November Rain

I have just realised its been almost a month since I had time to sit and update my blog. October was such a whirlwind month that I had to remind myself to breathe in between. And now it is November. Wow. Times flies so fast these past couple of months it is scary. Come November, it is more of the rainy season and we will start seeing heavy downpours.

Yesterday I took a day to recuperate and be a mum which I rarely get to do these days. I cooked dinner, sent my girls to school, discussed their social lives and after lunch I was sitting in front of the telly (a real luxury for me since I barely have time to even sleep) and watch the US electoral race. Congratulations to Mr Trump for winning the President vote and I was quite surprised to hear his winning speech which was very diplomatic and thanking Hillary Clinton for her service to the US in the past. The thing I admire most about the Donald, is that he understands that you need to hire the right people to do the job, to get things done, and despite having no political background, I am sure he would have his team of advisers to help him achieve the goal of making America great again. And I wish him all the best and good luck to all Americans. 

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Mr Trump is one of the people on my list that I wish to meet in this lifetime. He maybe ruthless, sexist and harsh, but for one, he proved that if you believe you can achieve something with all your heart, you will. I may not be the person he would be nice to, being a Muslim woman who looks pretty much Hispanic since Asians and Hispanics do share some similar ancestry ages ago. I kinda have all the big no nos in his campaign. (Just kidding).

If Mr Donald Trump can become the president of the United States, then I can certainly achieve my target to become a lifestyle ambassador, and advocate for health, beauty and lifestyle. Lots of work, but hard work never really killed anyone. The main key is to get my mind organized enough to work it through and find the right people to make it happen. Yes, Mr Trump taught a good lesson.

Looking back at our local scenario, there are many issues that Mr Trump brought up that is also an issue in this country. The immigrants for one. It is okay to accept legal migrates because we have all their documentation, they are also taxed and they have different rights than the locals. The problem with immigrants is that they enter the country illegally, we do not have proper documentation of them, they may harbour disease since they are not screened, they do not pay tax or even register their salaries, and the best part, they use up our resources in healthcare and other facilities and stay for a couple of years, nearing election, they will suddenly get resident status. And then their children becomes citizens, and are entitled to all the benefits that you and I get. Funnily, the expatriates who marry working citizens takes up to 10 years to get their resident status, and yet these people contribute to the economy and the taxes. Pretty funny yes? I am not the expert in sociology, nor politics so perhaps the best is not to comment too much.

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My expertise is more of medical aesthetics, technology and lifestyle. I have this endless need to find the best solutions to treat problems related to beauty and ageing and being a vain pot that I am, it is also driven by the family history that makes me more convinced that lifestyle plays a more important role than genes. In fact, many patients have asked me about the new DNA testing that allows the person to find out their associated disease risks in the future. Although it may be a cool technology, that comes with a hefty price tag, it is a two edged sword that may not give you the outcome you want. 

The problem in this country is that a lot of doctors promote tests but do not counsel the patient on the real benefit of doing one. Doing a complete DNA test to show your future risk sounds cool, but if you were counselled wrongly by your doctor, you may have the wrong impression or you may even go into depression thinking about diseases that might occur to you based on your genes. The good news is, genes only play a 10% role in the risk of getting a disease. The remainder 90% actually comes from the lifestyle. So, at the end of the day, you still require to change the lifestyle. Thus, would doing an expensive gene test actually have much benefit except for adding to your paranoia?

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I am not against any form of DNA testing but I would just like to tickle your mind a bit more. My patients are very curious and sharp minded people who would scrutinise every single detail given to them, and they are not afraid to ask questions. I like them this way. In order to achieve optimum health both parties must be active participants, to create a better understanding of the patient's needs and requirements. If they want to do the DNA testing, I can order the test for them. Whether it will give an additional benefit to what we already know, well, maybe.

If you are interested in knowing more on how to optimise your health to look and feel good, and you happen to be in my vicinity, do make a point to make an appointment for consultation. My nurse Mia is superb in keeping up with my crazy schedule. Its November already. It reminds me of of autumn and November rain.

