OUR LAGUNA: Getting a lift without going under the knife

Beauty may be only skin deep, but that’s what we see in the mirror and it doesn’t always reflect the image we’d prefer.

Many women see no reason to be dissatisfied.

At the very least they would like to know their options. Plastic surgery is one way to go, but it’s not for the knife-averse.

More than 80 women flocked to a luncheon Sept. 12 at Tivoli Terrace to hear alternatives to surgery — most of which involved needles, but not the kind used for stitches.

“Look Good, Feel Good — at Any Age” was presented by the Women’s Advisory Council of South Coast Medical Center. Guests were welcomed by Kate Buda, assistant executive director of the center’s fundraising foundation and chairwoman of the council.

“When we were planning this program I learned a lot — and I want it all,” Buda said.

One guest, who prefers to remain nameless, blurted out, “You want it all — I’ve had it all.” Botox seemed to arouse the most interest and no wonder.

It’s not a flash in the pan — you should excuse the pun. An estimated 2,272,080 Botox injections were administered in 2007. Another estimate was even higher, at 3 million injections.

Dr. Arian Mowlavi was the first speaker. He offered advice for those considering Botox and explained what it does and what a patient needs to know about it.

He knows whereof he speaks. Mowlavi is American Board of Plastic Surgeons certified, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the Alpha Omego Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Orange County Society of Plastic Surgeons and on the staff of SCMC.

There are several types of Botox, but only one that has U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

Botox is the trade-marked name for Botulinum Toxin A.

“In 1989, Botox was approved for medical use in 1989 and in 1990 it was approved for wrinkles,” Mowlavi said. “It paralyzes muscles.”

Botox is made from bacteria. It comes in 100-unit bottles, which is too much for one person. Bring a friend, Mowlavi said.

It must be reconstituted, and the less liquid added, the better.

“Make sure you pay per unit, not per area,” Mowlavi said. “That’s what you pay for and if you don’t get it, the wrinkles will come back sooner.”

And you don’t want an injection from reconstituted Botox that has been sitting around for 24 hours or more.

“Find out when it was reconstituted,” Mowlavi said.

Properly injected, fresh Botox will keep wrinkles at bay for six months, and if regularly administered, the muscle will “peter out” after two years, according to Mowlavi.

“Long-time patients notice they need less and less Botox,” Mowlavi said.

There are some downsides: the major one cited by Mowlavi was “eyelid droop.”

But not to worry, it can be fixed, he said

Post-injection headaches used to be common, but can be avoided by making sure the injection is in the muscle, not a nerve.

Patients should not lie down for six hours after an injection, should not exercise for two days and should not get a facial for 10 days.

Another option to surgery is “filler.” Some of them lasting only a couple of months, to which Mowlavi objects.

“It’s not worth unless you need to look good for a special occasion,” Mowlavi said.

He pretty much dismissed fillers other than Restylane and Radiesse and outright dissed one.

“One I want to warn everyone against is Silicon 100,” Mowlavi said. “It can irritate, and there is no way to get it out.”

Fillers can be used with Botox. Restylane is soft to the touch and it lasts six months — “Now we are talking,” Mowlavi said. Radiesse, made from coral, lasts from one year to a year and five months.

Costs depend on the doctor.

Mowlavi was followed by Diane Bellinger. She is a licensed registered nurse and medical aesthetics trainer with 25 years of experience in female health, dermatology and cosmetic medicine.

She is part of the team at OC Medical Aesthetics and Skin Care in Dana Point. She focuses on less invasive alternatives to surgery and is licensed to administer Botox, Restylane, Sculptr, Captique and Cosmoplast injections.

The third speaker on the program was Barbara J. Beale, a registered nurse certified by the Board of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals.

She took advanced training in Switzerland and is a member of the National Allied Health Assn.

She has a degree in art and design.

Reservations are required at PermaCarismedics in Laguna Beach where Beale offers permanent makeup for eyes, lips and brows, scar camouflage and areolar pigmentation.

Foundation Executive Director Elizabeth Pearson thanked the speakers and the audience for coming, particularly her staff and the members of the Women’s Advisory Council, who have participated in the revitalization of the hospital.

In the audience: Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Kinsman, Councilwoman Toni Iseman, former Mayor and hospital board member Kathleen Blackburn, Festival of Arts board member Anita Mangels, Laguna Beach School Board member Betsy Jenkins, Laguna Beach County Water District General Manager Renae Hinchey, Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau President Karyn Philippsen and Executive Director Judy Bijlani, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rose Hancock, artist Lu Campbell and Janice Glaab, wife of the Laguna Niguel Mayor Paul Glaab.

Also: Julie Christian, who is responsible for the hospital’s internal facelift; Marianna Kovacs, wife of staff physician and foundation board member Gabor Kovacs; Laguna Beach Seniors Inc. past Presidents Pauline Walpin and Louise Buckley, Cheryl Post and her sister, Carol Richards, Historical Society President Kimberly Stuart, foundation staff members Kate Tschudin, Karen Alonge, and Wendy Allen, and City Clerk Martha Anderson, like many in the audience a member of the advisory council.

“And I am pleased to support it,” Anderson said.

The council was first organized in the late 1980s.

It lapsed, but was revived by Pearson last year as an integral component of the foundation.

Members are active community women who support the hospital and advise officials on community needs.

Perks include the opportunity to network with other South Orange County businesswomen and community leaders; invitations to events about services and procedures now available; participation in the development of products, services; access to information that is meaningful to the members; a ticket to the Woman’s Health Update luncheon and just for fun — the annual fashion show and luncheon.

Annual membership is $250.

For more information, call Kate Buda at (949) 499-7228.

OUR LAGUNA is a regular feature of the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot. Contributions are welcomed. Write to Barbara Diamond, P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, 92652; hand-deliver to Suite 22 in the Lumberyard, 384 Forest Ave.; call (949) 494-432, fax (949) 494-8979 or e-mail [email protected]