Episode 80: The APS Difference

We are a few months into 2023, and we are so excited about all that this year will entail. Our skinny shot has been booming, and we are eager to help patients create long-term healthy habits. We have been seeing patients experiencing skin laxity due to their weight loss, and we are also here to help with that! Patients can get Volux filler to create a nice sharp jawline or MyEllevate to help with loose skin on the neck. We are so excited about our amazing rewards app, online scheduling link, and having Daxxify, a long-lasting neurotoxin. We are growing fast and thrilled to see what the rest of this year brings! Listen to this podcast to hear all about what Austin Plastic Surgeon has going on!

Transcript:

Welcome back to Plastic Surgeon Untold, greatest podcast in the world, as voted by us. Today, we’re going to talk about exciting things coming in 2023. We’re super excited about this year. There’s already been a lot of great stuff, but so many more things to come. So, maybe a little sneak preview of what’s gonna come over the next 12 months. But before we get into all the goodness that that’s coming, we’re gonna do a little check in with the team. Gilbert, kick us off, what’s going on with you?

It’s been a little while since I’ve been on an episode, I was doing some traveling the last part of the year, last year, so.. He was in timeout. But yeah. *laughing*  I think it was an inappropriate joke I made or something on the last episode. But no, things are good. Just just getting back into the swing of the new year and everything.

Dr…what about you?

Not a whole lot just, you know, swinging into 2023 with a lot of good things happening. Got my double board certification, board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and just living living life every day. And now that I don’t have, now that 13 years of school are behind? What about you, what’s going on?

Well, I’ve been focusing a lot on our liquid rhinos. I’ve been doing a lot of reading, a lot of video watching, kind of learn more, talk to different people, because it’s something that our patients are coming in for more and more. And we’ve got a lot of new injectables coming out this year. So I’ve been trying to learn a lot more about that. That’s been my last few weeks.

So let’s do it. Let’s jump into it and kind of talk about stuff that’s exciting in 2023. In some of these, we’re gonna go into much further detail in terms of specific topics. So if there’s something you hear about that you love, don’t worry, we’re gonna go into a lot more detail on most of these topics, but kind of want to just for, if you’re like me, and you just kind of want to know what’s coming down the pipeline, then then this is a perfect episode for you. Let’s start with the weight loss because I think the weight loss program that we’ve started here has been absolutely phenomenal. And this is one we’re definitely gonna have a whole episode on about shortly. But the semaglutide has has been probably the biggest craze, and honestly will probably be the number one most prescribed medication in the United States this year. So Dr. Arredondo, Gilbert, anybody want to talk to us just quickly a little bit about semaglutides and weight loss?

Yeah, so this is a drug that works with your body’s natural energy processing systems, basically. And it helps reduce cravings because it sends a little signal to your brain that, hey, we’re good. So you don’t go looking for food. It also works on the digestive system, helps you quiet down those cravings, so you get fuller faster, you stay fuller longer. And so it’s helped a tremendous number of people. We’ve seen people lose how many pounds?

So, I’m down 45 pounds in about three months. And so no question. It’s been a huge game changer for people. And I think the fact that it’s making lifestyle changes for people, you know, other medications either just made you not absorb fats, got your heart rate up. But But those weren’t, weren’t sustainable afterwards. And not necessarily safe or healthy. You dropped weight so fast, by just not eating, definitely cut down the calories here. But because we gradually step it up, it’s done in a way that’s safe, good for your body, and those results, like you said, build long term habits. And they’re sustainable.

Right. Oh, I was just gonna say and that’s, that’s the biggest key, I think with us creating, you know, a sense of wellness around the skinny shot, we’ve really seen that, you know, the majority of our patients that have come off the medication long term, very few have actually rebounded or regained their weight, only about what? Less than 5%. So really, it is it really is something that’s sustainable, because we’re creating a journey or a weight loss journey for these patients. And we’re expanding our whole wellness program too as I understand it.

