SOREL Book a consultation

A woman's face in profile emerges from darkness as north-window light moves across her cheekbone, the bridge of her nose and her jaw.

Refinement, revealed in the right light.

Scroll slowly. The light follows.

Dr. Hélène Sorel practises aesthetic medicine the way portrait painters work: in steady north light, from more than one angle, before anything is changed.

Book a private consultation

One face.
Three lights.

Move the light and the same features read differently. Raking light shows contour, a narrow band shows expression, a rim of light shows profile. Before anything is suggested, a face should be seen in all of them.

The same woman lit by raking light from the left, showing the contour of cheek and temple
Raking lightContour of cheek and temple
A narrow band of window light falling across the woman's eyes
A narrow bandExpression around the eyes
Only a rim of light defines the woman's profile against black
Rim lightProfile, nose to chin

What is studied
before anything
is suggested.

Anatomy
Bone, fat pads and muscle are assessed before skin. Much of what reads as ageing begins underneath the surface.
Proportion
Measured against your own face. Never against a template, a trend, or a photograph of someone else.
Balance
Small adjustments that let features work together, so no single feature draws the eye.
Restraint
If nothing would help, the written plan says so, and the consultation fee still covers the assessment.
The studio: a long plaster room with one large north-facing window and daylight raking across the floor
The studio at 14 Mercer Lane. One north-facing window, so every photograph and every assessment happens in the same light.

The physician
at work.

Dr. Hélène Sorel is a board-certified dermatologist with fifteen years in aesthetic practice. She trained in Lyon and New York, treats every patient herself, and still begins each consultation with a pencil.

A hand sketching proportion studies of a human head in pencil
Proportion studies from Dr. Sorel's notebook.
Portrait in profile, with light moving to the area being discussed
Window lightWhole face

Five areas,
studied in
their own light.

Each treatment is introduced through the light that best shows the area it concerns. The lighting is a way of looking, not a procedure.

  1. Expression lines Botulinum toxin

    Small, measured doses soften the muscles that fold the skin between the brows, across the forehead and at the corners of the eyes. The aim is a face that still moves.

    Lasts
    Three to four months
    Will not
    Erase lines that are etched at rest in a single session

  2. Midface contour Hyaluronic acid filler

    Volume is restored where the cheek's supporting fat has thinned, placed along the bone so light falls across the face as it once did.

    Lasts
    Nine to eighteen months
    Will not
    Lift a lax lower face on its own

  3. Jawline and chin Hyaluronic acid filler

    Profile balancing, judged from the side as much as the front. Often a little support at the chin changes how the whole lower face reads.

    Lasts
    Twelve to eighteen months
    Will not
    Replace surgery where bone or skin laxity is the cause

  4. Lips Hyaluronic acid filler

    Conservative hydration and definition, kept within the proportions of your own mouth and the rest of your face.

    Lasts
    Six to nine months
    Will not
    Create a shape your features do not already suggest

  5. Skin quality Biostimulators · microneedling

    Poly-L-lactic acid, microneedling and medical-grade peels encourage the skin to rebuild collagen gradually, improving texture, tone and fine lines.

    Timeline
    Builds over three to six months
    Will not
    Change underlying structure or deep folds

All treatments are performed by Dr. Sorel personally. Suitability depends on your medical history, which is reviewed at consultation.

An hour of looking, and of listening.

A consultation is a conversation about your face, your history and what you would like, in that order. You are free to discuss possibilities without agreeing to any of them.

  1. Sixty unhurried minutesPhotographs under the studio's fixed north light, then an assessment at the window, then a conversation.
  2. Your goals firstTreatment planning starts from your anatomy and your preferences, not from a menu or a predetermined look.
  3. A written planYou take home the options, the expected timeline, the costs and the risks, including the option of doing nothing.
  4. Never same dayTreatment is never given at the first visit. Time to consider is part of the process.

The consultation is $250, credited in full toward any treatment within ninety days.

A woman sits in the window light, looking away, unposed
No posing. The light stays the same; only the conversation changes.

Same window. Same lens. Same expression.

Every result is photographed exactly as the first image was taken, so the only thing that changes between the pair is the treatment. Drag the divider to compare.

85 mm lens 1.5 m distance North light, no flash Neutral expression
Before: frown lines between the brows at maximum frown
After: the same frown, fourteen days after treatment, with softer lines
BeforeDay 14

Frown lines between the brows

Treatment
Botulinum toxin, 20 units across five points
Photographed
At maximum frown, before and fourteen days after
Limits
Movement is softened, not stopped. The effect wears off over three to four months.
Before: three-quarter view, sun-damaged skin with fine lines
After: the same view six months later, with more even tone and texture
BeforeMonth 6

Tone, texture and fine lines

Treatment
Poly-L-lactic acid, three sessions over four months, with a daily retinoid
Photographed
Before the first session and six months later
Limits
Skin quality improved; facial structure is unchanged. Maintenance is yearly.
Before: atrophic acne scarring on the cheek
After: the same cheek after four sessions, with shallower scars
BeforeSession 4

Atrophic acne scarring

Treatment
Microneedling, four sessions six weeks apart
Photographed
Before treatment and eight weeks after the fourth session
Limits
Shallow scars improved. Deeper scars remain visible and may need a different approach.

Photographs are shown with each patient's written consent and are not retouched. Results vary between individuals, and no outcome can be guaranteed. Your consultation includes an honest estimate for your own skin.

A woman sits by a large window with her back to the room, looking out into the daylight

Take your seat.

The same steady light, and an hour to talk about what, if anything, you would like to change.

Begin a private consultation

A private consultation with Dr. Sorel.

Tell us a little and choose a time of day. There is nothing to prepare and nothing to commit to.

  1. Our studio coordinator calls within one working day to agree a date.
  2. You spend an hour with Dr. Sorel: photographs, assessment at the window, conversation.
  3. You leave with a written plan and no obligation to follow it.

We consult only in daylight: Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00 to 16:00.

Please tell us your name.

Please enter a valid email address.

Preferred time of day

Your details are used only to arrange your visit.

Thank you.

Our studio coordinator will call within one working day to find a time.