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For more questions or appointments do contact us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or send a msg to 0129660852. 

The Sagging Face .......... Part 2 (Treatment Options)

Well, that was a long hiccup from my last entry. My apologies to my fellow readers. Sometimes it is hard to find that quiet time to let the words flow and produce good quality writing. Well, anyway, as I promised before. Let's continue our discussions on the sagging face.

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So now we know that there are many factors causing the face to appear to sag, from anatomical differences i.e. weight loss or gain or alternating of the two, skin texture loss or just the very process of ageing which leads to bone resorption especially around the orbits and the maxilla. Let's discuss the options of treatment. Bear in mind, the options are not sequenced according to the most effective method. Based on the patient, sometimes 1 or more modalities are required or multiple sessions.

1. Botulinum Toxin A facelift injections.

I remembered when I first started to  join the Medical Aesthetics field, my seniors were in the hype of the 'Botox-lift' which uses diluted BTA intradermal meso-injection techniques at certain areas of the face and neck to produce a slimmer tighter look and feel. The jawline tightening was dubbed the Nefertiti lift and was published in one of the medical journals. It was a quick and simple way of getting a tighter look by only spending 15 minutes in the office. Although the results were quite good, unfortunately, it only lasts between 1-3 months post injection and it does not tackle volume loss issues. Complications may include asymmetry of the face especially if there is a marked power difference from one side of the face to the other, or if the injections were too deep and inoculated into the underlying muscle. Per procedure will cost around RM 1000 - 2500, depending on the units used and the patient would have to come back to the clinic every 2-3 months to sustain the results. Some doctors are still doing this technique. Personally, I only do this upon patient's request.

2. Dermal Fillers - Hyaluronic Acids (HA)

Besides volume filling, dermal fillers can also be used for tightening. Nowadays with the newer HA fillers that gives better volume than the previous ones, we can do point injections to lift up the overlying tissues (muscle,skin, etc) to give a more tighter look. The injection sites usually involves the temples and the cheeks, with additional fillers used to fill up volume deficiency. However, you will need at least 2 syringes of a good volume filler (3-4 of the less dense fillers) to get the best effect. The good news is that it will last at least 12 months, and some of these HA fillers last up to 24 months or more. For non-HA fillers, Radiesse also has a tightening protocol using similar point techniques with an additional vector technique aimed to sharpen the jawline and bring up jowls. It requires at least 2 syringes on the first sitting, with possibly a follow-up syringe after 3 months for it to last 6-15 months. However, for both these types of fillers would require a fairly good texture of the skin in order to get the result. Other things consider is how good is your doctor at doing the procedure and the risks of bruising and lumpiness is always there. Cost wise, you will be spending around RM 5,000 (since its definitely going to be more than 1 filler) but if done well, you an have a good satisfactory result lasting 9-18 months on average.

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3. Poly-L-Lactic Acid Fillers

These are a different type of filler that stimulates your own collagen formation by means of injecting PLLA into the face. There are 2 common ones in Malaysia which is Sculptura and Aesthefill. The procedure requires 3 sittings, once every 1-2 months. Per sitting 1-2 vials of the product is injected into the face. The effects of the procedure can be seen as early as 2 weeks but usually 4 weeks you can start appreciating difference. The only problem is the downtime. It requires multiple injections to the skin which may lead to bruising. Usually the bruising subsides in a few days to a week, but some patients can bruise up to 2 weeks. Another problem is that it may cause some fibrosis under the skin thus making future filler injections pretty difficult especially if the injector is less experienced. Despite the downtime and the bruising, I must say, I am pretty impressed with the results. I had a good friend who decided to go on an extreme diet and exercise regime which caused him to have very severe sagging and a turkey neck. However, after 2 months of the first session, he improved so much that he looked younger than when I first met him a couple years back. Its been almost 2 years, and he still looked great. He just redid his face recently.  For this procedure, patients are required to take a whole course since you need to come back at least 2-3 times. The solution requires preparation, so you will really need to schedule the appointment beforehand. The price of 1 vial is RM 2500. Usually 3 sessions (4-5vials) would be charged at RM 10,000 for the package.