Yeah, and something that’s exciting at our practice in 2023, we’re actually adding an internal medicine doctor that’s going to help with continuing our Fit and Fabulous Center, if you will, because it’s not just about being skinny, it’s really about being fit. And so we want to get people to a good spot. And weight is one portion of that, you know, and again, everybody’s got a different body frame, a different goal. And so the idea is just to getting you to be at a good healthy, you know, weight is what what our goal is. And so incorporating an internal medicine doc that can help with some of that, and then actually increase a few services because there’s a lot of our patients that have been requesting other things to help them get prepared for the surgery, or they have the surgery, and they just want to be the best version of themselves. So I’m super excited about it.

Oh, yeah, that’s gonna be the best addition we make this year. I think it’s going to be fantastic.

Super exciting because, you know, the one thing and then we’ll go on to another topic, because I could talk about this endlessly. We all could. Yeah, but it’s feeling for the first time in the world of plastic surgery, you know, we have a chance to really change people’s health and life in terms of this, you know, no question. We feel like we make a big difference and people are happy and emotionally happier with breast aug, BBL, those type of things, but changing people’s longevity, decreasing their morbidity, and just letting people even if they don’t add years, their quality of life over that time is going to get better because a lot of these drugs have definitely been shown to decrease your risk of heart disease, of diet, risk of diabetes. You know, once somebody becomes diabetic, their risk of kidney disease and other things goes up dramatically. This is a huge game changer for people to prevent those things before they ever happen.

That’s right. Yeah, that’s right. And we want, that’s exactly right. Prevention is key here. We get you while you’re healthy, you stay healthy. And you maintain that for the rest of your life. And you get healthier.

Gilbert, maybe talk to us a little bit. There’s some some new fillers that have recently come out. So maybe catch us up on that.

Yeah. So there’s a new product by Allergan that that was just released called Volux. If you remember, we talked a little bit about it last year, because we were anticipating that it was going to be released last year in 2022. But unfortunately, you know, things never go as planned. And so, so they just released it. It’s, it’s, it’s indicated specifically for jawline augmentation. It’s a much thicker filler than what they have in their current portfolio. So it’s going to really create that nice sharp angle of the jaw when we’re doing these jawline augmentations. I think it’s going to be a game changer. I think there’s there’s a lot of utilization of this product, maybe maybe in some off label areas or something. But that’s a topic for another day. We know.

And I think one thing that I’ve noticed from learning from our injectors a little bit is that Sarah tends to focus a lot on the jawline, on the chin, and it makes such a huge impact. And it’s, it’s, it’s huge that just rejuvenates the face. You look years younger when you have this nice sharp jawline, and it is awesome for selfies. Of course. Absolutely.

Awesome for selfies, it helps really define face from neck. And really elongate the lower third of that face, really makes a huge difference in someone’s profile.

Right, and it’s one of those differences that people say something’s a little different, but they don’t exactly know what because it’s not over the top. It’s natural, but it just looks amazing.

And I think we’re gonna get more requests for jawline, neck tightening stuff. And we’ll talk some more about some other things coming down the pipeline. But you know, the great thing about the weight loss is the overall healthiness and you know, maybe one of the few downsides, sometimes you can get a little skin laxity, maybe not have quite so defined. But you know, some jawline filler can really make good help with that. There’s some non-invasive skin tightening options that we’ll we’ll get to that, that are really pretty phenomenal in terms of this, especially if you just got a little bit but you’re not quite necklift ready. You know, maybe you need a little MyEllevate. There’s a lot of good options. But no question, jawline is a really easy fixer for a lot of those little things.

Yeah, and impactful.

Very impactful. What about- Anybody want to talk about Daxxify? I feel like we’ve been talking about that for two or three years now. But the time has finally come and and like Gilbert said, nothing ever happens as fast as we’d like or want. But, but the time is now and this year, it’s already achieved FDA approval, would anybody want to talk about that?

I think it’s going to be a game changer. I mean, unlike any other neurotoxin that we currently have at our disposal, it has blown away the competition in terms of longevity. The studies show that it can last anywhere between six to nine months, a single, like a single treatment, which is far and away different, you know, different from what we currently have, which is about three to four months. So I think there’s going to be maybe a bit of a of a paradigm shift in terms of how you know it is utilized in the office, because there are those patients that you know, they just can’t make it into the office three times a year, four times a year. And you know, this is going to be like a game changer for them.

