How to decide which cosmetic procedure is best for you.

Cosmetic procedures can be classified into four basic groups:
Resurfacing procedures( fractional laser resurfacing, photofacials, chemical peels or even skin creams)

Tightening procedures(facelift, browlift, Thermage, necklift or Pelleve)

Filling procedures( Restylane, juvaderm, Radiesse, fat injections or Sculptra)

Relaxing procedures(Botox or Dysport)

Here are some common cosmetic skin conditions and my most common recommendations I would give to my patients:
Do you have a lot of sun spots and blood vessels? (Photofacials and tretinoin with DNA-EGF creams).
Do you have a lot of wrinkles around the eyes and mouth? (Fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing).
Do you have a saggy neck and jowls? ( Facelift or Pelleve)
Do you have bags under your eyes from a hollowing?  (Fillers around the eyes).
Do you have hollow cheeks and temples? (Fat or Sculptra injections).
Do you have just loose skin of the neck? (neck lift or Pelleve).
Can you afford zero downtime?  (Fractional non invasive resurfacing or IPL with fillers and Dysport).
If you can afford more than one week of downtime? (Laser resurfacing, with lifting procedures and fillers).

These generic cosmetic procedure recommendations require a consultation by an honest experienced cosmetic surgeon who  has the access to all of the new technology procedures and can perform or discuss the surgical procedures. The physician should give the advice that is in the best interests of the patient.
Sometimes the cosmetic consultation may even result in the advice that no procedure should be done.

I would be happy to I  provide you with an honest and analytical cosmetic consultation in the future.

Sincerely,
Ronald Moy, M.D.
Professor,
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
421 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA

http://www.moycosmeticaser.com

WHY HAS IT TAKEN ME 25 YEARS to ENDORSE A SKIN CARE LINE?

The reason that I have not  endorsed any skin care products is that 99% of skin care products are no better than skin moisturizers.   They do nothing.  DNA EGF Renewal is a new skin care line that contains unique ingredients that can really renew and repair the skin.

DNA repair enzymes in liposomes have been shown in many scientific studies to actually repair DNA damage cause by ultraviolet light.  One of the DNA repair enzymes, called endonuclesaes, or in published studies called Dimericine has actually prevented skin cancers and pre-cancers in skin cancer prone patients. These results were published in theprestigious medical journal, Lancet.  We have also corroborated these results for pre-cancerous lesions in our studies with a cream containing 3 types of DNA repair enzymes. What can better to put on your skin than a night cream that prevents skin cancers and repairs sun damage?

The other unique ingredient in DNA EGF renewal is epidermal growth factor or EGF.  The discovery of this skin growth factor resulted in the Nobel Prize for the discoverer.  This EGF has been shown to enhance wound healing and repair of skin.  Growth factors have shown to improve wrinkles and sun damaged skin.  Growth factors like EGF thicken aged sun damaged skin.   The EGF that we are using is exclusive to the DNAEGF Renewal brand.   It is more stable than other EGFs since it is bio-engineered from barley instead of bacteria. We know that it thickens the skin enough that it prevents and improves aged bruised skin.  We have been told by our patients that it shrinks pores by virtue of this skin rejuvenation.

I now tell any patient who wants their skin to look better, decrease their sun damage and decrease the numbers of pre-cancers to use DNA EGF Renewal nightly.

Order information:
www.dnaegfrenewal.com
1-877-411-5476

Ron Moy

WHY HAVE WE MOVED OUR OFFICE FROM UCLA MEDICAL PLAZA to 421 North RODEO DRIVE?

The reason that we are excited about our move office from the UCLA Medical Plaza to 421 North Rodeo Drive is that it will improve our ability to serve our patients. We will have a larger nicer office with better surgical suites. We could not expand our suite at UCLA. There will be 2 hours of free parking at the public parking facility around the corner on Brighton Way. This is just steps from our new second floor office on Rodeo Drive. There will also bevalet parking available at the Rodeo Collection where our office will be located. We have had many complaints about the worsening parking situation at UCLA. This move will only slightly increase our overhead so we will not change our prices or our acceptance of medical insurance.

Although I started practicing at UCLA in 1981 as a resident, and in 1988 as a faculty member of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, I am looking forward to moving to a new office. The natural lighting and the peaceful courtyard will make the office more pleasant. The bigger space will allow us to house additional lasers and new technology devices. We will have two operating rooms in our Ambulatory Surgical Center that we will get Medicare accredited like we have had at UCLA.

