Here's to Excellent Holidays!

"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."

The Holiday Season is upon us...Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you loyal Sculpt followers!  I hope that you all have an excellent holiday season, and enjoy a happy and prosperous New Year.  When I was the age my children are now, I think I thought I'd be living in space by the year 2012, or at least travelling there regularly, but here I am still  in Kentucky.  But it is the holiday season, and I am pretty sure it's no easier to be ready for these holidays on the Moon than it is here on Planet Earth...I'd still have a "List", which is actually how you know I'm really frazzled, as I don't make a List any other time of the year. 

Since my List is pretty long, I'll have to keep the Blog short this time, and wish only to make sure everyone knows that I truly appreciate the friendship and loyalty shown by you to myself and my staff this year, and I hope we will see you often in the coming New Year!  Thank you for all the cards and gifts this holiday season (especially the chocolate ones), but thank you mostly for the gifts of your friendship and loyalty.  I hope we have enriched your lives just a little this year, and we hope that in addition to wonderful time spent with family and friends, that you will find warmth and enjoyment in some of life's "liitle" pleasures this holiday, since it can be a rather hectic time of year.  These are a few of the tiny pleasures I enjoyed just this week...

the smile and friendly greeting of a total stranger
the door being held open for me by a handsome young man when he encounterd me...the Bag Lady... dropping it all
Kevin at Tassels who gave my Christmas tree mouth to mouth and a new beginning
a bright starry evening over the horses playing in the pasture
a morning run...rare these days...compliments...Cynthia
the horses looking up and trotting over to me at my first hello
Kona (my horse) really just needed to pass gas and didn't really have colic
Lexie asking for her Mommy upon waking up without wisdom teeth
the smiles on the faces of my beautiful staff at a Christmas dinner in front of the fireplace at Harmony Landing Country Club...their wonderful gifts to me and the girls
lovely cards from friends and family in the mail
the $10 I found in my old jeans (that got a little LOOSER!...compliments Sound Surgical Technologies and VASER Shape)
Kaitlyn's goodnight kiss
my mom and dad's phone calls literally every night this week calling to check on us in a busy week
a random text from my mother in law telling me The Coconut Cake is baked
a lovely dinner evening with my awesomely interesting neighbors
a heartfelt thank you from a patient who could NOT have been feeling very well, but loves me anyway
a friend's email sharing a Bible secret I never knew existed
the pleasure of meeting a delightfully friendly elderly lady who backed up into my front fender in the drive-thru at Wendy's but magically hurt neither of our cars or herself


...and these are just a few!

May you also find excellence all around you this holiday season!

Blessings,
Julene



  

Imagine...

"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."

We're blessed to be able to enjoy four really beautiful changes of season here in Kentucky!  I sometimes have to stop and remind myself not to let each one pass me by without my taking the time to notice and to enjoy all that an approaching new season has to offer.  Each new season is a time of change...change in the landscape and in the nature that surrounds us...changes in the number of daylight hours we have to spend outside...shifting our lives to more time spent indoors...changes in the lives of our loved ones and families...it's a constantly changing world. 

My family spent last weekend readying our neighbors' barn and pastures for the arrival of two of our horses for a new winter home, and I realized the change in our lives that this will bring...more early mornings for the girls who will be responsible for the morning feedings now...the beauty we will behold as we watch our beloved boys playing in our neighbors' beautiful pastures through the winter...our children are getting older and learning more responsibilities, and with this will come new challenges and changes for us.  (Tom, you're still teaching them to drive, right?) 

I personally LOVE change, which may come as a surprise to those who believe that doctors are creatures of habit and hate change.  I certainly like the stability of tried and true techniques which lead to predictability of results, and following routines in clinical practice that leave very little room for error or surprises for patients, but when it comes to being creative... for always striving to deliver an even better patient experience...we absolutely MUST leave our minds and hearts open to change.  We need to look for ways to answer more of our patients' common needs...deliver better quality of care in more comfortable or affordable ways.  This is certainly something I spend considerable time and effort in thinking about, and I enjoy the opportunity to share these ideas with more new patients every week...as well as with many of our older, more established patients in the practice...and I hope that I get the chance to continue to do this for many more years.

