bayfair’s Cosmetic Clinic; and cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeons Brandon Adams and Adam Bialostocki of Tauranga’s Da Vinci Clinic.
KATE SCHULER - FRASER CLINIC
Appearance medicine specialist Kate is also an intensive care nurse.
UNO: What can we do to look and feel our best in the cooler months?
Kate: As the seasons change, so can your skin and the care it needs, so autumn is a great time to introduce treatments to revitalise it. Whatever your summer experience, your skin will probably need some help to recover from the harsh effects of lazy days in the sun, whether that’s repairing dehydrated skin or combating summer pigmentation – a big issue for New Zealanders.
U: What do you advise to combat pigmentation?
K: One of the best ways to reset your skin is with IPL light therapy or laser resurfacing. They’re excellent for pigmentation as they give an overall improvement in tone and texture, and set you up for ongoing improvement with the use of good medical-grade cosmeceutical skincare at home. No treatment is a standalone panacea. You need to support anything we do in the clinic with the effort you put in at home.
U: And how about hydration?
K: We can apply topicals to the surface of the skin, but nothing’s better than delivering it right where we’re targeting, altering the dose and depth to personalise the treatment and give your skin the wake-up call it needs. Our V2 Beauty Booster is a micro-injectable cocktail of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and hyaluronic acid that helps to recover a healthy glow by increasing skin elasticity, thickness and hydration. It combines the benefits of skin needling – stimulating collagen, elastin and fibroblasts – while delivering a Dermo-Restructuring complex for repair, rejuvenation and retexturising. Best results are achieved with a series of three treatments, with the results continuing to improve up to 12 weeks afterwards.
U: And what about trouble spots other than the face?
K: Two notoriously difficult areas to rejuvenate are the neck and hands, which tend to show telltale signs of ageing. The skin on the neck thins and takes on a more crepey appearance, often accompanied by horizontal lines, while changes in skin texture – including thinning, a decrease in elasticity and surface pigmentation, coupled with pronounced veins, tendons and a bony appearance – affect the appearance of our hands. Our bio-stimulating injectables coupled with light therapy are great not only for the face, but also for these areas, plumping up the skin to make it stronger, healthier and clearer, and delivering longer-lasting results.
CINDY HOOKER & TASMIN CROCKER - REVEAL SKIN & BODY
This clinic’s philosophy is to provide clients with affordable, accessible and effective treatments. At this Papamoa sanctuary, clients are encouraged to celebrate themselves.
UNO: Are we ever too young to consider advanced skincare?
Tasmin: Our natural production of collagen starts to slow at around 26 – fine lines start to appear around your eyes, and you might notice a slight change in skin tone and firmness. Coming off birth control and having babies can also result in pesky blemishes and hormonal pigmentation. All this means maintaining a good skincare regime at home is vital. Everyone needs a good cleanser, moisturiser and SPF; think of these products as your baseline. Serums and advanced treatments are your ‘vitamins’ or ‘protein powders’ that’ll give your skin an extra boost.
Cindy: Great skin is all about starting early. Regular facials can help you maintain youthful, glowing skin, while SPF reduces pigmentation down the track. Your twenties and thirties are also the time to start ‘collagen banking’; if you use vitamin A when you’re younger, your skin will retain collagen for longer.
What do we start to see in our forties and fifties?
Tasmin: The effects of sun damage becomes more apparent. Our skin becomes drier and more fragile, and we wave goodbye to more collagen. But the good news? Advanced treatments such as Dermaneedling, also known as collagen induction therapy, can help wind back the clock. Dermaneedling is great for everything – it breaks up pigment, strengthens the skin and produces new collagen. Reveal’s A-Zyme Skin Workout is one of our most popular treatments, and for good reason – it really is the powerhouse of all anti-ageing treatments. It’s essentially a powerful burst of vitamin A that plumps out fine lines and wrinkles, and leaves you with hydrated, younger-looking skin.
How do we continue to age well in our sixties and beyond?
Cindy: As we enter our sixties, our skin loses moisture and elasticity. Advanced treatments like IPL photorejuvenation, which uses light to stimulate cell renewal, help to keep skin firm and vibrant, while at-home serums are great for plumping and hydrating.
SERIOUS SERUMS at Reveal Skin & Body
Ultraceuticals Ultra A, Skin Perfecting Serum This vitamin-A-containing power serum plumps the skin to improve the appearance of wrinkles while stimulating collagen. It’s ideal for every skin type.
Ultraceuticals Ultra B Hydrating Serum B vitamins help with cell-to-cell communication, so daily use of this serum will strengthen your skin, and it’s packed with hydrating hyaluronic acid, which holds a thousand times its weight in water.
Ultraceuticals Ultra C10+ Firming Serum This serum dulls pigment and tones the skin to give your complexion a natural glow and all-round boost. For better protection, use it in the morning under your SPF.
KATIE MEAD - THE COSMETIC CLINIC
This clinic’s philosophy is to provide clients with affordable, accessible and effective treatments.
UNO: What do you recommend for dry post-summer skin?
Katie: Say hello to HydraFiller, the treatment that’s taking hydration to the next level. Designed to improve the quality of your skin from the inside out, it’s a minimally invasive cosmetic injectable treatment now available at The Cosmetic Clinic six days a week. We believe everyone deserves to be the best version of themselves every day, so that’s why we’re super excited about this new treatment. Combine it with a great daily skin routine and a personalised skincare plan from one of our expert clinicians and your skin will thank you.
UNO: So what does HydraFiller entail?
K: As we age, our skin loses vital molecules involved in hydration, which can lead to dry, crepey and dull skin, fine lines and wrinkles. HydraFiller is a next-generation dermal filler that addresses these concerns by providing your skin with around-the- clock moisture from the inside out. Unlike regular dermal filler, HydraFiller isn’t used to add volume, but to help increase and retain moisture in the skin through a unique cross-linking of the key ingredient, hyaluronic acid, a substance that occurs naturally in our bodies. Administered through a series of micro-injections by our expert cosmetic injectors, it helps to restore and increase dermal hydration and tissue elasticity, and decrease wrinkle formation, fine lines, acne scarring and unevenness for fresher, glowing skin.
What areas can be treated, and how long does it last?
K: HydraFiller can be used to treat the face, neck, décolletage and hands. It can help improve overall skin quality for up to nine months with just one treatment per area.
Does it hurt?
K: Similar to any dermal filler, there can be a slight stinging or discomfort at the site of the injection, but HydraFiller contains an anaesthetic that can help alleviate that during the treatment. Clients can also receive numbing cream to take home with them.
UNO: What other after-care do you advise?
K: Our hydrating Balense Quench Pack is a four-step process – cleanse, activate, hydrate and protect – that’s great for those with dry, tired or ageing skin. We recommend using it as ongoing support after your HydraFiller treatment, to help your skin stay hydrated and radiant. We also offer micro-needling treatments that support what HydraFiller does and can help with pigmentation, overall skin tone, fine lines and scarring.
BRANDON ADAMS - DA VINCI CLINIC
Brandon also works as a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Waikato DHB and a visiting plastic surgeon at Tauranga Hospital.
UNO: Where should someone start if they want to take their new-season refresh to the next level with cosmetic surgery?
Brandon: When it comes to ‘updating’ the face, we’re not searching for a whole new look – we’re wanting to achieve natural-looking results. Achieving this means utilising techniques that incorporate the fat and sheaths of tissue underneath the skin too. Rather than just ‘pulling back’ and ‘cutting away’ skin, we aim to lift and reposition the underlying muscles. This involves using stitches to tighten the connective tissue enveloping the muscles of the midface and neck, or alternatively, the underside of the muscles – a deep-plane facelift. This is where the expertise and experience of your surgeon come into play. Evaluation of a patient’s anatomy – where their skin is pre-surgery – is important for long-term success. We assess how much volume loss your face has, the damage your skin has sustained and the type of asymmetries your face shows, and we’ll also discuss additional volume-loss solutions as part of your surgery, which might include dermal fillers or fat transfer.
UNO: What do you advise for the neck and jowls?
B: For lower facial jowling or a sagging neck, non-surgical injectables such as fillers or Botox may not be the answer. A facelift – or rhytidectomy – corrects sagging facial skin to restore harmony, bringing back the jawline and re-establishing fullness in the cheeks. The chin is also a difficult area to treat, so a lift combined with Belkyra injections, which permanently dissolve fat, can effectively target this area, harmonising and restoring definition.
UNO: Is there an ideal age at which to consider surgical intervention?
B: Many women and men undergo their first facelift in their fifties and beyond, however the skin’s elasticity begins to steadily break down from the early forties onwards, so for some, undergoing a facelift earlier means there’s greater elasticity for better long- term results. Ultimately, there is no ‘best’ age to have a surgical lift, so seeking the expertise of an experienced surgeon who’s able to spot and manage asymmetries, and accurately assesses volume and loss, is essential for the best outcome.
