Well, Botox is in the media AGAIN. I wanted to comment on this most recent news that may have left some of you a little scared of Botox. Here are the facts on this new report ( I will include a link as well that gives details). The Botox deaths were cases of overdosing. These were mainly children being treated for muscle spasms associated with cerebral palsy and other problems. The only adult that had cosmetic treatment of Botox died of Pneumonia and that was 7 weeks after her treatment - probably unrelated. So, the bottom line is that the FDA has not made any changes on its cosmetic approval of the use of Botox and we will follow any safety updates recomended by the FDA.

Tags: Botox, Facial Rejuvenation by Dr Rasi
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So, you work out…eat right…. do all the right things - and there still is an area that is flabby and won’t go away! This very frustration is a common complaint in my office and until the last year we did not have a great answer except for liposuction. I have been researching injection lipolysis for a long time and wanted to wait until we have gained enough experience before I started offering it at Senza. I have gone to many many training courses and feel like I have a good grasp on this treatment.  This treatment is very effective in pockets of fat if it is done properly and meticulously. In our office, you will always have treatments done by a doctor (myself). We have a very specific protocol and our solution is not just a cocktail or potion - it is simply the active ingredients Phosphatidylcholine and Deoxycholate (PC DC) along with an anesthetic to help with discomfort. I will later post describing what PC DC is and how it works. For small pockets of fat that will shape the body - this treatment is great. Senza is the only office in the Inland Empire that offers this meticulous attention to detail with lipodissolve. We call it Medical Lipodissolve.

Tags: Cellulite/Fat, Injection Lipolysis, Lipodissolve by Dr Rasi
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Many patients take great care of their faces but neglect their neck and chest.  It is just as important to protect the neck and chest from sun exposure to prevent the effects of aging (wrinkles, sun spots and discoloration).  We offer many treatments that address this area - Medlite laser, Pearl, Fraxel, Limelight IPL, as well as topical products that can be used to improve the area such as Obagi and their new elastederm decolletage system specifically designed for the neck.  I always inform patients that the neck and chest take both more treatments to correct and the treatment recovery is longer.  These treatments do not require wound care but it is obvious that you have had a treatment done for at least 3-4 weeks.  All the spots darken and there is a reddish/brown hue to the skin.  The good news is that you can improve the appearance of the neck and chest with a combination of these treatments.

Tags: Fraxel, Medlite, Pearl by Dr Rasi
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I have always been conservative when it comes to augmenting the lips. I like a very natural appearance and would rather be on the conservative side since it is easy to add more but you have to wait it out if you feel like there is too much fill. My favorite filler for the lips is Juvederm. If the patient is willing, I like to define the lip border with Cosmoplast first and add some volume with the Juvederm. I think this gives the most natural lip augmentation you can get. If you keep up with touchups every 6 months or so, the correction can last for up to 9 months over time.

Tags: Cosmoplast, Facial Rejuvenation, Fillers, Juvederm by Dr Rasi
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We LOVE this procedure! Our patients can’t believe how natural and soft the results are and in many cases the change is dramatic…all with a no down-time 20 minute procedure with minimal discomfort. We use nerve blocks that make the treatment virtually painless. I tend to use Perlane for this since it lasts a little longer than Restylane but for patients that are partial to Juvederm or Radiesse we can use either with equal results. What we do is fill in the hollow where the malar fat pad used to sit before it took a trip south thanks to gravity. What this does is re-volumize that upper mid cheek region and it literally lifts up the mid face. For patients with deep smile lines (nasolabial folds) and marionette lines (Mesolabial folds) we fill those with Perlane primarily. The corners of the mouth can literally be brought up so that there is less down-turning and frown-like appearance. We also fill along the jawline to soften any lax or sagging of the jowls giving the jawline a smoother flowing line. We combine this treatment with other laser procedures like the Pearl laser peel or Fraxel and end up with a neat little “mini makeover”.

Tags: Facial Rejuvenation, Fillers, Juvederm, Perlane, Radiesse, Restylane by Dr Rasi
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In the age of extreme makeovers, where televised plastic surgery leaves many scared of going under the knife.  More and more patients are opting for less invasive treatments that leave no tell-tale signs of having “something done”.  Senza has been at the forefront of less invasive rejuvenation treatments and we are seeing more and more interest in using fillers to battle the hands of time.  There are many fillers now available and the choices can be daunting.  We use Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, Radiesse and Cosmoplast.  I like different fillers for different areas of the face so in a consultation we go over the pros and cons of each and come up with a good treatment plan for each individual.  I will be going over different treatment areas in subsequent posts including our “liquid face lift”.

Tags: Cosmoplast, Facial Rejuvenation, Fillers, Juvederm, Perlane, Radiesse, Restylane by Dr Rasi
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We have been running a contest along with 96.7 KCAL FM here in the Inland Empire and it is a search for the Inland Empire’s worst tattoo. The winner will receive free laser tattoo removal of the tattoo. We have had a number of submissions and it will be fun to pick the winner. The winner’s tattoo will be posted here along with some other interesting ink for people to enjoy.

Tags: Ink, Tattoo Removal by Dr Rasi
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There are a myriad of treatments that are available for improving our facial appearance. The main categories are: Laser treatments, Peels, Fillers (Restylane, Juvederm), Botox, Microdermabrasion, LED light treatments to name a few.

I am going to focus in on a new laser treatment called Pearl. This is a traditional full surface laser peel as opposed to a fractional laser treatment like Fraxel. The wavelength of laser that is used for the Pearl treatment is a new one that is 2790nm and technically is called a YSGG (Yttrium Scandium Gallium Garnet for those technically interested). Senza Aesthetic Medicine, here in Redlands, had the honor of being one of the initial evaluation sites for this device and we have quite a bit of experience with it. It is a great treatment that freshens up the skin by treating the epidermis(outer layer) of the skin and heats up the dermis(deeper layer) of the skin stimulating collagen production. What patients see with this treatment is a moderate amount of social downtime (more of an inconvenience) but a nice reduction in uneven pigmentation and reduction of fine lines.

We see the best results with 2 Pearl treatments spaced about 1-2 months apart. I think this is a great treatment for anyone that wants to freshen up their complexion with minimal risk and downtime. The only negative responses we have had have been a mild contact dermatitis that is easily treated with a topical steroid cream. We are currently working on protocols for neck and chest treatments and will be starting an IRB consensus study sponsored by Cutera the laser manufacturer. What I think is the best thing about this treatment is that even in one treatment there is a WOW effect. It takes more than 3-4 Fraxel treatments to get the same response and the cost savings is substantial - as always Senza strives to give the most value in the Inland Empire.

Tags: Facial Rejuvenation by Dr Rasi
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