Rejuvalife Vitality Institute
Beverly Hills CA

Spa Week Special: $50 Treatments

Spa Week Daily just published their LA Spa Week Guide – take a peek and don’t forget we are making three of our star treatments available for $50 only between September 13 and 19:

* 7E Torc Plus Instant Inch Loss Treatment – read review here!
* Cell Renewing Customized Facial Peel
* Cellulite Reducing Endermologie

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call now to book: 310-276-4494 – and follow me on Twitter for more promotions!

6 Rules To Help You Choose The Best Filler For Your Needs

Bad cosmetic surgery is a common reality – articles and images are there to prove it all over Google. Truth is, many people go to the doctor’s office with a set mind – for instance, they’re thinking: “I just want my lips or my cheeks filled.” That’s just like a consumer going to the market thinking if they buy a head of lettuce, they’re going to be able to make a perfect salad. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple; many different elements need to be taken into account in order to achieve optimal results. Follow these six simple rules to avoid making costly and dangerous mistakes.

Rule # 1

When you decide to get injectable fillers, don’t think about it as a commodity. Rather than setting your mind on a specific brand or treatment, think of what’s going to work to make YOU look better. If you focus on what’s good for YOUR face, then you’re most likely getting realistic expectations. What’s the best product or combination of products to pick and where do I put them? That’s the right question to ask your doctor… which brings us to the next rule.

Rule # 2

A mistake many consumers make is thinking that they have the knowledge of what the defect is. Most of the time, they don’t. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we often focus on certain things that other people don’t even see. Do you want to make a correction that’s most obvious to you or a correction that everyone else will really notice? Do yourself a favor and leave it to your trusted doctor to guide you in the process. Forget the ads you’ve seen in magazines and your friends’ recommendations. Unless you’ve got the exact same issues, you most likely don’t need the same treatment.

Rule #3

For true, long-lasting improvements, choose a doctor who’s going take a good look at the whole picture before giving a recommendation. Your problems need to be addressed as a whole. First, you need to understand the anatomy of your face and, as you age, what the changes are and where they occur. This is slightly different in men and women. A good doctor will inform you about that and ask you about genetics, smoking habits, stress, lifestyle, nutrition and illnesses.

Rule # 4

Choose a fillers program with hopes of achieving a nice general contour rather than a Picasso-like face with one exaggerated feature. Proportions are everything.

Rule #5

When they say for instance: Restylane lasts for a year, it means that the effect of the filler can last UP TO a year. There will be a gradual loss of volume in the course of the last several months. No matter what type of filler you pick, it is highly recommended to go back to the doctor every 3-4 months. If anything has been lost, then it’s time to add a little more. This allows you to harness the maximal effect of the filler.

Rule #6

It’s super important for people to understand that just like weight, you can’t treat your face like a yoyo: full / depleted / full / depleted. It is much better to go for a “refill” more often with less material and keep a constant improvement. Once you get to your goal, the key is maintenance.

Read more about injectables here: http://www.rejuvalife.md/botox-injectables.php and sign up for our Filler Frenzy Loyalty Promotion!

Instant Inch Loss? 7E Treatment Says Yes!

The woman above isn’t thinking about how many times she’s going to the gym this week. You wouldn’t be either if you were in the middle of a contraption-looking spa treatment that’s known to contour the body, reduce stress, help your body regain its natural strength, tighten and rejuvenate the skin, all while shedding inches of fat.

Enter: the latest slim-down spa session on our radar: the 7E Treatment, an FDA-cleared bio-electrical stimulation treatment for body contouring. According to the RejuvaLife Vitality Institute in Los Angeles, one of the few medspas offering the treatment: “Patients remain in a relaxed state while special waveforms contract and relax the muscles, providing immediate, long-lasting results. Patients benefit from immediate inch reduction and increased muscle strength.” They also report that patients feel completely relaxed during the treatment, putting them into a “zen-like” state of mind. When it comes to medical weight loss Los Angeles residents know that there is no easier method!

Although you will likely see a difference after one session, the recommended protocol is 1 to 5 treatments a week, no longer than 1 week apart, depending on your weight loss goals.

The 7E Treatment system, which formerly existed as a similar treatment called Torc Plus, attacks your problem areas with three levels of stimulation:

* Level 1: Classic Vector. With the use of sinusoidal currents, the deep muscles are contracted in a torsional manner, from the innermost to the outermost muscle groups, for increased lymphatic drainage and body contouring.