3. Radiofrequency Devices. (RF Devices)

This is perhaps one of the oldest techniques used for skin tightening but is still considered the best solution for skin tightening. However, bear in mid that there are different spectrums of machines used. The ones used in beauty salons are beautician grade, thus the power and intensity of the machine is much less. Some doctors buy these machines because they are cheaper (perhaps 10x cheaper) than the medical grade ones. Medical grade machines have to undergo series of clinical testing and approvals before sold to the market. It also requires proper training to avoid complications and deliver the best results. The medical grade machines in the market are like Thermage, Accent and Pelleve. Actually, there are so many RF devices in the market. Depending on which machine you are using treatment can be as low as RM 300 per session on the lower end of the spectrum to a whooping RM 12K per treatment with Thermage. Most RF machines except Thermage require repetitive treatments. The medical grade devices uses recommend 4x minimum. The beautician grade ones, usually 8-10x. The difference between medical grade and beautician grade device is that the medical grade devices are guaranteed to deliver the 40mJ of energy required to heat up the dermal tissue between 42-60 degrees. Thus, the results can be reproducible and repeat with more accuracy. However, the other factor in the delivery of treatment is the skill of the person handling the machine. A well trained user will deliver a better result, despite the machine being the same. 

4. Intense Pulse Light (IPL)

IPL is one of the oldest light based devices used in aesthetics. Using filters to control wavelengths of light enables the user to target specific needs to the patients face. Similar to the RF devices, there are medial grade and beautician grade IPLs, which differs in terms of intensity and function. The usual wavelength filter used for skin tightening is between 500-1200nm and has shown great results in reducing skin laxity, wrinkles and also telangiectasia. Treatment price ranges from RM 800  - RM 1500 , depending on the type of IPL and area used. However, being a much older technology requires more skill on the doctors side to handle the device and the treatment. Complications are more common in darker skin types and are not limited to blistering, burns and peeling. Usually skin tightening procedures are not very painful compared to hair removal and is tolerable without anaesthesia. This treatment requires repetition to reach the best results, usually 4-10x depending on the type of IPL used. 

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5. Ultrasound Devices

The latest hype on skin tightening devices would be the ultrasound devices or also known as HIFU devices (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound). The most famous perhaps is the Ultherapy device that has been competing with Thermage since it first came into the market in 2009. Nowadays, other companies have also started to produce their own HIFU devices for skin tightening. My experience on Ultherapy was during the initial phase of its launch. The treatments were painful, but according to the latest protocols, the intensities have been reduced and still produced similar results. Tightening results were good, but may need annual repetition to maintain. What I love is that they have new FDA clearance for other things like neck tightening etc. What I don't love is the cost per treatment ranges between RM 12-18K  and that the device costs a bomb. 

6. LED Devices.

Some believe that LED devices give tightening effects to the skin. Although it is more for skin rejuvenation as a whole, it does to a certain extent help to tighten the skin. The wavelength used is the 633nm red light that helps with rejuvenation. The only problem is that the tightening effect is overall and not targeted, so although it may work, it will take a longer time. Treatment prices range between RM 300 - RM 800 per session depending on the type of LED device.

7. LASER Devices

Most LASER devices are designed for rejuvenation or ablation and as a side result, some skin tightening are observed. However, there are LASERs that can use for skin tightening. ND YAG long pulse LASERs have been seen to give a good lift for sagging skin. It can be pretty uncomfortable and repetitive treatments are required. Treatment costs between RM 800 - RM 1800 depending on area and machine used.