Changes we plan for the practice coming up really soon include evolution to electronic records systems, the addition of new non-invasive treatments for rejuvenation of the problematic face and neck, and a new location for the practice next year.  We are also hoping to explore new ways of interacting with you to learn more about what issues our patients are facing, and how we might help.  Please feel free to contact me or my staff through our website, by calling the office to chat with us, or by suggesting new ideas for the Blog or for upcoming activities you'd like to see us offer!

Please join us this Friday, October 28th for a day of Fall Specials, including 30% off skin care, Botox and Juvederm, 40% off laser procedures, and some fun door prizes and appetizers. 

Our Holiday Open House is scheduled for Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 10AM to 4PM and will feature VASER Shape demo's, special holiday discounts on skin care, laser procedures and injectables, and festive appetizers and beverages.  Bring a friend!

Hope to see you soon!
Julene     

Fall Specials

Hello to all!

Fall is here, and with it a whole new reason to enjoy some pampering!  Now that all of our offspring are back in school, you may have found yourself with just a little extra time for you.  Just in case back to school hurt your pocketbook, we have some fall specials to share with you!  Check our website for special pricing on skin care, lasers, and injectables...I'm sure your favorites are on the list of things we want you to enjoy this fall. 

Not sure about you, but after a summer in the sun, one of my favorite things to catch up on is the BBL and Skin Tyte laser combination to fade sun spots and tighten skin of the face, eyes and neck.  This is really one of my all-time favorite treatments because there is no downtime, and no pain.  A series of 6 treatments will leave your skin tone more blended and tighter...LOVE IT for the eyes and neck!

I personally use the fall also to do a microlaser peel or ProFractional treatment for smoothing, tightening and fine line control, and will add a hydroquinone product to my nighttime favorite Essential Serum for improving tone, texture, and pigmentation of face and neck.  The Holidays are just around the corner, as well as class reunions!  Can't be showing up all haggard and worn for events like that, now can we?

For a limited time only, we are including Sculptra on our list of discounted injectables.  Sculptra is a fabulous product that creates a tighter look to the face, brows, and jowls.  It addresses very well the other part of the facial aging problem (besides laxity due to gravity), and that is restoration of volume lost due to aging.  A series of 2 to 3 injections stimulates your body's own collagen deposition to create a tighter look that can last up to 2 years.  Check our website for photo results and use the special link to get more information.  Call my office, and we will send you a complimentary DVD that fully explains why there is so much "buzz" going on right now about this product! 

In addition to the annual fall specials, which are designed to reward our patients for their support throughout the year, we welcome new friends and referrals, so please ask any of my great staff about our patient referral program... and a new VIP Program you will hear more about real soon to reward our most loyal patients.

Lastly, a thought for fall...that season of introspection before winter comes...
    "Think of something that would be wonderful, if it were only possible. 
     Then set out to make it possible."
                                                                                                                                     Armand Hammer


Have a great Fall season!
Julene



 

     

Back to School...and Martha's Vineyard...

Hello all,
A short entry this week to let you in on a secret or two...and I won't make you wait until I get back from Martha's Vineyard to learn of it...(haha)...no, I'm not going to Martha's Vineyard either...the only vineyard I'll be frequenting this month is one that grows in a tall, skinny glass bottle with a cork stuck in it...

This will be an interactive blog, so read on for contest rules!!!

Secret #1: There is a great SCULPTRA special going on in my office right now. Each vial of Sculptra is on sale for a limited time only for $775. each (regularly $900.). See my website or previous blogs regarding Sculptra and why it is clearly my favorite "liquid facelift" option. There is a lot of info on my website and a great link to the Sculptra Aesthetic website for viewing before and after photo's of results. Our office has the most experience in the region using this facial rejuvenative option, so you should call us and inquire. Limited time only on the special pricing!