ADAM BIALOSTOCKI - DA VINCI CLINIC
Adam works as a surgeon at Tauranga’s Grace Hospital too.
UNO: What should people keep in mind when considering making improvements to their body through cosmetic and reconstructive surgery?
Adam: Beyond social media inspiration, taking an individual approach to any procedure – breast implants, reconstruction, abdominoplasty – is essential for best practice and greater peace of mind. Placing yourself in the hands of a qualified surgeon with the right experience and advice means you’ll stay truly connected to your body’s journey from beginning to end – and those results will hit all the right notes.
UNO: Let’s talk about breasts...
A: Whether you’re seeking greater breast volume, or a lift or reconstruction, various factors influence breast decisions. If it’s a volume issue – after weight loss or pregnancy, for example – an implant can restore fullness and shape, and when combined with a lift, it can correct lax tissue. If the nipples have rotated downward or become larger, opting for a mastopexy to raise breast tissue and reposition the nipple is a good option. For women with asymmetrical or small breasts, an implant, a lift or both can restore. Breast reconstruction is driven by personal preference, wellness, and short- and long-term expectations. It’s also a procedure that can be delayed, with surgery carried out months, even years, following breast cancer recovery. The two main procedures available to Kiwi women are breast implant reconstruction and breast flap reconstruction. Breast implant reconstruction involves inserting an implant under the skin and muscle to restore the shape and volume of the breast, while breast flap reconstruction uses flaps of a woman’s own skin, fat and muscle tissue from the back, bottom, inner thighs or lower abdomen – sometimes with the addition of an implant too – to reconstruct the breasts. Visualising what you’ll look like post- surgery is hugely important, which is why we use 3D Vectra imaging technology when discussing the procedure and to provide our clients with a real-life depiction of their breasts post-surgery.
UNO: And tell us about tummy tucks...
A: Abdominoplasty isn’t a weight-loss procedure – its aim is to reshape, sculpt and contour. Skin is released from the lower part of your abdomen to allow for tightening of the muscles and flatter contour. It’s then re-draped and trimmed and the belly button is redefined. Scars and surgery go hand in hand, but incisions are strategically positioned so the scars remain discreet – and they fade over time, too.
WIN! UNO presents Flourish with Arbonne
THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
UNO is proud to present Flourish with Arbonne, an exclusive wellness event overlooking the sparkling Tauranga Harbour at Trinity Wharf.
This special breakfast event will have a guided meditation, yoga session and smoothie bowls as well as the latest Arbonne products.
Head to Instagram and tag a friend in the comments below to go in the draw to win one of two prizes:
1 x double ticket to the event
1 x double ticket to the event and a night's stay at Trinity Wharf
Terms and conditions:
1. These terms and conditions relate to the Arbonne giveaway competition run by the Promoter to encourage people to comment, share and like the Promoter’s Facebook post about the Flourish Breakfast Event (“Promotion”). Information on how to enter and prizes forms part of, and entry into the Promotion is deemed to be acceptance of, these terms and conditions.
2. The promoter is Spectre Publishing Ltd (UNO Magazine), (“Promoter”).
3. The Promotion commences at 4.30pm Friday 11th June 2021 and closes at 9am Wednesday 23rd June 2021 (“Promotional Period”). Entries received outside of the Promotional Period will not be accepted.
Conditions of Entry
4. Employees (and their immediate families) of the Promoter, its related companies and any other companies associated with the Promotion are ineligible to enter.
5. The competition is open to residents of New Zealand aged 18 years and over.
6. You may only enter once. Prizes
7. 14 x level ONE prizes, 1x level TWO prize winners will be drawn.
8. Winners will receive: Level one prize: 2x tickets to the Flourish Breakfast event at 10am on Wednesday 30th June at Trinity Wharf Hotel, Tauranga – travel to event and accommodation not included Level two prize: 2x tickets to the Flourish Breakfast event at 10am on Wednesday 30th June at Trinity Wharf Hotel, Tauranga and a one night stay for two at Trinity Wharf - including room and breakfast. Expires 30th November 2021- travel to the event not included How to enter
9. To enter, you must, in response to a post (indicated as being the post relating to the Promotion (“Relevant Post”) on the Promoter’s Facebook or Instagram page (“Social Media Page”), comment on, like, and share the relevant post.
10. In addition to complying with these terms, you must comply with any additional instructions stated in the Relevant Post. You must also comply with any terms of use relating to the relevant Social Media Page. The Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or the responsibility of, Facebook or Instagram.
11. All entries are deemed to be received at the time of the receipt into the Promotion database and not at the time of transmission by you.
Draw and Winner Notification
12. The prizes will be drawn at random on 10am Wednesday 23rd June at the UNO office 3/17 Banks Ave, Mount Maunganui and the winners will be notified by personal message on the social media platform through which the winner entered the Promotion. If a winner has not responded within 24 hours another draw will take place. Winners will be notified in the manner set out above. In the event that the winners of the second draw (if any) fail to respond to such notification, further draws will be undertaken in the manner set out above until all prizes have been awarded. 13. The Promoter's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
14. Prizes will be awarded to the person named in the entry to the Promotion.
General Terms
15. The Promoter reserves the right to change these terms and conditions without prior notice. 16. Prizes cannot be varied and are not transferable or redeemable for cash. In the event that a winner does not take an element of the prize at the time stipulated by the Promoter, then that element of the prize will be forfeited by the winner.
17. If the winner is not able to be contacted within a reasonable time period following the draw, that winner shall forfeit the prize and the Promoter may choose to draw another winner, and so on until a winner is contacted to accept the prize.
18. Unless expressly stated in these terms and conditions, all other expenses become the responsibility of the winner including meals, taxes, transport, insurance and any other ancillary costs of any nature.
19. The Promoter reserves the right to request the winner to provide proof of identity, proof of residency at the nominated prize delivery address and/or proof of entry validity. In the event that such proof is not provided by the winner or is not suitable to UNO, then that winner shall forfeit their rights to any prizes.
20. The Promoter reserves the right to verify the validity of entries and to disqualify any entry (including the winning entry) which, in the Promoter’s opinion includes objectionable content, profanity or potentially insulting, inflammatory or defamatory statements.
21. The Promoter may disqualify any entry or individual (including any prize winner) who tampers with the entry process, submits an entry not in accordance with the terms and conditions, breaches these terms and conditions, or who has, in the opinion of the Promoter, engaged in conduct which is unlawful, improper, fraudulent, misleading, deceptive or generally damaging to the goodwill or reputation of the Promoter or Promotion.
22. The Promoter is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any website, telephone network or lines, computer systems, servers, providers, computer equipment, software, technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or any combination thereof.
23. The Promoter assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorised access to, or alteration of entries.
24. If for any reason the Promotion is not capable of running as planned for reasons including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other cause beyond the control of the Promoter, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Promotion, the Promoter reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, suspend or modify the Promotion.
25. The Promoter takes no responsibility for lost, damaged, misdirected, late or illegible entries or any entries that for whatever reason, are not received by the Promoter or are incomplete.
26. The winner of any prize agrees to co-operate with all reasonable media editorial requests relating to the prize, including being interviewed, photographed or filmed. The winner permits having their name, image and/or voice appear in connection with the Promotion, the Promoter or the advertising or marketing thereof, in any media whatsoever throughout the world.
27. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Promoter and its related companies shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or personal injury whatsoever by or to any person in connection with the Promotion or with winning or benefiting from a prize.
28. All entries become the property of the Promoter. The Promoter needs to collect personal information from entrants in order to conduct the Promotion – without this personal information the Promoter may not be able to provide you with entry into the Promotion. Unless otherwise authorized by you, your personal information will be held by the Promoter for the purposes of the Promotion in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and may be shared with partners of the Promoter solely for the purposes of the Promotion.
Looking for a bit of variety in your exercise regime? Clubfit could be it!
Its availability at not one but two sites – one in Tauranga and one at the Mount – isn’t the only thing that makes this gym ultra-accessible.
Its availability at not one but two sites – one in Tauranga and one at the Mount – isn’t the only thing that makes this gym ultra-accessible.
UNO: What’s Clubfit good at?
Personal trainer Mark Berry: We build great relationships and support our customers through their exercise journey while making it fun. For us, it’s about the long game. Beyond just getting a new member started, we’re here to keep them motivated so they make steady progress towards their goals and enjoy the journey.
What do you specialise in? Functional training, strength and conditioning, rehab, CrossFit and Olympic lifting.
Who are you best suited to? Anyone looking for a modern gym that provides value for money, great service and support will find it at Clubfit. We also offer great variety, with more than 60 group fitness classes per week. Our gym is also unique in that it offers gym and swim memberships; you can choose a membership that also provides access to five pool facilities, including spa, sauna and aqua-aerobics classes – and even the iconic Mount Hot Pools. Clubfit caters for all levels and the variety of workout options means there’s truly something for everyone. Join the club for a fun, supportive exercise programme that gets results!
