November 2011 Newsletter

To My Patients:

Have once again been remiss in sending out this newsletter as many of our patients have inquired about my tardiness.  I imagine it has been crazy for most of you with the recurring financial fluctuations, political bantering, housing market insecurities and our wonderful unstable world economies.  Currently, as an optimist, I believe all these situations will improve but we must remain patient. It will take some time. 

I have decided to send out more frequent, briefer newsletters to avoid long meandering thought processes.  Again, if you hate this let us know and we will take you off the list. 

Amy Boyd, Trusted Aesthetician: Since Amy has worked in our office for the last 14 years, she has established herself as one of the more competent and successful aestheticians in this area.  Our patients love her and she has a few ideas on some new improved skin treatments that she has had extensive training on. 

Words from Amy:

You are never too old to learn something new, right?  I have recently been trained to perform the Skin Ceuticals line of Clinical Peel procedures.  They include the MicroPeel, the MicroPeel Plus and the Pigment Balancing Peel.  Skin Ceuticals’ arsenal of clinical (only to be done in a doctor’s office) procedures include peels for all major skin concerns from hyperpigmentation to fine lines and wrinkles to acne. There is a treatment for it all.

I was most excited to learn DermaPlaning, which is a component in the 3 step MicroPeel process. DermaPlaning exfoliates the epidermis to remove layers of dead, dull skin cells and vellus hair (peach fuzz).  This treatment has been around for 20+ years. I have heard about it for a long time, I have even had numerous clients request that I learn it and never had a chance to be trained until now.

Contact me to schedule a complimentary consultation, and find out which treatment is right for you. 

Amy Boyd, Aesthetician, 816-616-7018, Geraghtyskincare@yahoo.com.

FDA Panels on Silicone Breast Implant Approval Studies: Silicone breast implants have been back on the market for aesthetic and reconstructive procedures since 2006.  Since I operate on almost 200 patients a year for aesthetic breast implant procedures, one of the largest aesthetic breast implant practices in the region, it is vitally important that we maintain the proper safety and follow-up of our patients and that we participate with the breast implant approval studies through the FDA. Since the FDA panel met this fall, we know that the premarket data supports the safety and efficacy that has been previously verified. The decision to allow women to choose between silicone and saline implants has been a sound decision supported by science.  The studies have also demonstrated a high level of patient satisfaction with silicone breast implants and no established relationship between silicone implants and connective tissue disorders, one of the primary reasons these studies were implemented.  The FDA panel stated that silicone gel breast implants have a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness when used as labeled and that we will need to monitor the devices over the lifetime of our patients. 

Therefore, our patients should be reassured that their implants are safe and they are not sitting on some time bomb waiting to explode.  However, patients with silicone implants that are older than 15 years should be reevaluated by physical exam and mammography.  We welcome all our patients to return to the office for evaluation in the future.  We also agree with the American Cancer Society and the American College of Surgeons in advising all women 40 and older to have yearly mammograms.

Outcomes of Our Fractional CO2 Laser (Active FX) Treatment:  For the last three years we have been using the Active FX CO2 laser for treatment of fine wrinkles to moderately severe wrinkles of the entire face and neck. In the past I have used other types of CO2 lasers and even Phenol peels but have abandoned those treatments because of slight increase in the complications, i.e. loss of pigmentation and scarring.  Since using the Active FX laser in the last three years we have had no complications, no loss or gain of pigmentation and no scarring.  My learning curve is over and I feel that this is the best laser treatment for these wrinkles that cannot be improved by creams, lotions and potions and more conservative skin peeling procedures.

All of our patients are treated in the office with topical and local anesthetics with oral Valium and pain medication and are sent home all buttered up.  It takes less time for healing and redness to resolve—less than two weeks and the long-term results have far surpassed any other treatments in my hands.  In my learning curve days and as sometimes expected, approximately a third of the patients may need a repeat treatment in 6-12 months to have the desired smoothness of their skin from their deeper wrinkles. 

This is an invasive procedure, i.e. the use of a laser, but with 25 years of experience in laser therapy I feel like this is the best and safest treatment so far.  We only do Active FX laser treatments in the late fall and winter because sun exposure may cause some hyperpigmentation in the first several months post treatment. 

So if you want to know more about this or the dates of our treatments, call Lyn at our office or email us at geraghtymd@yahoo.com.  You can find more information on the Active FX laser at www.aesthetic.lumenis.com/skinactivefx-procedure/activefx.Consider this treatment if all the lotions, peels and facelifts that you may have had have not worked to eradicate those crevices. 

My friend, John Renucci, M.D. from Grand Rapids, Michigan, published a paper in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal this year on the ActiveFX laser.  You also can read about it at www.aestheticsurgeryjournal.com30 (6, 845-852).

Higher Standard of Care for Law Making Politicians: As physicians we are expected to maintain and improve the standard of care for our patients.  Why not expect this of our lawmakers?  We take oaths but the fanatical political party theatrics this summer has led to the lowest cesspool standard of care given to the American people—where are their oaths?  They are disgusting, leading us into further recession, unremitting unemployment and preying on the fears of the American populous.  As these political toads jockey for position for next year’s elections, we voters and our wishes have been left in the gutters and demoralized.  I am disgusted with the majority of these vote sucking mongrels and I hope you are too.  Write them and scream!

Thanks I needed to get that off my mind.

In conclusion, please call us or email us if you have any questions regarding any aesthetical surgical procedures, Botox or injectable outcomes and aesthetic skin care.  Please let us know if you love or hate this email.