Dr. Taub’s Maintenance & Treatment Over Time
So many people responded to my feature on how I prepared for my son’s wedding that I thought I would let you all know how I have tried to preserve/ improve my skin and body over time. Truthfully, this is less well planned out than it probably should be….I need a consultation LOL! However, like the shoemaker who is always fixing other people’s shoes but his own gets shabby, I often do things as I can catch them – at a training or when someone is available to do my treatment. I feel bad asking others to treat me, as it means they will lose time for their own patients or get home later and will not be able to spend as much time with their family. In fact, prepping for my son’s wedding was the first time I took the time to have a plan. But…..We all can use a plan! Here are some of the treatments I’ve had:
Tissue Tightening/Tissue Volumization
• Thermage® – Full face, neck, July 2019; November 2017; Lower 2/3 of face and upper 1/3 of the neck; Jan 2013.
• Ultherapy® – Dec 2013; September 2018.
• Profound® – March 2016.
• Pelleve™ – Dec 2013, May 2016, Aug 2019.
Body Shaping
• CoolSculpting® – Mar 2013, Feb 2017
• Kybella®
• Thermage® – Dec 2018
• Feminine rejuvenation (intimalase) 3 x in 2017
Injectables
• BOTOX®: 2-3X per year since 2003; now doing frown (glabella), forehead, jawline, neck
• Sculptra®: Upper inner arms – July 2019, Face – Aug 2019, Feb 2019; Oct 2014, April 2013
• Hyaluronic acid (JUVÉDERM™, Restylane®): April 2013, (Note had a dental infection in 2016 after fillers and had an immune reaction so have avoided these since) (Of the 100s of patients I have injected, only myself and about 3 others have ever had this problem!) Apr 2013, Oct 2013, May 2014, Jan 2016.
Myofacial/Diamond Glow™/Dermaplaning
• Monthly since July 2019
So, after reviewing this list, I really think the first thing I did was BOTOX®. It was the first thing that was available. I had a very deep wrinkle in the central forehead because I tend to be serious and concentrate, furrowing my brows. Improving that along with the unexpected lift of my forehead so that my brows were higher and my eyes looked more open was my first aesthetic love. Sometimes I forget to retreat myself; I’m looking in the mirror one day and saying to myself, what happened? Oh, my BOTOX® wore off! As I became a more advanced injector and went to many international meetings, I started to use it along my jawline and in the neck to produce a sharper jawline angle.
My main problem has really always been drooping of my skin, more than surface changes or sun damage. I’ve been fortunate to have little sun damage and I really haven’t had any lasers for brown spots or surface wrinkles. I attribute that to genetics but also due to the fact that I’ve never really liked laying out in the sun because I get hot and sweaty and feel irritable unless I’m in the water. But I have also had a continuous habit of using high-grade skincare, including potent sunscreen literally for the last 20 to 25 years. It’s the one thing that I can say I’ve never neglected and forgotten about!
I’ve been working on the sagging of my skin for many years with multiple forms of tissue tightening
therapy. I have had Thermage®, Titan, Radiesse® and Ultherapy® all at different times, and they are all effective. Most of the time, I am getting a treatment, it is due to a training, so this is why I have had many different treatments.
By stimulating my collagen and elastin with continuous skincare, periodic injections of Sculptra® (an injectable collagen filler and stimulator), and tissue tightening devices such as Thermage®, I’ve been able to maintain good skin quality, even if sometimes gravity still gets the better of me!
I also do my muscle stimulation monthly as well as Diamond Glow™, Microdermabrasion and Dermaplaning, which is a gigantic treat because it’s an hour and a half of uninterrupted pampering. But, it’s also great to stimulate muscles, helping to maintain the shape of the face and stimulate blood flow to the face. The Diamond Glow™ keeps my skin looking really bright and enhances my skin care, and the
dermaplaning takes away all the peach fuzz that I have all over my face (embarrassing – I do not want to be the grandma with the ugly chin hairs).
I should be more consistent with body shaping. I’m getting ready to have a series of CoolTone™ treatments for my abdomen and thighs, as well as repeating some of the CoolSculpting® or truSculpt® iD treatments to reduce the excess fat I’ve developed during COVID!
This may be confusing, but the truth is that each person is an individual: there really is no cookie-cutter approach. That is why we do the consultation visit: so that we can get the plan right, understand what you want and need, and make our priorities! Nevertheless, if I had to say a program for all, I would say the following programs for both face and body treatments.
Facial Treatments
1. Muscle relaxation, aka BOTOX®, 2-3 times per year
2. Volume enhancing 1 X per year- Fillers (Hyaluronic
acid, Sculptra® or Radiesse®), and/or energy based devices that make volume (Profound®, Genius™)
3. Tissue tightening procedure– depending on type, once every 2 years (Thermage®, Ultherapy®, Profound®, Genius™, Pelleve™)
4. Sun damage treatment once a year (Fraxel®, LaseMD™, IPL) (after initial series) or if more severe a CO2 or erbium resurfacing to start.
Body Treatments
1. Muscle stimulation – at least once per year
2. Fat reduction in areas of need (this is permanent if weight is stable) with periodic touch-up or new areas with weight gain.
3. Tissue tightening in areas of drooping every 2–3 years.
On my wish list: CoolTone™ for the abdomen and thighs, Genius™ for lower 2/3 of face and neck,
truScupt® iD/CoolSculpting® to the abdomen and under the chin, fillers to the hands, lips, and chin.