Aging
Aging is a normal part of our existence. Now, with the advances of modern medicine, human beings are living longer.
Taking care of your health is important at any age, even when you feel good. Healthy living is the key to slowing down and preventing health problems connected with age. At Clinique La Prairie, every effort is made to help you better live your life in order to counteract the drawbacks of aging while adding quality to your existence.
We therefore constantly strive, as we have always done, to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of our patients at any age. In our medical centre, using our therapies, treatments and advice, we make every effort to ensure optimal prevention of aging and of the development of possible risk factors. This is part of our holistic vision of health and of comprehensive care for our patients (physical, mental and emotional).
Revitalisation
History:
Established in 1931, Clinique La Prairie quickly gained worldwide renown thanks to the work of Professor Paul Niehans, a pioneer in cellular therapy, who injected fresh cells from lamb fetuses into his patients. Since that time, his heritage has evolved significantly. As a preventative of aging, it has been adopted by patients coming from all around the world, including celebrities.
1931: Professor Niehans begins injecting fresh cells at Clinique La Prairie
1947 : Preserved cells are first injected
1949: Freeze-dried cells are first injected
1953: Professor Niehans treats Pope Pius XII, making Clinique La Prairie famous worldwide
1960: Under the impetus of Professor Niehans, the International Society for the Ethics of Cellular Therapy is created
1966: Professor Niehans retires (died in 1971)
1987: President Armin Mattli assigns Professor Otto Westphal (former director of the Max-Planck immunology Institute, Freiburg, Germany) the task of launching a vast scientific research program on CLP Extract
1988: Progressively purified and made increasingly safe, the product injected becomes today’s CLP Extract, and continues to be refined
1998: Creation of the Clinique La Prairie Foundation for Aging and Immunology Research
2007: Successful introduction of the latest generation of the product called Revitalization (oral).
Revitalisation Programme:
Clinique La Prairie’s exclusive and renowned Revitalisation has a marked rejuvenating effect. This programme is recommended from the age of 40, with results lasting from 12 to 24 months. For those suffering from extreme exhaustion or in special cases, Revitalisation can be administered at a younger age.
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Our Programme Includes:
Six nights from Sunday to Saturday including full board
Exclusive Clinique La Prairie Revitalisation
One medical check-up: laboratory analyses, chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, ECG
One dental check-up: full mouth x-rays, complete report from the dentist
Consultation and daily follow-up by the attendant doctor, and nursing care
Dietetic follow-up upon request
One personalised advice at the Centre for Aesthetic Medicine and the Beautymed Centre
One 90-minute Facial Treatment by Swiss Perfection of your choice (Cellular Exclusive Lift Concept excluded)
Two 60-minute high-touch treatments of your choice
One 30-minute personal training session
Group fitness and aquagym classes
Access to the fitness centre, swimming pool, sauna, steam room and vitality pool
Limousine services from/to the airport or train station
All non-alcoholic beverages
A Tailor-made General Medical Checkup
Good health is maintained through regular checkups beginning around the age of 35, to identify any problems at an early stage and successfully treat them. This is why any stay at Clinique La Prairie begins with a medical checkup. In addition to a detailed clinical exam, the standard checkup includes laboratory tests, a chest x-ray and an electrocardiogram. It may also often include an abdominal ultrasound and additional tests suggested by the physician, based on the specific needs and characteristics of each person.
This checkup will determine in large part the care offered to the patient during his or her stay (diet, physical activity, medication, etc.). Should previously undiagnosed problems be found, additional exams and therapies may be immediately undertaken.
All results are available in less than 48 hours, and the physician then discusses the medical checkup with the patient. Practical advice can be given to help the patient modify his or her lifestyle and maintain these changes after his or her departure from the clinic. If the patient wishes, this follow-up can be done at Clinique La Prairie, in ambulatory care.
The medical checkup proposed at Clinique La Prairie is a complete evaluation of your health condition. This program is intended for any resident or foreigner, businessman or woman, artist, sportsman wishing a complete checkup or a second, clearer opinion. Regular checkups beginning at the age of 35 are part of an optimal prevention program and can help identify and successfully treat disorders at an early stage.