What kinds of classes do you offer? Les Mills Classes are some of the world’s most popular – we’ve got Body Combat, RPM and Body Step to get the blood pumping, CX Worx and Body Pump for strength, Grit and Sprint for high-intensity training, and BodyBalance and Tone for muscle tone and flexibility.
Our Clubfit Home Grown Programmes (HGP) are our own range of classes designed to complement the Les Mills offering. HGP Hiit ’n’ Run and HGP Blitz are intense circuit-style classes that are suitable for intermediate to advanced fitness levels, while HGP Mobilise and HGP Full Function are perfect for members who are returning to exercise and need to take it slow. There’s also Yoga, Pilates and Zumba classes available, and with our gym and swim memberships, you can also attend AquaFit classes at Baywave.
What are you proud of at your gym? Without a doubt, it’s our team, from our group fitness instructors through to our amazing reception staff. The level of support and commitment they provide to our customers is outstanding and keeps people coming back for more. Around 30 percent of our new customers each month come to us through a referral from a current member.
We’re in the business of helping people live better lives and seeing people transform in terms of confidence, mental wellbeing and overall health is what we’re here for. Although we hear lots of success stories about physical transformations and fitness gains, now more than ever we’re hearing about the mental benefits that exercising at Clubfit is providing. People often comment about the fear and anxiety they’ve had to overcome just to get started on their fitness journey, and these same people also often tell us just how significant being involved in a good exercise community and developing healthy habits have been in transforming many other areas of their lives. That’s the stuff that makes us feel good.
What are your top tips for getting beach-ready? Consistency is king or queen, so show up often, do the work and enjoy the process. Also, remember that your body isn’t your enemy, so be good to it, build up slowly and watch the results start to appear.
Meet the trainers:
Mark Berry
Mark’s a Clubfit personal trainer and group fitness instructor who has worked in the industry for a decade – a job he loves. He brings an all-round training philosophy to the gym floor and his down-to-earth approach is based around the following points: aim to move your body the way it was designed to move; consistency is key – and not just in the fitness world; enjoy what you do – it’ll be a boring life if you don’t; success comes in many forms – the number on the scales is just that and nothing else; and strive for balance in all areas of training and life.
Monique VanDijk
Monique works at Clubfit as a fitness instructor – a role that’s all about coaching and support. She started her journey as a group fitness instructor through her interest in sports performance and holds a degree in Sport Science. Today, her key passions include strength training, CrossFit, Olympic lifting and gymnastics. She says she really enjoys her role and connecting with a wide variety of people through exercise, and believes quality movement in exercise is paramount to quality movement in everyday life. Her goal is to help people find a method of training that’s effective and enjoyable for them, so they can move for as long as they’re able.
1 KITEROA STREET, GREERTON, TAURANGA, & CORNER GIRVEN AND GLOUCESTER ROADS, MT MAUNGANUI
07 577 8555
Don’t get mad, get even: say goodbye to patchy skin
Skin looking a bit patchy post-summer? Never mind – Tauranga’s Skin Centre has an exclusive product formulated in-house to fix that, and practice nurse Georgie Herbison is here to tell us about it.
PHOTO Alexander Krivitskiy
Skin looking a bit patchy post-summer? Never mind – Tauranga’s Skin Centre has an exclusive product formulated in-house to fix that, and practice nurse Georgie Herbison is here to tell us about it.
UNO: Georgie, what causes pigmentation and how can we prevent it?
GEORGIE HERBISON: Melanin in the skin acts as a defence mechanism, which is why people commonly get a tan where their skin is exposed to the sun. Hyperpigmentation occurs when the skin over-produces melanin, resulting in dark patches and an uneven look. Hormonal changes can cause hyperpigmentation, but the main cause is the sun, so it’s important to always wear sunscreen or, better still, cover up or stay indoors during the hottest time of day.
UNO: Why has Skin Centre created this specialised pigmentation product, Complex K?
GEORGIE: So many patients come into the clinic distressed about their pigmentation, having tried different treatments and creams with no visible results. It’s great to be able to offer them our prescription-only product to use at home, knowing it’ll really work for them.
UNO: What makes this cream so effective?
GEORGIE: Complex K is a sun damage and skin-lightening treatment. It contains components proven in multiple independent clinical trials to reverse the effects of excessive sun, including hydroquinone 4%, a pigment inhibitor that works by reducing the production of pigmentation and increasing the production of melanosomes in melanocytes by inhibiting the activity of the enzyme tyrosinase, which is needed to make melanin. It also includes a mild topical hydrocortisone to prevent irritation, mixed with a vitamin A derivative (retinoid) that can reduce the ageing effects of the sun on our skin and stimulate collagen synthesis, while reversing photo damage and increasing the absorption and efficacy of the hydroquinone.
UNO: How should we use Complex K?
GEORGIE: This is a prescription treatment that your skin needs to adjust to slowly, so our clients use it alongside their own skincare products a few nights a week to start with, and gently increase from there.
UNO: What kinds of pigmentation is it effective on and what kinds of results do you see?
GEORGIE: We’ve had some very good results treating clients with general pigmentation and freckling, the hormonal pigmentation melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. They notice a definite lightening of the affected skin after using the cream for 12 weeks, and the overall skin texture is smoother.
UNO: Is Complex K complemented by treatments you use in the clinic?
GEORGIE: It works well in conjunction with our Fraxel laser. The non-invasive Fraxel can reverse visible signs of ageing and damage, reducing pigmentation and evening out skin tone, and Complex K helps to maintain these results.
UNO: Who would you recommend this product to?
GEORGIE: We’d recommend it to clients with darker skin, who have a higher chance of hyperpigmentation, or anyone who’s tried other treatments with poor results. It’s especially effective for people with melasma and is a great option for anyone who doesn’t want to use laser treatments and would prefer to use a cream at home.
Everything under one roof
You might catch a glimpse of boxing champ Joseph Parker when you work out at this budding super gym.
Fit Nation
You might catch a glimpse of boxing champ Joseph Parker when you work out at this budding super-gym.
Meet the owners.
Monique Alvarez: With a background in beauty therapy and customer service, Monique understands the importance of ensuring every client is happy and comfortable with their experience at Fit Nation as soon as they step through the doors. She wants her members to feel as though they are part of a Fit Nation family and is committed to making sure she builds that connection with everyone. As someone who has a passion for taking care of people and helping to bring out the best in them, Monique’s approach to health and wellbeing is an overall one. She recognises the benefits that come with feeling good about yourself and believes nourishing your body from the inside out is just as important as fitness and exercise. Monique is looking forward to utilising the skills she has gained over the years to help people reach their goals through being attentive, supportive and a present part of their journey.
Nic Haldezos: At 19 years old, Nic joined the New Zealand Army, where he learned discipline and the importance of a strong work ethic. Those qualities have proven fruitful in his career. With a background in marketing and having graduated from AUT’s sport and recreation programme, Nic’s career in the fitness industry has spanned 10-plus years. He has spent much of his career managing and opening gyms across New Zealand and he’s excited about his new role at Fit Nation with big plans to help people make positive changes in their lives. Nic is also the son of a hairdresser, which is where he witnessed and learned about communication, mastering conversational skills and understanding the value of listening to a client. He believes being able to help one person can create change in a whole community and he’s committed to making that happen with the Fit Nation team.
What sets your gym apart from any other in Tauranga? Nic: It is 2000sqm of pure training turf and every corner of the place has been thought out so meticulously. There is nothing like this in New Zealand. We have an on-site massage therapist, nutritionist, physiotherapist, personal trainers, 360 biometric scans, a cafe and smoothie bar and boutique toilets and showers. We have 2021 Technogym cardio equipment, there are four separate group fitness rooms that will each run 15 classes, we have a full comprehensive boxing studio and spin rooms with walls that will light up with heart rates and exercise displays. It’s an experience.
What are some of the best features of your facility? Monique: We’re a one-stop shop gym and wellness centre. We’re able to offer everything in one place and the welcoming approach we have from staff shows we want to be there with you for your whole journey. We have infrared saunas, a Kids care zone so parents can work out knowing their children are taken care of, on top of the cardio and weights equipment, yoga, pilates and functional HIIT classes. Members can burn up to 600 calories a class. We’re just trying to offer everything under one roof.
How important is having a sense of community in your gym? Nic: Everyone can go to a gym and get results but not everyone can go to a gym and say they know everyone by name and can connect to each and every single staff member as well. We’re actually trying to change people’s lives here and by changing people’s lives we can change a community. What we create here in our first Fit Nation we want to be able to spread that through New Zealand.