8. Platelet Rich Plasma Procedures (PRP)

PRP treatments made a huge hype when Kim Kardashian posted on her social media about getting it done. Obviously she had more than PRP done on herself, but her stunt put PRP as one of the medical aesthetic treatments available in the market. Although PRP does help with rejuvenation, it only gives minimal tightening effect immediately. In the long run, maybe with volume increase and skin thickness increase, it will appear tighter but it would not be working specifically for the jowls. Treatment costs anywhere between RM 1600 - RM 5000 depending on which system they use and which method they inject it with. If its too cheap, be wary, it could be under treatment or done by an unexperienced doctor and you may not get the results you want. 

9. Threads

Threads use to be only the plastic surgeons territory for lifts, but now less invasive threads are available giving you an in-office procedure. There are 2 types of threads used in clinics which are the suspension threads and the PDO threads. Suspension threads like Silhoutte Soft suspends in the fat layer of the face giving a temporary lift immediately lasting anywhere from 6 months to up to 2 years. The main determinant will be the amount of threads used and the technique. Plus whether any anchoring to the SMAS was done. It works on lax skin making it tighter. However, usually 20% of the tightening effect will reduce after 2 months when the swelling from the initial procedure completely subsides hence why sometimes, the doctor tends to pull a lot tighter in the beginning. It would be a good solution to jowls except the cost of the treatment is around RM 4000 - RM 8000 per sitting depending on number of threads used. Some threads requiring anchoring can cost up to RM 20,000 per sitting, which makes you want to consider visiting the plastic surgeon instead. The other threads available are the PDO threads. Now the Koreans have modified them to allow longer lasting effects compared to the first generation of PDOs. Although we can use PDOs for tightening via collagen stimulation, it takes a few sessions (3-5 sessions) over a period of a couple months to get a really good result. The cost is cheaper than suspension threads, roughly around RM 2500- RM 5000 per sitting depending of amount and types of PDO used. Sometimes, doctors would used a combination of both suspension and PDO threads for a better result and this can cost a whopping RM 7000 - RM 12000 per sitting. The only problem with threads is the downtime. If you are lucky you may not bruise, but most of the time it takes between 5-14 days for the bruising and swelling to subside.

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10. Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy is the practice of giving micro injections to the face. For face tightening, certain mesotherapy cocktails can be used to improve skin tightening. However, it may be temporary lasting only 2-4 weeks and they maybe risk of pain and bruising. You also require to do multiple sessions (5-10 sessions on average) to get a good result. Some clinic use mesorollers, mesostamps or mesoguns to aid the process.  The cost can vary between RM 250-RM 1200 per session depending on the cocktail and the method used. 

11. Tightening Creams 

I included this in as now a lot of clinics sell products that promises instant tightening of the skin. There are a few scientifically proven substances that can help with skin tightening. One of the most mentioned are the DMAEs (di-methyl-amino-ethanol) which has clinically proven to tighten up the skin. Another common component would be the non-cross link hyaluronic acids which claim to help with hydration and skin tightening too. Personally, i think the molecules maybe too big to be absorbed well. Plus it is aquaphilic, and our skin is water proof. Another amino compound that has made highlights is the 8-hexapeptide complex that helps to reduce wrinkles for 8-12 hours dubbed as the alternative to botulinum toxin. (Honestly, BTA works faster and better). Other active ingredients include retinoids (Vitamin A derivatives), salycilic acid, ATP, Coenzyme Q-10, and other peptides and cytokines. Epidermal Growth Factors (EGF) also plays a role although it is more of rejuvenation of the skin compared to just tightening.

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Regardless of whatever treatment modality that appeals to you, a good consultation with your aesthetic doctor is always important to get a better idea of which treatment or treatment combinations suit you best. It is always good to preplan the procedure so that you can afford the social downtime if required.

For more question or to book an appointment, do contact us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or call / text /whatsapp to 0129660852 .

Farewell to Starhill ....... But its not the End

It has been a gruesome month where if some of you may have noticed, our clinic has been pretty much inactive. I have to apologise to all my patients and blog readers for the hiccup. The reason for the long silence was because we were busy moving. Yes, finally Faceworks has left Starhill.