Mental Wellness
Essential in our daily lives, mental wellness is the source of a balanced state of health. Through a team of psychiatrists and psychologists, Clinique La Prairie pays special attention to mental wellness, as part of its global vocation dedicated to general wellness.
Mental Wellness: Psychiatry
The WHO defines health as a complete state of physical, mental and social wellness. A variety of symptoms may alter this balance throughout our lifetime. We involve our psychiatrists in situations of stress, anxiety, nervousness, sleep or emotional disturbances, sadness, excessive consumption of alcohol, medication or drugs, or eating disturbances.
Psychiatry (etymologically “medicine of the soul”) is a medical specialty which diagnoses, treats and prevents mental illness. It is important to know that mental illnesses are among the most common after cardiovascular illness. Statistically, throughout their lifetime, one in four people will develop a mental disturbance, such as a major depressive episode for example. Only 50% of cases of depression are diagnosed by front-line doctors, because it can develop insidiously, with the patient unaware that he or she is suffering from depression.
The psychiatrist’s role is to establish a diagnosis, to evaluate the degree of seriousness of the pathology and to propose a suitable treatment, whether pharmaceutical and/or psychotherapeutic. The sooner these disturbances are treated, the better the results, with the goal of reducing or even eliminating mental suffering, in order to restore serenity and quality of life.
Mental Wellness: Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is defined as methods that aim to treat both physical and mental disturbances through the mind. Clinique La Prairie’s experienced team of psychiatrists practices psychotherapy in three or four sessions, using therapeutic hypnosis and brief therapy, making it possible to ease suffering very quickly.
Mental Wellness: Psychology
The psychologist works hand in hand with psychiatrist. He contributes to achieve a state of increased wellness and “better living”. His assistance helps the patient to better understand himself, to better know himself and control their profound desires, fears, joys, emotions, and vital energy. This greater awareness is achieved at a number of levels: behavioral, cognitive, affective, corporal and especially emotional.
It is essential to observe and treat the person as a whole. Clinique La Prairie therapists propose care that develops through several stages. The first psychological consultation aims to help patients become aware of the causes of their feeling of disquiet. Patients are then offered tools which will help them deal with existing anxiety or anguish. The following two techniques are used, among others:
Caycedian sophrology
Therapeutic hypnosis
Center For Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery
Following an in-depth discussion with patients, which helps to better understand their wishes and needs, the doctors and cosmetic surgeons define the goals to be reached and the most appropriate treatments, in terms of regaining harmonious body contours, improving the skin or rejuvenation programs.
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Facial Rejuvenation
Smoothing wrinkles:
Hyaluronic acid is the secret of our youth, and is naturally present in large quantities in our tissues, though it decreases with age. Thus, aging results in wrinkles which may be unsightly. Through painless injections of hyaluronic acid that has been synthesized and stabilized in the laboratory, wrinkles may be discreetly and naturally smoothed. The treatment lasts for one year in the tissue, and complications have been eliminated, thanks to our 12 years of experience in using it.
Easing exaggerated muscular contractions:
The face may sometimes look serious or sad, due to an exaggerated expression. This can be eased significantly through localized injection of botulinum. Lasting some four or five months, it gives the face a natural and relaxed look. Our 25 years of experience using this product guarantees our total mastery of this technique.
Treating unsightly vein dilation:
With age, small red or purple veins may appear around the nostrils, on the cheeks or chin. Using lasers, we can effectively eliminate them. The treatment leaves no marks and recuperation is very quick, with these unsightly marks removed in one or two sessions. Traîter les dilatations veineuses inesthétiques
Removing age sports:
Brown spots generally appear with age in a variety of locations. Laser energy targeting the brown color can make them disappear, in a single session.For 10 days after the session, the treated spots may appear darker, before disappearing entirely. The result is improved if the skin is not tanned at the time of treatment.
Nonsurgical tightening of the skin (Thermage):
Just one session is required to obtain visible and discreet results. For those not wishing to undergo surgery, while attenuating the sagging of skin around the neck or face, this treatment using the application of radiofrequency energy on subcutaneous tissue is ideal. The tissue is tightened over the course of six months following the application of the Thermage technology (heating the tissue under the skin without damaging it, thanks to a sophisticated cooling system). Not as in-depth as a facelift, the result may vary depending on the epidermis, but the rejuvenation effect is clearly visible.
