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One of the most effective ways to look youthful and younger is to pay plenty of attention to your eyes.

Babies and young children have relatively large eyes; this is a sign of youth and beauty. As we age the upper eyelid skin starts to drape over the lid and droops, eyelashes become less dense and short, excess fat and skin accumulates under the eyes, and the eye complex appears smaller. Genetics and continued sun exposure are the major contributing factors.

Here are a few suggestions to rejuvenate your eyes:

1.       Latisse is a great product that thickens lashes- It Simply Works.

2.       Chemical peels and Fraxel lasers can tighten the skin around the eyes

3.       Procedures such as Thermage and Endoscopic Brow lift can raise the eyebrows and open up the eye complex.

4.       Botox and Dysport place between the eyebrow and on the lateral aspect of the eyes can elevate eyebrows without making you look “surprised”.

5.       Fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane and Radiesse can fill in the hollowness under the yes and lift the eye complex by adding to the cheekbones.

6.       Cooltouch lasers build up collagen without the downtime of surgery- 4 to 6 treatments over 4 months are needed to get long lasting results.

One size does not fill all; allow us to design a program that works for you.

A. David Rahimi, MD, FAAD.

We all want to look out best. Sometimes it takes a special occasion, such as a reunion, to force us to better take care of ourselves.

One of our specialties is to make our patients look their best for their reunions. I often ask my patients to bring photos of themselves in their 20s and 30s. I look at Cosmetic Surgery as reconstruction.

Here are some simple and non-invasive procedures that can be done even a couple of weeks before the event to make you look your best:

·         Oxygen Facials: Purified Oxygen, mineral, and vitamins are directly infused into the skin. The cost is about $130 and it can make all the difference. Makeup sits better on the skin and pores tighten.

·         Botox and Dysport: We are platinum Members and have 12 years of experience with softening lines and raising the eyebrows without making you look frozen or surprised. Downtime is minimal and results are fantastic.

·         Fillers: Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, Radiesse and more. Deep laugh lines are filled and lips can look their best.

·         Light peels: Glycolic and Jessner peels take only one week to heal and give you a glow.

·         Lasers: We have 7 different one s to choose from. From deep CO2 laser, Mixto Fraxel, Cooltouch, to Diolite and Laser hair removal.

·         Light sources: IPL also known as Intense Pulse Light can remove brown spots and fine lines

·         Thermacool: Non-surgical tightening perfected with the new NXT Themage. I lightly sedate my patients with a little Valium to get the best possible results.

Come in a allow us to make you look BEAUTIFUL.

Dr. A. David Rahimi

Do you look at your skin with a 5x or even 10x magnifiers. Are there a few specific areas that really bother you? If the answer is YES to the above; you should read this blog.

During my fellowship training I learned to perform chin implants in patients with receding chins and to tighten up loose necks. I used a variety of silicone implants: natural, anatomic, wrap-around, etc, and even some custom made ones.  I would offer it to my facelift patient on a regular basis and the results were generally good. The only drawback was that the implants could rarely move, spit or get infected.

Recently I noticed that I am using chin implants less and less often.  Fat transfers and the longer lasting fillers (such as Juvederm Ultra Plus) have all but replaced chin implants in my practice.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of using fillers to augment the chin and jaw line:

Advantages:

·         Control over size of the chin: Most Chin implants come is 3 or 4 sizes. It is exceedingly difficult to find the perfect size for a patient. Most chins are also a little asymmetrical (just like the left and the right foot are not always equal). A symmetrical chin implant can accentuate an asymmetric chin and worsen the picture. Fillers (Juverderm, Radiesse, and Fat) are placed in tiny droplets and can be used to not only build up the chin and jaw line, but also to correct minute irregularities.

·         Gravity: A chin implant is permanent but the face changes over many years and decades. Chin implants that look good when you are 35 may not look as appealing at age 65. Fillers and even transplanted fat resorb and go away in 12 to 24 months. This gives you a chance to re-shape the face every few years and maintain a youthful look.

·         Very little risk of nerve damage, infection, or unsightly scarring. I have seen chin implants (and to a much greater degree cheek implants) move. It is exceedingly difficult to remove them. This may injure the nerves and cause a lot of skin laxity.

