Category Archives: Skin Care

Day 2 Vegas Cosmetic Surgery Aesthetic Dermatology 2013

Advanced Dermatology Section

This was a one of the best days of this educational program for me.  I spent the entire day in the advanced dermatology portion.  There was three sessions going on at the same time.  Most of the lectures I heard were about fillers (Juvederm, Radiesse, Perlane, Restylane, Belotero) and neurotoxins (Botox, Xeomin, Dysport).  This was one of my main goals of this course was to absorb as much as I could about the topic.  I was thrilled to see the European and Russian experiences with Botox, Fillers, etc.  There were also sections on ethnic skin and hyperpigmetation.  It was an eye opener to see a bunch of discussions on the complications of fillers and Botox.  We’re glad we have hyaluronidase in our office as part of a kit for filler emergencies.  There was also a lot of info about hydroquinone and tretinoin.  Did you know that there’s hydroquinone in coffee?  I also saw a lecture where they used ultrasound to help guide decision making regarding filler placement.  There was also a brief discussion of fake filler products.  I liked the idea of using ultra sound gel as a substance to help massage fillers.  There were also a ton of information regarding using blunt cannulas for fillers which is something I’ve been doing.

Factors that affect Different Neurotoxins

  • Dilution
  • Manipulation
  • Physician technique
  • Storage

Key words

  • Retrograde threading
  • Malar flattening
  • Sandwich Volumetry

It’ll be great to bring back all this international information to our cosmetic plastic surgery practice in Modesto, CA.

And after the lectures:

We went to another lecture sponsored by Merz Aesthetics, the makers of Belotero and Xeomin (and Asclera for veins).  The talk was Innovations in Facial Aesthetic Medicine, Mastering the Art and Science of Injectables.  Amazingly it was produced by Paradigm Medical Communications, located in Orangeburg, NY.  Their telephone number is 845-398-5100.  They said they were located on 303.  I have friends who live in Orangeburg, New York and I have a personal connection to that location.  This CME program was 3 credits.

Day 1 Vegas Cosmetic Surgery 2013

First official day of the Vegas Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Dermatology Conference 2013

I particularly got a lot great ideas and info regarding Botox and Fillers (Juvederm).  I was very interested in the way they treated complications.

I also attended sessions that talked about social media, habits of very successful cosmetic practices, blogging, reviews, thank you notes, patient surveys, and the usage of YouTube videos.  I hope to act on much of this.  It was almost info overload.  And this was only day 1.

Plastic Surgery Related Booths we visited

  • Operative headlamp company – about $800 for a head lamp.  3 hour-4 hour battery life. LED bulb!
  • Zein Obagi.  Looked at the differences between Zein Obagi and Obagi
  • Touch MD – incredible stuff indeed.  Touch MD is a technological way to visually share the plastic surgical consultation with the patient.  There’s a program component which resides on the computer and then there’s a “cloud” component where the data resides.  The data can be accessed from many other devices and webpages via secure methods.  This is a great addition to EMR.  And perhaps would be a great addition to our plastic surgical practice in Modesto, CA.  They said that currently they don’t have any doctors in Modesto, CA who have Touch MD.  It also has a back end for picture management.

We were originally going to see a show, but instead we talked with the guys at Touch MD.

TiZO3 and Lip Balm

We found an an amazing Sun Screen for the lips.  It is made by the Fallene company in their Solar Protection Formula line.  TIZO is among one of their products.  Dr. Tammy Wu said that she has been looking for a lip balm that is a physical / mineral based for awhile.  We just found the LipTect product at the Vegas Cosmetic Surgery conference.  Along with this, we also found the  TiZO3 sunscreen for the face.  It has Titanium, Iron, and Zinc.  It is Paraben, Oil, PABA and fragrance free.  It is also tinted and is a very water resistant formula.  We will have the LipTect (Lip balm) and TiZO3 sunscreen available for purchase at Surgical Artistry, Modesto, CA.  Dr. Calvin Lee (me) takes credit for introducing Dr. Tammy Wu to the booth, and Dr. Wu made the decision to make an opening order!  One more reason for this – it would be an great product to protect a lip augmentation investment.

Tomato plants in Modesto, CA

Sun Sugar Tomato. First harvested on 6-23-13. The flavor was delicious!

Sun Sugar Tomato. First harvested on 6-23-13. The flavor was delicious!

One of our hobbies is gardening.  Since 2003, we’ve bee planting various tomato plants in Modesto.  We really like planting heirloom tomatoes.