For the initial part, I thought of taking a break from seeing patients and running a clinic. Faceworks has been my blood, sweat and tears since 2008. Being a lonely captain, it can be tough sometimes especially since the rentals were exorbitant, and the economy was flip flopping year to year. Not to mention the non-stop ongoing renovations that just seems endless.

However, despite the odds, I do have many patients and followers who have supported me all this while. So my initial thought of rest, was cut short. I have an obligation to my patients. So after the move, I started negotiating venues in order to continue my service of care for my loyal patients, to allow them the benefits that they have had before. After a few discussions, finally I've decided to join up with a senior of mine in Gleneagles Medical Office block, i.e. the private clinics.

For this month, the intended suite is still under renovations, so for appointments, I'd have to use his current suite, hence the appointment only basis is a complete must. I've retained one of my nurses Mia to help keep track of all the appointments and assist during procedures. There is so many small things to do and complete like switching phone lines etc, which would take awhile. But do not fret, our clinic mobile and gmail is still functioning - Email us and we will respond as soon as possible.

The coolest thing about moving is I get to breathe better and I get to play with Thermage. Oh yes, my senior has a Thermage that have tips expiring in this year and he has given me the permission to use and promote so that the consumables do not go to waste. So for the past week I have been doing a few Thermage cases, that actually gave not just the patient satisfaction but even my team, especially when my extended protocols for neck, and breasts are applied. I will write a full entry on Thermage in the next couple of days so that you understand what the hype is all about. If you are to curious, you can check out their official page here http://www.thermage.com/ .

So basically, all our usual services are available except for some machines since I need to arrange for them to be moved over. We are thinking to fix up my Starlux, so then I can expand my services to more interesting things. We'll see how it goes. We'll be having a mother's day event to invite patients over to introduce the new place and new services. Do email or text us if you are interested to attend. I also realised that some people are having problems accessing our website. Our website is currently on www.fwclinic.com  in view of a miscommunication with our previous web hoster. Even our store has moved to a different URL but the function is still the same http://fwclinic.com/store/.

I would like to thank all my patients, friends and followers who have been with me and supported us all this way. Without patients, I am no longer a doctor - without the patience and the care, I wouldn't be where I am now. Faceworks in Starhill is much loved, and we had so much fun there with events, parties, memories. It is sad to leave but in order to succeed we need to move on. So worry not, Faceworks may no longer be in Starhill, but we are still available, still functioning to provide to you the best aesthetic treatments with that pampering touch. Hope to see you soon.

For more information or appointments please email us at faceworksclinic@gmail.com or call us at 014-2233268.

Happy New Year... 2014

Its the start of a new year. Time flies ever so fast. Reminiscing back to the earlier days of running the clinic, how much things have changed. Now, my skills are more than grown, I have started to train other doctors for most of the filler and botulinum toxin techniques. I have a good team, with a strong manager to help manage most of the clinic day to day dealings. We've established the appointment only concept that not only allows you to plan for your appointment, but for us to make the best of your time. My foreign patients love this concept, the locals are still trying to get use to it.

We've made a lot of new allies for this year, and new projects are unveiling. We may have dropped a few, but the aim is to move forward, hence we need to focus on the positives. We have good and loyal patients, we have a lot of new ones too. With the new regulations hopefully Malaysia will be able to compete with its neighbouring countries in terms of Medical Aesthetics more proactively and provide overall great service and good reputation.

Unfortunately, there are still a lot of people who fall prey to beauticians doing injections etc, providing so called professional exclusive services. An overall price comparison, their prices compared to doctor prices are pretty much similar with perhaps a few hundred difference. I have been consulting patients whom have had beautician work done on their face and overall most of them are not happy with the work, but the worst part is you can't remove it, unless of course surgically. And most surgeons would charge a bomb for having to clean up someone else's mess, plus the complications that may arise from the surgery.

