The charming Dr. Michael Miroshnik, the man behind Elixxir

Based in Sydney’s Double Bay, the charming Dr Michael Miroshnik is a plastic surgeon specialising in cosmetic plastic surgical procedures and the man behind high performance skincare brand Elixxir. After completing six years of medical and surgical training at the University of Sydney, he was awarded the Sidney B Clipsham Memorial Prize in Operative Surgery and then embarked on his journey into the world of plastic surgery. After a further 10 years of training amongst all the major hospitals in Sydney, Dr Miroshnik was awarded his FRACS (PLAS.) degree. Over this 10 year period, Dr Miroshnik performed over 5000 surgical procedures involving every part of the body.
To further his understanding and knowledge of cosmetic plastic surgery, Dr Miroshnik visited several leading centres in Europe to have a more global sense of the latest techniques available. He is now amongst the finest in the field and has created a rather special skincare range to boot. What I love about Elixxir is how gentle it is, yet high performance ie. most skin care regimes increase skin cell turnover by using a powerful combination of exfoliating chemicals and acids which although may show temporary benefits, ultimately age your skin. Elixxir’s philosophy is to induce a natural exfoliation process, which is an entirely new concept that involves stimulating and feeding your skin from the deepest layers up, restoring youthful exfoliation rates and increasing skin cell turnover naturally and without any cell damage. Magic! So here’s the low down from the good doctor himself…

When did you start developing your skincare line?
Early concepts of the line originated about two years ago.

Why did you think there was a place in the market for it - when the industry is so fickle and so saturated?
Modern skin care is going through a major evolutionary change at the moment. We now know that there are a key set of 'active ingredients' (eg. Retinaldehyde, Beta Glucan) that no skin care label should really be without. The time it takes for the evidence to actually translate into useful products in the marketplace though can be frustratingly long. Our idea was to gather all the proven actives into a single skin care line and hence make it more effective than other products out there. Elixxir has 67 actives which is more than any other label that we know of, with over 100 research articles confirming the efficacy of its ingredients.

As a surgeon, how much of a difference do you think skincare can really make - is it a great complement, or a substitute?
Well, it's both really! Effective skin care is part of a holistic approach to maintaining good skin health and looking your best. It's part of a lifestyle decision, like not smoking, having a nutritious diet and keeping out of the sun. When used appropriately, it can certainly make a big difference in a relatively short period of time.

What do you think is the hero/must have product in the range?
Skin care has a hero, and it is without doubt the active 'Retinaldehyde'. Retinaldehyde is a potent form of Vitamin A and is the most research-proven anti-aging ingredient there is out there, PERIOD! It forms the basis of Elixxir's FORMULA A and is the must have, starting, anti-aging formula for all those new to Vitamin A. Once acclimatising to Formula A, then most people will move onto Formula A Plus (twice the strength) and even Formula A Ultra (four times the strength).

At what age do you think women should start using Elixxir?
As Elixxir is comprised of a large range of products with mutliple formulations for different skin types, there are no real age cut offs. In fact, some of the products are designed for teenagers - like Clarity A, which addresses acneic and blemished skin. Ultimate Zinc, is a powerful moisturiser with zinc in it and should be used every morning by virtually everyone. It provides powerful hydration and at the same time, sun protection.

As a surgeon, what is the most common area of their face/body that women are most dissatisfied with?
It depends principally on their age and stage of life. Young women in their 20-40s tend to focus on their breasts, noses as well as hips/thighs. Whereas, more mature women who are 45+ are more interested in 'turning back the years' in their faces. In this age group, face lifts, brow lifts and blepharoplasty (eyelid) surgery become more popular. The post-pregnancy population is another distinct group, tummy tuck surgery and again breast augmentations/lifts become very popular.

And last up, what trends are emerging in surgery at the moment?
The trends, which echo my philosophy, tend to be a focus on very natural looking and not over-done results as well as short recovery time and short-scar surgery. We, as modern plastic surgeons, are able to use sophisticated technology and refined surgical techniques to accomplish a great deal more today with well-placed small incisions than was ever thought possible.