Restoring lost fullness to the face:
We use two techniques to restore the face’s harmonious curves and fill in hollow or flattened areas of the face:
The application of fat cells
This method uses fat cells removed from other parts of the body, generally one session is sufficient. Recovery time is about two weeks.
Injection of hyaluronic acid
Naturally present in our body and synthesized in the laboratory, it is injected under the skin. Recovery time is barely one day, but the treatment must be repeated every year.
Surgery:
Whether we treat the eyelids, neck, mouth or cheeks, the goal is to harmonize the face’s structure and to give it a new youthful appearance. As techniques have been refined, patients can now return to a normal life just 10 days after simple facelift. Respecting the balance of the face’s natural structure, surgery gives marvelous results with no scarring, thereby improving your quality of life and daily sense of well-being.
Face Harmonizing
Correcting unsightly contours:
A physical complex can lead to permanent inhibition in one’s day-to-day life. So, whether it is a simple protruding ear, a receding chin, unattractive lips or any other irregularity, we have the surgical solutions to improve your feeling of well-being. A discussion with our specialists can help you and answer your questions. For example, we do not recommend a silicone implant to build a chin, due to this material’s progressive destruction of the underlying bone.
Rhinoplasty:
There are number of techniques for correcting an unattractive nose. We will consider a specific solution based on your request that respects respiratory function. Today, changes via rhinoplasty can be simulated on the computer, so you can fully visualize the final result before taking your decision.
Body Harmonizing
Reducing excessive perspiration:
Botulinum toxin injected locally can effectively reduce excessive perspiration in the hands or underarms. Lasting one year, this treatment can change the life of the patient suffering from this condition
Permanent laser hair removal:
Both women and men can be bothered by excessive hairiness. In 6 to 12 sessions, targeted treatment can permanently reduce excess body hair with no scarring. Treatment is carried out using lasers or intense pulsed light using the latest technology.
Body contour surgery:
Always at the leading edge of new cosmetic surgery technology and techniques, Clinique La Prairie practices a large number of surgical interventions, such as breast remodeling, removal of skin folds following major weight loss, liposuction and liposculpture.
Breast:
Many women suffer from complexes related to asymmetrical, overly large or small breasts, malformed areola or nipples, for example. Personalized solutions are proposed during a preliminary study and interviews with the patient. The surgeon may recommend, for example, a breast augmentation with or without implant, the choice of implant being based on a variety of aesthetic criteria, depending on the objective. Each intervention is conducted in respect of the body’s balance and leaves very little scarring.
Removing excess skin:
Excess skin can be truly unsightly. A secondary effect of major weight loss, it can be removed as long as the weight has been stabilized. Here again, the scars are located in such a way as to be invisible.
Treating excess localized fat:
Liposuction and liposculpture remove localized fat deposits, but do not replace a healthy lifestyle or regular weight control. Results of this gentle method are very quickly visible. Laser-assisted liposuction or Slimlipo helps to further reduce excess fat, while helping to tighten the skin. This effect is observed over the course of six months following the treatment. The contours of the buttocks, thighs, calves, or other body parts may be altered using a variety of techniques based on each case.
Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction following mastectomy:
Here once again, we offer internationally renowned specialists dedicated to breast reconstruction. The technique chosen depends on many factors, and takes into consideration the patient’s preferences. Techniques include: reconstruction with tissue expanders and implants, transferring tissue from the abdomen, buttocks or another part of the body. These methods use techniques that are the most respectful of healthy tissue (microsurgery, DIEP, etc.)
The Menopause Center
Switzerland’s first private center in this sector, our Menopause Center was created in 1995 by Dr Thierry D. Pache, the Swiss Medical Association’s specialist in gynecology and obstetrics and in gynecological endocrinology. The Menopause Center offers a high-quality multidisciplinary approach for women in peri-menopause (generally around the age of 47) and women in established menopause (generally after the age of 50).
It offers a personalized treatment, based on an analysis of physical and hormonal criteria specific to these periods of life and on prevention. In harmony with our concept of Quality aging, quality of life is an important factor in today’s approach by menopause specialists.