Secret #2: VASER Shape results are continuing to amaze us and our patients! I just reviewed photo's of our last 20 patients and am truly amazed by these results! Guess I'll be Vasing my thighs again this weekend...there are also some new, very enticing pricing options for patients interested in trying VASER Shape. Call Cynthia, Mindy or Terry in my office for more information, as we are always trying to help patients afford to try this new, non-invasive method of body contouring. It really does a much better job than any other method I've investigated and well worth the money. We are looking forward to some one-on-one time with the chief technological engineer for Sound Surgical Technologies who is coming for a short visit to the Bluegrass state, all the way from Denver, to spend some time with us and a few of our patients, and to discuss with us a new tool that may help to optimize treatment settings for faster results. Stay tuned!

Secret #3: There is a factoid embedded in our new breast augmentation microsite (accessed by going to breastaugmentationky.com) that could win you and your BFF a free VASER Shape treatment. This is a contest, and the first person to email the correct response to Part 1 of the question to me will win a free VASER Shape treatment for themselves. If they also get Part 2 of the question correct, they'll aslo win a free VASER Shape treatment for their BFF! You need to email me with the correct responses before my next blog in order to win!!! So...are you quite ready??? Here's the two part question...

1) What are the manufacturer incentives for patients interested in silicone breast augmentation right now? (BTW, this is the absolute BEST time to have that breast augmentation at Eastpoint Surgery Center...go find the clues...)

2) Which are the most interesting pages on this site: racingpaparazzi.smugmug.com? HINT #1: my girls and I competed in the family division of the Long Run Hounds Club Hunter Pace last weekend, and are very proud of our first place blue ribbon on August 13th! HINT #2: There are 2 pages to peruse the most carefully...

Thanks for being a follower, and have a great Back to School season!

Julene

Christmas (for your body)... in JULY!

This is a series of events you don't want to miss! We receive many calls every day regarding VASER Shape...what does it feel like...what can be accomplished with this exciting new technology...how do I find out more about it...to name just a few of the questions my staff field every day. We have begun to offer VASER Shape treatments at a special introductory price of $2600. for four treatments, because we really do believe that the individual's best result with any non-invasive body contouring device is to commit to a series of uniquely designed treatments over time...after all, it's not SURGERY! No non-invasive body shaping technology is able to deliver quite the "one and done" result that surgery typically delivers, but because we do see very nice single treatment results, we have agreed to offer (on a limited basis) introductory small areas of single treatments at the special price of $150.00 for 20 minutes. Although this will not fully contour any single area, we would like for the prospective patient to see the immediate skin tightening we can achieve, and begin to see shrinkage of those problem areas. Most patients will lose one half to one inch after a one hour treatment, and see immediate results in terms of skin tightening, but enter the VASER Shape treatment a bit worried or concerned about how the treatment will feel.

The events we have planned for July 18th and July 20th, here in our office, are designed to share this exciting new technology with our prospective new VASER Shape patients in a friendly, informative and relaxing environment...starting small...gaining knowledge and information...and then proceeding with full treatment packages as a better informed patient.

So call and schedule your appointment for a complimentary VASER Shape consultation and short 20 minute introductory treatment and begin your journey toward a tighter, flatter tummy, or begin to see thighs lose that look of cellulite...ICK!

YES...IT'S REALLY CHRISTMAS IN JULY AT OUR OFFICE!

We will have light appetizers and drinks, and are accepting appointments now for July 18th and 20th. Or, if you are unable to join us this time, ask us for additional dates in August, and we'll add you to the list of upcoming VASER Shape offerings.

Ho Ho Ho, and best regards!

Julene

The "Hidden Costs" of Procedures

This week I have been struck by the growing number of patients who seek my services because of poor surgical results achieved elsewhere. With each passing year, I see a growing number of patients referred to me for revisionary surgery, and the single largest revision procedure requested is breast surgery...augmentations, lifts and reductions. When the need for revision is continued aging of the breast, weight fluctuation, device malfunction, or the patient changed her mind...I understand these as valid reasons for revision...but, when the reason is a poorly planned or executed initial surgical procedure...I fail to understand so well. There was a recent FDA report in Medscape that cited the all-too-true 20 % revision rate seen with breast implant procedures.

