Blow-tox: Is it worth it?

If you haven't already heard. Botox has found yet another use. Saving the blow-out. Yes, that precious blow-out that you spent time and money on can be preserved with proper Botox placement in the scalp. The process takes about 20 minutes and involves multiple tiny injections into the scalp. These injections help prevent excessive sweating thus preserving your perfect hair.

Is it dangerous?

Not much more dangerous than regular Botox injections. Of course you could experience some of the typical side-effects but if any occur they should be very short lived.

How long does it last?

About 3-4 months

How much does it cost?

One session can cost up to $2,000 and should consist of about 100units of Botox or Botox-like product (xeomin/dysport). A reasonably priced session should be about $1200-$1500.

Any extra benefits?

Wait, if I don't sweat, isn't that bad? Nope, you excrete the majority of your toxins in urine and feces!

Why Would I ever?

Well, I cannot endorse this treatment except for certain circumstances. If you are leaving the country and cannot get your hair done while away, this may be a viable option for you or maybe you just really like your doctor more than your hair dresser.

Fun Fact!

Botox has been used in bladder cancer, stomach cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, and chronic pain syndromes successfully.

www.symmetrymedicine.com

Beauty Delivered

Alexander L. Blinski M.D.

5 Tips to Get Your Body Beach Ready in 2 weeks!

Now that Summer is in full swing everyone is looking to shed those extra couple pounds. Did you know that putting in all that extra time at the gym is a waste if you don't eat right? The best way to drop a few extra pounds and help to avoid showing off your dad bod (or mom bod) this beach season is diet. Yes, I know you did not want to hear it, but diet concurs all. 

I could get all into the science behind diet, but essentially we need to curb our carbohydrate loads. By eliminating carbohydrates or at least limiting them you can push your body into a hypo-caloric state (or low calorie state). If done correctly with carbohydrate restriction, your body will start to melt fat away through ketosis. Ketosis is not dangerous in short intervals, it has actually been shown that intermittent caloric restriction increases longevity and decreases cancer rates. That's right, you can actually live longer! 

So not all of us went to nutrition school or medical school and don't have time to learn all about dieting. The general low carb or no carb diet should exclude:

• Bread
• baked goods 
• potatoes
• sugars
• fruits (minimal amount of fruit is ok, preferably ones high in antioxidants like blueberries)
• pasta
• rice
• Alcohol 

Most veggies are great to eat, meats, fish and most dairy are good as well. 

Remember you need to at least stick to a low carb diet (not a very low carb diet) in order to keep the weight off. This is a healthy and an all natural way of keeping the pounds off permanently. Please contact your doctor or nutritionist if you would like to learn more. Most offices start consults at around 200$ and you should bring a food diary to your appointment.

My advice to quick weight loss (about a pound a day). 

1. Grab a friend to do it with you
2. Cut out alcohol (Do the best you can, after all it is summer)
3. Have a salad for lunch or some green juice
4. Plan your meals and try to eat at home at least a few times a week. 
5. Get to the gym regularly with a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio a 3x/week. 

See you on the beach!

www.symmetrymedicine.com

drb@symmetrymed.com

P.S. Check out My Fitness Pal. It is a great food log app in the iOS apple app store for keeping track of calories and more importantly carbs!

The Best Kept Anti-Aging Secret

An Affordable way to keep your skin looking happy and healthy

Before and after VIPeel (7 Days)

If you aren't already educated in dermal peels, start reading. Peels have been around for decades and are a great way for anyone looking to help repair damaged skin or maintain their healthy glow. Peels have previously been the cornerstone of many anti-aging regimens, but have fallen out of favor for newer and "more interesting sounding" procedures like laser resurfacing (fraxel).

Are lasers better? In one word, yes. What patients fail to understand is that lasers are much more dependent on multiple factors and that having two or three peels can mirror laser results. A lot of times, laser treatments are "under-done" for fear of hurting the patient. In my eyes (which are wrinkle free), I think it is important to get the best bang for your buck! Laser treatments range in the $1,000 range while peels typically are around $200-400.  Each have their list of side-effects. A good peel does tend to take longer to heal, but that is usually because the peel is better than laser!

I am definitely not saying that patients do not need laser! I believe in an approach with multiple different angles to get the best natural results at the lowest price.

Peels can help with:

• Sun Damage
• Acne Scars
• Fine Lines
• Dark Spots
• Texture
• Complexion

Typically a "mix and match" approach with peels, micro-needling, cosmetic skin care regimens tend to work best, but peels are a great way to give your skin that jump-start it needs. Don't forget, you need about five days to recover (three of them you will want to stay indoors). 

