I am flattered that so many people recognized me on the cover of October’s OC Health Magazine. If you would like to read the article, click on this link. I was interviewed on topics ranging from my use of fillers (such as Juvederm, Radiesse and Artefill), Botox and lasers to my use of artistry when treating patients.
See this week’s page to learn about how to reduce bruising after cosmetic procedures, such as Juvederm, Radiesse, Restylane and BOTOX.
These are tough economic times. But we still want to feel good about ourselves and to look our best. While many of my patients can still afford to do whatever they want to do for themselves, I have many patients who would love to do more for themselves than they can currently afford. Luckily there are still many great cosmetic procedures you can do as a second choice treatment. You can always put the first choice, best treatment on your “wish list” for the future.
Here are some common cosmetic treatments and their less expensive alternatives:
Instead of a:
Nose Job - get a filler nose job with Radiesse or Artefill (it takes just 10 minute and looks good immediately)
Face Lift - get a Liquid Face Lift or Fraxel CO2 re:pair laser treatment
Botox Crow’s Feet or Frown Lines - just get a Botox Brow Lift
Photo-Facial (IPL) for texture and brown spots- get a series of medical microdermabrasions
Microdermabrasion- get a series of light glycolic peels
Light Peels - use physician-strength skin care products
Vivite Complete Skin Care System - use Vivite Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30
Obagi Nu-derm System- use Vivite Vibrance with Obagi C-clarifying serum
Fraxel CO2 re:pair Laser - get a series of Fraxel re:store laser treatments
Fraxel re:store Laser - get a series of Photo-Facials (IPL)
Juvederm lip plumping - get a half size syringe and just outline and define your lips
Juvederm/Radiesse/Artefill treatment for wrinkles - get a smaller size syringe and treat the most important areas
Laser Hair Removal on legs - just laser your underarms or bikini areas for now
Eyelashes Extensions - use Lumigan at home (it’s also better than extensions since it grows your own eyelashes)
Any comments from my readers and patients?
I am heading off to Santa Barbara for the California Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery Annual Meeting this weekend so this week’s article will be very brief. I just wanted to share with you some great before and after photos of my Liquid Face Lift. Dr. Klein’s Liquid Face Lift™ is a comprehensive treatment incoroporating various fillers such as Radiesse and Juvederm, with or without Botox, to give your face a naturally younger look. Read more about it here.
My blog was a bit light last week because I was out of town attending a friend’s daughter’s wedding. Weddings also seem to bring a lot of patients to my office lately! Every week I seem to have several brides, mothers of brides and grooms (and even some fathers!) and other assorted relatives, friends and bridesmaids coming in for pre-wedding beautification. Botox is probably the #1 most popular pre-wedding treatment with fillers and lasers running a close second. Sclerotherapy for leg veins is also pretty popular before weddings, more so for the mothers who are not wearing gowns and whose legs are exposed.
Since patients are often unsure of when to do what, here is a simple timeline for getting ready for the big event (reunions as well!)
Botox - at least 2 weeks before so the results kick in completely, 4-6 weeks before is even better to give you time to come in for a touch-up if necessary.
Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse, and other fillers - at least 2 weeks before so you won’t have bruising on the big day, 4-6 weeks before is even better to give you time to come in for a touch-up if necessary.
Photo-Facials, SmoothBeam, Fraxel and other lasers - most of these take several treatments, usually done monthly, so start early, perhaps 6 months before, to get the optimal results.
Laser Hair Removal - Since you will see results after only 2-3 treatments (although you need more treatments for permanent results) start at least 2 months ahead.
Microdermabrasion - 6 treatments are recommended and can be done weekly, so start at least 2 months ahead.
Skin Care - Have a series of facials once a month or every 2 weeks for 2-3 months before the big day. If you have acne, also see a dermatologist several months ahead to get on some good acne medication and possible laser treatments.
