Modesto – Page 4 – Modesto Botox, Dr. Calvin Lee

About Me, About My Botox practice

I thought I needed to try to write something recent about myself at Surgical Artistry. This is what I came up with:

Botox, Juvederm, Voluma, Belotero injections – my goal is to provide cosmetic injections at the highest level. I value quality surgical level outcomes, patient safety, comfort & communication.

My Modesto Botox Page

I am a Board Certified General Surgeon with a past trauma career who assists in plastic surgeries and spinal cord stimulator / spinal pain pump surgeries. I am also an Acupuncturist who injects Botox as an extension of Acupuncture. Many of my Botox point selections are related Acupuncture points for migraine headaches and wrinkle prevention. 40% of my clinical time is spent at work is spent on Acupuncture, and 50% of my time is spent with cosmetic injections for Botox, Fillers, and Veins, and 10% of my time is spent assisting in surgeries. In a clinic day, it is common for me to use 200 units of Botox, 4 syringes of dermal fillers, and see about 6 acupuncture patients.

Outside of my clinical time, I also spend a great deal of time as an administrator of Surgical Artistry – the combined medical office for myself and my wife, Dr. Tammy Wu, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. We have been surgeons in Modesto since 2003. My wife and I met while we were students at Brown University.

I am an author for MedicalSpaMD a resource for plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and aesthetic physicians. I’m also a member of the marketing department of the Cooperative of American Physicians based in Los Angeles. My hobbies include piano, violin, marathon running, being vegan, creating websites and social media.

Mother’s Day Special May 2015

Give mom the gift of great skin with the special we have available from Obagi. They gave us a great deal and we wanted to pass this along. It’s Elastiderm Eye cream plus hydrate or hydrate luxe (your choice) and get a free cosmetics bag. There is also a Latisse BOGO, buy one get one free in the mail. Specifically it is buy one 5.0 mL Latisse and get one 3.0 mL Latisse free with mail in rebate.

Elastiderm eye cream is great for around the eyes including under and over the eyes. And it’s a great complement with Botox treatments. Hydrate is a moisturizer that has extended release characteristics. Hydrate Luxe is a thicker version of Hydrate plus some anti-aging peptides!!

Both of these are in limited quantities. So act soon!

see this page for details

www.injectionartistry.com/mom

Mother’s Day Skin Care and Eye Lash Care Specials

What I love about Belotero Balance

I have been an avid user of Belotero Balance for a few years in my cosmetic injection practice. Last month, April 2015, I injected about 4640 units of Botox and 75 syringes of fillers. 20% of the fillers I use is Belotero Balance. Much of what I do with Belotero is considered off-label FDA use. I am a frequent user of cannulas in my filler practice which includes the spectrum of Juvederm available in America and Radiesse. Juvederm dermal fillers in my Modesto practice include: Juvederm ultra, Juvederm ultra plus, Juvederm ultra xc, Juvederm ultra plus xc, Juvederm Voluma xc.

Briefly about my Modesto Practice

I spend half of my clinical time personally performing cosmetic injections. I think I would be a bit busier if I spent more time on the Botox/filler side of the practice but I have plastic surgery assisting duties (my wife is a plastic surgeon, I am a general surgeon with trauma experience), a small cosmetic vein practice, and I also have an acupuncture practice which I love. After clinical hours, I am an administrator for our plastic surgery practice. I feel that I spend about 80 hours per week on our practice clinical+administrative. Of course there is room for me to be more efficient.

Belotero is great for

Belotero is great for tear troughs and around the eyes
I use a cannula and lay down Belotero for tear troughs. It works well for many tear troughs, and flows very well through a cannula. I’ve learned over the years to tell the patients that the duration in that area seems to average about 6 months. Of course this varies from patient to patient. I was a Juvederm user for almost all tear troughs before and ran into some trouble with swelling for a few patients. I still run into some swelling issues with Belotero but it is much less. It also works well for building up a little bit of the cheek above the zygoma laterally.

Great for forehead lines
Some fine forehead lines are amenable to Belotero filling. It is especially useful for those patients who want a smoother forehead with less brow drooping which can happen with overzealous Botox use on the forehead. It is also great for those wrinkles in the eyebrows.

Great for a touch up on the oral commissures
Belotero is wonderful just as a small touch to a slight downturn in the oral commissure. I’m not talking about the entire marionette line, but just the corner of the mouth and injected superficially.

Great for crows feet
I need to be careful with the bruising in this area but it works well for some of the fine crows feet lines. It works well with Botox to battle those light static lines.

Great for neck lines
Those horizontal lines – belotero becomes very labor intensive but well worth it. The patients get a bit of bumpy look for the first 2-3 weeks, but it settles and the Belotero works well to integrate into the skin.

Great for chest
Or some call it decollatage area. These crinkles thicken up well, with belotero for many patients, I have to bend the needle to get the angle I need. It really does look like it integrate into the skin after two weeks.