A typical consultation includes a variety of tests:
a precise anamnesis, history of past events and current complaints
a classic gynecological exam, including the evaluation of risk factors for infectious diseases and cancers.
pelvic exam via endovaginal ultrasonography, paired with analysis of a risk marker for ovarian cancer
breast exam, paired with a mammogram, when indicated
The platform established in this way allows us to perform in real-time additional laboratory tests specific to menopause, as well as a radiological assessment which might be necessary.
MMC® works closely with Clinique La Prairie’s radiology department, which is equipped with the latest technologies and expertise regarding CT scanners and nuclear magnetic resonance imagery (MRI). In the event of positive test results or a strong suspicion of a pathology or additional risk factor, the attending physician is immediately contacted, and/or specialists are contacted at the clinic itself, in related fields such as medical endocrinology and diabetology or cardiology for example.
Should surgery be recommended, Clinique La Prairie has a surgical team highly experienced in many fields:
general gynecological surgery
oncology – gynecological cancers
illnesses related to urinary and fecal incontinence
breast diseases
MMC® is a center renowned both internationally and internationally for surgery, and also has close ties with the Swiss Institute™ specializing in gynecological surgery, also described as cosmetic pelvic surgery.
MMC® is renowned both nationally and internationally in the field of minimally invasive surgery, and Dr Eric Chardonnens, of the Swiss Medical Association’s gynecology and obstetrics section, is an eminent member. Consultations can be conducted in French, English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch or German.
Proposed treatments:
These can be hormonal treatments, general or local, as well as acupuncture, phytotherapy and homeopathy.
Participating medical professionals:
The consultant has training in classical homeopathy. MMC®acupuncturist, Guy Ducas, was trained at the University of Taiwan and has extensive experience in this field.
The gynecologist consultant in gynecological cancers, Dr Igor Martinek, the Swiss Medical Association’s specialist in gynecology and obstetrics, is a member of the Oxford Cancer Centre in the UK. In this area, MMC® has a long-standing collaboration with many respected specialists in medical oncology, working in the region, in French-speaking Switzerland and abroad, at private and academic centers.
Weight Management
At Clinique La Prairie we have a long standing experience in weight management. A good weight management requires a perfect harmony between head and body. Unrealistic goals are counter productive, but simple strategies, which can be put into practice, are essential. Thanks to our holistic, professional and natural weight management approach, Clinique La Prairie helps you lose weight intelligently and for the longterm.
This is facilitated by our our optimal setting : at Clinique La Prairie unique comfort and deliciously healthy food are combined with the latest medical know-how in nutrition, energy physiology and behavioral therapies.
A well coordinated multidisciplinary team offers a personalized coaching: your condition is medically and nutritionally assessed, mental and behavioral support is given, hidden resources are identified, a licensed dietitian works hand in hand with the nutrition physician and with the chef (cook), your physical cpacities and condition are assessed and an individual training program is designed by a personal coach, and specific massages and treatments are at your disposition at the Medical Spa.
In our Weight Management Program our all know-how is offered in order to re-establish body harmony within a relaxing and balanced environment, while being efficient and realistic.
Weight Management: Nutrition / Obesity Consultation:
This is the first step in your weight management program. Following an in-depth medicine examination, this consultation will help us devise a tailor-made program, suited to your needs.
Therefore, we examine:
your “genetic history”
behavioral components
your physiological and psychological characteristics upon your arrival at the clinic
The aim of the consultation is also to discuss with the specialist who will be monitoring throughout your time at clinic.
Weight Management: Nutrition Consultation:
Taking care of yourself first of all means paying attention to what you eat and we believe that good nutrition is essential for feeling good. Our team of dietitians is at your disposal for personalized consultation.
For patients staying at the clinic, a nutrition interview is scheduled at your arrival, in order to establish a personalized nutrition program based on your needs, your expectations or on any particular pathologies (diabetes will, high cholesterol, hypertension, allergies, etc.) Our dietitians also supervise and advise kitchen staff on the quality of our healthful cuisine.
Weight Management: Body Composition & Metabolism Measurement:
This exam allows us to observe the percentages of fat and muscle tissue, as well as the quantity of fat in the organs of the abdominal cavity. It is often completed with a base metabolism measurement via indirect calorimetry. It is a way of identifying the metabolism’s weak points, after repeated diets, for example.