Now, let's think about that a moment. There is absolutely no way to prevent the need for SOME breast implant revisions...those revisions due to continued aging of the patient's breasts (these may require reshaping, resizing, or re-lifting), those revisions due to device failures (they are man-made devices), those revisions due to the changing desires of the female patient, those revisions due to the small, unexpected chance of infection or bleeding, and those revisions due to newer, better breast implants that may become available after initial implantation. I get all of those reasons for revision. What I don't get, is the fact that those revisions probably account for less than 5% of all breast implant revisions. The remainder seem to be revisions necessitated due to poor planning of the originating breast implant procedure, poor execution of the surgery, or poor communication with the female patient regarding the intended result. These latter reasons for revision of the original result are to me, the preventable, avoidable reasons for revision, and therefore represent, the "hidden costs" of surgery.

In each and every visit my staff and I have with a future breast implant patient, we touch on the reasons that some patients will have to have their breast surgery revised. In my practice, the revision rate for preventable complications (actually, allcomers) is less than 5%. Yes, we are very proud of that statistic, but it is heartbreaking for us to continue to meet more new patients each year who have NEVER achieved their intended or wished for result after their first breast implant surgery. The costs of the revision surgery plus the original surgery far exceed the cost of a nicely performed single breast augmentation surgery...one that allows the appropriate time for control of surgical factors that, if performed, reduce the need for future revisions. (See a previous blog entry on the "No-Touch Technique of Breast Augmentation")

I have been in a successful breast, face and body contouring practice for 16 years now, and with a strong reputation in this community, I expect to see a certain percentage of revisionary surgical procedures, but the number of revisionary procedures I am now asked to perform has exceeded 30%. This is an astounding statistic to me. I very much enjoy a challenging case, and the results delivered to a patient who feels so appreciative at the conclusion is a great thing to participate in certainly, but it does sadden me when I feel that it wasn't done right to begin with, and that the patient and I should have been able to meet under better cirumstances (perhaps a second plastic surgical cosmetic procedure sought because the first one was so enjoyable!).

My message to any patient seeking a cosmetic procedure - not even just a breast procedure - is do your homework and don't settle for merely the cheapest price...you might actually get what you pay for. A common denominator then, among many of the revision procedures I do is, the patient chose the surgeon based on lowest price, believing all surgical techniques are largely the same. There are so many differences in the way surgeons perform all surgical procedures that I couldn't possible enumerate even some of them here, but with respect to breast augmentation specifically, there are several that bear mentioning. (Again, these are more completely summarized in the blog mentioned above, the "no touch technique" of breast augmentation, which reduce revision rates, but also importantly, reduce recovery times after breast implant surgery). Here are just a few of the most commonly seen errors: implants that are too large for the patient; pockets for the implants that are poorly made; poor choice of device; sloppy, hastily made breast implant pockets; poor attention to sterile technique or control of oozing; poorly chosen surgical facilities that don't lend themselves to a sterile environment, which is so important when placing a prosthetic device; poor communication between surgeon and patient, so that intended results are inadequately discussed and agreed upon; poor attention to detail in the early post-operative period; infrequent patient follow-up, which is necessary to recognize early, fixable problems or asymmetries...and many more.

And it's not just breast augmentation that lends itself to unnecessary revisions...it's also the $9.00/unit Botox, and the steeply discounted fillers and laser procedures. We do occasionally reward our loyal customers in my practice with periodic discounts, but we do so specifically because we recognize that this a tough economy, and we want to make it easier to remain loyal to this practice, and we refuse to sacrifice the quality of the procedure when we discount things. Remember, the only way a practitioner can make up these drastically discounted profits when they are constantly being offered, is via increasing volumes...and when that is the primary reason for ongoing, less periodic, discount rewards, then there can be only less time spent concentrating on the quality measures that reduce revision rates. Hence, the poor result.

Bottom line...be a wise consumer...insist on quality of care...and when you find an office committed to the highest quality that also cosistently exceeds the patient's expectations...STAY THERE!

