by Dr. Joseph Grzeskiewicz

Do you love facial fillers, but hate the pain? We have good news! Gone are the sharp-tipped needles that can hurt and puncture blood vessels. We now use a new blunt-tipped device to inject Juvéderm®, Perlane®, Restylane®, Radiesse®, and Artefill® and help you restore volume in your face.

Until recently, needles with sharp tips were the only way to deliver injectable fillers. The sharp tips can scratch and puncture blood vessels, causing pain as tissues are penetrated. It also limits the injector’s control, which can cause irregular placement of the filler. The blunt-tipped device (called a cannula) avoids most or all of these issues.

by Dr. Joseph Grzeskiewicz

There was a time when BOTOX® Cosmetic was the only botulinum toxin product, but no longer. BOTOX® came on the market in the 1980s. Since then, it has been injected into literally millions of patients. Over time, we have come to use the name “Botox” to refer to any botulinum toxin treatment, much like we speak of “Kleenex” for facial tissues or “Xerox” for copies.

Now two comparable products are available in the United States for the treatment of facial wrinkles: Dysport® and the newest product release Xeomin®. All three products are not dermal fillers, like Juvéderm® or Restylane®. They are neurotoxins.

by Joseph Grzeskiewicz, MD, FACS

“Fracking” has become a common term related to oil drilling. Fracking, short for “fracturing,” occurs when a fluid (often water) is pumped under high pressure into the ground to break up or fracture the layers of rock that have trapped oil in the ground. Fracking makes it easier to pump the oil from the well.

Fracking doesn’t just apply to oil drilling anymore. Plastic surgeons have taken a lesson from the oil industry to come up with an even better way to extract the fat from beneath your skin during a liposuction procedure. When it comes to San Diego liposuction, “Fat Fracking™” is the new way to go!

Mary is a nurse who chose La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center for her procedures. It’s always a compliment whenever nurses or even doctors choose our practice—as they often do—because it shows that they recognize our dedication to quality patient care and proactive communication.

Mary’s story is about losing weight to regain her self-confidence. As a nurse, Mary knew the significant health benefits of losing weight, but, as she said, “It’s a very long, hard road to lose over a hundred pounds, especially the old-fashioned way.”

We love our patients, of course, but every once in a while we get a letter that tells us how much our patients love us! Here is the latest example:

December 19, 2011

Dear Dr. G.,
I wanted to say THANK YOU so much! I, as well as my family, are so ecstatic about the results of surgery! If I had the choice to do it again, I would say “yes” a million times over with you and your wonderful staff.

Mothers and daughters have always shared a special bond. It’s as much about family dynamics and handed-down recipes as it is about shared experiences and perspectives. For Kelly and her mom Becky, that bond grew recently to include not only the choice of plastic surgery, but also the selection of the same plastic surgeon—Dr. Joseph L. Grzeskiewicz.

Kelly wanted a breast augmentation, and Becky decided to finally get the facelift she’d been thinking about. “Dr. G,” as his patients fondly call him, was the perfect choice for this mother-daughter duo. Kelly said, “Dr. G was extremely professional and gained my trust immediately.” Becky agreed. “He never ceased to answer all my questions. I was impressed.”

by Joseph L. Grzeskiewicz, MD, FACS

Joseph Grzeskiewicz, MD, FACS

Every now and then a new invention comes along that I wish I’d invented. So it is with the Keller Funnel. I have been using this new breast augmentation device for about a year. It is an amazing advancement in breast augmentation surgery. In addition to the improvement in my surgical results, two of the things that make it so amazing are its simplicity and ease of use.

Patients often do not consider their family’s medical history when considering breast augmentation. They are often focused on choosing a plastic surgeon, when to schedule the surgery, and how long the healing process will take. However for La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre patient, Joanne, her family history with breast cancer could have a huge impact on her decision to undergo breast augmentation surgery – little did Joanne know where her journey would take her.

Joanne’s search for a board certified surgeon began as many other searches begin, by turning to her family and friends. Her sister advised her to consult a friend who was a La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery employee. Despite a referral from a trusted family friend, Joanne began doing her own research.

“I never thought I would have plastic surgery. It’s not that I’m opposed to it, I just always felt comfortable with my body the way it was.” Tara’s felt that way for most of her life. She liked the way her smaller breasts complimented her petite body, even when all her friends were having their breasts augmented. However, when Tara and her friend began an intense exercise regimen, her body changed in an unexpected way. “It was like my breasts started to deflate. It happened so quickly that it was really shocking.” Suddenly, her bras and clothes no longer fit her well.

Turning 21 is our second step into adulthood. For Larissa, it was a chance to fulfill a dream she had since she was in high school. Like most girls, she went through an awkward stage. She looked to her mother, who had raised her since her father had passed away when she was young, for advice and was confident that she would fill out over time.

“My mom had developed very early in life, when she was 13 years old, so I just figured I would catch up and my breasts would grow.” Larissa was always active as a teenager. She appeared confident on the outside, but was struggling with the fact that her breasts had yet to develop.

From the time Judith was a teenager, she was unhappy with her body. She felt she had a boyish figure being thin with a small chest “As I grew up, I never felt like I had a woman’s body and it bothered me all the time. I spent a lot of time trying to hide my body with loose clothing and padded bras and even found it hard to look at myself in the mirror.”

Is there a “right age” to begin having plastic surgery? That’s something 26-year-old Jessie always wondered. Spending most of her youth and young adulthood playing sports, Jessie described herself as having a body that never made her feel very feminine. “I had this strong, athletic build combined with a very flat chest. I hated that.” Jessie recalls being in high school and imagining one day she would have a breast augmentation to make herself feel better about her body.

There seems to be a point when the face or body in the mirror feels out of sync with inner feelings or desires. Julie remembers experiencing those exact emotions. “I’m realistic. I wasn’t wanting to look 20 years younger, but I knew that my face wasn’t representing the real me.”

Like many patients, several years after her first laser procedure, Julie decided that tightening the skin on her face would enhance her appearance. She didn’t have to go far to find the perfect plastic surgeon for her surgery. Julie consulted with board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Joseph Grzeskiewicz (“Dr. G”).

This year, Kim became the bride she had always dreamed of being. While her mother discouraged her from revealing too much cleavage in her gown, Kim was determined to pick a dress that accentuated her newly shaped body. Just two years ago, Kim was so self-conscious of having small breasts that she avoided clothes that drew any attention to her chest. This became extremely difficult when her lifestyle with her boyfriend involved regular trips to the river, desert, and formal events. “I was either in a bathing suit or a formal gown, neither of which I felt comfortable being in.” Coming from a family of females with large breasts, Kim just assumed they would one day grow.

Dr. Brahme

Artefill® is one of the most exciting products to ever hit the injectable market and it has just landed at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre.

Artefill is a completely different type of filler from what is currently on the market. It is the first FDA approved injectible dermal filler that gives you the longest lasting wrinkle correction available.

This product is a unique combination of purified bovine collagen gel, tiny synthetic microspheres (polymethymethacrylate, commonly known as PMMA) and lidocaine (anesthetic agent).

Joseph Grzeskiewicz, MD, FACS

You’ve no doubt heard the term “board certification.” The problem is, if you’re like most people, you still don’t really know what board certification really means. A recent survey was conducted by The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) asking people what factors they consider to be the most important when choosing a doctor. The top two were:

• Communication skills and bedside manner (95%)
• Board certification (93%)

However, 60% of respondents incorrectly believed that a physician must be board certified in order to practice medicine. Even more astonishing, 45% of respondents acknowledged that they never check to see if their physician is board certified (nor presumably do they understand why it’s important to check).