I work there and I can’t get in. *laughs*

I’m still waiting to get my Botox in. For those of you that haven’t listened to some of our past episodes. Number one, shame on you. But two, you know, Daxxify is basically a neurotoxin similar to Botox… just so you guys kind of know what what we’re talking about. And in the past, most of the toxins on the market and there’s there’s about four that that we use rarely… Xeomin, Dysport, Botox, and they last about three to four months and and you know that, it’s, remember it’s not an on and off switch that slowly gradually goes on, takes about, you know, week, week and a half to take a full effect, you know, some a little faster, some a little longer, you know, depending on the specific stuff, Daxxify’s unique in that, and we’ll jump into a little bit of what, maybe we’ll jump a little bit into what some of the unique properties of it. But the idea is that it actually, the onset is a little bit faster than some of the other products which is great for some of us that don’t ever procrastinate. Some of us do. The longevity, you know, I really think this is going to be huge for you know the business professional, because for a lot of us, it’s hard to sneak out of work, and while the the treatment may only take 15, 20 minutes, if, if you don’t live next door to your plastic surgeon, it’s hard to run over and then do this in such a short period of time and to get a little bit more longevity. A lot of people come for fillers and those type of things in about a six, nine month schedule. So I think now that your stuff lines up really nicely. I think that’s going to be huge In terms of that, but but I mean, love to get your guys’s opinion is. One, I think it’s great, but it’s also not going to be for everybody because I think if you’ve never had a toxin before, probably maybe isn’t the best first choice for your very first treatment. I think there’s some other areas of the face that we use stuff for that it’s going to be absolutely phenomenal for. I think maybe some areas that they may be a little hesitant to start with so.

Yeah, I think at least for me, I think of it, you know, someone who’s coming in for a lip flip for the first time. Some people love it. Some people say maybe not for me, but that’s something I want to try out, see how it feels, but areas like the forehead where you’re treating the levin’s crow’s feet, I think those are gonna be you know, game changer. Game changers for that where now you’ve got this long lasting result that you know you already want.

I think even like Platysmal bands would be great. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Because that you know, that that, it takes a lot of product to relax the the platysmal muscle and, you know, can get can get kind of pricey. And so if you’re only having to do it once or twice a year, I think it’s gonna make a big, big difference. You know, another thing I just thought of which I’ve done a little bit of, but I think you’ve done a lot of Gilbert is hyperhidrosis.

Yeah, yeah, that’s it. Yeah. Yeah. Hyperhidrosis, masseter muscles, I mean, these are ones where, you know, people already get some, some some longevity out of so, I think there’s a lot of uses. And this is where, you know, I think as providers, they’re going to be able to guide you a little bit. There’s some myths out there that if you, if you’ve gotten Botox, you can’t do Daxxify and vice versa. That’s not true. I can see definitely a lot of people having a mixture of products injected, you know, at the same time, and so there’s so many opportunities, and we’re gonna have a full episode on this. So I don’t want to belabor it, but definitely something I think that we’re all super, super excited about. Yeah. Other big exciting stuff for 23 that that you guys are excited about?

We just implemented the awesome plastic surgeon app. Yeah. *laughing*

Our Rewards App, you guys want to tell him a little bit about our Rewards app that we’ve launched?

So it’s super easy. We have the QR codes all over the office, you can download it, you just take a picture, get the app, and every time you step foot in the door just to say hi, you’re stopping next door to get some coffee, you just want to check in on the app, no big deal. But every time you step foot in, you get more rewards, and it’s fantastic. The first reward is just when you download the app.

$25 off.

Which is phenomenal. And we basically designed this just because, you know, we’ve wanted a way to thank all of you who support us. And so, you know, kind of been thinking about developing an app that, I know we have our EMR app, but this is just a very similar, if any of you have a Starbucks Rewards app, it’s actually designed to be very, very similar. So you get rewards for the things that you’ve already purchased, do visit us in terms of that, and then you just get random free stuff.