What experience do you hope clients have when they’re at your gym? Monique: A positive experience as soon as they walk in the door. They might be stressed or rushing in from a busy day but after being greeted by our team and the positive energy we have at Fit Nation I hope they walk out from the whole experience feeling amazing each and every time.
150 Newton Street, Mount Maunganui - 07 575 0470
Local never looked so good
Leading fashion store Wallis has been rebooted and is back at the Mount with all the labels you know and love.
Leading fashion store Wallis has been rebooted and is back at the Mount with all the labels you know and love.
WORDS Jenny Rudd / PHOTOS Salina Galvan
In February 2020, fashion retailer Wallis made the call to close its doors after 30 fabulous years of dressing local women in New Zealand-made clothing. Anna Mountford and her parents Carol and David handed over the keys to their Devonport and Mt Maunganui stores, and got to thinking about what to do next. Seven months later, Anna relaunched Wallis at a brand new site at the Mount.
"I seriously considered going into education, but in the back of my mind, I was always thinking about a shop of my own,” she says. “I thought my friends would be really shocked when I told them, but they weren't. They all said, 'Thank goodness!’"
With hangers and mannequins still in her garage after closing Wallis before lockdown, things fell into place really quickly. Anna rang around her suppliers and picked up the relationships again, and the perfect new location came up on Maunganui Road. "We've had a fantastic start,” says Anna. “Lots of our key labels had been optimistic about the future and cut extra stock, so we had some beautiful pieces to open with. Every day people come into the store and say they’re pleased Wallis is back.
"It felt like the right time to close, then it felt like the right time to open,” she continues. “I’ve able to put my own touch on things, like the styling of the shop, but we still have the same core beliefs. We care about the people who make, sell and wear our clothes, and as we’ve done for 30 years, we stock local labels. It's easy to support local when the quality is this good."
WALLIS.CO.NZ
The miracle man
Olly Coffey helps people out of wheelchairs and onto their feet. Daniel Dunkley visited his NeuroPhysics Therapy centre at the Mount to discover how he does it.
WORDS DANIEL DUNKLEY / PHOTOS SALINA GALVAN
Olly Coffey helps people out of wheelchairs and onto their feet. Daniel Dunkley visited his NeuroPhysics Therapy centre at the Mount to discover how he does it.
I’m lying flat on my back with my legs in the air. They’re suspended beneath an exercise bar and suddenly begin to tremble uncontrollably. My muscles twitch independently from the rest of my body, causing an unusual sensation right up to my stomach.
If this sounds out of the ordinary, it’s because it is. I’m at Olly Coffey’s NeuroPhysics therapy practice at the Mount’s SwitchedOn exercise and wellness centre, receiving treatment for a back injury that has been causing me pain for a few months. UNO has sent me here to uncover the secrets of the approach that has revolutionised physical therapy and is changing lives.
There are two NeuroPhysics therapy centres in New Zealand; Olly runs this one, and the other is in Auckland. He’s been practising NeuroPhysics for about four years, having learned his trade from Australian founder Ken Ware. From his base at the Mount, Olly runs eight-week courses comprised of four intensive two-hour sessions in week one, plus ongoing follow-up.
To his patients, Hamilton-born Olly is a miracle worker. From the wheelchair-bound man he helped walk a year after his snowboarding accident, to the tetraplegic who can now stand, to the sports star regaining feeling after a serious accident, they all say the same thing: he produces extraordinary results. Olly, on the other hand, is more modest about his achievements. “I help people make changes themselves,” he says. “I’m a facilitator in that sense, just observing the penny-drop moments.”
NeuroPhysics therapy is a revolutionary form of treatment that puts a holistic spin on standard physical rehab. Rather than homing in on an isolated area of pain or damage, it treats the body as a whole and harnesses the brain’s power to help in the rehabilitation process. It’s less about building strength in the body, and more about building our awareness of how the body works – physical therapy with a hint of mindfulness.
The human brain uses trillions of neural pathways to send messages around the body, but in the event of an injury or medical condition, these pathways can become blocked or damaged. When the brain is used to sending signals along a particular pathway, any disruption affects function and sensation. NeuroPhysics attempts to open up other neural pathways, to find routes past the pain zone or area of damage.
Olly likens neural pathways to a synchronised school of fish. He says that when an injury happens, it’s like “a shark breaking up the school”. The ‘fish’ (messages) have to figure out a new way to continue their journey together.
How does the body find new neural pathways? A key part of the treatment involves making your body tremor; you may have felt a similar feeling while holding a difficult pose during a yoga class, lifting weights or holding a glass of water out in front of you. By performing slow, steady exercises using light weights, the muscles are stimulated and begin to tremor, and NeuroPhysics practitioners believe this is the body’s own calibration system being spurred into action, as it attempts to open up neural pathways around the body.
As well as firing up the body’s internal calibration system, NeuroPhysics aims to increase your awareness of your body. Posture, for example, is important. Hunched shoulders or inward-facing knees are signs that your body is in fight-or-flight mode, and in this stressed state, you’re in no position to heal. Olly wants his patients to enter a ‘growth’ state – the opposite of fight or flight. To achieve this, they’re encouraged to puff out their chest, close their eyes and allow their body to do the work.
“The body has an innate ability to heal itself, but we seldom give it a window of opportunity,” says Olly. “We can think ourselves into a state of anxiety and it holds us in the wrong physical state. You can’t isolate the musculoskeletal system, neural system or cardiovascular system – it’s all part of the bigger picture. The brain is coordinating everything; if your body is an orchestra, then the brain is the conductor.”
Olly says he has made the biggest difference to people who are living with chronic pain, and with life-changing injuries and conditions such as spinal cord damage and Parkinson’s. After my two-hour NeuroPhysics session, my back pain has significantly reduced and I have a sense of focus and clarity that I rarely experience. It is extraordinary – I’ve definitely joined the ranks of those who think so. Read on for stories of three other Kiwis who are benefiting from Olly’s work.
THE MAGIC TOUCH
Tauranga’s Casey Waterhouse suffered a severe motocross injury that left her paralysed from the chest down. She began seeing Olly since last June and says the sessions are like “slowly reawakening the senses”. “I had no feeling when I started with Olly. Now when my body is in tremor, I feel little flickers right down to my hip.” Casey’s making progress she never thought was possible. “Some therapists practically crossed me out; Olly has given me a chance. He calms me down and I’m starting to feel more.”
Another convert is White Sox player Jennifer Feret-Brear. Jennifer suffered an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee and was anxious to recover in time for August’s Women’s Softball World Championship in Japan. After four sessions with Olly, she was able to return to the game after 18 months out. “I could perform movements I’d been practising for a year but unable to master, and the calm and clarity of thought was even more rewarding,” she says. “For me, it was similar to the feeling you get after yoga, but with far less physical stress and effort.”
Matt Hall broke his neck in a swimming-pool accident last year, leaving him a tetraplegic. After making little progress with a regular physio, he discovered Olly. “It was a change of mentality,” he says. “I moved away from a model with very limited expectations of what
I could do. In three months, I went from not being able to feel my leg to standing on my own. After five months, I was walking on crutches. For me, it’s nothing short of a miracle.” Matt credits Olly’s calm demeanour for his progress. “His personality makes the difference. He’s a remarkable human being and has a real presence.” Matt’s now back working in Singapore, where he’s continuing his recovery. In the past month, he has started to be able to feel the sensations of hot and cold on his hands – something that would have been unthinkable a year ago. He wants to spread the word so NeuroPhysics therapy can help others. “Applying this process over several months can make a colossal difference to your life,” he says. “So many people out there could be recovering like me. It really can help.”
The brave move
Cindy is exactly the kind of import we love! The Californian has come to us via Hawkes Bay, bringing with her an unusual skill. Cindy helps people who, on the outside, looking like they are nailing life, but inside are struggling.
PHOTO TRACIE HEASMAN
Cindy Powers Prosor is exactly the kind of import we love! The Californian has come to us via Hawkes Bay, bringing with her an unusual skill. Cindy helps people who, on the outside, looking like they are nailing life, but inside are struggling.
She brings with her a generosity of spirit. But what really impressed was her analytical mind. She asked questions about our magazine which gave us food for thought, long after she'd left, spurring us on to improve. Cindy is UNO.'s kind of gal!
1) What do you do when you notice that the same types of issues or challenges show up in multiple areas of our life and relationships?
While it can be easy to blame outside circumstances for those challenges, true and lasting happiness and love are inside of you.
When you uncover what I call your blind spots, you have the freedom to create a joyful life no matter what’s going on around you. When you are happy on the inside, you attract and create all those things you desire. It all begins within you.
Opening doors within means to courageously look at your thoughts, fears, beliefs, emotions, old wounds, and stories you tell yourself. These are your “blind spots,” which are difficult to see for yourself because you are so “in” them. These blind spots run your life until you recognize them and change them so you can create something different.
