Dr Eithne Brenner

Dr Eithne Brenner Expert in Aesthetic Medicine, Dublin. Medical doctor for 36 years. Helping you look and feel your best. Subtle, natural results. [email protected]
(1)

05/06/2026

Hi. Let’s chat about Sculptra and Juläine. What are the similarities and what are the differences?
These are both collagen stimulating injectables or bio stimulators. They contain different PLLA ( poly L lactic acid) particles that we mix and inject under the skin.
Both can be used on the face or neck or body, and both gradually build collagen and improve the strength and thickness of the skin and the texture and appearance of the skin.
Both need at least two treatments, and results should last two years or more. Both have really good safety data, and neither of these products contain filler.
Sculptra has been around for longer. It was approved in Europe in 1999, and in the U.S. in 2004. I’ve used Sculptra since 2009. We would generally pre hydrate for a few days beforehand. We do the treatment, and we advise the person to massage for five minutes, five times a day, for five days (5-5-5 regime).
I’ve used Juläine since last year, and one of the things I like about this is I can mix it and use it straight away. I do massage for a few minutes, and then there’s no home massage needed. One thing I like about this, also, is I can use it around the eye area or the mouth area.
I’ve personally found Juläine easier to work with during treatment sessions. In my hands, the product flow and consistency have been very smooth and predictable.
The most important thing, if you’re thinking about either treatment, is see a really experienced medical practitioner who’s got a good knowledge of anatomy and is going to use the right product for the right person, who’s going to inject it at the right depth and give you appropriate aftercare.
I offer both depending on the individual person, any prior use of PLLA and their goals and budget.
Different products suit different practitioners and different patients. Treatment planning is never one-size-fits-all.

What matters most isn’t just the product — it’s patient selection, dilution, placement technique, and understanding facial anatomy.
Stay safe and see a medical practitioner, take care, Eithne

03/06/2026

Hi. Why does precision placement really matter for achieving a good lip flip result on one side and a not so good result on the other side?

A lip flip is where tiny doses of medication are used to reduce the pursing action of the lips and relax the top lip about a millimetre or two. And it can help prevent and treat fine lines.
If the placement is really precise along the Vermilion border, you can get a subtle result without affecting the function of the lips. But if it’s placed above the lip or if it’s too deep, or if it’s placed in the lip itself, it can affect the function of the lip muscles for a couple of months. And that could be difficulty sipping from a straw or whistling, difficulty using words like pa, and ba, and difficulty sealing the mouth and maybe drooling liquids if you’re drinking. So we don’t want to affect the function of the muscle. The treatment should be pain free with the use of an ice pack, with minuscule needles, and with super strong numbing cream. You do need a face to face consultation with a medical doctor or dentist in Ireland to assess you for suitability. There are a couple of people that are not suitable for this treatment, and one is professional musicians, because they rely on that absolute precision of the seal of their mouth. It’s not suitable for anybody who whistles if they’re a dog handler, and it’s not suitable for people who have very extensive lines, because it’s not going to give good results. So, always stay safe as possible and see a medical practitioner for safety.
Take care. Eithne

01/06/2026

Hi, let’s chat about another treatment in aesthetic medicine that makes me nervous, and this one is called plasma pen.
Just because something is non surgical and doesn’t involve incision, it doesn’t mean it’s risk free. Always be careful and see a medical practitioner. Ask about their qualifications, their experience, how long they’ve been doing a certain procedure. How do they recognise, and how do they manage complications, and what aftercare is provided?
Plasma pen is a little device that causes controlled little injuries ( burns) in the skin, and the idea behind it is that the surrounding skin tightens up. Now, in very experienced hands, you might get a little bit of improvement in skin texture. But my concern is they have risks of infection, scarring, and hypo pigmentation (loss of pigmentation, especially in people with very fair skin) or the opposite, hyper pigmentation (overpigmentation) in people with darker skin colours.
So you’ve got to be really cautious with this. Personally, I would avoid it. I would never have this treatment on my face/body.
There are lots of other safer procedures to help improve the skin texture that don’t create heat and don’t have that risk of pigment changes. Always be as safe as you can. With these type of procedures, the vast majority are carried out in non medical settings, and that would make me nervous. You only get one face and one body. So take as much care as you can, and stay safe. Take care. Eithne