So for the start of this new year, I would like to give a take home message to all my readers who may consider improving their looks for this year.

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Let Anyone Else But A Trained Dr Poke A Needle to Your Face

1. The Face is the first thing a person notices when they look at you. Getting fillers or BTA from an untrained hand may make you look weird / disproportionate / abnormal. Every trained medical aesthetic practitioner goes through measurement training and ratio training that allows them to make an educated assessment of your face's needs and amount required. Beauticians only inject base on what they think is pretty but not based on scientific guidelines. What may be pretty to them may not be pretty to anyone else.

2. Beauticians are not taught surgical anatomy. Yes, they may argue, they have anatomy syllabus in their courses but it is very non-specific and mostly related to massage techniques. Even doctors who are not trained in medical aesthetics have issues with face anatomy (I conduct training, I know) and most only know basic. You need a really in depth knowledge of the anatomy of the structures of your face before you can safely poke a needle in it. There are many areas which you cannot inject or even if you did required high level of care. There are reported cases of skin necrosis, granulomas, etc with filler injections even with the most trained hands, what else an untrained hand? And what more a non-medical personnel who doesn't even have the basic.

3. The collagen that beauticians keep saying they are injecting are not 100% collagen. The source is questionable, most are taken from China since its super cheap there and unlikely to be sterile. For those with religious preferences, most collagen for fillers are bovine (cow) or porcine (pig) in origin. We will never use marine sources because of very high allergy rates in humans. Sometimes, they even use human collagen (which I have no idea how they extract). Another issue is that most of the time, liquid silicone is included in the concoction to give it better volume for less usage and for the effect to stay longer (rather permanent). My simplest advice would be to be inquisitive about the product you use - see the packaging, make sure the box and the filler is the same thing, make sure it is sterile, and make sure you can actually read the label on the box.

4. Any break in the skin allows bacteria and viruses to come in and cause a local infection. Doctors are drilled with need for sterility for all procedures even before they graduate. Beauticians and other non-medical injectors are not trained towards sterility. How sure are you that the needle they use has not been used before, how sure are you that their swabs are not expired? What about communicable diseases? How healthy is your injector? You have no idea about their own medical background. Furthermore, if a doctor's procedure gets infected, the doctor can treat and prescribe antibiotics, what can your beautician do besides ask you to seek help from a doctor?

5. Beauticians charge cheaper? On contrary, you may be paying so much more for what they are worth. Most beauticians will charge 5-10 fold of their cost price, whilst most doctors would charge base on the market price for a certain product and their experience. I had one patient who went to a beautician for a nose filler and was charged RM 15K. Luckily she only paid half, but with the amount of money, I told her she could have gotten a proper rhinoplasty done. She was unhappy with the filler work which made her nose look so big that she was depressed. Then she had to spend another RM 6K to remove it from a surgeon and a few more $$ for a proper rhinoplasty. Altogether, she spent almost RM 50K for something that she could have saved if she had consulted a proper doctor to begin with.

The medical aesthetic industry is a very lucrative industry which most Malaysians are starting to realise nowadays. Hence many people will try to grab the opportunity to be in this industry. Its not a bad thing, but personally I feel that you should only sell a skill that you possess and able to handle inclusive of the consultation and complications. Although the government has imposed certain regulations on Medical Aesthetics and Beauticians, however, enforcement in Malaysia is very poor. Because of this, as a consumer, it is your own responsibility to make an informed educated decision when deciding on any procedure. Remember, all medical aesthetic procedures are elective - take your time to do your own research and sleep on it before deciding. If you are not comfortable with the injector, just walk away. Its your face anyway. Hesitation is better than regret.

Happy New Year Peeps!! Look out for more interesting blog entries for this year.

For more information or to contact us directly please call the clinic at 03-21440080 / 014-2233268 or email to us at faceworksclinic@gmail.com. 

Oppan Gangnam style?