Have a great summer!
Julene

ASAPS in Boston

Hello Friends,
It's spring in Kentucky...or so they tell me...Derby fever has passed, and we're left with rain and allergy season. Post-Derby blues are common around here, so resolve to lift your spirits by getting ready for a new you for summer! A couple of news items first...

ASAPS (The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons) convened last week in Boston. The society is composed of approximately 2800 board certified plastic surgeons who primarily perform cosmetic surgery of the face, breast and body in our specialty. The hot topics seemed to be fat transfer and stem cell technology, cosmetic laser facial rejuvenation and fillers, as well as the new non-invasive body contouring devices. As many of you now know, my office was the first to offer the Sciton Contour Profile cosmetic laser for facial rejuvenation and resurfacing, and I have posted a recent blog summarizing the benefits of becoming familiar with our laser menu of options for facial rejuvenation. I also recently blogged about facial injectables, and there are links on my website for viewing patient results with Juvederm, Botox, and Sculptra.

I have recently become very interested in non-invasive body contouring as well, and offered the first such system here in Louisville as of September 2010, Vaser Shape. I think the timing for a non-invasive device in this economy couldn't be better, and non-invasive devices certainly add to excellent treatment options already available in a busy body contouring practice such as mine. However, discerning products that truly work versus those that represent true sales hype is an ongoing challenge for the consumer (and physician consumer too, I might add!). After extensive research regarding other competitive technologies, and after seeing some of the early clinical results presented in Boston, I remain firm in my conviction that ultrasound technology remains the clinical leader at this point...for its versatility, cost effectiveness, deep (as well as skin level) effect and safety. I have contributed to several journals regarding the use of non-focused ultrasound in this respect, as well as have agreed to author several publications which are pending regarding clinical results to date. There is ongoing clinical and animal research, but preliminary results are very promising, and these corroborate the results we are currently seeing in our patients. I am hosting a webinar next month specifically designed for our existing Vaser Shape physician users, so that we may all continue to collaborate to see that our patients are beneficiaries of the ongoing, developing fund of knowledge regarding early treatment parameters.

Additionally, I am happy to inform our patients that we are forming a new partnership with select local businesses... the first to be announced is an upcoming special evening we are hosting with Glasscock Boutique. The event will take place at Glasscock on Thursday May 26, 2011 from 4PM to 8PM, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit The Derby Museum. The evening will offer Botox and Juvederm at special savings, as well as selected skin care products from several lines, and a trunk showing from a selected designer. If you would like to be included on our guest list, just call the office and let one of my staff know.

Stay in touch, and we hope to see you this spring!

