QuickLift facelifts presents Paula's "Aha" moment

Below is a copy of a recent email that I sent from my Southwest Florida Plastic Surgery practice. If you  would like to sign up for the email list, click on the subscribe button on the lower right-hand sde



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Fall 2013 | Send to a Friend

A Facial Rejuvenation Update from Robert J. Brueck, MD, FACS (239) 939-5233

For every set of before and after photos, there’s “a story.” The story often boils down to a single moment that prompted our patient to call for a QuickLift® consultation. For Paula, this was that moment:

“When I saw this picture, I was mortified. My ‘gobbler’ sagged and hung lower than ever. That was the moment I decided it had to go! From the very first phone call, I KNEW I made the right decision. And now, I LOVE what I see in the mirror. No more turtle necks for me. Most people are surprised at how natural I look. I don’t have that Hollywood fake look. The QuickLift has given me back my self-confidence — and that’s priceless!” Read Paula’s story.

Learn more about the QuickLift® today! If you’d like, we’ll put you in touch with Paula, or another one of our patients who will be happy to share their stories with you.

Robert J. Brueck, MD, FACS 3700 Central Avenue, Fort Myers, FL 33901 14 Del Prado N., Cape Coral, FL 33909 25097 West Olympia, Suite 301 Punta Gorda, FL 33950 (239) 939-5233 www.beauty-by-brueck.com

Please click here if you do not wish to receive future emails. *Actual patient photos courtesy of Dominic A. Brandy, MD. Results may vary. Recovery time may vary as some patients may elect to have additional facial rejuvenation treatments performed at the same time as the QuickLift®. May be performed with local anesthesia or twilight sedation.

Pleased to be a Patients' Choice Physician

The recognition keeps rolling in:

I just received notice that the American Registry has named me as a Patients' Choice Physician.

Here's what they had to say:

"Dear Dr. Brueck,

Congratulations! You have been recognized as a Patients' Choice physician. 

The Patients' Choice award is bestowed upon physicians based on your patients' appreciation and praise for the quality of care and service you provide.

Every month, more than 200,000 patients across the U.S. provide online feedback about their doctor experiences. They rate various components of the care they receive, such as bedside manner, doctor-patient face time, follow-up care, ease of appointment setting and courtesy of office staff. They also share their overall opinions.

Over the course of 2013, hundreds of thousands of patient reviews were written and shared. While physicians generally receive positive feedback from their patients, only physicians like you - with near perfect scores - have been voted by their patients for this honor.

In fact, of the nation's 870,000 active physicians, only 5 percent were accorded this honor by their patients in 2013.

You are, indeed, the Patients' Choice: A physician who is not only highly regarded, but also recommended, by their patients.

Congratulations on this outstanding distinction."

Of course, I know any recognition like this, while it has my name on it, can really be attributed to my remarkable staff and my equally remarkable patients. Thank you all. 

New Study Shows miraDry Reduces Underarm Sweating

A new independent study conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York found the non-invasive miraDry (http://www.sweathelp.org/en/hyperhidrosis-treatments/miradry.html ) procedure provides a long-term solution to the problem of excessive underarm sweat and a marked improvement in underarm odor  .

miraDry non-invasively delivers targeted electromagnetic energy beneath the underarm skin to where the sweat glands reside destroying the sweat glands through thermolysis (decomposition by heat). Results can be seen almost immediately and are lasting because sweat glands do not grow back after treatment. Two procedures spaced three months apart are recommended for optimal results.

The findings of this study were presented by Dr. Cameron K. Rokhsar, MD FAAD FAACS, lead investigator for the study, and medical director of the New York Cosmetic, Skin & Laser Surgery Center at the 2013 American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery annual meeting. The study included 13 women and 7 men between the ages of 22 and 56. Participants reported suffering from excessive sweating for an average of 13.6 years. Prior to receiving the miraDry treatment the patients reported an excessive sweating severity of an average of 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the most severe).

After one miraDry treatment, patients reported an average reduction of 52% in underarm sweating. After two treatments, patients reported an average reduction of 96.7% in underarm sweating. Among patients who said they had odor problems before treatment, the majority (75%) reported an average of 66% reduction in underarm odor. Side effects included swelling in the underarms after the procedure which lasted from 5 days to 2 months, with an average of 24.8 days.  65% of patients also noticed hair loss in the treated areas.

There is a miraDry physician near you at http://www.Beauty-by-Brueck.com/Hyperhidrosis-treatment.htm

How many snails do you need for a beautiful complexion?

The pursuit of beautiful skin has new contender, albeit a slow one. 

From Asia comes news to my Fort Myers Cosmetic Surgery practice of snail mucus being used to rejuvenate facial skin. 

A special breed of live snails is allowed to slither across a patient's face. Apparently the substance left behind has special powers for healthy, youthful skin.

Word has it there also are salons in Japan that provide a sixty-minute “slither” session for the equivalent of US$250. The owner of a spa in the UK that offers the treatment is quoted as saying, “This isn’t just a gimmick. It really works. My spa promotes health and well-being and alternative treatments and this treatment is truly pioneering.” It's not something we do at Beauty-by-Brueck. But Maybe someday.

For now, I guess at a snail's pace, we can't call it a “breakthrough”. But we could describe it, both figuratively and literally. as "creepy".

New Cancer Link Not a Tall Story

It always amazes me how, in medicine we link disease to nutrients, genes, exercise, no exercise, weight – supplements, etc.  

Now being tall all of a sudden may not be the best thing.  

There was recently a new study of 21,000 post menopausal women. It was found that for every 4 inches of increased height, the risk of certain cancers (skin, breast, colon) increased by 13%. Worse yet kidney and blood (leukemia) cancers increased by 29%.  

This may be due to genes, ie: tall people “grow” more and cancers are overgrowths or excessive uncontrolled growth of cell lines.  There may be a link.  

Unfortunately our genetic makeup is something we are born with and can’t change. 

When it comes to cosmetic surgery, there are many things we can change - and for the better.

Sleep and Obesity - Blood Sugar and Memory

Two recent items have come across my plastic surgery desk in Fort Myers,  

First, scientists studying sleep habits found that people who don’t sleep much tend to be overweight.  Apparently, they found that when you are deprived of sleep, changes occur in your brain that cause you to crave high calorie foods.  Less sleep means those chocolate bars and potato chips look even better.  So maybe beauty rest is helpful after all.

Second, if your body has difficulty maintaining normal blood sugar levels you could have diabetes. We know that long term uncontrolled diabetes can lead to a multitude of problems.  Now, we come to find out it can predispose one to dementia.  Researchers tracked more than 2,000 older adults for seven years and found that those who had high glucose levels – but not diabetes – were nearly 20% more likely to develop dementia. 

Among diabetics, those with the highest glucose levels were 40% more likely to develop Alzheimers.  We know high glucose can cause inflammation to the small vessels in the brain.  I guess we need to curb out sweet tooth!