Taken from Wikipedia

     I have always been amazed by the K-pop culture as it has a lot to do with medical aesthetics. From being a reserve country now over a couple of years K-pop culture has actually disseminated to almost every part of Asia if not the world. The most recent craze of K-pop culture is the Oppan Gangnam style. At first I was like... What? Initially hearing the name Gangnam I was thinking of some Hindustani movie or song, but I heard it air on Hitz Fm the other day and realized it was K-Pop. I asked my suppliers and my friends about it, and everyone was familiar with the Gangnam style except perhaps me. I guess I must have been too caught up with work to realize the viral hit sensation and I thought aging was getting to me, but apparently, the Gangnam Style was only aired on July 15th of this year. Pheewww.... and I thought I was losing my touch to the world.

So I decided to take a look at the infamous Gangnam Style on YouTube. The original video has 87 million views since July (not bad). And it even has its own entry on Wikipedia. Definitely super viral. And I would say that the you tube is pretty interesting and entertaining. His funny dance actually looks cool when it is done by so many others at the same time and it is a different view of K-Pop culture where the singer is usually super 'lencai'.

But despite the singer's common look - I did notice he had his nose done which is really common in Korea. My colleagues in Korea tell me that every single Korean will get a nose filler done by the time they are 18. It is so popular that on 1 small street there are 30 different aesthetic clinics and they can still make a good living. (And I thought 30+ clinics on Orchard street in Singapore was overboard). In fact medical aesthetics in Korea is so common that they have actually developed machines and techniques which initially I was pretty resistant to the idea because we had a private joke that Korean machines only lasted 2 years but nowadays with their advancement and technology, it is almost at par with the American or UK produced machines. They have also come up with mini thread techniques which looks promising and less invasive compared to traditional threads. On this 16th I will be attending a training introductory course and hopefully from there if it is really safe with minimal complications then perhaps I will introduce the technique to my clinic to tackle sagging issues of face, breasts and buttocks.

More solutions for my patients.

Going back to Gangnam style, Mr PSY rapper is pretty good and he does have a pretty contagious song. The Gangnam moves are simply hilarious but with the tune it looks cool and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes an aerobic routine soon (or perhaps already is). How safe it is to your joints in view of the twisting movements of the knee? I'd have to get an orthopedic opinion on that. In the mean time, let's enjoy the shuffle movements while we can. (Reminds me a bit like poco poco craze). But I do recommend some child monitoring for the video, some of the scenes are not so proper.

Oh, for those wondering what is Gangnam....

According to Wikipedia :

"Gangnam Style" is a Korean language colloquialism that refers to a luxurious lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district,^[4] an affluent and trendy area of Seoul.^[5] The music video depicts Psy dancing at various locations in Gangnam.^[6] The song's theme is about "the perfect girlfriend who knows when to be refined and when to get wild."^[7]

In Korean colloquialism, "오빤 강남 스타일 (Oppan Gangnam style)" may be translated as "I love the Gangnam style" or literally translated as "Your big brother is Gangnam Style". The Korean word 오빠 (oppa) means "a female's elder brother" but can be also used as a first-, second- or third-person masculine pronoun to designate a male who is elder or older than a female. Based on more recent cultural norms, the term has typically been used to refer to a boyfriend or male spouse. It is used as a first-person pronoun in this phrase. 오빤 (oppan) is an abbreviation of 오빠는 (oppaneun). 는 is a topic marker, which in this case means the implied subject of the sentence is the singer (오빠). The verb "to be" is omitted, as is often the case in such short Korean sentences. Thus the literal translation of "Oppan Gangnam style" is "Your big brother [is] Gangnam Style".

The lyrics are by Psy, music by Psy and Yoo Gun-hyung, and it was arranged by Yoo Gun-hyung, who is a well-known producer in South Korea and also collaborated with Psy in the past.

Cheers.

Mother's Day Promotion....