* Level 2: Power Sequence. Continuous muscle action is stimulated by three integrated waveforms, allowing for increased core strength and muscle endurance with no pain.

* Level 3: Dynamic Rotation. All muscles in the abdominal wall are contracted sequentially using a unique waveform which promotes deep contouring and maximum inch reduction.

A little reluctant to believe that an hour lying down on a couch being jolted with electronic waves will ever do the trick? Rejuvalife is holding a demo event at their spa on July 21st, and is also leading a clinical study about the abdomen, relating to this treatment. If you are in LA and interested in checking it out, email me (michelle(at)spaweekmedia(dot)com) for details.

It’s still quite new, and we’re still investigating the treatment to bring you more news and information first hand. In the meantime, if you’re up for being a guinea to get skinny, the 7E Treatment will be offered at RejuvaLife. Call us today at 310.276.4494 to schedule your 7E treatment and be a part of our special promo rate: 6 treatments for $700. 00 (reg. price is $150 per session). SAVE $200 on package. Restrictions apply.

What Can Liposculpture Do for You?

Liposculpture, as opposed to Liposuction, is a minimally invasive procedure which involves removing localized fat deposits from certain areas of the body (abdomen, buttocks, thighs, knees, chin, cheeks, neck). In Beverly Hills Liposculpture is becoming much more popular than traditional tumescent liposuction, because it is much more accurate, less invasive, and delivers similar results with little to no downtime. Liposculpture is the only method that can permanently reshape the fatty deposits that create an imbalance between parts of the body and which are due to a hereditary characteristic and not overweight.

As a Liposuction alternative Beverly Hills specialists suggest liposculpture where applicable. Liposculpture (also known as laser lipo) can be employed for reshaping the abdominal area to give the appearance of six-pack abs, or on the thighs and buttocks to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Likewise, liposculpture may be employed around the jawline to reduce the “double chin” effect, “turkey neck” and hanging jowels, giving the effects of a necklift without invasive surgery. For men suffering from gynecomastia, also known as “man boobs,” liposculpture may be employed to reduce and reshape the chest area.

The Liposculpture Beverly Hills technique is much less invasive that traditional liposuction. During this relatively short procedure, sometimes also called SmartLipo Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeons use a thin cannula that can be introduced subcutaneously, through micro-incisions. On small areas, the intervention can be performed under local anesthesia, or epidural anesthesia (from the waist down). Because of this minimally invasive technique, there are no scars, no stitches, little to no bruising, and most patients are able to return to their regular activities the very next day.

Liposculpture may not be right for everyone, especially those who are looking for much more dramatic results, or who want to remove large areas of fat. In this case, traditional liposuction with body sculpting may be the better option. Call Dr. Berger for a consultation today to see if liposculpture is right for you.

Dracula Blood Therapy: Can it Make You Look Younger?

KTLA recently interviewed Dr. Andre Berger regarding a new technology that uses your own blood to stimulate collagen and give you a younger, more restful appearance.

“We’re only talking about a small amount,” says Dr. Andre Berger, Medical Director of the Rejuvalife Vitality Institute in Beverly Hills, one of the facilities that offers the “Dracula Therapy” to its patients. In Beverly Hills cosmetic treatments such as Dracula Blood Therapy are becoming increasingly popular among local and out of town patients.

Sephyl is a patented system for the safe and rapid preparation of Platelet-rich Fibrin Matrix or PRFM. Plastic surgeons or dermatologists are using this system to collect a small amount of your blood and through a patented process, separate and concentrate the platelets and fibrin. The resulting PRFM is then applied to your face (hands, buttocks or breasts) to rejuvenate and increase your skin’s volume. The entire process takes about twenty minutes with no post-procedure downtime.

Because the mixture does not contain any animal or synthetic components, so there is virtually no risk of an allergic reaction, and is ideal for those who often stay away from synthetic products and injections.

“It’s a natural approach. In other words, these are not adding volume, this is stimulating your own body to thicken and rejuvenate your skin naturally” says Berger “So you’re not adding an unnatural, synthetic substance to do the job. You’re using your own material”.