Part of my work with my clients is creating a safe and courageous space so they see different perspectives and possibilities they can’t see for themselves. By doing this inner work, you actually shift the way you see your world. And, once you shift the way you see your world, your world changes.
2) How did you make the transition to the Bay of Plenty from an established life in California in the US? Do you have any tips for people going through their own major life transition?
Life transitions such as a big move, job change, divorce, or death can certainly be chaotic and uncomfortable!
When my husband Larry asked me to move 13 years ago from our beautiful home near Lake Tahoe, California to the isolated east coast outside of Gisborne, New Zealand, I thought, “Sure, let’s go on an adventure.”
I had no idea how painful and difficult this “adventure” would be. I struggled for three years...my heart was ripped apart. I felt alone, lost, and helpless. As you know, Gisborne is isolated and surrounded by beauty and solitude. I had created the “perfect storm” to uncover my blind spots.
Thankfully, I had an amazing coach at the time who walked alongside me. With her support and incredible wisdom, I acquired the tools and information to lovingly be there for myself in all the ways I had wanted others to be there for me.
Together, we gently dismantled my inner world and looked at the core of what was really creating my deep uncertainty, pain and sorrow.
After seeing how my life transformed with that level of support, I became a Professional Co-Active Coach; certified by The Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, California; and a member of ICF, International Coaching Federation. I’ve extensively studied metaphysics over the last 25 years with teachers around the world.
Now I know that my own happiness and life is a reflection of my work and my most potent credential and this is the transformative work I do with my clients.
3) Have you met any interesting people here?
Yes, I’ve so enjoyed meeting the people here. For example, I had heard about Debbie Karl the week I arrived and immediately booked an acupuncture session with her to get to know her and her work. Since then, we have created and grown a beautiful relationship, supporting each other both professionally and personally. That same week I was introduced to Chantelle Laurent. As with Debbie, our meeting unfolded with ease and we have been supporting each other professionally ever since.
4) How can I find out a bit more about your service?
I invite you to take a free quiz to help you discover your blind spots and start changing the way you see the world at www.CindyPowersProsor.com.
Top summer product and treatment picks from Tranquillo
Top-to-toe summer product and treatment picks from our appearance pro Sue Dewes at Tauranga’s Tranquillo Beauty Clinic.
Top-to-toe product and treatment picks from our appearance pro Sue Dewes at Tauranga’s Tranquillo Beauty Clinic.
Top Products
For your eyes
O Cosmedics No Baggage Native Collagen Eye Mask
Your new best friend before those special events, this eye mask smooths fine lines and wrinkles, and hydrates, plumps and firms the delicate skin around the eyes. Dampen with water, smooth on, boost with an O Cosmedics serum if you wish, then sit back and relax, and you’ll see visible results in just 20 minutes.
For your feet
Gehwol Refreshing Balm
This footcare brand has a solution for every problem, ensuring your feet always feel comfortable. This balm is my favourite summer product from the range as it combats that burning feeling tired feet can bring when the weather’s hot. With menthol and peppermint oil, it cools, deodorises and moisturises.
For your face
Juvenate B-Hydrated 4D
I love to support New Zealand skincare companies, so for me this multi-active hydrating complex is a win-win. Designed to de-stress, soothe, smooth, strengthen and protect the skin while promoting collagen formation, it’s suitable for anyone concerned with hydration but extra-beneficial for those dealing with inflammation or acne.
For your nails
FABY nail lacquers
Cruelty-free and without toxic chemicals, Italian-made Faby nail polishes are considered among Europe’s most innovative. In a vast array of fashion colours, they’re formulated without the ‘big five’, so you can have fun using them to accessorise your summer look knowing they won’t compromise your nails or your overall health.
For your protection
Environ RAD Shield Mineral Sunscreen
Fewer chemicals but more complete protection designed to be applied more often, this is your safe, effective, daily shield against UVA, UVB, infrared rays and blue light. It combines powerful physical blockers zinc oxide and titanium oxide with a boost of antioxidant including vitamin E to minimise the free-radical damage triggered by UVA radiation.
Special treatments
Lash lifts & tints
A wonder treatment with all the benefits of extensions but none of the maintenance and trauma to your natural lashes, lash lifts make your lashes look longer but curling them gently upward, opening up the eyes for a more youthful look. The result is simply beautiful, with a tint to top them off that means mascara can be a thing of the past for several weeks. For a complete treatment, combine with a brow shape and tint.
Spray tans
There’s no doubt about it, a tan can make you look healthy, and with the Eco Tan line, a naturalistic tan is yours with no sun damage involved. Ingredients matter to me, so we offer the formulation that’s best for your skin and the environment, and this certified-organic range produces a beautiful colour almost immediately. We can also teach you how to care for your tan to give you a consistent look all summer long.
Pedicures
Want to look your best barefoot at the beach and in those summer sandals? Come and see us for a thorough Tranquillo pedicure. Winter feet are simply not ready to be summer feet without some TLC, so don’t let your neglected toenails let you down – let us soak away that dry, rough skin, then enjoy a invigorating, velvety massage finished with Faby nail polish for all the the glam with none of the nasties.
Bespoke facials
Summertime and the living is easy and more social too, so if you’d like to feel your best when you’re out and about, we can design a gorgeous facial for you to beautify your skin while relaxing your body and mind. Achieving an authentic healthy glow is so rewarding and our full facial analysis will help us tailor a treatment that’s perfect for you. Regular facials will also help to repair any skin damage and prevent warm-weather skin issues.
Autologous fat transfer: an alternative to breast implants
UNO spoke to Paul Salmon, surgeon at The Skin Centre about the method of using your own body fat to increase your breast size, as an alternative to breast implants.
UNO spoke to Paul Salmon, surgeon at The Skin Centre about the method of using your own body fat to increase your breast size, as an alternative to breast implants.
UNO: Can you tell us about autologous fat transfer and breast surgery?
Paul: Autologous fat transfer or AFT is a technique of restoring or enlarging the breast by grafting fat into it. People have been trying to put fat into breasts for many years, but with haphazard results for a number of reasons. First, there isn’t enough space in a small breast. Also, the fat is put into the breast in large lumps, which doesn’t make for a successful graft. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in preparing the breast by expanding it slowly over the weeks prior to grafting. This technique has revolutionised AFT by providing the right environment for the reliable take of grafts.
UNO: How long have you been doing this procedure?
P: I have been grafting fat and doing liposuction for breast reduction for 25 years. Liposuction of the breast is really the reverse of AFT; women can get rid of overly heavy breasts without scarring and still have confidence in being able to breastfeed later. In 2017 I went to Florida to operate with Dr Khouri, who had published the seminal papers on Brava, a breast expansion device, and AFT. Since then, I have been doing the procedure both in Tauranga and Auckland.
UNO: How does the process work?
P: AFT involves a gentle liposuction of fat from an area where it isn’t wanted. It’s then prepared and grafted into the breast. Prior to the procedure, the patient spends a few weeks using an external expander, usually at night. Used regularly, the small suction dome will enlarge the breasts. If the expansion is stopped, the breast will shrink again. It’s the grafting of fat that makes the enlargement from external expansion permanent. The grafted fat is laid down in a 3D network of tiny, thin strips in the breast, eventually building up the volume for a larger breast. There are virtually no scars, as only tiny nicks of 2mm in length are needed to allow us to insert the fat into the breast.
“One thing to think about is that because your breasts have been enlarged by fat
transfer, if you gain or lose weight, your breasts will respond accordingly.”
What are the benefits of AFT versus breast implants?
P: Implanting breasts with silicone prostheses is very safe. As with all procedures and general anaesthetics, complications are a risk; infection, bleeding, loss of sensation, scarring, the wrong placement or rupture of an implant or capsule formation are the most common complications. Cancer is a very rare complication. AFT gives a woman the opportunity to have larger, younger-looking breasts naturally without synthetic implants. And there’s an opportunity to get better-looking hips, legs or tummy, depending on where the fat is taken from.
UNO: What are the disadvantages of AFT?
P: To work reliably, the breasts must be prepared by using the external expander every night. The most popular size for silicone implants in New Zealand is around 300ml, which is more than a AFT procedure can reliably produce. With AFT, women can expect to go up one cup size, although further increases can be achieved with an additional AFT procedure. Also the fat placed into the breasts is treated by the body as if it is still in its original position, so if your graft fat comes from your tummy and you put on weight there, your breasts may also enlarge.
So this technique be used to reduce breast size?
P: Yes, we can use the liposculpture technique on its own (without using the expanders). This will reduce the size of overly large breasts. Tiny incisions around the edge of the breast mean that excess fat can be carefully removed to maintain the same shape of the original breast.
