Beautiful. Medicine.

“Straight Talk”, with Dr Rhonda Fine
January 2012
Dear Dr Fine,

I overindulged (eating and drinking) over the holidays and have put on about 11 pounds. I always seem to loose weight when I diet, however I also always gain the weight back within the next few months. I feel like this happens every year! Why does this happen to me and what can I do about it?

Stephie
Biscayne

Dear Stephie,

You are not alone! We all go a little crazy with overeating and our alcohol intake seems to hit it’s peak during this time of year. Remember, weight loss is an internal process. Diets attempt to change what you eat while exercise affects your body’s strength and endurance. Unhealthy eating is the result of poor choices, therefore it is necessary to change our thoughts and learn to restructure our thinking. Everyone is different. Your best chance for success is to sit down with a specialist in Weight Maintenance who can individualize specific strategies. Success requires the right attitude in addition to the proper program.

Dear Dr Fine,

With the holidays and a new baby, do you think it is possible that my thoughts could get in the way of enjoying sex with my partner? I feel as if we have lost a connection. We are both so busy.

Angela
Coral Springs

Dear Angela,

Congratulations on your new addition! It sounds as if Life is coming at you from all angles. Make time each day to sit down with each other and talk about your day. The conversations that we have with our partner and ourselves are the most important conversations that we can have. The brain is the largest sex organ. Your mind controls your body and your body talks back to your mind. This conversation will either cause sexual excitement or sexual inhibition. Keep an open mind, filled with happy thoughts. 

LAVIV™ is the first and only FDA-approved autologous cellular therapy to improve the appearance of moderate to severe nasolabial fold wrinkles.LAVIV™ is an autologous cellular product containing fibroblast cells, which are grown from a patient’s post-auricular skin biopsy tissue. These skin samples are sent to a lab where they are aseptically expanded until sufficient cells for treatment are obtained. Cells are then cryopreserved. Over a period of approximately 90 days, hundreds of millions of fibroblasts are cultured at the lab and then frozen, until needed for treatment. Once patient administration has been scheduled, these cells are thawed, washed, and ready to be injected. LAVIV™—which is made up of at least 98% pure fibroblasts—places a patient’s own living cells into the treatment area to biologically improve the appearance of nasolabial fold wrinkles.

What makes LAVIV™ unique?

Each patient’s LAVIV™ treatment is unique because it is made from that patient’s own skin cells. In order to be approved by the FDA, LAVIV™ was held to high efficacy standards. In clinical trials, LAVIV™ demonstrated a statistically significant improvement as measured by both a physician and patient assessment scale, where improvement was defined as a 2-point improvement on the scales. These trials were designed to be vehicle-controlled and demonstrate superiority to vehicle. Each dose of LAVIV™ is also held to strict testing standards to ensure product performance and safety.

LAVIV™  is an appropriate treatment for adults who desire an improved appearance of nasolabial fold wrinkles, an autologous cellular product, and a treatment regimen that delivers gradual results.

Our genes are what make each of us different. And, the timing of and the degree to which we each experience our first signs of aging is unique to each of us. Just consider how some people seem to age rapidly while others continue to look youthful as they age. If what the geneticists are saying is true, we may have wasted money on beauty products that might actually be doing us more harm than good. According to the new findings, if the creams we are using on our face are not suited to our genetic requirements, we are unable to metabolize the ingredients and they are left to build up as unwanted toxins in our skin. The treatment is being hailed as the biggest anti-aging advancement since Botox, so how does it all work?

HOW IT WORKS:

First, through a simple cheek swab, a DNA test is performed on six genes that impact YOUR skin’s health. Your unique results are used to create four custom-formulated, genetically-guided Dermagenetics® DNA ULTRACUSTOM® skin care products based on your specific genetic variations: Enhanced Repair Serum, Corrective Eye Gelée, Optimized Day Crème and Nightly Repair Crème.

Each of these age-defying skin repair products combine our powerful base formulas and our proprietary Dermagenetics® blend with targeted ingredients based on the results of your unique genetic assessment. This becomes your custom formula and will always remain the same.

The second step in the customization process is performed by your provider at The Miami Institute. They will assess your skin for current problems you may be experiencing today such as: post procedure healing, troublesome break-outs, redness and irritation or excessive dryness. This assessment is used to further customize and optimize selected products to address these issues. This part of your Dermagenetics® formula can be adjusted for you every 3 – 4 months by returning to your provider for follow up visits.

The result is a DNA ULTRACUSTOM® skin care system that is made just for you!

NeoGraft is not your ordinary hair restoration procedure. It is the least invasive procedure of its kind with no sutures, no scalpel incisions, and no linear scars. This means that your recovery or down-time will be minimal - usually taking only one day. Additionally, if you choose NeoGraft, we can restore large areas in a single session, which greatly reduces the need for any additional procedures that might have been required in the future.

There are over 100,000 hair restoration surgeries a year in the United States.

The most common way to restore hair is for the surgeon to take hair follicles from the back of the head and replant them in balding areas. Usually, in 1 to 2 sessions, the restoration process is complete, with an average number of 1,700 grafts. That may seem like a lot, but consider that a single square centimeter typically harbors 100 grafts in the normal scalp! Strip grafting (the harvest of skin containing grafts) leads to a scar which can sometimes be bothersome with short hair.

One way to avoid this scar is to have your procedure performed with a NeoGraft machine which harvests follicles individually, obviating the need for strip grafting.

The advantage is clear: No scar. NeoGraft.