Many thanks,
Julene

Vaser Shape in Sydney, Australia

Good da' mate! If you have listed Australia on your bucket list of places to visit...I highly suggest you wait no longer! Thank you to all of the new friends I met during my recent visit...it was a great meeting and a wonderful way to share the US experience with Vaser Shape (Med Contour in other countries) with our Australian colleagues. Bella Media Services (thank you so much Gemma and Michelle!) did an excellent job of coordinating my visit with the Australian fashion and beauty magazine editors (Madison magazine, Cleo, Shop til You Drop, the plasticdiariesblog, thebeauty directory.com, Bella Beauty Magazine and The Plastic Surgery Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and Vogue magazine...did I forget anyone?). It was such an enjoyable experience, and an extra big thank you to Donna and Louis from Australian Medical Aesthetics...THE source for Med Contour in Australia. I hope that everyone enjoyed the complimentary treatments, and it was great to meet you all and share our US experience with you. We will look forward to reading the many editorials we know will follow the trip. It is the beginning of autumn in Australia, and I loved the welcoming nature of Australians...the country is absolutely lovely, and Sydney so centralized to the beautiful Blue Mountains, coast, harbor, and all the culture and cuisine offered by a large coastal city. I only wish Cynthia could have allowed me to stay longer, and that my whole family could have joined me. Next time I WILL be found touring the wine country or Gold Coast, surfing on Manley or Bondi beach, and riding horses on Cox's River in the Blue Mountains...as weather and time did not permit those activities this time! During my trip I did find that the clinics I visited, and the results that are being achieved by Donna McNeill, the Australian trainer, are very reflective of the great results we are experiencing here in the US...Med Contour/Vaser Shape really works!!! During my visit, I was able to share our favorite US treatment settings with our Australian colleagues, and we all learned from one another. All of the fashion and beauty magazine editors were very pleased with the immediate results of their treatments, and thought Med Contour was far superior to competitive technologies. I am pleased to report also that more information will be forthcoming regarding further reports on results of the initial 3000 patient treatments from the first 11 Vaser Shape clinical sites here in the US, as I have agreed to serve as lead author on the publication of those results in an upcoming publication. So far, I can tell you this...we are on average, after 4 to 6 treatments in most patients, seeing a loss of 0.5 to 1 inch in the first and each of subsequest treatments, an average of 2 to 4 or more inches lost after 4 treatments, skin tightening in all treated areas by IR imaging, and fat cell contents in the lymphatic system. I have also used Vaser Shape now in several pre-liposuction situations (the fat seems to be more easily mobilized and removed at surgery), as well as in several post-operative patients (tummy tuck and liposuction patients), and find Vaser Shape to be a nice complement to surgery when necessary. Thanks for being a friend to the practice, and stay tuned for more updates. Join us for our next Cocktails and Consults, featuring not only Vaser Shape demonstrations, but also our favorite Sciton Laser facial combinations, and our favorite facial injectables...Juvederm and Sculptra! Join us on April 28th from 4PM to 7PM for this event...RSVP please. Best always, Julene

Part III: Winter Skin Tips...Laser Options and Vaser Shape Update

Hello everyone!

It's certainly been a BUSY winter here in our practice! Seems like more than just a few people have taken Part I and Part II of my blog to heart and gotten busy skimming inches off their bellies and thighs with Vaser Shape and Vaser Lipo! (That was Part I of my last blog). Just as an update...we now make HcG injections part of our menu of options for those hoping to trim down before spring and summer. Call my office for more information on this, as we have diet and exercise advice to add to the traditional HcG diet popularized by Dr. Simeon's in the 1950's. For many patients, the metabolic boost provided by HcG injections makes following the diet so much easier...quite simply, I know of no other quicker or safer ways to lose unwanted poundage! (Like many of our patients, surgeons are notoriously interested in quick and immediate results!)

To update our Vaser Shape followers...we have now completed our initial series of 70 patients with at least 4 Vaser Shape treatments each, and Melanie, Rita, Terry and I continue to hone our skills in achieving at least one or two inches of lost circumferential measurement in ALL patients! Most patients are losing an average of 2 to 4 inches in a month without dietary intervention. Some of our patients are using HcG in addition, and although we do not enter their data into our research protocols, they are pleased as they can be!

There are now some exciting results coming in from animal studies which are delineating how well the Vaser Shape non-invasive ultrasound is working to create both skin tightening as well as fat reduction, and I have just submitted some of our patient data for the first publications on Vaser Shape, and will be doing some international speaking regarding results and treatment protocols being developed. I will be hosting a workshop in Sydney, Australia next month, so will hopefully be able to collaborate with other practitioners who are finding clinical success with Vaser Shape around the globe! As always, we are happy to meet with prospective patients either one on one or in group consultation for a discussion of the best Body Contouring options...Vaser Shape or traditional liposuction/tummy tuck via Vaser Lipo. Also, join us for our next Cocktails and Consults, March 3rd from 4PM to 7PM on Vaser Shape and Vaser Lipo. We will have a great local food sponsor, drinks, and our local celebrity patient, Linda Lambert from 102.3 The Max radio station! Other Vaser Shape and Vaser Lipo patients will be there as well, both devices will be on hand, and Chuck Wright, our Sound Surgical representative, will be joining us. During the evening, I will give a presentation followed by live patient Vaser Shape demo's! Call to RSVP!

Now on to Part III of our winter skin tips...