MEET THE SURGEON
Dr Paul Salmon Paul is New Zealand’s most published dermatologic surgeon with over 60 papers published in peer-reviewed literature. He has an Honorary Fellowship in the Australasian College of Dermatology, and has been a speaker at the World Congress of Dermatology as well as the American College of Mohs Surgery. He has served on the Specialist Advisory Committee for the RACP on behalf of the NZDSI. His areas of special interest are cutaneous oncology, micrographic surgery, prevention of skin cancer, sun damage and cosmetic surgery.
SKINCENTRE.COM 0800 754 623 171
CAMERON ROAD TAURANGA
Better than ever
“I wanted Mount Skin & Body to be a community hub as well as a place you can sneak into to take some time for yourself, a place that appeals to all your senses and encourages you to take time out of your busy life.”
We talk to Mount Skin & Body owner Kelly Kingston on her clinic’s new look.
UNO: Mount Skin & Body has been at the heart of the beauty scene at the Mount for many years, but we love your salon refit – what did it entail?
KELLY: We’ve been here for 15 years now but have recently renovated the space to better reflect what we spend our time doing. It was a long process – two years of talking to clients, staff and industry professionals about where we’re headed – but I wanted Mount Skin & Body to be a community hub as well as a place you can sneak into to take some time for yourself, a place that appeals to all your senses and encourages you to take time out of your busy life.
I worked with talented people on the renovation, including Rachael Hackett-Jones of Rubix Design Collective, whose vision completely aligned with my ethos; she came up with elegant, sustainable ideas and really understood what would make our clients feel comfortable. My trust in her expertise meant I was able leave her to it and focus my attention on reinventing how we serve our clients.
Our beautiful new space includes an interactive skin bar and a secluded spot in which to relax before and after treatments, plus we’ve made it easy for people to pop
in to shop for skincare, make-up and gifts. We’ve also set aside a dedicated space to give our therapists more room to plan, write notes and relax between clients. The more organised and rested they are, the more our clients benefit.
UNO: In what other ways has your salon evolved to meet your clients’ needs?
KELLY: Personal and professional growth has always been very important to me. I believe our ongoing training helps improve both my team and our clients’ wellbeing. We’ve attended skin symposiums in France, the US, Australia and Queenstown to keep up with the best trends and treatments around the world, and we’ve also continually invested in technology to ensure we can offer the very best in beauty.
UNO: Do you have any new treatments on the menu to match your new look?
KELLY: We do! Collagen induction therapy has been our favourite for a while now, IPL and LED light therapy are relatively new additions, and more recently we launched dermaplaning and hydrabrasion, which is microdermabrasion with a water component – think your cleanest, smoothest skin yet. We’re also slowly reintroducing some of our popular spa treatments.
UNO: What else do you think makes Mount Skin & Body so special?
KELLY: Skin and personalised service are our true loves. We pride ourselves on delivering luxurious therapies that leave our clients feeling and looking radiant. The skin tells a story, so we take a holistic approach to any concerns, looking at all area of our clients’ lives and working together to discover the root cause. We also take care to use environmentally friendly and sustainable resources whenever we can.
As for personalised service – it requires a lot of energy and enthusiasm, so as a team we like to support each other and keep each other’s tanks full, which in turn ensures that our clients are well looked after. It’s really important to me that everyone on our team loves their job. I believe when people are happy in their work, it filters through to their family, and hopefully the community, too.
mountskinbody.co.nz
Born ready
Mother, midwife and Instagram influencer Carmen Lett talks to UNO about her new venture, Hatched Online.
Mother, midwife and Instagram influencer Carmen Lett talks to UNO about her new venture, Hatched Online.
WORDS JENNY RUDD / PHOTOS RACHEL DOBBS
When you’re heavily pregnant with your first child, you want: 1) a baby handbook, and 2) to lie on the sofa. Knowing this, Carmen Lett, a midwife and the mother of four young children, has founded Hatched Online antenatal and parenting classes.
“As a midwife on the postnatal ward at Tauranga Hospital, I noticed a lot of parents coming through who didn’t know much about what happened straight after birth. I’d often find myself on the ward showing people how to change nappies or swaddle a baby to help them sleep, or teaching them what a newborn’s feeding pattern might be like or that babies are often wakeful on night two of their life. I realised that lots of these fundamentals weren’t being taught in antenatal classes.”
There’s nothing quite as shocking as realising you’re responsible for another person’s life. You’re sent on your merry way from the hospital with a tiny baby and not so much as a “Do you know what you’re doing with that?”; you’ve probably experienced more stringent checks when taking out a DVD at Blockbuster. After going through the most physically and emotionally intense time many of us will ever experience, you’re promoted with immediate effect to being in sole charge of someone who’s completely helpless, unable to feed themselves and can barely communicate their needs.
“Because first-time mums tend to do lots of research and antenatal classes cover it really well, people were really clued up about the birth process, but there was a real knowledge gap in terms of what to do after you’ve had the baby,” says Carmen. She knew that empowering mums and dads with this information would remove much of the fear.
“I’ve been running Hatched On Location antenatal classes in Tauranga for the past few years, and they’re always full,” says Carmen. “Expectant parents are keen to learn everything they can about birth and the early days of parenting, but there were lots of couples who missed out because their partner worked shifts, they lived rurally, or the pregnant mum was on bedrest.” Once she realised so many people weren’t getting this vital information, she set about launching Hatched Online, with her husband, Aidan, a tech start-up whizz, handily in the mix.
Hatched Online’s antenatal classes – which also include that invaluable postnatal education – are delivered in the form of 13 videos, each about half an hour long. They’re the same as Carmen’s Hatched On Location classes, with a few bonus extras. Whether you snuggle down and watch one every evening, or binge watch the whole lot over a couple of days, once you subscribe, you can view them as often as you like for six months (and given baby brain is a real thing, it’s safe to say most parents-to-be would be happy to take advantage of being able to watch certain modules more than once).
“The friends you make are an important part of antenatal classes, so for my online parents, I’ve set up a Facebook page that everyone gets access to, and I do live Q&A sessions so you can ask as many questions as you like,” says Carmen. “The great things about Facebook is that all those questions and answers stay right there, so you can go back and read them all.
“I often hear that parents feel pressured to do things in a particular way. So it was also important to me to offer information on all the options,” she continues. “For instance, if you want a home birth, or an elective cesarean, I provide all the information, then you can make your choice one way or the other. We focus on healthy babies – without guilt.”
Carmen’s Hatched On Location classes are nearly always full, and not just because she serves snacks and hot drinks, and gives out goodie bags filled with baby products. If you had to pick anyone to teach you about babies, you’d pick her. She’s been a midwife for 10 years (“I’ve known I wanted to be a midwife since I was 15 years old”), and as a mother of four – Rosie (5), twins Asher and Jude (4), and Taj (2) – has some pretty colourful birth stories of her own. “I’ve had a C-section, vaginal births after a C-section, ventouse, epidurals, the lot,” she says.
Carmen also runs popular mummy blog The Lett Tribe, and thousands follow her Instagram account @carmenlett, where she makes it clear she loves her job. “Gimme all the babies!” she says.
FIND more information about Carmen’s Hatched Online and Hatched On Location classes at: HATCHEDANTENATAL.CO.NZ
Bakuchiol: the plant-based alternative to retinol is our new skincare hero
Bakuchiol is one of the three hero ingredients used in Arbonne’s new AgeWell range, a vegan skincare collection that embraces a holistic approach to skin ageing. Formulated using a range of dermatologist favourites, the trifecta of ingredients – bakuchiol, vitamin C, and plant stem cell extract – work together to deliver youthful-looking skin.
PHOTOS SUPPLIED
Have you heard of bakuchiol? Pronounced “buh-koo-chee- all”, this plant-based skincare ingredient is a gentler alternative
to retinol that helps target the look of wrinkles and uneven skin tone. Compared to retinol, bakuchiol is better tolerated by skin, is mild enough to be used morning and night, is safe to use with other skincare ingredients and it’s vegan-friendly, too.
Bakuchiol is one of the three hero ingredients used in Arbonne’s new AgeWell range, a vegan skincare collection that embraces a holistic approach to skin ageing. Formulated using a range of dermatologist favourites, the trifecta of ingredients – bakuchiol, vitamin C, and plant stem cell extract – work together to deliver youthful-looking skin.
The second ingredient, vitamin C, supports collagen by providing the skin with moisture, but can’t be used at the same time as traditional retinol. However, vitamin C and bakuchiol are fine to use together, so you can get the benefit of both ingredients at once.
Sustainable plant stem cell extract is the third ingredient taking centre stage in the AgeWell range. Plant stem cell extract helps skin to look more vibrant and improve firmness, and it’s derived from natural origins but uses less water during production than traditional versions. This harmony of ingredients works to target visible signs of ageing without being harsh on skin.
COLLAGEN NURTURING SERUM WITH 2% BAKUCHIOL: Indulge your skin in this super-concentrated formula which helps reduce the look of facial wrinkles, along with stabilised vitamin C to help boost and maintain moisture by supporting collagen.
