September 30th, 2008 Dr. Maas
Hair loss is predominantly caused by a combination of aging, hormonal changes, and a family history of baldness. Most of the time, the earlier hair loss begins, the more excessive the baldness will become.
Hair Loss – Truths and Myths
Baldness is often blamed on poor scalp circulation, vitamin deficiencies, excessive hat-wearing and even dandruff. All of these theories have been disproved. It is also untrue that hair loss can be determined by looking at your mother’s grandfather, or that if you are over 40 and haven’t lost your hair, that you will never lose it.
In male-pattern baldness, hair loss typically results in a receding hairline and baldness on the top of the head. Many women have hair thinning with age and may develop female-pattern baldness. In this form of hair loss, the hair can become thin over the entire scalp. Other causes of baldness include hormone disorders like hypothyroidism, the patchy baldness of alopecia areata, or baldness associated with scars. The later I see commonly in patients referred after face and browlift surgery, where micrografts have proven spectacular for this unfortunately too often seen side effect.
We have also seen excellent results in eyebrow and eyelash transplantation.
Hair Replacement Techniques
Hair replacement techniques use your existing hair, therefore candidates must have healthy hair growth at the back and sides of the head to serve as donor areas.
There are a number of techniques that have used in hair replacement surgery. Transplant techniques, such as punch grafts, mini-grafts, micro-grafts, slit grafts, strip grafts, flaps, scalp reduction and tissue expansion are procedures that we rarely perform any longer, as we can achieve predictable permanent and natural results with our follicular unit micrografting techniques. These techniques will be discussed during our consultations.
Our “standard session” patients come into the office in the morning, are relaxed with oral medications and walk out in the afternoon with a hat on and typically very little swelling, or signs of any surgery.
The Maas Clinic has expanded to include The San Francisco Rejuvenation Center, an accredited state of the art hair restoration center. Hair replacement is one of the most rewarding procedures I perform with very high patient satisfaction.
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September 26th, 2008 Dr. Maas
The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery’s Annual Meeting was held in Chicago last weekend. Surgeons from all over the world attended the meeting and I was asked to participate on a number of panels concerning injectable filler materials, Botox and minimally invasive procedures such as mini facelifts and browlifts using the much less invasive techniques employing the new Bioglue. A hot topic of interest is the new advancement in fractionated resurfacing which has moved well ahead of the older Fraxel device – the Active and Deep FX fractionated device by Lumenis
Employing a special computer generated scanning pattern and a high powered CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser, patients are able to dramatic results with skin tightening, improvement in spots and blemishes on the skin in face, neck, hands and chest. This new technology in our experience is giving patients the same or better results in one treatment that I have seen in photographs taking 4-6 Fraxel treatments. That is with only 3-5 days of “downtime” = redness, mild to moderate swelling and no pain!
The procedure is done in office with a topical anesthetic applied to the skin surface and our cool air device the Zimmer cooler.
Patients walk out with a special new cream Biofine from Johnson and Johnson that has really brought the healing time for most to under 5 days.
We are excited about this new technology and so are the patients who are searching for long term results with fine lines around the lips, eyelids and neck but don’t want the long down time of deep chemical peels or standard laser skin resurfacing. The treatment options available with this device include a laser minipeel, regional Active and Deep FX (for deeper lines) and full face, neck and other areas that can be performed in less than an hour in the office.
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September 22nd, 2008 Dr. Maas
Injectable Fillers – Not just for the lips and folds!
San Francisco Non-Invasive Revision Rhinoplasty with Restylane, Juvederm and Radiesse
Revision rhinoplasty is considered one of the most challenging procedures in facial plastic surgery. The need for a revision result when imperfections occur after rhinoplasty surgery, or when
there is an obstruction of breathing patterns.
Most often even small imperfections are corrected by another surgery. However, now with the newer, longer-lasting facial filler materials, (Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse) we can now improve imperfections in the office by injecting the filler material to fill in the area of concern with almost no downtime. The filler is not permanent, but results can last for a year and sometimes longer.
This technique has been successful and is an excellent option for revision rhinoplasty, especially in patients who do not want to undergo another surgical procedure.
Patients who choose revision surgery for permanent correction, the concept of facial aesthetics and beauty is highly subjective. However, an understanding of aesthetic facial proportions serves as a guide when evaluating patients.
As a board certified facial plastic surgeon, my training, experience and expertise with regard to the facial structure helps with interpreting surgical goals and concerns that improves my ability to correct deformities.
The shape and size of the nose has a significant impact on the overall balance and symmetry of the face.
A nose that “in the beholder’s eye” is inconsistent with the rest of the face, may sometimes result in a lack of confidence and dissatisfaction with one’s appearance.
Surgery of the nose requires exceptional anatomical knowledge and surgical skill, as well as the eye of an artist taking into consideration, ethnicity, gender, and even height.
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September 17th, 2008 Dr. Maas
I have been fortunate to be one of the early adopters and have experience injecting Prevelle Silk in several patients.