In Beverly Hills skin rejuvenation specialists are always looking to new, natural, and non-surgical options for dramatically younger looking skin with little to no downtime. Berger says that Sephyl, patients will start to see results in three weeks, when the fibroblast cells start pumping out collagen, whose effects will last for many months. But you’ll see the most dramatic results after the first month or so.

“The best candidate is a person that has a moderate or small amount of tissue, sagginess, loss of tightness, a little bit of loss of volume and they would like to see an enhancement and look less tired,” Berger said.

Enid Harris is one such candidate. While she isn’t afraid of aging, she just wants to feel the same age on the outside that she feels on the inside.

“I feel like I’m slowly watching myself age,” says Harris. “I look at pictures of myself from five years ago, ten years ago, and there’s a different face. I’m aware of circles under my eyes and this area here (around my mouth)”. After trying several anti aging treatments in Beverly Hills with minimal results, she turned to Dr. Berger for the procedure.

“It’s an experiment to me but I’m excited about it,” says Harris. “The fact that I won’t see results for two to three weeks is even better.”

Dr. Andre Berger is a top anti-aging and non-surgical cosmetic physician in Beverly Hills using a holistic approach to beauty & wellness. For more information about cosmetic and age management medicine: Rejuvalife Vitality Institute (310)276-4494

Lashes with Benefits?

It may surprise you to know that Latisse®, originally created to treat glaucoma patients but subsequently found to be a fabulous lash growth product, has some pretty impressive “side effects.”

Made from a compound called Bimatoprost, a version of Latisse® for hair growth on the scalp is now being explored, as well as using Latisse® for bushier brows, like those sported by Megan Fox or Kiera Knightly.  The future also looks rosy for Bimatoprost in the hair-loss industry, although treatments to regrow hair with Latisse® may be costly compared with current hair growth creams and hair replacement procedures.

The most exciting potential use for Bimatoprost is that it’s been shown to reduce fat in mammals. Imagine being injected and losing weight for weeks afterwards! Don’t start wolfing cheeseburgers yet, however, as it will take years for the FDA to approve it for that purpose. So, in the meantime, we’ll all get back to the treadmill, but if you want longer, fuller lashes, stop in at the office and pick up some Latisse® to grow the longest, most lush eyelashes since the invention of mascara.

California Study: Are Kids Getting Fatter?

A new Kaiser Permanente survey shows that 7% of boys and 5% of girls are packing on the pounds here in California as early as grade school!

According to the study leader, Corinna Koebnick, a nutritionist and research scientist for Kaiser in Pasadena, “A 10-year-old boy is supposed to weigh around 70 pounds, and an extremely obese 10-year-old weighs 114 pounds. That’s not merely a cosmetic issue. There’s growing evidence that being obese in childhood raises the risk of a host of serious health problems in adulthood, including heart disease and diabetes. These children will likely continue to be extremely obese adults.”

Of the 710,949 children studied over a two-year period, 37% were overweight, 19% were obese and 6% were considered extremely obese. As a physician with a weight management program in my Beverly Hills practice, I worry about the illnesses that these kids are going to experience as an after-affect of their weight. Although the Obama administration has targeted $10 billion over the next ten years to improve school lunches, that’s not going to make the important, immediate changes that can avoid health problems later on for these overweight and obese children.

What can you do to prevent obesity in your kids or nip it in the bud if it’s already happening?

1.    Know your child’s BMI. Body Mass Index is an excellent indicator of obesity. You can ask your pediatrician to measure your child’s BMI at an upcoming appointment or, better yet, visit this online child BMI calculator and you’ll know immediately.

2.    Stop buying sugary beverages—even OJ has loads of sugar but at least it’s not loaded with the chemicals in Pepsi, Coke and other drinks. Plain sparkling water is an enjoyable alternative if you can get your kids interested in it. Sparkling water with ice and a small amount of pure juice for flavor is an excellent alternative to sugary beverages. These fruit spritzers are both refreshing and low in calories and refined carbs.

3.    Increase your kids’ activities. Too much time spent in front of the computer or the TV will make your kids fat and flabby (and you too!). Make a point to get out daily with your kids, even to walk around the block or throw a Frisbee for 20 minutes. Jump around to some music or go biking together. Being an active family isn’t just about weight management either—it will pay benefits in family harmony, too!