Half of our referrals come from Santa Monica and the other half of our referrals come from the Cedars Sinai Medical physicians and Beverly Hills physicians so that this Beverly Hills triangle location will still allow us to serve all of our patients. 
We will be open our new office Monday, November 23.

Our new phone number will be 310 274 5372.

Look for us on the Terrace Level (second floor). Use the elevator at the front of the Rodeo Collection and make a right after you exit on the second floor. We will also have a back elevator that can exit adjacent to cars at the bottom floor of the subterranean parking for our surgical patients and our patients who require privacy. 

We look forward to seeing you in our new office at 421 North Rodeo Drive, The Rodeo Collection.

Sincerely,
Dr. Ron Moy

Prevention of Skin Aging and Cancer with Creams

One of the most common questions from patients I hear is  what can I do to prevent skin cancer and skin aging besides sun screens?   There are so many anti-aging creams that promise to treat wrinkles and aging skin. Do these creams sold at stores really work? Are prescription creams better?  What is the real science behind all these creams?  What are the myths behind all of the beauty skin care creams?

One myth is that of anti-oxidant creams. Vitamin C creams, vitamin E, green tea, and a host of berries and other compunds are all touted as anti-aging, anti-cancer agents.  This concept of anti-oxidants quenching free radicals caused by sunlight that results in cellular damage may have a theoretical basis but has not translated into significant skin improvement when used as the sole active agent.   The main argument against these anti-oxidant creams is that there are not good clinical studies showing their effectiveness.  Similarly oral anti-oxidant vitamins  have been shown that they do not work on preventing cancer or aging in large controlled  studies.  Many large studies have shown that taking beta-carotene, vitamin E or other anti-oxidant supplements or anti-oxidant creams result in no decrease in cancer or measureable aging.

Topical retinol has been touted as a wrinkle remover as good as topical prescription retinoids such as Retin A, Tazorac or generic tretinoin.    The truth is that retinols do not irritate the skin like prescription retinoids nor have they been shown to improve wrinkles like prescription retinoids.

Glycolic acids and salicylic acids may cause some exfoliation but there is little proof that it causes real improvement in sun damage and wrinkles as does the prescription topical retinoids.  There is  good science behind these prescription retinoids but not with the other topical agents.

The other category of topical agents where scientific studies have shown skin improvement is in the area of DNA repair enzyme creams. Sunlight damages skin DNA causing cancer, wrinkles and sun damage.  We all have DNA repair enzymes in our skin.  As we get older we make decreased DNA repair enzymes. We can supplement our decreased DNA repair enzymes with DNA repair enzyme within liposomes made into creams .   DNA repair enzyme creams have been shown to not only treat wrinkles but to repair skin DNA.  There are many studies showing that DNA repair enzymes will repair the DNA in skin cells and that with liposomes they penetrate into the skin.  Repairing skin DNA can lead to a decrease in pre cancerous actinic keratosis.  We have completed a study using endonuclease DNA repair enzyme creams demonstrating a definite decrease in actinic actinic “>keratosis.  A previous study  using endonuclease DNA repair enzyme that was named Dimericine studied the effect on actinic keratosis, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma on xeroderma pigmentosum patients (patients with little DNA repair ability).  The study was published in the prestigious journal, Lancet.  The study showed that there was an 30 to 50% decrease in all pre-cancers and skin cancers.

Our DNA EGF Renewal contains these same DNA repair enzymes and other DNA repair enzymes in high concentrations.  Our DNA EGF has been tested and used by our patients for reducing precancers, preventing skin cancers and to make the skin look younger.   There is real science behind these DNA repair enzyme creams.
What is the real practical advice that I give to patients in addition to wearing sunscreens daily.  Use the prescription topical retinoids like generic tretinoin cream, Retin A, Tazorac cream, Avage cream, Renova.  All of these prescription creams can cause some scaling and irritation so that most patients should use these creams about two evenings per week.  The other five evenings per week the DNA repair enzyme creams (DNA EGF PM and/or DNA EGF Intensive ) should be used.  The use of these creams will be of great benefit for making your skin look younger and to prevent future problems with your skin.

Ronald Moy, M.D.
Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
421 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills. Calif. (Starting in November)

Beauty and Cosmetic Advice from Recent Facial Plastic Surgery Meetings

I have just returned from the Multispecialty Facial Plastic Surgery meeting in Las Vegas.  This is the best facial plastic surgery meeting in the world because the best facial plastic surgery lecturers are invited. It is the best meeting where facial plastic surgeons, general plastic surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologic surgeons mingle, discuss, argue and conclude what are the best techniques to make anyone look “naturally younger and more beautiful”. You might think I sound biased.  I admit I am one of the founding directors and I am one of the lecturers at the meeting.