Serial Puncture method
Yes, this is useful, and can at times reduce bruising because the needle doesn’t go in very deep. A wrinkle is injected several times about 2 mm apart and the needle just barely goes into the skin. For most of what I like to do with Belotero, except for the tear troughs, I am injecting very superficially. If I’m threading the needle through (ie, in neck lines), I can see the needle through the skin. This superficial needling probably has an added collagen induction characteristic for the patients – similar to microneedling.

Superficial injections for longer lasting effect
Superficial injections lead to longer lasting effect. I have found that deeper injections in areas with movement seem to eat up the Belotero in 3 months. But 5-6 months can be derived from superficial injections.

I would recommend Belotero to other injectors
I like Belotero and would recommend it as part of our creative set of tools for beauty. It’s like a very thin paintbrush. And Belotero works well with other fillers in a layered approach.

32 years of full time work to START my Botox – Acupuncture – Surgeon career

How long does it take to become a doctor?

Quick answer: For me it took me about 32 years of full time work to become a Surgeon / Acupuncturist / Cosmetic Physician.

I am a Board Certified General Surgeon with a past trauma career who assists in plastic surgeries and spinal cord stimulator / spinal pain pump surgeries. I am also an Acupuncturist who injects Botox as an extension of Acupuncture. Many of my Botox point selections are related Acupuncture points for migraine headaches and wrinkle prevention. 40% of my clinical time is spent at work is spent on Acupuncture, and 50% of my time is spent with cosmetic injections for Botox, Fillers, and Veins, and 10% of my time is spent assisting in surgeries. In a usual clinic day, It is common for me to use 250 units of Botox, 7 syringes of dermal fillers, and see about 6 acupuncture patients. Outside of my clinical time, I also spend a great deal of time as an administrator of Surgical Artistry – the combined medical office for myself and my wife, Dr. Tammy Wu, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

While discussing “life” with another surgeon friend. I sort of wondered why a chunk of my life seemed to be missing; I never caught on with today’s technology (I don’t have a TV or smart phone – yet as of 4/26/15). We calculated how many hours went into my training to become a surgeon/acupuncturist/Botox injector after high school. We came to the conclusion that for me it was roughly 58,000 hours! That’s more than 32 years at a full time job to do what I do as a surgeon/acupuncturist. Yikes – who does stuff like that?? (I guess I did).

Hours spent becoming a doctor. — Hours spent becoming a doctor in the USA. This cut-off graphic doesn’t take into account fellowships and research time. Please see the links below for more detail.

I did not make this really nice graphic above.

I just found this online which shows that most doctors spend 20 years in full-time work hours to do what they do. I was coincidentally calculating how many hours of formal training it took me to become a Surgeon/Acupuncturist/Botox injector: My conclusion is 32 years at a full time job (58,000) hours. Here’s the website source of the graphic: http://www.bestmedicaldegrees.com/salary-of-doctors/ (warning – it might depress some doctors)

The data for the info seems to come from this webpage: https://benbrownmd.wordpress.com/

Please visit my Modesto Botox home page.

Modesto Surgeons at work — My wife and I work together. Dr. Tammy Wu is wearing the splash guard over her glasses – smart!

BOTOX as part of Acupuncture?

Just realized I might be unique. I have known that I might be one of the first board certified General Surgeons to become an acupuncturist in America. And I am probably one of the first acupuncturists to inject BOTOX regularly. And I am probably one of the first acupuncturists who assists in Tummy Tuck surgeries and Face Lifts. So it is possible that I am UNIQUE as a Board Certified General Surgeon who became an Acupuncturist who injects BOTOX regularly and assists in Plastic Surgery – and lives in Modesto, California!

Many of the injection sites for Botox are the same as Acupuncture points

I am starting to see BOTOX as an extension of Acupuncture – most of the injection sites for Botox are acupuncture points – especially points for relieving stagnant/congested feelings in the head which include headaches, depression, sinus issues, allergies, etc.

Cities near Modesto, CA

This would be useful for things like marketing campaigns on FaceBook. Or if someone were moving to Modesto and wanted to see which cities were nearby. etc.

Cities Near Modesto, CA

Salida
Riverbank
Oakdale
Hughson
Ceres
Ripon
Escalon
Waterford
Denair
Turlock
Delhi
Hilmar
Patterson
Manteca
Lathrop
Livingston
Copperopolis
Jamestown
Sonora
Tuolumne
Groveland

A Listing of Botox Injectors near Modesto, CA

Of course, we hope that you would pick us (Surgical Artistry – Dr. Calvin Lee and Dr. Tammy Wu) to perform Botox.

What size / kind of Botox refrigerator would you recommend?

I like to help other Botox injectors and I just got this question on my email today. I thought I’d share and hopefully help others

Question: How big of a fridge will I need for Botox? Which one do you recommend?

Answer that I emailed back:

Fridge Size: I use a dorm room sized fridge. It’s half height fridge which comes up to my waist. You don’t really need anything big at all for Botox. Small works just fine.

You could even get a square shaped mini fridge. But I don’t want to bend down all the way to the ground.

You don’t need a freezer for Botox. They make refrigerators without a freezer. This could potentially save electricity and some hassle of freezer issues. I think if I were to do it differently, I would get a refrigerator without a freezer. The ice in there messes up the temperature sometimes.

