I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. There are many exciting developments happening in my practice which I want to share with you.

MY BOOK IS PUBLISHED

As I write to you, the first printing of my book: Rhinoplasty: Cases and Techniques is on a container ship making its way from the printer in China to the United States. I received an advance copy at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery meeting in San Francisco last month where surgeons were already ordering the book. The reception for my work has been overwhelmingly positive and it gives me a real feeling of accomplishment to have completed this project. Hard copies of the book will arrive in mid-December and I intend to put one on display in our reception area.

Next week, I will go to New York to do voice-overs for a series of instructional technique videos filmed in my operating room. Doctors who buy the book will be able to access these tutorials on the internet. All of this is extremely exciting to me. I am grateful to my patients who put their trust in my surgical skills and enabled me to generate case material for the book while performing their procedures.

THE MICRO-MINI LIFT™

Although I am becoming increasingly well known for rhinoplasty, my most popular surgical procedure remains the facelift, which can be of great help in eliminating jowls and improving a falling neck. Through years of work, I have developed a modification of the facelift which I call the Micro-Mini Lift™. This is most appropriate for patients with a small amount of excess skin in the jaw line and/or minor looseness of the neck. The incisions are small and recovery time is usually a week or less. I perform this lift mainly for patients in their forties and early fifties who are beginning to see some loosening of the tissues but are not ready for a larger lift. I believe it is crucial to do the right procedure at the right time for my patients and so the Micro-Mini Lift™ is a great addition to my face and neck lift line up.

BEST COSMETIC SURGEON

I was gratified to again be chosen as one of Richmond’s best cosmetic surgeons by the readers of Style Magazine. The results of the voting were released in this year’s Best of Richmond issue.

NON-INVASIVE PROCEDURES

My non-invasive cosmetic practice continues to grow as patients enjoy looking better with little to no down-time. My expertise in this area has received national and international recognition. This past summer, I once again gave a presentation to doctors at The Royal College of Physicians in London. I participated in an expert panel on rejuvenation of the lower eyelid using filler material and performed a demonstration “Liquid Facelift” using several different types of injectables in a model patient for the benefit of the audience. One of the advantages of performing procedures overseas is that it allows me to use and evaluate new materials that will soon be available in the U.S. In this particular demonstration I used Xeomin® which is the most recent FDA approved alternative to Botox®.

Botox® is tried and true as a relaxer of muscles which cause unsightly wrinkles and furrows and is a mainstay of my injectable practice. Dysport® is very similar to Botox® and is nice to have as an alternative for certain specific situations. For filling wrinkles in the face and improving contours in the cheeks and folds, I use Radiesse®, Juvederm® and Restylane®. Adding youthful volume to the face with these materials is truly a form of sculpture and is one of my favorite things to do.

AESTHETIC SERVICES

I am extremely proud to be able to offer you expert skincare from Anne Hurst, Carole Williams, Annie Cooper, Elle Hudson, and Tricia Boor. Having these five licensed master medical aestheticians together in one practice represents a magnificent concentration of talent. All are extremely skilled and experienced and my job in this aspect of the practice is simply to provide them with the best skincare product lines and equipment available.

Recently, we evaluated two revolutionary new devices for providing skincare and chose one to purchase for the practice. The new addition is the HydraFacial™ MD Touch System. This machine is a natural extension of our already popular Silkpeel™ treatments. In addition to infusing various hydrating, brightening, and clarifying solutions into the skin as the facial is performed, this machine expands our ability to treat common skin conditions such as rosacea and acne. The aestheticians performed a HydraFacial on me and I was amazed at how painless the extraction process (usually not my favorite) was using this new technology. All of our aestheticians received training on the machine and will receive more as soon as it is delivered. We are extremely excited about this new addition to our aesthetics lineup.

EXPANDED MEDICAL SPA

We have again expanded the space in the medical spa by adding a laser room. This is a quiet and private space for the aestheticians to use our state-of-the art Lumenis Lightsheer Duet™ hair removal laser. This laser has proved both popular and effective. Fall/Winter is the best time of year to have this procedure performed as there is less tanning of the skin and the laser can more readily treat the dark hair follicles. Our hair removal laser is faster and less painful than any of the others that I have evaluated. We have learned that to get long-lasting results the hair must be treated in its growth phase. About twenty to thirty percent of hairs are in that stage at any given time. This means that you can expect about four to five treatments with perhaps one or more maintenance treatments given later to get the best effect.

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Our new fellow is Dr. Tom Tournas. Tom is our first international fellow, having graduated medical school from prestigious McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Tom will return to his native land after his fellowship and plans to establish an academic facial plastic surgery practice there. He has assisted me in several hundred injectable procedures and has demonstrated the skill and judgment to do these very well on his own. He has been treating patients on days when I am out of town or not available and has been doing an excellent job. I stand behind his work and recommend him to you without reservation for injectable treatments.

THE INTERNET

We continue to improve our website www.drgodin.com. In addition, we have sent out a few “Beauty Blasts” announcing special events and cost-saving offers in the office. If you would like to be included in these notifications, please give my office a call and my staff will make sure you receive them. Please know that you can opt-out at any time if you don’t want to receive notices of such events.

Finally, we have also established a Facebook page for the practice. To view our new page, simply click on the orange Facebook icon which appears at the bottom of our Web site, to the right of our address.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

From all of the above, you can tell that my enthusiasm for what I do, which is helping you to look and feel your best, is higher than ever. I believe that by being a leader in the field of Facial Plastic Surgery and staying on the forefront of academic and practical medicine, I can offer you the most options and highest quality services to maintain and enhance your facial appearance. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and look forward to seeing you in the future.

Sincerely,

Michael S. Godin, M.D.