Fat Melting? The Biggest Thing Since BOTOX.

 

Fat. Everyone hates it...

Just the word "fat" can make some people un-easy. For years scientist and cosmetic physicians have tried to come up with ways to eliminate fat. Liposuction, radio-frequency, cool-sculpting, and many more have been utilized to help reduce fat. Liposuction being the most reliable option until recently. Some smart scientists at Kythera Bio-pharmaceuticals have created a ground-breaking injectable medication that has long lasting safe effects for "dissolving fat". 

ATX-101 (un-namned medication) is currently less than a year away from hitting the cosmetic market. Think Botox for Fat. This medication will revolutionize the cosmetic market. So what is it? ATX-101 is a fat lysing agent that is intended for submental fat removal (double chins) via an injection. 

The results are astonishing, with large reduction of fat in the double chin area with just three treatments. ATX-101 melts away fat just like botox can melt away wrinkles. As of now it is just indicated for the "double-chin". The use of the product will likely expand (just as Botox did when it was first brought into practice for wrinkles). I think we will see the product being used for undereye fat pads (bags under eyes, NOT dark circles) 

My guess is the treatment prices will range $1000-2000 (for 3 sessions) with permanent results...

Imagine the selfies...

Before and After ATX-101 Fat Lysis (12 weeks)

www.symmetrymedicine.com
Drb@symmetrymed.com

Lips Lips Lips: What's Hot for 2015

Lips are Back! 

What's new for 2015 and more...

Now that winter is over, people are running to get their pretty faced primed up for the spring and summer season. One of the fastest rising and most preformed procedures is lip enhancement. Tons of celebs, young and old, are rushing to the doctor to get this treatment and gain either a sexy or youthful look.

Lips are one of the major contributors to beauty on a woman's' face, hence all the make-up, lip-liners, and lipstick used in common day routines. Our lips can appear deflated, dry, cracked, or small from various factors. The three major contributing factors are: age, environmental damage, and genetics.

Fortunately there are plenty of options to help lips stay looking fresh, young, youthful, and sexy. Some general measures such as tooth-brush exfoliation, antioxidants, avoiding harmful chemicals, and sunscreens can really make a difference.

A quick fix is commonly desired, and that can be done with injections. Most people dread the "duck-face" lips, but some actually ask for them! Most lips that you think are "done" are usually a more drastic effect, while there are hundreds of people walking around with "done" lips and you would have no idea! The ability to do a less drastic approach is due to the wide range of products available now.

Juvederm Ultra Plus XC has been on the market for years and is the "go to" lip filler. It allows for a more plumping effect than some of the other injections and typically lasts 6 months.

Restylane is a great alternative to juvederm and allows for a bit smoother experience but results only last about 3 months on average. Not as plumping as juvederm.

Belotero is relatively new to the market and quickly making  its mark. Belotero is similar to Restylane but lasts 3-9 months. It also has a smooth feel to it. Not as plumping as juvederm but allows for a very natural look.

Restylane Silk is the newest kid on the block. It allows for the some plumping effect while trying to keep the smoothness of traditional Restylane. It too allows for a very natural look. 

A quick note about these injections. There are potential for side-effects. They are very rare. The injections are made of hyaluronic acid gels that absorb water allowing your lips to look sexy and plump. Most side-effects can be dissolved with a second simple injection. Usually for a full appearing lip more than one syringe may be required. 

Symmetry Medicine - Get Beauty Delivereddrb@symmetrymed.comAlexander L. Blinski M.D

How to see a Doctor without seeing a Doctor

 

Virtual Telemedicine is one of the newest and fastest growing fields in medicine. It applies to all specialties in medicine. Start-ups are popping up left and right that offer "Virtual Consults". 

So what is a "Virtual Consult"?

A virtual consult consists of text messages, phone conversation, email messages, pictures, or live video interaction between a healthcare provider and a patient that enables the patient to get a prescription without being seen, or get re-directed to an appropriate health-care facility, specialist, or emergency room. 

This is a great tool for people to use looking for some insight into what is going on with them. There are plenty of new start-ups that allow you to connect to a doctor seamlessly, unfortunately you may or may not know about the doctor and their reputation. When it comes down to it, people like to talk to doctors they know or can relate to. Many practices are offering these services to their patients, they may not all be 24/7 but for the most part have good response times and for non-urgent medical needs can help you out. Typically 75% of the virtual consults I perform can be handled over the phone with follow up needed in some of the cases.