That’s right, and who doesn’t love free stuff? All of our most loyal customers, all the best rewards are going to be on this app. You’re not going to see it on the news or online, it’s just gonna be right there. And even some maybe early access to some of the new products coming out soon.

No question, we’re gonna try and try and reveal some of our new stuff to our app members things. The other cool thing that we’ve made, and like most of us who go to the gym that don’t really carry cards or other things around is that all the stuff will be built into the Rewards App. So if you have your phone, you can slide your card, you know, anything. So basically your membership’s, everything is right through there. So it’s super easy to keep track, you don’t have to have 1000 things. If you’re at the gym running here, you know, you have your lifetime card, and then you have your surgeon Rewards App. So either way, you’re all set for the day. So boom boom boom.

That’s right, you get done with work late, late day at the OR, you want to say oh, I forgot to book that appointment for tomorrow. Now you can get on the app, you can make your payment. And then you can even do some online scheduling too.

Ooh, that’s another big, big addition for 2023. We’ve actually rolled out our online scheduling. Dr. Mikela, Gilbert, would you like to tell people about online scheduling because this is, I love this. This is my one of my favorite things. I feel like I say that about everything.

You like a lot of things.

No, it’s so convenient. Like you literally, I’m just one of those people that I just can’t pick up the phone to make an appointment. Like how many people actually call a restaurant these days to actually make a reservation. You just go on your local app, and you do it and here we are. We are now offering exactly the same way. Couple clicks, you can make your appointment. All you got to do is show up.

And I think it’s sometimes so much easier than like oh okay, I can do this Tuesday. I can’t do that Thursday. I can only do these times, so you basically can go online, you pick your location, Austin, San Antonio, you know, if you have a specific provider you want to see, you click that. If you’re like, hey, I just need to get in for my my weight loss treatment. I don’t really mind who I see, this day is super important to me. You pick any any provider, you pick the day that works best for you. It shows you what available times, you pick the one that works for you, boom, done and you’re set. So I think for most of us that it’s hard during the day, we get home, we’re watching TV, it’s 8:30 at night, you know the office is closed? Oh, no problem. I can go on the website. You know, we DM it to people all the time on Instagram. So I think that is going to be a huge convenience thing because it’s just so much easier. It’s on your time when it’s easy for you, you can kind of cruise and just see what works best for you. Because sometimes when people call and they’re trying to give you times, it’s almost, never fails. They call at the most inconvenient time, you’re like, oh, I’m in the line at Starbucks. I’m, you know, fighting with the kids. I’m like, you know, doing X, Y, and Z. So, so great at the end of that. Yea, incredible..relax. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. Super excited about it. Yeah, no doubt, it’s gonna make things way easier for the patient to get me, to gain access to, you know

But we hear you guys, I know scheduling with us has been hard in the past. But we promise we’re trying to make it easier to see your favorite provider. And so I think this is a big step in that direction. I think some some other exciting stuff is we got some some big trips planned this year. We also are launching a few training centers that I think are going to be super exciting. As you guys know, we’ve, we’ve really fallen in love with Avéli, which is a cellulite treatment that we’ve talked about in the past with our luxury legs treatments, and so forth like that. But, you know, now we’re sharing our knowledge with other providers from around the country and probably even around the world. And so, we’re fortunate enough to be the very first training center nationally for Avéli, and so that’s coming soon. I think we actually have our first training event in February. So you know, one, it’s I think, you know, not to brag, but it’s it’s definitely a compliment to our providers and our surgeons that that we were selected to do that.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it’s been a game changer for the treatment of cellulite. So reliable, so easy to use. And I think the company and us have had just a good relationship from the very beginning. They’ve come to visit us and they were so impressed. They wanted to make us a training center, and our patients loving the results.

What else you guys excited about for ’23?

Well, there’s a big ASAPS meeting coming up in April.

