Dr. Aleida Dijkstra: Youthful innocence

Starting out as a hospital dermatologist in 1998, before stepping into the world of aesthetics in 2010 and opening her own clinic in aesthetic dermatology, ‘Skinnocence’, in 2014, Dr Aleida Dijkstra has seen it all, in terms of skin. Staying true to her dermatologist background, Dr Dijkstra still sees the occasional customer with acne, rosacea or spots for check-ups on skin cancer , she has also worked her way up to become one of the best in the field of aesthetics.

Most days, you can find Dr Dijkstra giving skin improvement treatments involving lasers and lights, as well as doing Botox, fillers and, increasingly more, skin boosters in the form of hyaluronic acid. The latter treatment is especially popular with younger people who feel fillers are too drastic at their age. The hyaluronic acid is injected in five parts of the face and is massaged in while it spreads around and stimulates the production of collagen and elastin to improve the elasticity of the skin and prevent signs of ageing.

Most notably, however, is how Dr Dijkstra has proven herself to be a true pioneer by introducing the Benelux to the latest and most unique treatments available in the aesthetic field. She says: “I really enjoy discovering brand-new equipment at aesthetic conferences and being the first person to bring them home to use in the Netherlands.”

Sculpting your body

In November 2018, Dr Dijkstra revolutionised the Benelux with the new equipment she brought in after visiting one of the key opinion leaders, EMsculpt, in the US. This revolutionary treatment is based on the same magnetic waves you find in MRI scans in hospitals and is a first of its kind machine that doesn’t just break down fat cells, but also builds up muscle mass at the same time.

With one 30-minute treatment being equivalent to 20,000 sit-ups, the EMsculpt helps tone the body, leaving customers with a beautifully sculpted figure that only improves over the next six months. After the recommended four treatments over two weeks, various clinical studies have proven a muscle growth of approximately 16 per cent, while fat is reduced by 19 per cent.

The treatment works in the form of a paddle on your stomach or one on each buttock cheek. The paddles send out magnetic waves that make your muscles contract for a long period of time. These contractions allow for more blood flow in the muscle and an increase of muscle fibres per muscle, which encourages the breakdown of fat cells. The result? A toned and sculpted body.

Say goodbye to underarm sweat

In 2014, Dr Dijkstra introduced the Netherlands to another new treatment fresh out of America. The miraDry comes as a saviour to customers suffering from hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). “Sweat problems can start as early as at 16 years old and can last until your mid-40s,” says Dr Dijkstra. “It’s a problem that affects a really big group of people.”

Previously, Skinnocence treated hyperhidrosis with Botox, an easy treatment with no downtime that blocks 100 per cent of the sweat for up to six months. Although the Botox treatment is still in high demand, over the past five years miraDry has become increasingly popular.

While the treatment can only provide approximately 80 per cent of sweat reduction and takes about a week of downtime while the swelling goes down, more and more people are opting for it based on the fact that the effects will last for life as the machine completely breaks down the sweat glands. “For a lot of people, the longer downtime is worth saving themselves from a lifetime of repeated Botox treatments.”

Rejuvenate your skin DNA

A treatment to make you look younger, not just in your skin, but as deep down as in your DNA – it might sound unbelievable, but the Broad Band Light (BBL) treatment proves it is possible. Dr Dijkstra brought the equipment back from America in 2015, and since then, it has become one of the most common treatments Skinnocence performs.

The treatment, which works with light rather than a laser, has been proven successful after a ten-year-long study by Dr Chang in cooperation with Dr P. Bitter at Stanford University. The stand-out element of BBL is that it rejuvenates the skin and has the ability to reset over 1,200 genes (especially those genes coding for collagen and elastin) to rejuvenate the skin on a cellular level if used repeatedly over a long-term period. “As you get older, certain genes become inactive,” explains Dr Dijkstra. “The light used in the BBL treatment reactivates those genes and makes your DNA look like that of a way younger person. It is truly incredible.”

Web: www.aleidadijkstra.nl