Our patients struggle with weight issues that often began in childhood. They are helped to wellness by our nutritionist, physiologist/trainer and behavior therapist. Please call us if you have concerns about your weight and please, take a close look at your kids today. You’re their best hope for good health!

Vitamin D and your Immune System

We all know that we need Vitamin D and that we can get it from the sun, as well as from fatty dish, fish liver oils and eggs, as well as in Vitamin D supplement form. Even so, nearly half the world’s population has low levels of vitamin D. What you might now know is why we need vitamin D. What, exactly, does vitamin D do?

Danish researchers have discovered that we need vitamin D to activate our immune system’s killer cells. These killer cells, known as T cells, become inactive if they don’t have enough vitamin D. If they are inactive, they can’t fight incoming germs and bacteria. Scientists have told us that vitamin D is important for calcium absorption. They have also made a connection between the levels of vitamin D and diseases like MS and cancer. But this is the first time a connection between vitamin D and immune function has been made.

“What we didn’t realize is how crucial vitamin D is for actually activating the immune system — which we know now,” Geisler wrote in the study in the journal, Nature Immunology. Geisler and his research team said the findings offered much needed information about the immune system and would be of particular use when developing new vaccines. “This is important not only in fighting disease but also in dealing with anti-immune reactions of the body and the rejection of transplanted organs,” they wrote. Geisler said there were no definitive studies on the optimal daily vitamin D dose but experts recommend 25 to 50 micrograms.

If you have concerns about supplementation and aren’t sure about your Vitamin D levels, our practice has a simple blood test to check for your Vitamin D levels as well as other important biomarkers. Call us and we’ll tell you about it.

Breast Augmentation without the Implants?

I’ve written about surgical fat transfer before. As in many cosmetic procedures, surgical fat transfer originated from a reconstructive procedure—primarily in breast reconstruction for mastectomy patients. It only makes sense that fat is a perfect filler. There’s absolutely no chance of an allergic reaction, as it comes from your own body. Plus, since it’s injected, there are no incisions.

Yet, already other doctors have voiced concerns about the long-term safety of the procedure, claiming that it may increase the risk of breast cancer and that the implanted tissue could harden, causing deformity and possibly masking tumors.

There is no evidence of any increase in breast cancer or that the implanted tissue will harden. We can increase a woman’s breasts up to 2 cup sizes when the breasts are properly prepared.

In a platelet rich plasma-infused fat transfer using Selphyl, a small amount of the patient’s blood is spun in a centrifuge to separate out the protein-rich plasma which contains concentrated growth factors. This is then mixed with the fat and placed into the breasts like a supercharged fertilizer. This is an excellent way to insure that the transplanted fat will “take” and will last an extremely long time, perhaps indefinitely.

Study shows that an anti-inflammatory diet helps with inflammation and oxidative & metabolic stress in overweight men

My last blog post talked about the role of fatty acids and inflammation in disease development. I just read a study performed by scientists in the Netherlands who used the supplements Resveratrol, vitamins C and E, green tea extract, Omega 3 fatty acids and tomato extract, all chosen for their evidence-based anti-inflammatory properties, to see if they would lesson inflammation.

During the study, the above-named supplements were combined and given to 36 healthy but overweight men with mildly elevated plasma C-reactive protein concentrations (the CRP level is a blood test that shows the level of inflammation in an individual’s system). The study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with treatment periods of 5 weeks. Inflammatory and oxidative stress defense markers were measured via blood and urine testing. 120 plasma proteins, 274 plasma metabolites (lipids, free fatty acids, and polar compounds), and the transcriptomes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and adipose tissue were also measured.

The results of the study were mixed. On the positive side, the plasma adiponectin concentrations increased by 7% (low concentrations of plasma adiponectin are found in obese individuals and predict the development of type 2 diabetes) but C-reactive protein levels were unchanged, thereby suggesting that inflammation wasn’t reduced by the supplements. However, many subtle changes were detected such as decreased inflammation of fatty tissue, improved endothelial function, affected oxidative stress, and increased liver fatty acid oxidation, all positive indicators that supplements were effective in creating positive health changes in the participants.

It’s important to pay attention to this kind of information, as more and more scientists are developing an interest in and studies of supplements as counterbalancing mechanisms against stress, pollution, aging and as disease prevention.

A copy of the trial can be found through this link.