June is National Gay Pride month and in the fight for equal rights, President Obama will be lifting the military policy of “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” This would allow all dedicated Americans serving in the armed forces to be open and honest. The revocation of this policy will eliminate the ‘dishonorable discharge’ of many highly decorated servicemen and women. Their dedication should be revered – even more than we do celebrities or politicians. We preach to our children about individuality and strength and yet there is tolerance of hate and intolerance.

As a business owner, we are told that we are “not allowed” to discriminate for reasons of race, religion or sexual orientation; as a matter of fact, we are required to hang posters for all employees to see and can be prosecuted if we don’t abide by these laws. I would ask that we open our minds, as human beings, to find tolerance and preach understanding. Find the beauty – inside and out! We at FUZION are dedicated to helping you polish the outside.

The times, they are a changin’! I challenge you to “TELL when you are ASKED!” If you are proud of your life choices, as I am of mine, don’t hide behind silly untruths. You are improving yourself, empowering yourself and practicing the art of anti-aging. Be proud of your intervention! Underneath it all, we do aesthetic procedures for ourselves.

There is a movement in Hollywood, and across the country, for “transparency” and “going bare.” I have two feelings about this. First, all of the “stars” who are going bare, or being photographed without makeup typically practice regular peels, laser treatments, injectables or chemical peels. Is this truly bare? Secondly, if you agree with this practice, then you should have great skin! Artists start with a fresh canvas – your skin is your canvas.

I urge you to be open, honest and transparent! ASK, TELL and support the fight of millions of people for equality.

FUZION is very proud to show our support for the gay community. Yes, we love Bruno and hope that you are all gabbing with him [make sure you join the Bruno Gabs Facebook group too!]. But we wanted to do even more to engage and support the gay community in Connecticut. That’s why we’ve agreed to be sponsors this year for the following:

Out Film Festival: May 27 – June 5
We signed on as a platinum sponsor for the Film Festival’s 23rd year. Out Film CT is a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to presenting outstanding LGBT cinema and other theatrical events throughout the year, culminating in the 10-day Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.  As Connecticut’s longest-running film festival, it has become a distinctive fixture in our state’s cultural landscape, bringing the community together to introduce, celebrate and rediscover the ideas and values that make the LGBT community unique.

Connecticut Pride 2010: June 5, 12-7p
We are also a gold sponsor for Connecticut PRIDE. They are made up of volunteers from throughout your community, committed to to celebrating and remembering who we are, where we’ve come from, and how far we need to go. We produce events that promote awareness, tolerance, acceptance, and equality for GLBTI individuals, their friends, and families. We do this to provide a safe space, a healthy sense of family and identity, and to save lives.

CABO: Connecticut’s first and only Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Chamber of Commerce.
CABO’s mission is to create, identify and enhance business opportunities for LGBT and LGBT-friendly organizations, thereby fostering a more inclusive and vibrant Connecticut economy. We’re very proud to have joined this community this year.

You’ll also see us around supporting the CT Gay Men’s Chorus and the New Haven Pride Center. And we are also hosting our own Tea Dance for all things male grooming on June 12.

We’d love to see you show support at these events too. Hope to see you there!

Remember, your skin is a living, breathing organ and should be treated with the love and care that it needs to provide you with a lifetime of glowing protection. So, go to your dermatologist and get a full body check, it may actually save your life!

We just found out that Lisa Wexler, radio host and author, will be joining our event to read from her book, answer questions and sign books at our event! Lisa, her mother, Gloria Kamen, and sister, Jill Zarin [you may recognize as one of "The Real Housewives of New York City" on Bravo] have collaborated and written a new book “Secrets of a Jewish Mother.” Filled with candid, humorous and loving advice and personal glimpses into their lives, this trio offers up some tips we should all heed and live by.

They were just on the Today Show a few weeks ago to discuss the book…

But like I said, this is our really BIG Beauty Bash, so we have a lot more going on:

• Over $7500 of amazing giveaways—drawings throughout the evening
• Live dermal filler and BOTOX demonstrations
• Medical aesthetics and SmartLipo MPX FAQs
• Fashion show with Ella where She shops and Arabella
• Hair consultations with Timothy Pamment Salon
• Style and wardrobe consultations with Ella’s, Arabella and Timothy Pamment
• Makeup ambushes throughout the evening from FUZION’s makeup artists
• Special offers and discounts for treatments and procedures

The best news…our event is absolutely, 100% complimentary. Why? Why not? We want to say thank you to our wonderful clients and welcome new or curious patients to explore, learn and become part of our family too. Please let me know if you have any questions. As always, I am here to help make your journey through the world of medical aesthetics comfortable and effortless for you.