MOISTURE RESTORING CREAM WITH 0.5% BAKUCHIOL: This versatile moisturiser contains shea butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, and squalene complex to help replenish
the skin’s moisture barrier
and reduce the appearance
of fine lines.
MOISTURE RESTORING CREAM WITH 0.5% BAKUCHIOL: This versatile moisturiser contains shea butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, and squalene complex to help replenish
the skin’s moisture barrier
and reduce the appearance
of fine lines.
Leanne Cashmore takes us inside the Cashmore Clinic
Having your skin looked after at my clinic is no different from going to the hairdresser or having your teeth whitened. My treatments are subtle. They may be indiscernible to anyone else, but you’ll get a huge boost to your confidence.”
“Having your skin looked after at my clinic is no different to going to the hairdresser or having your teeth whitened. My treatments are subtle. They may be indiscernible to anyone else, but you’ll get a huge boost to your confidence.” Leanne Cashmore is pouring tea into fine china cups at her clinic on Muricata Avenue, Mt Maunganui. A beautiful, pale-blue villa from the road, inside it’s a calm oasis.
A registered nurse, Leanne has been working in appearance medicine for 20 years. Seeing that “there was a real need for a boutique, welcoming and luxurious service at the Mount”, she launched the Cashmore Clinic in April this year. It’s a personal, one-on-one service. “Some people want to dash in during their lunch hour, and others like to take things slowly, talk about their treatment, and relax with a herbal tea. It’s very private here, and my clients appreciate that.”
A born-and-bred Mount local, Leanne is part of a talented family whose members work in creative industries. Her husband, Mark, is a pool and landscape designer (check out his design project in UNO’s summer ’17 issue) and her sister Maree Wilkinson is a photographer, while the eldest of her four children, Jordan, captains a superyacht in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Leanne can be found at her clinic from Monday to Friday and on the occasional Saturday – during daylight hours. “I work around my clients, and prefer natural light as it helps me provide the best treatment,” she says.
The Cashmore Clinic is overseen by a small group of qualified doctors. “I’m very lucky to have worked with some of the top professionals in appearance medicine throughout my career,” says Leanne. “It’s all very friendly and connected.”
The Cashmore Clinic services
Botox For: the face, and to treat excessive underarm sweating. It’s the most popular procedure, as it’s quick, affordable and delivers fantastic results. Fillers For: fine lines, dark circles around the eyes, acne scarring, lip enhancement, reshaping the jawline and chin, and skin hydration (with the V2 machine). Fillers provide a beautiful lift that restores lost volume in the face. Leanne says anyone who tries them becomes an immediate convert. Head online to discover more of Leanne’s treatments.
Great hair day
Ruth and her team have refurbished the Hair2Train building on Totara Street and created beautiful salon Ivy, and brother barbershop Havana. The branding is cutting edge and the décor contemporary cool; it’s unlike anything Tauranga has seen before.
WORDS TALIA WALDEGRAVE PHOTOS TRACIE HEASMAN
Tucked into the burgeoning creative hub on Totara St, Talia Waldegrave celebrates with hair salons Ivy and barber shop Havana.
LAUNCH NIGHT
As far as first impressions go, Ivy and Havana have me sold. Brimming with young up-and-comings, local business owners and budding hair professionals, the launch night is a damn fine party. Down to earth glamour is how I'd describe it: smiling, handsome barbers hand out steaming slices of delicious pizza from The Pizza Library next door, and the bar is set up with a tangled web of mint leaves, a mountain of lime wedges, and buckets of ice to make Havana Rum cocktails. Two ultra-glam ladies kick back in barbershop chairs, pizza slice in one hand, champagne flute in the other. This is a family unit, blood relative or not.
THE GURU
On my second encounter with the Ivy Havana crew, I’m early, but am instantly greeted warmly before I've managed to get inside the door. With time to kill, I wait in the communal kitchen at the table where I’d gobbled pizza just a few nights earlier. The kitchen epitomises the Ivy Havana vibe: the fit-out has had someone with a sharp design eye oversee it, and it's fully functional too (the washing machine is tucked neatly away in the corner). Best of all, this space joins Ivy: the ladies' salon, to the Havana: the barber. Staff make themselves a cuppa and chat to clients waiting for a colour to take, or anyone else who happens to be there for a chat.
Each person passing by gives me a nod, a wave or a ‘hi’, and I wonder if they’re trained to smile this way, because it’s incredibly welcoming.
I’m here to meet Ruth, the matriarch of the family. After 45 years as a trainer, she’s a bit of a legend in the industry. “My mother-in-law opened one of the first hair training schools in New Zealand and that’s where I started. From the beginning, I’ve enjoyed watching how life changing it is for young people and I still love every second of it.”
Ruth and her team have recently refurbished the Hair2Train building on Totara Street and created beautiful salon Ivy, and brother barbershop Havana. The branding is cutting edge and the décor contemporary cool; it’s unlike anything Tauranga has seen before.
"We wanted to offer something completely separate from the training school where people could come, sit at the table, read the paper and have a coffee. It’s about offering the whole experience, with service and consistency.”
IVY
Put simply, Ivy is beautiful. She's quintessential salon luxe with gold candles and ornate décor. It's the place to be pampered in all things hair, from cuts and styling to indulgent treatments for luscious locks.
HAVANA
The recent resurgence in the old school barbershop has brought back the traditional cut throat shave, injecting some va va voom into men's grooming and Havana is just that. The décor is all blokey and the corrugated sliding door to the car park is reminiscent of a 1950’s James Dean biker gang.
But what makes this place tick is the people.
“Because we are aligned with the training side of things, our attention to detail is impeccable, we are good at communicating with our clients but most importantly, but what we do best is customer service.”
On my way out, I book an appointment. I can't wait to go back, I already feel part of the gang.
Davinci Clinic: the cooler way to shift stubborn weight
We all have stubborn areas of fat which we just can’t shift, even with regular, intensive exercise and a good diet. While surgical procedures like liposuction and abdominoplasty are popular for removing excess areas of fat and tightening loose skin, they do require a general anaesthetic and significant recovery time.
WORDS Pip Crombie PHOTO Logan Weaver
We all have stubborn areas of fat which we just can’t shift, even with regular, intensive exercise and a good diet.
While surgical procedures like liposuction and abdominoplasty are popular for removing excess areas of fat and tightening loose skin, they do require a general anaesthetic and significant recovery time.
Good news. There are now some non-invasive techniques for helping to get rid of areas of stubborn fat, typically around the waist and tummy, thighs and upper arms and double chin. One of the most popular techniques is CoolSculpting, using a technology called Cryolipolysis®.
Widely acknowledged as being safe and effective, CoolSculpting is the only FDA-cleared procedure to use controlled cooling to safely target and eliminate diet and exercise-resistant fat.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Fat cells freeze at higher temperatures than the surrounding tissues. CoolSculpting technology safely delivers precise cooling to gently and effectively target the fat cells underneath the skin. The treated fat cells are crystallized (frozen), and then die. Over time, your body naturally processes the fat and eliminates these dead cells, leaving a more sculpted you. As a body-contouring procedure, it offers an effective solution to shifting stubborn bulges, has no down-time, requires no anaesthetic, no needles, is suitable for most people, friendly to your budget and perhaps most enticing of all, is performed with only minimal discomfort.
SAFETY FIRST!
Make sure you go to a specialist nurse who is trained to develop a customised treatment plan for your areas of concern, advise on the suitability of CoolSculpting and work within your budget.
There are lesser versions of the CoolSculpting technology available on the market. If you are investigating options, you will see that only CoolSculpting is permitted to use the term Cryolypolisis®. Be wary of imitations and counterfeits and devices which lack the safety mechanisms of CoolSculpting. The extensive training necessary for CoolSculpting ensures that our nurses are very skilled in recommending which areas will respond to treatment and how many treatments are required. This provides consistency in results and optimal outcomes for you, the patient. Two or more treatments are usually scheduled and results are not immediate, but generally become evident over weeks as the fat cells die and are eliminated. So it’s not immediately obvious that you have had any ‘work done.’ Both men and women are loving the results of CoolSculpting at the Da Vinci Clinic. Take a moment to enquire to find out if it’s the answer you’ve been looking for to combat those unwanted bulges.
Midwife Anne Sharplin: 2,000 babies and counting
The New Zealand College of Midwives recommends a caseload of about 40 babies per year. Most midwives retire having delivered hundreds of babies. Anne Sharplin has attended the births of more than 2000 babies and is still going. That’s about 50 babies every year of her 35-year career.
WORDS Jenny Rudd PHOTOS Brydie Thompson
The New Zealand College of Midwives recommends a caseload of about 40 babies per year. Most midwives retire having delivered hundreds of babies. Anne Sharplin has attended the births of more than 2000 babies and is still going. That’s about 50 babies every year of her 35 year career.