Hair Care and Makeup - Make sure you find someone you like to do a trial run on your hair and makeup prior to the big day.
We are pleased to announce that Julie R. has won our Ugly Bettie Contest. Julie’s hard work of raising a family for 20 years plus multiple stressful events in her life had begun to show on her face. She is preparing to go out into the workforce again after being a stay-at-home mom for many years and needed our help. Julie is a beautiful woman who could use some tuning up to bring back a more youthful look. We chose Julie because we saw in her an amazing transformation waiting to take place and for her heart-felt story.
After my consultation with Julie we decided to treat her to a series of photo-facial treatments (IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light), a Liquid Face Lift consisting of Radiesse wrinkle treatments and cheek enhancements, Juvederm injections to define her lips and Botox to treat her frown lines and crows feet. She also received a Vivite Skin Care System of skin care products to start her at-home skin rejuvenation. Julie’s transformation should be complete sometime in November. We’ll share her before and after photos with all of you then.
My story of the week was prompted by several patients I saw this week whom I had treated with Botox, Juvederm, Radiesse, Artefill and cosmetic lasers relating their stories to me about how their family and friends can’t guess why they look so good. Some say, “did you cut your hair?”, others say “did you lose weight?” Another common comment when they can’t pinpoint why you are glowing is “that is a GREAT color you’re wearing, it really makes you look good!” This is EXACTLY what we want as a result of great cosmetic treatments. When I treat my patients with BOTOX, Juvederm, Radiesse, Artefill and lasers, such as Fraxel Laser, I create a very natural look. I’ll never give a patient fish lips for example, but I can use Juvederm to create subtly fuller (if they desire) and/or younger looking lips! Nor will I give them frozen faces, but I can use BOTOX Cosmetic to lift brows, smooth frown lines and erase crows feet. The biggest compliment I can receive is when a patient comes back to my office, after his or her Restylane, Botox or other cosmetic injection treatment, and tells me that she or he got lots of compliments but no one could guess what they had done.
Remember, up to 90% of your results from these treatments is from the technique and artistry of the physician or medical provider performing your BOTOX, Juvederm, Radiesse or Artefill treatment. Choose wisely, not by price!
This week a patient told me she was staying home for her vacation this summer (taking a “stay-cation”) so she could invest instead in herself. She decided to use her vacation budget for BOTOX and Juvederm treatments with me. She felt that this kind of “stay-cation” would make her look rested and relaxed, as if she just came back from vacation, but last for months! I suggested we call this type of stay-cation a Rejuva-cation.
Dr. Klein was asked by the makers of PainEase to demonstrate a completely painless BOTOX and Radiesse filler injection using PainEase spray. Check it out if you’d like to observe Dr. Klein performing these treatments.
I find that when I do injectable fillers, such as Juvederm, Radiesse and Artefill I occasionally have patients who faint or nearly faint. It is common but we do our best to try to prevent it if possible. Before I treat a patient for the first time with a filler I usually ask them if they have ever fainted or gotten light-headed in the past with medical procedures or blood tests. If a patient says “yes” we put their feet up and recline them slightly, which usually prevents the problem from occurring. After treating hundreds of patients with fillers, I have discovered an interesting correlation with other answers to my question. If they give me an immediate, firm “no”, sometimes with a small laugh (as if to say, “me, are you kidding!?”), I know they will be fine and rarely will they become light-headed or faint. If however they hesitate in the least when answering my question, or answer “not really”, 9 times out of 10 they will get light-headed, usually when we are almost done with this quick 10 minute procedure. This was proven to me once again this week and I have decided that “not really” actually means, “I don’t want to, I will try my best not to, I am hoping I won’t, but I will DEFINITELY get light-headed after you start to inject me, whether I think I will or not.”
So, if you aren’t 99% - 100% sure you won’t faint or get light-headed, don’t be embarrassed about it. Tell your doctor. A caring physician will take special care to help you avoid this.