31/05/2026

Hi from Buddy and myself.
We’ve just had a long walk into Tramore, so he’s tired. 🤗
Let’s chat about exosomes, because they’re everywhere in aesthetic medicine at the moment.
These are little particles or vesicles that transmit information from one cell to another and help them communicate. They are purported to help with skin hydration, with repair mechanisms, and with anti ageing. There’s three ways they can be sourced, one is plant source, one is animal sourced from cow’s milk, and one is human sourced.
They have three sort of uses. One is applied topically as a cream onto intact skin. The second is to micro needle it in, or apply it after laser treatments, where you have created holes or channels in the skin barrier, and the third is by injection. Now, injection is currently not licensed by the US, Ireland, the UK, or many other countries. And so I just wouldn’t consider that.
There’s some very mild, limited evidence when you apply it in a cream, you might get some benefit in hydration.
The micro needling concerns me more because you’re introducing a biologically active substance into the dermis where there are immune cells, blood vessels, and lymph vessels. So, for me, I’m not currently using exosomes in any form until I see a lot more robust, good clinical evidence, and decent, large studies.
So, my take is, yes, they’re promising, there just isn’t very huge evidence at the moment, so I’m going to sit tight, stay safe and watch this space. These are my personal views and other clinicians may have different opinions. I’ve been a doctor for 37 years and I’m cautious. Take care. Eithne

29/05/2026

Today, I’m going to have a lovely relaxing HydraFacial treatment with Angelika.
I’ve asked her to focus on hydration, antioxidants and to do some boosters around my eye area and lips. The treatment can be customised for each person.
She’s doing some gentle cleansing and lymph drainage. There’ll be a gentle peel, there’ll be some focused extractions of pores, lots of infusion of active ingredients, and then some LED treatment.
My skin’s quite reactive and this redness is normal for me, but it’s completely painless and it feels great to get a nice skin treatment and some glow and hydration. Skin quality is so important for me, so this helps, along with some subtle injectable treatments.
Angelika is going to do some eye serum for me, putting in lots of antioxidants, and that felt really nice. And then we’re going to do a lip exfoliation and a revitalising serum, and that just felt lovely. Then she’s going to pop me under the LED to help calm the redness and boost collagen. And then by the next day, my skin is really glowing and hydrated- happy days!
Thanks Angelika! Eithne
̇al

28/05/2026

Hi, when do I say no to treatment requests in the clinic?
The priority is safety. I’ve been a doctor for 37 years, and I have to protect somebody’s health and look at the long term outcomes rather than just a quick sale or a quick treatment that I think might not be suitable.
So we’ve got to look at medical history. We’ve got to look at certain medical conditions that make treatments sometimes not viable. And also, if I think the risks outweigh the benefits, I’ll give that information. There are treatments that I believe are risky that I don’t perform myself.
And the other is expectations. I always want to be on the same page with somebody to explain what I can deliver, and what my treatments can’t deliver. And I don’t want somebody being disappointed and spending money on treatments that won’t fulfil their expectations. So we have those clear conversations before we consider treatment.
We don’t follow trends ( like very sharp jawlines or angles in women/ overfilled lips/“Russian lips” distorted lip filler, large filler volumes in the buttocks, untested injectable peptides,etc, etc).
We want harmony and safety and facial proportions. And so if somebody comes in to me, say, for example, with a very small chin and very large lips, and they want more in their lips, then that’s not going to be a beautiful result, and I can help give advice on that.
There are treatments that I just don’t believe in, like lemon bottle fat dissolving. I’m not a fan of threads, and so I won’t offer some of those treatments.
There are also treatments that I’m not trained in, for example, blepharoplasty eyelid surgery. So if I think somebody would benefit from surgery, I’ll refer on to a colleague.
Stay as safe as you can. See a medical practitioner, and have a detailed consultation. Take care. Eithne

27/05/2026

Hi, let’s chat about filler migration or moving.
I’ve just played padel, so I’ve a healthy glow 🤗
So, fillers, they generally tend to stay put where they’re placed if they’re placed really carefully at the right depth. Are fillers going to move from, say, the cheeks down to the lower face? Absolutely not. But can filler redistribute or spread locally in the same area it’s injected? Yes.
Filler migration, we talk about it particularly in relation to lip filler. But often, it’s just poor placement. It’s too much product. It’s too thick a product. It’s too close to the border, called the vermilion border of the lip, and it can spread into the area above the lip, especially if we’re talking a lot, or if you keep filling and filling.
Definitely, if we do some cheek filler, that can soften or flatten a little bit over time, and in areas along the cheekbone, yes, it can spread a little bit in the same area.
But it’s not going to up sticks and move from one part of your face to another.
The key with any aesthetic medicine treatment is see a really experienced medical professional, and they’ll assess your face.
The goal with fillers is to do as little as possible, as infrequently as possible.
We want subtle amounts, we want careful placement in the right depth, and so that it looks really natural when your face is resting and really natural when your face is moving, as well, because that’s key.
So less is more with filler. Stay safe and see a medical practitioner. Take care. Eithne

