Saying goodbye to an old friend...

Our beloved former anti-aging specialist Dr. Allyn Brizel passed away this week after a long battle with cancer.

Here is a picture of all of us when our practice was called the Aesthetic Science Institute:

He will be missed by all of us.  He was a pioneer in bioidentical hormone use well before Suzanne Somers came on the scene.

Peter Ajello: Down to his last 30 pounds

This guy has lost about 180 pounds so far. When he loses another 30 to get to 210, I will be able to perform abdominoplasty to remove some excess skin that no amount of exercise can address.

He's been doing it with the time-testing combination of proper dieting and exercise. Here's his latest picture: To find out more about Peter directly from him, check out his website at thineatingchocolate.com.


Dr. Jason Pozner
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center
Sanctuary Plastic Surgery

Dr. David J. Goldberg
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center
Skin Laser Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ

Artefill is back

Suneva Medical has confirmed that Artefill is once again available. We broke the news a month ago that the microsphere-enhanced collagen filler was being brought back to market after its original parent company, Artes Medical, filed for Chapter 7 in December.

According to clinical studies, full wrinkle correction lasted for a year with Artefill, while significant smile line correction lasted for at least five years post-treatment.

Dr. Jason Pozner
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Sanctuary Plastic Surgery, Boca Raton

Dr. David J. Goldberg
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Skin Laser Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ

Iraqi plastic surgeons: Cosmetic procedures are up, Skin Grafts down

The LA Times' Caesar Ahmed did a great piece over the weekend about some very real plastic surgery trends Iraq.

Fortunately for everyone, Iraqi plastic surgeons are spending more time injecting Botox and performing cosmetic surgery, rather than performing skin grafts, reconstructions, and emergency amputations.

""Definitely we are performing more plastic surgery than before, mainly because the security situation of the country has improved," said Rida Ali, a plastic surgeon who estimates that half her patients are seeking cosmetic surgery, compared with less than a quarter a few years ago.

"Our patients get all their ideas from TV, then they come to us and request the operation," said Mahdi Hameed Abood, a senior surgeon at the Wasiti Center for Reconstructive Surgery. "It's good having television as a source of information, but what you see on TV is not always reality. There are special effects, lights. People believe what they see and come to us expecting results that may be unrealistic."

""I believe the Iraqi plastic surgeons are more talented than all the doctors in the region because of the hard circumstances they witnessed," Abood said. "Cosmetic operations are easy now for doctors after the training we obtained from treating the casualties of terrorism.""

We are involved in the non-profit Iraq Star program where veterans can get reconstructive and scar revision surgery to help them return to stateside life. To find out how you can contribute, visit http://www.iraqstar.org.

Dr. Jason Pozner
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Sanctuary Plastic Surgery, Boca Raton

Dr. David J. Goldberg
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Skin Laser Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ

It's never too late for a minimally invasive procedure... even before a wedding.

Thank you to Kristi Krueger and Kathleen Corso at WPLG for working with us on this story on last-minute cosmetic surgery options.



Very informative piece that lays out the skin care options a bride (or groom) to be has, from a long-term perspective, the week of, and the day before the wedding.

Dr. Jason Pozner
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Sanctuary Plastic Surgery, Boca Raton

Dr. David J. Goldberg
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Skin Laser Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ

From KC: First Twittering of Pediatric Plastic Surgery

Passing it along, Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City is the first to Twitter a pediatric plastic surgery procedure.

From Kansas City.com:

"The patient is 10-year-old Anand Erdenebulgan of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, who suffered severe neck burns in a fireworks accident six months ago.

Plastic surgeon Virender “Vinny” Singhal will begin the two-hour operation about 3 p.m. Residents, physician assistants and other staff will tweet from the operating room.

The hospital’s Twitter site is at twitter.com/ childrensmercy."

We are following the surgery via our own Twitter accounts, @jpoznermd and @drgoldberg.

Dr. David J. Goldberg
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Skin Laser Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ

Dr. Jason Pozner
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boc

Actress: Steroids are to Athletes as Botox is to Her?

Actress Rachel Weisz (best known for being in The Mummy) is in the news today for comparing the use of Botox and other wrinkle-killing injections to the use of performance-enhancing drugs for athletes.


"Rachel told Harper's Bazaar magazine: "It should be banned for actors, as steroids are for sportsmen."

The distinction that we would like to make is that steroids have known, well documented, life-long complications. Botox, when used solely for cosmetic purposes, has virtually no long-term side effects.

Should they ban makeup, lighting, and photoshop touch-ups on the movie posters?

Dr. David J. Goldberg
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Skin Laser Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ

Dr. Jason Pozner
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Sanctuary Plastic Surgery, Boca Raton

Accutane pulled off market 1 day after Jackson death

Buried in the news about Michael Jackson (who may have had cosmetic surgery sometime in his life) was that Roche Holding AG pulled Accutane off the market after losing "at least" $33 million in damages in lawsuits.



According to this Bloomberg article, the lawsuits alleged that Accutane (also known as Isotretinoin) caused bowel disease as a side effect.

Accutane was a very popular option, FDA approved in 1982. We have prescribed it for acne in the past, but many patients were wary of the side effects and opted for lasers instead.

There is no perfect treatment for acne that works for everyone.

Dr. Jason Pozner
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Sanctuary Plastic Surgery, Boca Raton

Dr. David J. Goldberg
Sanctuary Medical Aesthetic Center, Boca Raton
Skin Laser Surgery Specialists of NY/NJ