Back in Blogging Action

Had some blogger issues, but now things are ok and we're back up. I have added some of my old posts to the blog that were lost in the shuffle, see below.

So, what's new?

Well, I'm going to be medical director of a new facility in the Bel Air area called Pure Aesthetics - Pure Wellness. The concept is a combination of Eastern and Western traditions of health and beauty. We're going to have eastern and western nutritionists, all the different massage styles, full spa facilities, great esthetician treatments, the full aesthetic laser menu of procedures and, of course, lots of injectables and non surgical aesthetic procedures. I'm excited - the team is an outstanding one and the facility is top notch (and almost complete).

We just had a nice TV week as well. We were on Fox news, ABC local news did a story on Botox for teeth grinding which was great, and then we were on E! with the Chelsea Lately show. That was funny. They had Chelsea do a bunch of bits at the spa - a big part of her conversation with me involved her interest in getting Botox injections for sweating....from her "peekachoo." What else? I'm going to start posting interesting e-mail questions I get and the answers. Next time.

Cheers!

Filler Mania - 7/1/2007

I am doing a new procedure for facial rejuvenation that is working out very well. I'm using Radiesse for cheek augmentation, but I am filling the front part of the cheek, just underneath the eyes. I have found that this is the area of the face that usually starts dropping first.

People get heavy nasolabial folds because the front part of their cheek drops down, and accentuates the depression of the nasolabial folds. The patients that I am seeing are coming in to augment their nasolabial folds, but I direct their attention to the flatness of their anterior cheek. Once we fill that out, the effect is a kind of resuspension of their face. The focus of their face shifts back up to their eyes and away from the nasolabial folds. The folds themselves become less prominent.

The best thing about this technique is that I never puncture the skin! The injection goes through the mouth, so there is no bruising and minimal swelling. It sounds painful, but is really not, since I numb the area beforehand with a dental injection. I like this because it takes 5 minutes, leaves no bruises and the difference is dramatic without looking fake or "done."

What's new with noses? - 6/1/2007

Well, there's a bunch of interesting things going on.

I just presented the Non Surgical Nose Job procedure at the national American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Rhinoplasty Update meeting in Boston. As the biggest meeting devoted to the Rhinoplasty procedure in the world, it was very exciting to see the refinements that are being developed all over the world.

Also quite interesting to see was how problems like the drooping tip or the low bridge (like I see so often with my Asian patients) are being handled surgically. The lecture was greeted with a good amount of enthusiasm, since, at 370 patients, it was the largest experience with this procedure ever presented. Hopefully this will lead to greater availability of the Non Surgical Nose Job procedure throughout the world.


http://www.westsidemedicalspa.com/non_surgical_nose.html

Lasers & Devices - 3/1/2007

Fraxel is still king of the lasers as far as I'm concerned. The results that I am getting with the Fraxel SR 1500 are fantastic.

Acne scar patients that I would have been quite pessimistic with before can look forward to very impressive improvement. Pain with the new machine is significantly less and we can put much more energy into the skin without increased risk of injury. Thermage - mixed results, but people are finding that, if they are patient, they are seeing impressive skin tightening. It just takes a while sometimes.

One patient recently told me that she is happy now, after 4 months, whereas she was disappointed afterwards. So, some people see great results right away, and others have to wait for the collagen to be stimulated and to build. I really want people to see results from this procedure, and sometimes a second session is necessary 6 months after the first. If that is the case, I want to encourage people to do it, but without bankrupting them, so I'm offering that second session at 1/2 the price that we charged for the first one.

I have begun using Thermage for resistant acne. I heard anectodal accounts from another facial plastic surgeon's office that it was a good treatment. They noticed accidentally that with some of their patients, the Thermage procedure cleared up their acne. I have used it on a few people who did not improve on PDT, Blue Light, topical treatments or facials. The results have been very impressive, so I'm looking forward to offering this as an effective treatment.

Revaleskin - 2/1/2007

We will soon be offering the Revaleskin product line, and it looks very interesting. The active ingedient is CoffeeBerry - an extract of the unripe coffee bean fruit. This extract seems to have a very high concentration of antioxidants and preliminary studies show excellent results with the use of the product.

Comparative studies show that the skin becomes smoother, pigmentation changes fade and fine lines are diminished. Miscroscopic examination shows an increase in collagen. I'm looking forward to offering Revaleskin in addition to Prevage as a great antioxidant choice.

Here is their website for more info: http://www.revaleskin.com

Cosmetic Medical News - 1/20/2007

I had some problems with my Blogger account, so I am restoring several posts from earlier this month that were lost in the shuffle to the new account.

Lots of new stuff going on.

1. We finished recruitment for the Aquamid study and the product seems to be really outstanding. Aquamid injects easily and the results are very natural and smooth. It seems to be less prone to lumping than most temporary fillers, much less a permanent one like this. Everyone who received Aquamid has been quite happy with it. No one can tell the difference, aesthetically, from Restylane. My apologies to the people who didn't make it into the study. The inclusion criteria were quite strict and you had to have deep smile lines in order to be included. It was, however, great to see the extraordinary response of people wanting to participate. I am constantly researching other emerging products and as soon as another study starts, these will be the people I contact first.

2. Last week was the first of what I hope to be a regular joint lecture series at the UCLA division of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Jaco Festejekian and I spoke together about surgical and non surgical approaches to aesthetic enhancement. Turnout was really great, and the sponsors of the lecture (Allergan, Medicis, Artes medical) really helped us give the people that came a nice experience with refreshments, prizes, etc. more in a bit.....