Disadvantages:

·         I would say that cost is the biggest disadvantage of using fillers rather than an implant to augment the chin. Fillers have become less and less expensive and are lasting longer.

Overall I have come to prefer fillers as a superior choice to augment the chin and jaw lines.

A. David Rahimi, MD,FAAD.

I often see challenging adult acne patients in my practice.  Women in their thirties and forties who complain of sudden change in skin texture, oiliness, and acne. This acne is usually deep and not well controlled with topical agents. A thorough history reveals irregular monthly cycles or painful and heavy cycles. Excess hair on the chin or abdominal area is another less noticed sign.

All these signs and symptoms can be the result of a condition called PCO: Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. Simply put cysts on the ovaries cause irregular hormone levels that lead to acne, excess hair, and skin textural changes.

Treatments include lifestyle changes, hormone replacements, and a good skin regimen. The good news is that it is very treatable. The excess hair can be treated with laser.

Ask your dermatologist or GYN doctor if you have irregular periods and acne that is just out of control.

A. David Rahimi, M.D,F.A.A.D.

The big event is nearing and you want to look your best. My first advice is not to do anything drastic right before the wedding. Redness form a laser or chemical peel procedure can really show in photographs. Green foundation can hide it to some degree but why put yourself in that position in the first place?

Also never try something new right before the wedding. For example don’t try Botox or Dysport for the first time right before the wedding. Even in the best of hands there is a small risk of bruising and drooping. Try to be finished with all your beautification projects at least a month before the wedding. AND don’t forget about him!

Here are some other pointers:

·         Don’t forget about your teeth; inexpensive bleaching trays can do wonders.

·         Have a reasonable exercise regimen- don’t get exhausted before the wedding.

·         Crash Diets won’t make you feel sexy and will work against you in the long run.

·         Get plenty of sleep

We can help if you are experiencing problems right before the wedding. Oxygen facials can reduce swelling and redness. Light glycolic peels and cortisone injections can reduce small cysts. Lasers such as the Diolite (800nm wavelength) can reduce redness and brown spots right away with little or no downtime.

Congratulations and enjoy the process.

Dr. A. David Rahimi

I urge you to go to your coffee table and open your favorite magazine. Now look at the photos of five youthful actresses and models featured in the magazine and see what they all have in common.

High Cheekbones.

High cheekbones are seen as a sign of beauty in many cultures. It is a sign of youth and health.

As we age the Zygomatic bone (malar bone, cheek bone) shrinks and the cheekbone flattens. This, in turn, causes laxity and looseness of the skin and contributes to drooping below. The drooping shows itself in form of jowls in the lower face.

My patients are often amazed that two syringes of their favorite filler (Restylane, Juvederm, Perlane, or Radiesse) can make such a dramatic effect in their appearance. By applying the above mentioned fillers (or fat for that matter) I can restore the youthful cheekbone structure, tighten the skin, and significantly improve jowling in the lower face. Symmetry is restored and high cheekbones return the face to its youthful form.

I sometimes inject a few cc of salt water (normal saline) into the cheekbones just to show my patients how they will look after the procedure. The salt water simply absorbs into your system a few hours later and everything goes back to its normal state.

Raising and replacing the lost volume in the cheekbones may be an option for you if a facelift is out of the question. Please allow us to show you.

Consultation is always free.

A. David Rahimi, MD, FAAD.

Once again Hollywood was practicing its culture of excess. Plastic surgery was taking over and famous 22 year old actresses such as Heidi Montag were admitting to 10 surgeries in one day!

I truly believe that the perception of cosmetic surgery is rapidly changing. Hollywood producers are looking for actors and actresses that look natural. Huge breasts and gigantic lips are out and emphasizing natural beauty is back in.

There is nothing wrong with beautiful flawless skin, an angular jaw, perfectly positioned eyebrows, or a shapely body. The back lash is against the poorly executed “Wind Swept” look.