When does the first tomato harvest of the year happen in Modesto, California

The timing of the first ripe tomato in our Modesto backyards is around the beginning of July.  A nice way to celebrate July 4th!  We’ve had friends get pounds of tomatoes even before July.  Our ares of tomato plantings have some shading so it’s probably not as optimal, but it works and fresh harvested tomatoes are delicious!  It’s one of my favorite things to do in our back yard in Modesto, CA.

We usually use raised beds and tomato cages called “Texas Tomato Cages” which has been sturdy for us for the last 10 years, and we leave the cages outside all the time.  I’ve ordered these cages online.

This is what the yellow pear (cherry tomato) looks like today 6-23-13. They aren't ready yet. But they seem very prolific. I grew these before and I got so many of these, I started getting sick of them (as did my neighbors). We'll see how they do this year - it's a different location and the prolific nature of these probably has to do with location.

This is what the yellow pear (cherry tomato) looks like today 6-23-13. They aren’t ready yet. But they seem very prolific. I grew these before and I got so many of these, I started getting sick of them (as did my neighbors). We’ll see how they do this year – it’s a different location and the prolific nature of these probably has to do with location.

Great healthy eating is great for our health and reflects well on our skin.  We do believe that healthy appearing skin starts with great nutrition, and then followed by great sun protection – as you may already know, Zinc is our favorite product in sunscreen.

www.SurgeryToday.com (209) 551-1888

www.SurgeryToday.com
(209) 551-1888

Aesthetic Treatment Plan based on Facial Anatomy

Aesthetic injection of botox and fillers

Developing an Aesthetic Treatment Plan: Evaluating Facial Anatomy June 8, 2013.

Evaluating Facial Anatomy for Injectable Fillers and Botox

An fantastic discussion of evaluating facial anatomy, especially intrinsic aging of the facial bony structure, and fat pads. The injector in this discussion, Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald, expert Dermatologist in Los Angeles is truly an artist and has a great ability to evaluate. I don’t entirely agree with everything, but I think that’s the artistry in our craft. But I finished the educational activity knowing that there’s much for me to learn and improve upon in my Botox and Juvederm aesthetic practice in Modesto, CA.

My main take home message: Fat Compartments of the Face

For me, a lot of what was discussed are things that I already do in my practice.  But I enjoyed listening to the topics of the fat compartments of the face.

Fat Compartments of the Face – Anatomy

The discussion here is supplemented with my own notes from:

Rohrich and Pessa, Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 119: 2219, 2007

  • Subcutaneous fat of the face is partitioned in distinct anatomical compartments
  • Nasolabial fold is a discrete unit with distinct anatomical boundaries
  • Malar fat pad is composed of three separate compartments: medial, middle, and lateral temporal cheek fat.
  • Orbital fat is located in three compartments determined by septal borders.
  • Facial aging is, in part, characterized by how these compartments change with age.

More Notes on Facial Anatomy.  There is much much more to facial anatomy than those very few pictures and descriptions on that webpage which I made a while ago.

Aesthetic Definitions

She talks about Hyaluronic Filler and Neuromodulators.  She uses these terms because they are non-specific, and doesn’t favor one manufacturer over another.

0.75 hours of CME credit earned from www.Medscape.com

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Microderm For Skin Is Like New Sago Palm Leaves

It’s June here in Modesto, CA.  In my backyard, I have several Sago palm trees which are developing new leaves.  These new leaves are very soft – very much like the new skin that is encouraged to grow via microdermabrasion.  Perhaps the same analogy could be made for old skin before microdermabrasion – it would be like the older leaves on the plant which are somewhat rough and prickly.

Sago Palm New Growth

New growth from our Sago Palm. The new leaves are soft to touch, just like the new skin that is encouraged to grow after microdermabrasion.

Sago Palm New Leaves - opening up even more

This is the same Sago Palm tree as above. The new leaves are almost opened up completely. At this point the new leaves are still very soft and silky to touch.

Below pictures are closer up pictures of the new growth on the sago palm tree.  These pictures are in between the stages of the first and second picture.  The pictures below show how the sago palm leaves uncurl.  It has a scroll like appearance – somewhat like the scroll head of a violin.

a uncurling of alien fingers 2

a uncurling sago 2

Closeup of one of the earliest stages of new palm leaf growth for our Sago Palm in our backyard in Modesto, CA

Closeup of one of the earliest stages of new palm leaf growth for our Sago Palm in our backyard in Modesto, CA

Sago Seed (not really related to Microdermabrasion or Sago Palm new leaves, but nevertheless a nice picture)

Sago Seed (not really related to Microdermabrasion or Sago Palm new leaves, but nevertheless a nice picture)

 

Learn more about microderm in Modesto, CA.

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