-Kati

The following VLOG will chronicle the 3 steps it took to complete my first peel. I will be blogging the subsequent days so stay tuned . . .

Lipodissolve involves injections of phosphatidylcholine and sodium dioxycholate, often with vitamins and often compounded right on the premises, that purportedly dissolve fat deposits. However, this procedure and its pharmaceutical composition has not been proven effective or safe. Regardless, it is offered by many facilities that advertise it as an alternative to liposuction, and it is often administered by staff with little to no medical training.

This week, a handful of medspas around the country offering lipodissolve received warning letters from the FDA stating, “The claims made for your lipodissolve products are false and misleading in that they are not supported by substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience.”

The FDA has yet to see credible scientific evidence of lipodissolve’s benefits, but they’ve seen plenty of complaints from consumers who were left with lumps, scars and deformities after undergoing the treatment.

In addition to citing the medspas, the FDA has also sent warnings to a Brazilian company that offers the mixtures. Almost immediately, the company put up a message on their websites stating, “Due to the current facts,” they “do not sell Lipodissolve vials anymore.”

The medspas have two weeks to stop what they’re doing and notify the FDA of their efforts to correct their violations.

The increase in non-invasive procedures administered by facial plastic surgeons was seen across the spectrum of treatments with the greatest increase being Sculptra, poly-l-lactic acid, (up 71 percent). Other increases include chemical peels (up 52 percent), hyaluronic acid (up 48%) and BOTOX® (up 45 percent).

The survey also showed that 77 percent of physicians agree that patients are more educated about plastic surgery options. With more people wanting to look younger, feel better and take an active role in their health, patients are researching different physicians and treatments to find the best one suited to meet their personal needs. Awareness of various procedures, appropriate physicians, best results and recovery times play an important role in the decision-making process.

“We are excited to see patients making educated choices. They are now open to newer, novel treatments and are making smart decisions that are tailored to their needs,” said Daniel Rousso, MD, President of the AAFPRS. “The overall rise in these procedures also shows that more patients are trusting their face to facial plastic surgeons who are trained and focus solely on the face and neck. Because of this, patients are seeing better outcomes.”

In 2009, women continued to be the most likely candidates for facial plastic surgery making up 84 percent of all surgical and non-surgical procedures. However, men and women are equally split when it comes to reconstructive procedures.

Surgical Procedures

In 2000, facial plastic surgeons reported the facelift as the most common cosmetic surgical procedure, followed by blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), rhinoplasty (nose surgeries) and ablative skin resurfacing. These procedures are most commonly performed on patients between the ages of 35 and 60 years of age. For female patients under age 35, the most common procedure performed was rhinoplasty.

The surgical procedures with the largest increases over the past year were ablative skin resurfacing (up 57 percent), revision surgery (up 18 percent) and facelifts (up 14 percent). Decreases were seen in lip augmentation (down 52 percent) and rhinoplasty (down 13 percent).

Medispa Findings

Physicians continue to express concern over procedures performed at medical spas (medispas). 76 percent of facial plastic surgeons surveyed say they are aware that medical directors of medispas are not actually on site for medical treatments. Most cosmetic procedures are performed in a private office (54 percent) setting. Procedures performed in a hospital came in at 23 percent and the number of procedures performed at medical spas or medispas remained unchanged (2 percent). Half of the physicians surveyed are aware of misleading advertising involving injectables, lasers and other cosmetic therapies. 35 percent of physicians believe medispas will become a more popular location for patients undergoing treatments.

Other Facial Plastic Surgery Trends

The facelift is the most common procedure performed on Caucasian patients, African Americans and Hispanics are most likely to have rhinoplasty while Asian Americans get blepharoplasty most often. Overall, 80 percent of AAFPRS members who participated in the survey feel that the future holds more cosmetic surgery for ethnic populations.

In addition, more facial plastic surgeons will offer wellness and lifestyle techniques to enhance the patient experience and to provide a more comprehensive approach.

FUZION takes the guess-work out of finding a qualified expert who understands your needs. Consultations are always complimentary and include a full overview of your concerns and a variety of treatment options. Please let us help you find your beauty.

So Kati had me go back to work on the acne scarring on my temples a bit more. The Fraxel has been good so far, but Kati wanted to see more results. That’s why she decided to target my temples with the Affirm Laser [this was the baby brother to the Fraxel that she explained in my consultation].

Here’s a vlog her checking on my progress. Let me know if you have any questions.