Prevelle-Silk is the first hyaluronic acid filler with lidocaine. The product name aptly describes the product as the product flows very smoothly. The smooth flow may be due to the lower concentration of hyularonic acid, therefore in my practice; we inject it into the dermal layers for the treatment of fine lines, much like we use cosmaderm, the collagen product.
Prevelle-Silk does not require skin testing, which is an obvious advantage over cosmaderm but its expected duration of 3 to 4 months is the same. In my opinion, currently Prevelle-Silk is the only hyaluronic acid available to adequately treat fine lines and as an added benefit the lidocaine delivers an anesthetic effect, making dental blocks unnecessary for some patients.
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September 10th, 2008 Dr. Maas
EVOLENCE ® Dermal Filler in San Francisco: Now Available at The Maas Clinic and The Appearance Care Center at The Maas Clinic
As an injector trainer for EVOLENCE ® and as one of the first physicians to inject the product in the US I have experience with this new product. I am pleased with the results and believe is helpful to have options to offer the best product for each individual patient.
I have added EVOLENCE ® to my practice and it is now available in The Maas Clinic and in The Appearance Care Center at The Maas Clinic.
EVOLENCE ® a new dermal filler that is made of natural collagen, one of the most prevalent materials in your body. The advanced collagen in EVOLENCE ® has been naturally cross-linked, so it mimics the 3-dimensional structure of your skin’s own collagen. This allows it to integrate beautifully and support your skin’s own existing collagen network by adding structure, strength, and volume for a natural look and feel that last.
The Unique Collagen of EVOLENCE ®:
- Achieves immediate, natural-looking results, so you can walk out of the office looking beautifully refreshed
- Causes minimal-to-no swelling or bruising, so you can get right back to daily activities
- Lasts for at least 6 months so it is convenient and reduces costly repeat visits
- Does not require a skin pre-test, so you can get results in 1 visit
Collagen is nature’s most fundamental and abundant building block. In fact, collagen makes up 70% to 80% of the skin’s dermis, providing structure, strength, and support. Collagen depletes naturally over time as we age, leading to a tired or aged appearance. This happens through the formation of new wrinkles and folds, and changes in facial contour and structure. The natural pace of collagen loss can be accelerated by such factors as sun exposure, genetics, hormonal changes, and smoking. By replacing lost collagen with an advanced collagen compound, EVOLENCE ® dermal filler can help enhance and maintain the structure, volume, and naturally younger-looking appearance of your skin.
Although new to the US, it has been used extensively in Canada and now EVOLENCE ® Dermal Filler in San Francisco is offered at my practice.
EVOLENCE ® dermal filler represents a breakthrough in treating the effects of aging by replacing the collagen you’ve lost with collagen that lasts.
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September 8th, 2008 Dr. Maas
Available at The Appearance Care Center
at The Maas Clinic in San Francisco
The TRIA Personal Laser Hair Removal System is the first FDA-cleared laser on the market that offers safe and effective laser hair removal treatments in the privacy, comfort, and convenience of your own home.
TRIA can be used on individuals with white to light brown skin, TRIA can safely be used on these areas of the face and body:
- Nape of the neck
- underarms, shoulders, hands
- bikini line
- legs, feet
- back, chest, abdomen
- upper lips (women only) and chins (women only)
The TRIA personal laser hair removal system is popular even among our current hair removal patients who want to treat a different area in the convenience of their own home.
Additionally, the combination of “in office” and “at home” laser hair removal treatments works well with the busy lifestyles of many of our patients.
If you are interested in learning more about the TRIA Personal Laser Hair Removal System in San Francisco, please feel free to contact us at The Maas Clinic.
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September 5th, 2008 Dr. Maas
ActiveFX™ and DeepFX™
Fractional Laser Treatments for the Skin are Now Available at
The Appearance Care Center at The Maas Clinic in San Francisco
Studies have shown clinical benefits after a single treatment with this CO2 device that are equivalent
to those after five treatments with the older Fractional devices.
ActiveFX and DeepFX, the latest advances in laser skin treatment technology, are new procedures that yield remarkable, long lasting results with as few as one treatment. Fast, office-based procedures with minimal patient downtime, ActiveFX and DeepFX are single-treatment solutions for wrinkled, sun-damaged skin.
Laser treatments produce a dramatic effect on the skin:
- Causes immediate collagen contraction
- Reduces wrinkles and fine lines, and softens
deeper frown lines
- Noticeably improves skin tone and texture
- Stimulates new collagen formation and plumps
the skin
Results of laser treatment can be maintained with proper sun protection. Most effects of treatment become visible right away, whereas others, such as new collagen formation, build up gradually and result in continued smoothing over time. Therefore, most people continue to show improvement up to 6 months after the procedure.
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Baldness is often blamed on poor scalp circulation, vitamin deficiencies, excessive hat-wearing and even dandruff. All of these theories have been disproved. It is also untrue that hair loss can be determined by looking at your mother’s grandfather, or that if you are over 40 and haven’t lost your hair, that you will never lose it.
Hair replacement techniques use your existing hair, therefore candidates must have healthy hair growth at the back and sides of the head to serve as donor areas.