Allure Cosmetic Clinic lends its support to local breast cancer networks at the 2015 Allure Blush Ball.

The 2015 Allure Blush Ball, 31^st October 2015, will be a celebration of life and triumphs with fundraising targeted to support local breast cancer support networks.

The event will be a night of sophistication and excitement, drawing St Vincent’s Hospital “Blushing Week” to a close. “Blushing Week” is co-ordinated to educate and assist, while at the same time, raise money for women in the local area undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Allure Cosmetic Clinic became aware of the opportunity to sponsor the Blush Ball in 2014. While celebrating the St Vincent’s Race Day 2014, Allure owners Janet and Mark Magnusson, became aware of an opportunity to provide greater support to the existing breast cancer support networks in Toowoomba. 

The team at the Allure Cosmetic Clinic are delighted at the opportunity to once again extend their support to the local community.

“The decision to continue our sponsorship of the event was an easy one,” said Janet Magnusson, owner of the Allure Cosmetic Clinic.

“Breast reconstruction is a major part of Mark’s work so when seeking a beneficial cause to support for Allure Clinics’ Charitable Activities, the Blush Ball was a natural fit. The Blushing Week provides an opportunity to educate women and the wider support community including those who have just been diagnosed are currently receiving cancer treatment or who have undergone mastectomy, that breast reconstruction is part of the recovery journey. For many survivors they also view their breast reconstruction as a significant moment of saying goodbye to the disease. Best of all, the funds remain local to help our own community,” Janet Magnusson said. 

This year Blushing Week includes a Survivor Forum and a G.P and Allied Health Medical forum on the day of the Ball in the Empire Precinct. The Survivor Forum is a free event for those currently receiving breast cancer treatments and also for their family and friends. Specifically geared towards families from the Darling Downs and South West Catchment the session will include presentations by medical staff, psychologists, breast cancer patients and is an educational and supportive event.

It is not just through their support of the Allure Blush Ball that the team at Allure are placing a focus on breast cancer support. In 2014, Dr Mark Magnusson from Allure hosted and presented the local BRA Day - Breast Reconstruction Awareness. The day presented reconstructive options to breast cancer survivors and their health care providers at St Vincent’s Hospital.  The event included breast reconstruction patients from Allure who were kindly present on the evening to talk with women considering their reconstructive options. This patient involvement was invaluable.

Dr Mark Magnusson is also the Education Convenor and Vice President of the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and regularly presents on breast surgery among other topics, at conferences nationally and internationally.

The team at Allure Cosmetic Clinic and Dr Mark Magnusson continue to be proactive in improving the patient experience and results at Allure. They have been able to offer advanced surgical techniques as well as technology to enhance and improve patient outcomes.  

While Dr Mark Magnusson has performed breast reconstruction in Toowoomba for 15 years, the global trends have changed especially over the last 5 to 10 years. Angelina Jolley’s personal  journey has highlighted some of these changes. The routine use of surgical scaffolds and acellular matrices to support breast implants and the addition of routine fat grafting have led to a paradigm shift in modern breast reconstruction in terms of both technique and outcome. At Allure we are not only utilising these techniques but Dr Mark Magnusson is on the developmental teams of some of these products being introduced into Australia after longer use overseas.

There have been additional technological developments in the planning and management of breast reconstruction recently and again we are happy to be providing them locally.

Dr Mark Magnusson has been involved with trialling the innovative SPY System at St Vincent’s Hospital. The SPY System is aiding decision making in theatre as it provides information instantaneously on the viability of skin tissue during the reconstruction process.  The SPY is used to visualise circulation and surround tissue perfusion during surgical procedures.  It is hoped that the use of the software would mean more women are able to be identified as suitable for single stage reconstruction, as opposed to two stage, which has been the norm. With luck, the hospital will acquire the machine to continue benefitting patients.

Vectra 3D imaging has been available at Allure Clinic for some time especially for breast enlargement and asymmetry and is becoming increasingly utilised in breast reconstruction. Vectra creates a simulated 3D image of the actual patient, and allows the Surgeon to showcase an outcome prior to surgery. 

In addition to their sponsorship of the event, anyone who wears pink to Allure Cosmetic Clinic during the month of October will have 10% of their spend for the month of October donated by Allure, to the Blush Nurses. 

Allure Cosmetic Clinic Owner, Janet Magnusson said, “The Blushing Week events are unique in that all funds raised stay directly in our community to support local women and their families. The fact that this year’s 2015 Allure Blush Ball is already sold out is amazing and we look forward to adding to the fundraising through the auction of some fantastic donated items on the night.”