Dear Friends, Family, and Patients, What humbles me the most in my practice is, hearing my patients’ personal stories and journeys that has led them to be in the seat across from me in my office. So, I thought, why not share mine? If my patients can be at their most vulnerable in front of me, then maybe I can too.  To be fair, my story isn’t quite unique. There are lots of women out there going through similar versions of what I have experienced. But that just means, that my story is RELATABLE.  Relatable to people struggling out there in this world defined by the words – fast, instant gratification, comparison driven, ___ (insert what you experience).  During medical

Under eye dark circles and bags have plagued people for a long time. Dark circles and bags can not only make you look tired, but can also age you. The appearance of these tend to have a pretty strong genetic predisposition; and also influenced by other factors such as smoking, diet, sleep habits etc. But those later ones are modifiable. Genetics  – not so much. So, although you may be inclined to just “learn to love” them, there are a few options out there to help lessen the appearance of under eye dark circles and bags.  Do your under-eye dark circles bother you? Are you ready for a PRP consult?

What are Jowls? They are the drooping lower cheeks and skin over your jawline that can form as we age. So- you have jowls that you don’t quite like, and you want to pull them up? Well, if you want the real deal – that’s a FACE LIFT.  Invasive plastic surgery. Many people definitely do not want to go that route for many reasons. So what are the next best treatments? Fillers and Tox!  PDO threads can be used as well. It is a good idea to have a realistic goal in mind as these treatments will give you a natural and a subtle lift.  First, let’s figure out why we get jowls. Over time, many factors contribute to the

If you have seen my information reel about Sculptra, you know the gist of this blog.  What is Sculptra? Sculpture is poly -L-lactic acid. This is a synthetic compound, which, when injected in the right plane of your tissues, helps stimulate fibroblasts-which are cells that build and lay down the collagen under your skin. Why Sculptra? As we age, we lose our natural collagen over time. This causes skin laxity and decline in overall integrity. Different factors affect how fast and how much collagen you lose overtime. Such as sun exposure, smoking, dehydration, pollution exposure, product usage, chronic illnesses, and other daily habits as well. Regardless, in order to tell your body to build more collagen, we need to tell

In the journey towards facial balancing, we HAVE to address the lips! And NO! I am not talking about duck clips, big lips, wide lips, flat lips. I’m talking about enhancing YOUR natural lip shape that you have in order to fit the overall aesthetic of your face in a very NATURAL way.  In younger patients who don’t have significant volume loss or upper lip droop, a little lip plump with very lightweight filler does the trick effectively. 0.5 cc to 1 cc can make a big difference. You can achieve such natural looking results without looking overdone. It is key in the overall facial balancing process.  As we get older, the area above our top lip loses laxity and can make our

One of the most common concerns of an aesthetic patient is: what happens if I get a complication? I believe every single patient should be extensively educated on the potential complications of any aesthetic treatment prior to proceeding with a treatment. The good part is – these are rare with a mindful and experienced injector.  Let’s TOX about it: neuromodulators such as Botox, Disport, Jeuveau etc are relatively safe in the dosages we use. There tend not to be any irreversible complications per se. Rather, potential is for some unintended temporary effects. Such as: eyelid droop during forehead botox, difficulty using a straw or smoking after upper lip botox (which some people actually desire), changes in smile pattern, smile/eyebrow asymmetry,

“Everyone’s doing it, but I’m nervous.”  “I don’t want to look fake.”  “I don’t like needles.”  …And so many more concerns I hear almost on a daily basis from patients who have never had any aesthetic treatment, but have been thinking of starting.  I get it! It can be nerve-racking and overwhelming, especially when you don’t know what to expect. I am so grateful that so many of my patients have trusted me to be the kickstarter of their aesthetic journey. In this blog, I want to address a few of the first time concerns. Just like I do during my consultation appointments.  So let’s address the top few: “I don’t know where to start” ~ That’s A-OK! that’s why

Preventative aesthetic treatments, especially neurotoxins (such as Botox, Jeuveau, Dysport and others) are a bit of a hot topic. So here’s a little bit of a background in order to understand why “preventative” treatments are recommended by some injectors. When we are young, we don’t have wrinkles or skin folds as we have not had years of use or wear and tear of our skin, muscles, and facial fat pads. We have that young & plump looking skin. But overtime, with persistent use of our facial muscles and other age related factors, we develop skin folds and wrinkles. Genetics also has a big part in this. Some wrinkles can be dynamic – meaning that we only see them when we make

There is a whole field dedicated to the science of aging. Briefly, as we age, we tend to slowly lose the structural integrity of skin leading to decrease is healthy fat pads, thinning of blood vessels, decline in collagen, overall hydration status and much more. These processes directly result in the outward appearance of aging. But, can we support the appearance of aging with external treatments? Absolutely!  Here comes Skinvive by Allergan Aesthetics. Skinvive is a hyaluronic acid (which naturally occurs in your body), in microdroplet form. This is injected in the dermal layer of the skin – specifically the cheek and periauricular area where hydration loss can have the greatest effect. This attracts your body’s natural moisture which results

“That stuff is for women,” I overhead a couple of men say while talking amongst each other at a coffee shop while I happened to be working on my aesthetics business plan. I used to hear that a lot. I still do. BUT – women aren’t the only ones getting Botox. Times are changing, oh yes! Men are increasingly adding cosmetic procedures to their aesthetic routine. Botox being a common one. Men are getting more in-tuned to their appearances, especially in terms of aging. As the wrinkles slowly set in- to where they appear on the face even without making an expression- is a pretty common sign when I see men starting to take the next steps. Many times, it

Glycemic index. Hypoglycemia. Hyperglycemia. Insulin dump. Fasting glucose. Hypoglycemic unawareness. Fingerstick…and on and on. Ever heard of these terms thrown around and wonder what they are about? How they relate to your body?  Most of us who have been actively putting some intention into our day-to-day food choices, often wonder what our body is doing in real time. I know I do. I find that it is so much easier to be mindful about putting the right things into my body when I know how my body reacts to it in real time (at least in glycemic terms).  Realistically, there are many facets of understanding the breakdown absorption of nutrition by our body. No single measurement can accurately provide our

“I don’t know what else to do!” “I keep trying and trying and nothing works!” “I just need some help!” are a few statements amongst many I have heard from people who have been on the weight loss journey. Sure, for many people weight loss is the primary goal – but the overall intention is also longevity, which can afford you qualitative healthier years as well.  The western diet is heavy in highly processed foods, and can lack key nutritional components such as complex carbohydrates, good fatty acids, fiber, and healthy proteins. This can cause hormonal disruptions resulting in interference with hunger cues, overeating, craving more of the same foods and ultimately poor gut health. This happens in variety of

For decades there have been hundreds, if not thousands of books, articles, and magazines which talk about diets, exercises, fads, lifestyle modifications and so on. So may this blog be different? It may be not. But, I like to focus on keeping things practical.  After having grown up with a background that believes in non-western medicine and holistic foods, and then being immersed in western food/lifestyle/medicine, I have seen the sharp transition of diet related effects on mental and physical health. During medical school, I was able to learn the intricate biophysical processes which are involved in processing nutrition.  Over time, I have found the following three books which have had a positive impact on my life and I want