Regarding temperature regulation. I have two thermometers – one is digital (uses batteries) and broadcasts the temperature, and the other is just a plain analog thermometer (no batteries). It’s important to keep the temperature of the Botox within the guidelines suggested by the manufacturer. But sometimes, it’s nice to have a freezer section for the ice packs. These would be ice packs to hand out to patients for bruising.

I hope this info helps.

www.InjectionArtistry.com – my homepage for my Modesto Botox Practice.

Why do I love what I do?

Featured Modesto doctor of the day March 11, 2015

If you have FaceBook, you can click on this link to see it directly on Doctors Medical Center’s page on FB. And consider leaving a comment under the video for me! Thank you!

I was asked to do a brief interview for a publicity event for Doctors Medical Center. I wrote down what I was saying (hopefully not too much mumbling):

Post by Doctors Medical Center.

Here’s the transcript:

I am Dr. Calvin Lee. I am a surgeon and I focus my practice on whole body acupuncture and cosmetic injections of Botox and fillers which complement our plastic surgery practice, Surgical Artistry, with my wife Dr. Tammy Wu.

Why do I love what I do?

Beauty and health for my patients is my goal. Beauty on the outside is health on the inside. My purpose is to provide educational advice and technical procedures at the highest level possible for my patients. In addition to feeling good about helping others, it is extremely satisfying for me to be a surgeon especially since I’ve always loved technical dexterity challenges. There is certainly an abundance of surgical skills used in facial filler implantation, Botox strategy, and acupuncture needle manipulations.

It is a privilege to be here in Modesto, California. It is a privilege to have the trust of patients. And it’s a privilege to wake up each morning with a purpose.

If you have FaceBook, you can click on this link to see it directly on Doctors Medical Center’s page on FB. And consider leaving a comment under the video for me! Thank you!

Does BOTOX freeze sensation?

Botox freezes the action of muscles but does it freeze feeling?

I got this question in my Modesto Botox practice about three times this past week. This gave me the spark to write about it a bit in my blog of Botox Topics.

surgical artistry full page ad never boring — Our ad in a Modesto Magazine back in 2013.

Botox does not freeze sensation – it does not make you “numb.”

As you can probably tell from many of the questions I’ve received before, that answers are not always that simple. If I had to summarize/simplify the answer to the question of Botox making you numb – would be “no” – Botox does not make you numb. Numb in the sense of getting of numbing shot at the dentist, etc. However, it is believed that Botox may play a role in diminishing pain sensation – such as those felt in migraines. Thus Botox most likely doesn’t change your normal sensations, but it may diminish excruciating pain sensations. As we know from our studies of neuroscience, different sensations such as fine touch, coarse touch, temperature and pain have different pathways in our nervous system.

Botox does not make you numb.

I hope this answers the question.

Please see your doctor in person for a detailed explanation. There is no medical advice intended here, just a general discussion.

Restylane or Belotero under the eyes

A tear trough filler question (under the eyes)

A patient recently called me (who lives relatively far away from Modesto) to see if I can give her a second opinion regarding restylane under the eyes. She has a local injector (local to her) who wants to inject restylane under her eyes and she wanted to know why we don’t do restylane under the eyes. Here are some thoughts I had.

I would tell her that I think that any product could work well under the eye in the tear trough region with a skillful injection artist. The more important factor is the artist who injects under the eye. There are so many things you can do with a filler (off-label FDA) – such as dilute the filler or add lidocaine/epinephrine or inject deep or use a cannula, etc.

The filler product is like the violin without the violinist.

Restylane in my hands is excellent under the eyes – I have even used it before quite frequently and was very happy with the results. I personally prefer Belotero because in my hands currently because it results in a smoother contour. The edges are not as aparent to me if I have some superficial injections. My technique is usually to inject deep. But some patients need a thicker fill under the eyes, and thus they would be better served with Restylane – which also lasts longer than belotero under the eyes.

Because of the smoother contours, I prefer belotero under the eyes rather than Restylane. This is only a personal preference and it is my current preference which can/will change with time and further experience and further feedback from patients.

The reason I don’t carry Restylane, it’s because it’s a product that is very similar to Belotero and Juvederm. Similar enough that I don’t really see a point in having it in my practice, and I have received poor customer service from the Restylane company in the past, and thus I chose not to carry their products for the past 6 years.

Juvederm under the eyes, in my opinion causes a bluish hue (tyndall effect) in the hands of many surgeons/doctors/injectors including myself. I have rarely experienced this problem, but because other surgeons have reported this more often than I’d like to hear. Thus I tend to stay away from Juvederm for under the eyes.

The under eye filling with any filler is consider off-label FDA usage, and thus there won’t be a ton of information about this because companies are technically prohibited from advertising off-label FDA uses of products.

I think she would be fine getting Restylane if she trusts her injector. I am not able to comment on the skills of other injectors because I don’t know how they inject. Please continue to see your injector in person for detailed information. I would welcome another visit to our office to continue the conversation if that were convenient.

Disclaimer: The above is medical information. It’s not intended to be advice. Please see your doctor/injector in person for personalized advice.