Last blog we covered our favorite skin care products, and each of our staff weighed in with their "must-have" products. This week I wanted to touch on some of our favorite laser procedures for the face, neck, chest and decollatage areas. As many of you know, we own the Sciton Contour Profile laser system which is a uniquely designed device. We designed the laser specs for a device that has the flexibility to treat many skin problems within a single laser system. Since I was the first physician to bring this technology to the Louisville area, my nurses and myself now have over 6 years of experience in skin peels, ProFractional skin tightening, Broadband light treatments for sun damage and brown spots, treatment of visible facial and leg blood vessels and rosacea, and non-invasive skin tightening of the face and neck. I employ two registered nurses to assist with and perform laser treatments every day. We are happy to meet with prospective patients in one on one consultations to design a comprehensive treatment program of laser and skin care products that work together. There is still time before spring and summer to really work on your skin.

One of my favorite no downtime procedures to do all year is a combination Skin Tyte and BBL treatment for sun damage. I am outside all year long riding horses and running and love the pigment control and tightening I receive with a single ST/BBL laser treatment. I recommend a series of 6 treatments a year for patients who want the convenience of a no recovery procedure and who are trying their hardest to either put off the facelift, or who are trying to maintain the results of a facelift. As the laser gently heats the deeper layer of skin (the dermis or collagen layer), it thickens the skin, which makes it tighter and smoother.

For patients who can afford 3 to 5 days of mild swelling and bruising, and who want more visible tightening in a single session, I recommend ProFractional. We can vary the depth of treatment to control both the amount of tightening as well as the recovery period. Since all of these treatments are performed right here in our office, there is no anesthesia or facility fee.

For patients who desire skin smoothing, we like the laser peels. We can do a light or superficial peel or we can do a deeper treatment, depending upon how much recovery time a patient can allow, or how much smoothing they desire in a single treatment. The look of the skin after a peel is either similar to a mild sunburn or, for a deeper treatment, perhaps like a sunburn when the blister has come off. Again, no anesthesia or facility fee. Recovery times are 3 to 7 days, depending upon depth of the peel. This is the treatment we recommend the most frequently for acne scar patients or patients with deeper wrinkles. We can really do a lot of smoothing in a series of 1 to 3 peels for large pores, deep wrinkles or acne scars.

Probably the laser procedure I love the most is the combination laser peel plus ProFractional. Rita and Melanie are way skilled in making patients comfortable for this combination laser treatment, in which we can combine the peel for skin smoothing, and the ProFractional for skin tightening...a winning combination for wrinkles, large pores, pigment problems, and skin that is beginning to become lax or saggy. The face and neck are done together, and again, depth is decided upon after considering what the patient needs, as well as how long they can allow for recovery, usually only slightly longer than each treatment performed alone (ie, days to a week).

Since the Sciton laser uses evaporative/ablative wavelengths of light to effect the magical changes seen in our skin smoothing treatments like the peels, there is no heat involved in a typical peel, and therefore the healing times are much quicker and more comfortable. It is really the heat incorporated in other laser resurfacing treatments which hurts, and creates the significant downtimes with respect to skin redness following the treatments. In certain patients who desire more of a deep treatment, we can provide a bit of oral sedation and do a much deeper treatment, or in select cases (deepest acne scars or wrinkles), we might elect to go to an outpatient surgical facility such as our Eastpoint Surgery Center, to do a deeper laser resurfacing peel under anesthesia. However, most patients prefer to do moderately deeper peels right here in our office, and can do a series of even 3 deep "doctor peels" with me, and still not spend as much money as one deeper operating room peel, and with less recovery time.

So you really can use these bleak winter months to make significant improvements in the quality of your skin! Look over our Blogs, find out what your "hot topics" are, and schedule an appointment to come in and let me, Rita or Melanie put together a treatment package just for you. You might also want to call us or go online and see what "Spring Break specials" Cynthia is putting together right now. Be sure you have an updated email address for us to use to stay connected with the latest our office has to offer! Join us on Facebook or our website for new postings to Blogspot, and contact me personally to suggest new topics for our blog, Sculpt. I will discuss my favorite injectable treatments in an upcoming post.

Here's to a great-looking face for 2011!

Best to you,
Julene