Anne has slept knowing a phone call may wake her at any minute and she’ll walk into a highly-charged and unpredictable situation for most nights of her adult life. And has lost up to a whole night of sleep about every five days, depending on when the babies decide to come into the world. Then there are the ante and postnatal visits required for other pregnant mums on Anne’s books, which must be conducted during the day over the rest of the week.
This sounds like a demanding job even with no other commitments, but Anne, incredibly, was a solo mother of two little boys from the get-go. And there weren’t the child-care options in the eighties that we have today. The pressure must have been incredible. But reading her youngest son Adam’s account of his childhood, as well as many of Anne’s birth stories, the same description comes up time and again; of a calm, powerful, kind, and assured woman.
Indeed it has been a battle, during the writing of this article, to keep Anne on the topic of herself. She doesn’t see herself as exceptional, and insists we talk more about midwives and the choices of maternity care at home she believes all women should have. She talks of herself in very humble terms and took some persuading to feature in the magazine.
WHAT DOES A MIDWIFE DO?
Anne’s description of her own job could not be more understated. “You have to be quite present - you need to react to lots of things that are happening at the same time, although it often appears you are doing nothing at all.”
According to the dictionary, a midwife is a person qualified to aid the delivery of babies and look after women before, during and after childbirth.
Anyone who has either had a baby, or seen a baby being born, will realise that this official description lacks the wild and intense emotion which can accompany pregnancy and childbirth.
A midwife assesses and manages risk with the highest possible stakes, on a second-to-second basis, over an undeterminable period of time. The ideal working conditions would be total quiet, to assist the concentration required to manage all the unpredictable goings-on. However it’s more likely to involve bestial screaming, sobbing men, and a lot of strange fluid.
The midwife may be called upon at any time of day, and so must always be prepared. She may be called to work at 2 am in torrential rain, or on Christmas Day in the middle of present opening. No matter - the midwife must drop everything, and go to work.
It makes some other jobs look a little frivolous, doesn’t it?
“Being on-call is a way of living which takes surrender.
You can plan a big family Christmas, only to be called away at 6 am.”
BIRTHING CHOICES
“Midwifery facilitates a process of wellness. That’s what motivated my choice of study. After qualifying in Oldham, Manchester in 1981, I returned home to Auckland and started to attend homebirths with Veronika Muller, Joan Donley, Carolyn Young and others.
“The choices women have now are vastly different to when I starting practising. I had my first son, Joseph, in Auckland in 1983. My midwife was Joan Donley. At the time, a doctor had to be present at all births. There were few midwives and doctors who offered a domiciliary (home) birth service and the pay was poor, and inferior to that of midwives practising in hospital.
“In 1986, I was living in Thames with my son Joseph and his father. Three women from the Bay of Plenty asked me to attend their births as at the time, the only domiciliary (homebirth) midwife had stopped practising because of the low pay and lack of support.
“I came down with my son and stayed at my brother-in-law’s house with my nephews Alex and James, and my niece Annah who is now a midwife herself. Between the three women, they lent me a blue Morris Minor and I took my little boy with me to attend each of their births.
“We moved to Tauranga the following year. It was such a busy time; my sister had died, her children were here and I wanted to be close to them. I was pregnant with Adam, had a toddler, and attended eleven home births that year, right up to being eight months pregnant myself. I was frequently exhausted and we had very little money.”
REFORM
The Nurses’ Amendment Act of 1990, championed and implemented by Helen Clark the then Health Minister, changed everything. Midwives had autonomy, so no longer needed a doctor at the birth. And they were given equality of pay when attending home births. Suddenly it was possible to earn a proper living.
“Being on-call is a way of living which takes surrender. You can plan a big family Christmas, only to be called away at 6 am. My sons made me breakfast in bed one Mother’s Day, which was interrupted by a phone call; I gulped it down, gave them a quick cuddle, threw on some clothes and left. Many have retired by now as it’s demanding to live on-call.”
“I have always cared for six women per month. Care starts early in the pregnancy and continues until six weeks after the baby is born. I have tried to reduce to four women a month, but I often get requests from families for whom I’ve been the midwife for two generations. Because I’ve been around a while, I have attended the births of aunties, cousins, sisters, nieces. However you can’t be present at every single birth; on the days I can’t attend, I rely on my midwifery partner Lyn Allport. We have also had support from many other wonderful midwives.”
Now a grandmother to Shore, Anne enjoys taking him to weekly swimming lessons, and in the future plans to present the vast data she has collected from her 2000 births, along with her observations as part of a university degree. Once completed, this will be an important body of work, full of Anne’s heartfelt intelligence. It’s no wonder the French for midwife, la sage femme, translates as wise woman.
PINARD HORN
“The pinard is an excellent tool; a simple, hollow horn shape which amplifies sound. A type of stethoscope, it’s designed for auscultation: the act of listening to the body’s internal workings - in this case, the baby’s heartbeat inside the mother. Widely used across Europe, it never breaks down, doesn’t need to be plugged in and is totally trustworthy.”
BIRTH STORIES:
Sarah Wilson
When my younger son Henry was born in 1999, Anne held an ice-cream container between my legs while Henry’s father drove us to Tauranga hospital in Anne’s van. My labour lasted just 20 minutes and Henry wasn’t breathing when he was born. I attribute Henry’s life to Anne’s calmness and directing of the wildly frightening proceedings. He was incubated for the first week of his life; we couldn’t touch him, and I had severe blood poisoning. At the time of Henry’s birth we lived near Anne’s home in Simpson Road in Papamoa. Anne’s son Adam and my daughter Billie became great friends during those years.
Rhonda Collins
On Christmas Eve, I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and induced in hospital (my date was 31st December). My midwife, Lyn Allport had Christmas Day off, so I called Anne who was my fill-in midwife at 5 am on Christmas Day. Throughout the labour, Anne stayed with me. She was wonderful - so kind and supportive and gracious. At 9.42 pm, my daughter Mackenzie was born with the aid of forceps. Anne and my husband Anthony shared a Christmas dinner kindly provided by the hospital during the day, and drank lots of tea. I caught up with Anne a few weeks later and bought her a beautiful tea cup and saucer to say thank you.
Pauline Scott and daughter Sophie
I met Anne in 1983, before she moved to the Bay of Plenty. In 1990, following a series of health care reforms, New Zealand midwives were recognised as independent practitioners. Anne was at the forefront of this long and challenging battle for midwives’ autonomy. As a childbirth educator, I had a special bond with Anne. This became closer when I discovered I was pregnant at 41 with my third child after an eleven-year gap.
On 25th January 1992, Sophie Ann Joy was born at home. Anne's calming influence was invaluable, especially as Sophie's shoulders got stuck as she was being born, but there was no hint of panic. Anne offered support and encouragement, not telling me what to do, or demanding me to hurry along. Her total calmness and trust in the birth process allowed me do what my body was designed for.
Sophie has been born less than a minute in this picture, and I'm rubbing her back gently to help her take her first breath. Anne's hands are to the left of the photo, in a pose of calmness and reassurance. It is a special moment, surrounded by family and with the person I most trusted in the world: Anne Sharplin, mother, midwife and one marvellous woman.
Danielle Hart-Murray trained to be a midwife with Anne (who also attended two of Danielle’s siblings)
It was Anne who inspired me to become a midwife, and I was lucky enough to complete my final year working alongside her. Anne taught me skills which simply can’t be taught in a classroom. The way she works with women and their whanau is exemplary; no other midwife I have worked with shows the amount of passion and dedication for ensuring the care is truly woman-centred. She goes above and beyond for the women she cares for, but would never say so herself. A role model not just to midwives, but to all women.
On our Facebook Page, we posted a request for photos of Anne’s babies. Some of the hundreds of comments about Anne:
Such a beautiful, humble lady.
Anne you have inspired, cared for, encouraged and supported so many woman with your abundance of skill, knowledge and passion.
A very special lady with a gift.
Her patience and strength is inspiring. She empowers women to do what they are made to do without the fear that is unfortunately part of modern pregnancy and birth.
Anne is amazing, a beautiful, knowledgable and intuitive soul.
Absolute gold, we had just arrived in New Zealand, and she even gave us a lovely queen-sized bed! Love you Anne x
A wonderfully calming, reassuring influence.
We are so lucky to have her! She is the best of the best!!
I love this lady.
Anne always came with a quiet confidence that nothing was too difficult to take on and she proved this time and again with all the adversities that came my way. Dealing with my own health issues as well as my babies’ successful outcomes resonates with my children, who are now choosing her, she is simply the BEST !!!
I met Anne nearly 18 years ago and she came highly recommended by Māori mums because of her respect for Te Ao Māori. We welcomed her into our home and she would go on to help us bring three of our children into this world at home. So when our first moko was announced we knew she would be the one to also help us. We are so grateful for all her care and aroha.
Such a beautiful being.