     Last week we had a nice event in Faceworks Clinic for Mother's Day. Although it was a week earlier, but the thought that counts and we had a good turn up of guests. You can see pictures on our Facebook Faceworks Clinic Page - http://www.facebook.com/FaceworksClinic (Do like our page if you could :) ). It was a wonderful event. I gave a talk on medical aesthetics and what we can do with the current technology and medical advancement that we have. Mr Terry from Dermaqueen gave an interesting overview about our latest service called Dermaqueen, and Mrs Nazli gave a nice talk and short demo on Nutrilite organic nutrition as an important supplement to keep healthy. Then we had the nice delicious home cooked variety buffet. I personally made the marinara and buffalo wings. Whilst we had Kak Nora prepare some traditional lontong. Kak Nora is excellent with traditional menus and she even had some of the AFC chefs come down to learn her recipes. (Yes, if you want to try her cooking or learn you can ask me how to contact her). Bite Size kitchen prepared the colourful and beautiful muffins. (Thank you Ayu) and Mrs Haze prepared the delightful Tiramisu. (Yes, she also takes orders for her cakes). Dessert was delightful with Mr Belo's puddings that was delivered by Mr Belo himself - Neatly placed puddings for any occasion. As usual, Faceworks Clinic Events have the most wonderful palatable tastes, so it is definitely an event worth going to.

     After most of the guest indulged the food, we had a lip filler demo with Juvederm Ultra XC - the new range of hyaluronic acid filler with lidocaine to reduce pain, bruising and swelling. Our model was very brave, as she did not request for any nerve block, just some numbing cream, but with the new XC, you do not really need any nerve blocks since pain is reduced up to 70% compared to the previous fillers without lidocaine. And the best part is that it is already infused in the gel so that the filler does not get diluted and hence the efficacy of the filler remains the same. So say bye bye to painful lip fillers, because that is the thing of the past.

     I also demonstrated Obagi Blue Radiance Peel which gives instant radiance and evening of skin tone even after 1 application. We applied a complete 4 layers on the Model (a different one) and he was able to tolerate the pain (scored around 6 and improving to 0 over 5 minutes). We then left it on for 15 minutes, and applied a soothing mask afterwards for another 15 minutes to reduce any redness. Instantly after the procedure he looked more refreshed (well, who wouldn't after a nice 15 mins of lying with a mask and lavender pillows on the eyes in a dim room). I called him a few days later and he said he was okay, with minimal skin peeling but looking a lot more refreshed, with even skin tone and less oily compared to before. Yes, the Obagi blue peel radiance although is very good, does have a social down time of around 3-5 days, so I would normally tell my patient to do it on a social clear calender. It only takes 20 minutes to do anyway, so you can run in during lunch time. You only start peeling during day 2 onwards.

     The last demo was the highlight of the day, i.e. the Dermaqueen Demo. I had one of my friends as Demo i.e. Mr Ed (The Nutrilite guy). We numbed his face for 30 minutes and did the treatment on his face. There was a slight tingling sensation, with a pain score of maximum 2 - merely negligible. You can see pictures of him on our Faceworks Clinic Facebook Page. Immediately after the procedure, he felt his skin feel so hydrated and lifted. I met him yesterday and today and he looked fairer with better skin tone and he still feels the hydrating effect. He also noticed that his pores appeared smaller and because his skin is tighter, he looks better. Not bad for a guy who just went through a swimming marathon. (Which was why he got so tanned in the first place). For those interested to try this treatment out, we are giving a 1st trial special price of RM 1080/=. (Normal price RM 1800/++ session). 

Overall, the event was a definite success. A lot of my guests were impressed by the instant results from the demos, and of course the wonderful food. We had fun, and I hope my guests had fun too. Thank you so much to all my suppliers who helped sponsor goodies for my guests, and thank you to all my guests who came till the final hour. Thank you also to all my food providers for the wonderful food. Can't wait for the next event.

Well, for those who missed it, these are the promotions that we launched that day.

For more information please call us at 03-21440080 or email us at info@faceworksclinic.com