My philosophy from day one has been to “make patients look their best; not someone else”. I often talk patients out of expensive and aggressive procedures and recommend less invasive and conservative procedures. It is all about a sound "maintenance attitude". A good skin regimen, monthly facials or Microdermabrasion, Retin A cream once a week and the occasional ‘Polishing’.

Stay Forever Young.

Hope to see you for a personalized consultation.

A. David Rahimi, MD, FAAD.

I was driving to my Westlake office on Monday when I had the opportunity to listen to a report on NPR about facelifts and if they actually work?

Researchers looked at 3D CT scans of the bony structures of the face from patients in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. What they discovered is that as we get older the bones in the chin, jaw line and eye sockets absorb.  They not only look and feel different; there is actually less of it. This was something we suspected for years. Now it could be actually quantified via CT scans. The essence of the program was that facelifts will only work IF this volume loss is also addressed.

I remember learning during my residency Mount Sinai Medical Center in NY that certain structures such as the nose and ears actually increase in size as we get older.

I have been addressing these changes with my Tuliplift for over 12 years now.

I don’t just pull the skin to cause “the face to lift”. Tuliplift has several components that address the lost volume of the bony structures, actinic or sun-damaged skin, re-distribution of the fat, and wrinkles:

Here are the goals of a Tuliplift:                       

·         Tightening of the facial SMAS fascia and muscles of the neck (Platysma)

·         Liposuction of excess fatty tissue in the neck and jowls

·         Replacing the lost volume by re-inserting the fat over the cheek bone, jaw line and in the laugh lines(this addresses the lost bone issue addressed above)

·         Tightening the earlobes and nose with a chemical peel, CO2 laser, or Fraxel

·         Removal of excess skin

·         Restoring the youthful contours

Most people are amazed to know that all of this can be performed under local anesthesia and less than 2 weeks downtime.

Please read my book for a detailed discussion and presentation on this subject.

Thank you.

A. David Rahimi, MD, FAAD.

I have had a chance now to administer Dysport to about 100 of my patients and the results have been consistantly good.

The muscles around the eyes relax faster than Botox and I have not seen any cases of drooping. I believe that it will last as long as Botox; but that remains to be seen.

Competition is good and I am delighted that after nearly 2 decades of BOTOX we finally have a second agent to choose from. I also hope that the availability of Dysport will drive Botox prices down and make it more affordable for everyone.

Dr. A. David Rahimi

There is a solution; often times cutting surgery can be avoided by using advanced fractional laser technology to improve these scars.

Please take a few minutes and review our Mixto-Fraxel procedure and schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. David Rahimi.

It can cost as little as $500 to drastically improve eyelid scars.

Zonya V.

office manager

Foreveryoung, Inc.

Most patients with Hispanic or African American heritage are not aware of their risk for developing  skin cancers.

Malignant Melanoma, for example, is more common in white skin but can be more aggressive in back skin.  A recent article in the Journal of Surgical Oncology (Vol. 78, No. 1: 10 – 16) showed that when African Americans develop the disease, it’s deadlier.  African Americans have a 45% survival rate at five years compared to 69% in whites.

There may be several reasons for this: genetics may play a role and health care providers think of skin cancer less often in darker skin. These cancers may also occur in unusual places such as bottom of the feet, under the nails, or the genital area.

Think A,B,C,D,E

A mole that is Asymmetrical.

Irregular Border

Multi Colored

Diameter greater than 6 mm

An Evolving mole that stands out.

Make sure your provider checks you head to toe on a yearly basis.

Dr. A. David Rahimi

There is a wonderful article in the Cutaneous Oncology section of Dermatology Times (February 2010) by the veteran researcher Harry Rubin D.V.M.,D.Sc. that confirmed what I had been suspecting for some time: Skin and skin cells may act as early detector of internal cancers.

Skin cells contain fibroblasts which contain a copy of our genetic material. Flaws in the genetic material, which may lead to internal cancers such as Colon Cancer, can easily be researched in fibroblast cultures obtained from skin.

Many other internal conditions: Diabetes, Lupus, Hepatitis, Thyroid Disorders, etc. have skin manifestations that are often the way these conditions present themselves.

A. David Rahimi, MD, FAAD,