So skip the Doctor's office, if you can, and feel better faster...

Dr B

305.308.5712
www.symmetrymedicine.com
NYC | MIA

Vitamin A The Superhero of Skin Care Vitamin A, better known as Retinol or Retin-A has been the backbone of anti-aging medicine for years. With its implementation the field of anti-aging skincare was founded. Any good skin conditioning regimen incorporates vitamin A into the skin conditioning routine and for good reason.  Vitamin A works by encouraging new and stronger healthy skin to grow. As we age, sun damage and signs of aging build up and our natural mechanism for recovery slows down. Vitamin A will help get your skin improve its tone, texture, radiance, uniformity, fine lines, and thickness.  With more retrospective analysis of skincare regimens  and better technology we have recently been able to evaluate long term trials and newer delivery systems for these medicines. First to understand the general application of Vitamin A, you will have to know the two major groups (yes there are more): Retin-A & Retinol. Retin-A tends to be a much stronger product that has indications for antiaging and skin condition disorders (acne, hyperpigmentation, scaring). It is a great product but comes with some problems. Retin-A has a 3-6 week "reaction phase" in which the skin will need time to adjust to this new product. The skin will become dry and flakey. This can detour a lot of patients from completing use. After 12 -16 weeks your final results will be shown in beautiful radiant skin. Unfortunately, longer studies are showing that without a "skin holiday" (the cessation of using products) Retin-A can cause more harm than good. This is where we turn to Retin-A's little brother, Retinol.  Retinol is a weaker product, but excels greatly in patient compliance. That's right, its easier to use with less "irritating" side-effects. The usual adaption phase of getting used to the product is 1-2 weeks of redness and flaking. Results are similar in long term studies, but Retin-A does work much faster. Another advantage of retinol is that it does not cause any long term side-effects to the skin. The skin will continue to improve and prevent even with long term use.  It is important to know that with any of these products, daily sunscreen application is a MUST. The stability of the product is also important. Not just any product will work well. 0.05-0.1% is the ideal concentration of retinol. It should be in Cream form as gels and lotions cause more irritation. Moisturizer is improtant, but if used during the application of retinol can decrease the retinols efficacy. The product must be kept away from sunlight and at room temperature in order to stay stable. Newer nano-particles and fat designed products enable for better skin penetration. Currently I recommend skinceuticals products as they have the best profile.

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Email Dr. B

Botox: The Latest Trends!

Botox is hotter than ever. Popularity of cosmetic treatments is exploding every year. More and more new treatments keep hitting the market and more patients are seeking out Botox at younger ages and for "off label" treatments. Off label treatments, are treatments that are not the traditionally used method, but an alternate method that patients are getting benefits from. 

What Everyone is Saying:

The general consensus for use of Botox at a younger age is to help prevent lines instead of waiting for them to show up and then correcting them. This has widely been accepted as a valid use with great results.  

One new study that has recently been presented at the American Academy of Dermatology has shown that women that use Botox consistently over a long term period not only perceive themselves as younger, but also feel younger. These woman report more energy, more active lifestyles, and better sex drives. 

Still Coming of Age: Xeomin

Younger patients are turning to Botox's little brother, Xeomin. Xeomin is a Botox alternative and uses a bioidentical form of Botox (Botulinum) results are equivalent in major studies and in 90% of my patients results are equivalent. Xeomin is a great alternative that shows faster results at less cost. Xeomin treatments can be about $100 dollars less on average of a typical Botox treatment. 

Newest Uses
The latest new use is Botox is an old one re-invented. Blocking excessive perspiration (hyperhydrosis). Botox has been used in the past for preventing excessive armpit perspiration which lead to its use to prevent hand or foot sweating. Now with all the time and money being spent on hair salons and dos, woman are having small injections of Botox into the scalp to prevent excessive sweating and preserve their new look. 


Botox is a brand name product produced by Allergan. Xeomin is a botulinum product equivalent to Botox produced by Merz Aesthetics. Both products are FDA approved and safe for use with no known long-term side-effects. Botox has been around since the early 80's. 

Symmetry Medicine is a concierge service that delivers medical grade beauty treatments in the privacy of your own home or apartment. Schedule an appointment today and receive one free skinceuticals sample product and discounted first purchase on any skin care product. 

 

www.symmetrymedicine.com

Beauty Delivered on your time.