I will try to share what I have learned at this meeting sitting through more than 24 hours of lectures and videos.  Although I have performed excellent face lifts, brow lifts, eye lifts and neck lifts for more than 20 years it is the combination of facial plastic surgery techniques that give the best and most natural appearance. The combination of laser resurfacing, fillers( fat, Restylane. Juvaderm, Sculptra, Radiesse) lifting procedures and the Botox or the new Dysport give the natural beautiful look that every facial plastic surgeon/ dermatologic surgeon like myself and every patient strives for.  The fillers are important because we all lose fat especially around our eyes, temple and cheeks.  That is partly why we look saggy and baggy around the eyes. Sometimes fillers alone can provide a lifting more youthful appearance.  The lifting procedures are necessary when the neck and the lower third of the face is loose and saggy.  Volume with fillers, fat or a chin implant can improve the looseness.  Minimally invasive procedures like Thermage can give modest tightening results.  Smart Lifting with lasers may be able to give a no incision neck-face lifting while a minimal incision face lift or S-Lift is the best procedure for many patients.  The minimal face lift has to be naturally lifted in an upward vector and not in a side way vector to give the most natural results on the lower face and neck.  The newest innovation in technology is with laser resurfacing.  The fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing devices are able to improve all wrinkles and sun damaged spots with less than one week of healing.  We have had no complications in our  500 patients.  This new procedure is significantly better than the old carbon dioxide laser resurfacing or deep chemical peels.  I usually can combine this with fillers and lifting procedure to give the best results.

I can share with you the latest and best cosmetic procedures in a consultation.  I promise I will personally give you the honest and conservative advice that I would want my family member to receive.  I often talk patients out of doing any surgery.

I am blessed in that I am currently on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, the Editorial Boards of theArchives of Facial Plastic Surgery and the Archives of Dermatology, and was recently elected to become President Elect of the American Academy of Dermatology.  These experiences allow me to know the best techniques and obtain advice from the best dermatologic, cosmetic and facial plastic surgeons in the world.  I know most them on a first name basis.  It is an exciting time to be a physician who specializes in helping people improve their appearances.  I love my job.  If you ever decide to visit for a cosmetic consultation and advice I promise you will benefit from my 25 years of experience and my honest and conservative approach.
Best wishes,

Ron

Ronald Moy, M.D.
Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

P.S.  We are moving to 421 North Rodeo Drive, Terrace Level North, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210 sometime in September 2009.  Our new phone number will be 310  274 5372 in September.
Ron Moy

Check out Dr. Ronald Moy on iVillage

Click on the link below to see what Dr. Moy has to say when it comes to tanning!

http://beauty.ivillage.com/0,,d18s88h8,00.html

Moy Cosmetic Laser In C Magazine!

  

Moy Cosemtic Laser is named one of California’s top skin doctors!

LASER SKIN RESURFACING

I am returning from the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery in San Francisco where I was invited to give 3 lectures.  I spoke on fractional laser resurfacing combined with skin tightening with the Affirm Multiplex laser.  We have performed skin resurfacing on about one thousand patients.  We have a few cases of blistering but no other complications.  Most patients get good  results of their sundamaged skin after around 6 treatments.  The neck, chest and hand can also be treated.  Plasma resurfacing allows us to treat severe sun damaged skin in one treatment.

I also spoke twice on the use of fillers to make one look younger.  The FDA has approved new fillers that last longer and can really make one look much younger.  Some of our patients are getting the results of a natural looking facelift. Other facial plastic surgeons and dermasurgeons are reporting good results with fat injections as we have done for many years.

I always learn from the other facial plastic surgeons at these meetings.  Some of what I learn is a reminder to listen carefully to every patient.  Facial plastic surgeons should not operate on every patient.  A consultation should include what a patient desires and what can actually be accomplished.

There continues to be improvements and refinements in facelift, eyelift and browlift procedures. Results look much more natural and all of these procedures can be performed under local anesthesia or twilight sedation.

There is now a procedure that can replace Botox for blocking the frowning wrinkles between the eyebrows. The procedure is called GFX.  It is a radiofrequency device that knocks out the nerves that cause these frowning wrinkles.  We have been doing this procedure with excellent results.

Come talk to us about some of these procedures. We have a newsletter that explains these procedures in greater detail.  We have the latest technology available. We will do our best to listen to you carefully and to give you the most honest and up to date cosmetic consultation possible.
Ron Moy

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