26/05/2026

Hi, are you confused by all the skin boosters on the market?
How do you know which one is going to be right for you?
The main thing is to have a detailed consultation to assess your goals and wishes, and to assess your skin quality, whether you have volume loss, skin laxity, whether you have sagging, whether you have sun damage, and then you can put together a plan.
Skin boosters basically contain hyaluronic acid. They don’t act as fillers because of the way they are manufactured; they are uncross linked compared to fillers which are cross linked. This affects how they work and how long they last.
Skin boosters spread out under the skin, and they give hydration, they give a nice glow, and a temporary plumpness to the skin. And they can help reduce crepy texture and help improve fine lines.
What they can’t do is, they can’t lift or tighten the skin. They can’t replace volume, they can’t give structural support, or contour, and they don’t last a huge amount of time. But if they’re used in the right situation for the right person, they can give a lovely result.
I think people are sometimes over promised with skin boosters, and then it leads to disappointment. So rather than buying a treatment course somewhere online, have a personalised consultation, and you can assess which one is for you.
The other confusing thing is sometimes they change names!
For example, Redensity 1, which we’ve had for several years, has now been branded ‘Baby Glow’. I think it’s a terrible name, but a super product.
Another one that’s changed name in the last year is Skinvive from Allergan, and that used to be called Volite for several years. Again, I think it’s a lovely product.
Sometimes there will be just different ingredients in these, like amino acids, like vitamins, and these can also play a part for the right person.
So have consultation and stay as safe as possible. Take care. Eithne

24/05/2026

Hi, how has our approach to treating nasalabial folds with dermal fillers evolved over the last 15 years or so?

When I started in aesthetic medicine about 19 years ago, people would come in and complain of nasolabial folds, and we often went with a dermal filler and we put some along the fold, and it could look a bit better, but it didn’t always look great.
Our understanding of anatomy has improved greatly in the intervening years. And now we’re much more clued in about looking at what’s happening the skin quality, the fat pads, both superficial and deep, what’s changing in the bone structure and what movement is doing.
We’re always trying to get some support in the mid face, in the lateral face, to improve the appearance of the nasolabial fold, rather than just going for it directly with a dermal filler.
We might still do a little bit of dermal filler deep in the piriform fossa to give support, but we’re not going to just follow that line down with a sausage of product, because it can look very unnatural at rest and it can look even worse on movement.
So we’ve got to be strategic. Nasolabial folds are normal, children have them. We don’t want to eradicate them completely, or it looks unnatural. If we want to improve the appearance of them if they are deepening over time, we’re always going to try and get support elsewhere first, addressing the cause of the deepening folds, rather than going straight for the problem area.

Stay as safe as you can and if you’re concerned about something, ideally see a medical practitioner for a full, detailed assessment of your face, not just going straight for the fold, so they look at your overall facial harmony, and get you the best result. Take care. Eithne

23/05/2026

Hi, if you had a sick dog, would you take them to somebody who wasn’t a vet? No, you wouldn’t.
If you had a child who needed a vaccination, would you let a non -healthcare professional vaccinate them? No, you wouldn’t.
Now, in fairness, I did let my ex -husband give me the shingles vaccine, but he is a doctor ( and he promised not to add any arsenic 😆).
I’m always amazed how much risk people take with their faces when they go and seek cosmetic treatments from non-medically trained personnel. You really are taking high risks, and just because something is technically legal, like anybody can inject a dermal filler, because it’s a medical device, and not a prescription only medicine, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take great care when seeking treatment.
You just get one face and body, and myself and many, many of my colleagues, both in clinics and in hospital settings, have seen numerous people over the years with complications from botched procedures.
You’ve got to have a sound knowledge of anatomy, you’ve got to have training, experience, familiarity with medicines, how to handle them, how to store them, how to source them appropriately, how to use them, how to recognise and prevent complications, and then, in the unusual circumstances when there are complications, because they do happen across the board, then you want somebody who’s medically competent to handle complications and treat them. So always pause before you think about treatment.
Is it a healthcare professional?
Are they being careful?
Are they looking after my health?
Am I going to be safe, and what sort of follow up care is there? Take care. Eithne

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