ASPS is coming in, ASAPS, is in Miami in April. And then HSPS is actually in Austin, Texas for the first time ever. And we had one of the ASPS board members actually visit our office yesterday because they were in town, kind of scoping out some of the meeting venues and other stuff. So.

This is the biggest meeting in plastic surgery annually. It’s one of my favorites. They’re just so many people, so many devices, so many new technologies, so many new ideas being shared. Yeah, it’s incredible, though, you know, the education training is outstanding, and to not have to travel anywhere? I’m a little sad. But two, I’m excited because hey it’s home.

I still got to travel *laughing*

Austin and how Austin has grown as a city. For Austin to be able to host such a national meeting. And while it’s the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, you’d be surprised how many international people come and for Austin to be the city that’s hosting all of this and to host this five day, six day event stuff that, and this one covers all sorts of plastic surgery from reconstructive to aesthetic to minimum invasive to practice management. So kind of a big kudos to Austin as the city, which you guys know I love and I’m I’m their their spokesperson because I can’t say enough great stuff about it. And, and so I’m super excited about it, oh, yeah, something to come to our city. And so super proud to, for any of our plastic surgeons who are listening, please hit us up if you’re gonna be in town, love to get together with you guys, you guys are always welcome to come visit us at any one of our offices. And I’m super excited about for all of our colleagues to come to our home.

Yes, and I’m super excited. Also, in addition to that, to be attending, all of us will be attending ASAPs this year, it sounds like in Miami, Florida, where the entire conference is essentially based around aesthetics and cosmetics. So

It’s funny because those conference rooms are great, because we learned some stuff. We also, most of us do some teaching at these courses in terms of either on, some of the board, some of the specialty panel stuff, you know the BBL courses, and some other things. So it’s almost great because at these meetings, there’s obviously the, I always feel like whenever you teach a course, you’re gonna learn more than probably anybody else in the audience. I think some of the side conversations about little, little things, you know, it’s never changes your practice completely. But a few little tidbits to bring back. Because I think if you’re not always moving forward, you fall behind. And we’ve talked about how many additions have come and so, you know, I always feel like we’re trying to keep our practice cutting edge and trying to move stuff forward as much as possible.

I think these conferences are a great opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from other people. I I’ve attended, you know, multiple conferences throughout my career and you always pick up something you know, from from a colleague or, you know, counterpart or something. Yeah.

Awesome. What other, I know we’ve already thrown out a bunch of things, any other last kind of exciting 2023 things that that you guys are are excited about?

I guess we talked about it, but I’m just excited to bring on our Wellness Center and really expand that because I just don’t think we can overstate the importance of just, we’re not just here to help you look good, we want you to feel good and to be good. So, just healthy through and through from skin to soul, kind of..

I couldn’t agree with you more because when we first started this, it was just in terms of trying to prepare people for surgery. That’s been the the excitement about it has been unreal because we have so many patients bringing their significant others, their family members. And it’s just shows that the need for out there, no question that obesity and those type of things, it got into, you know, unprecedented levels in the United States. And so the idea that we can help people truly make a change in their, in their health and wellness is is, I think, super exciting for us. And something that we’re all super passionate about.

I think you make a good point in the sense that, you know, significant others are coming, because as a whole, I think we can all agree that plastic surgeries is mainly kind of as a demographic of females, right? And not too many males look into the services. But this is a way to incorporate the males and kind of show them that there are things that are available to them to help them feel better, look better, and just live healthier all around. And so I personally have seen that a lot with the patients that I have, you know, where the wives bring in their husbands and I think it’s, it opens up their eyes, and it’s, I think it’s going to be a shift in, there’s going to be a shift in, you know, this, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, even just at the San Antonio event, the other night, our open house for the Skinny Shot and EON, we had, I had two wives come in who booked appointments for for their husbands. They’re like, Oh, I I heard all about you. I want my husband to be healthy again.

They were voluntold.

Let’s be honest, anytime you’re trying to make lifestyle and healthy changes, if everybody in the house is doing it, it’s much easier and you’ve got accountability. Accountability, it’s hard for one person to be eating healthy and another not and no question when you’re holding each other accountable, when you’re helping each other. It’s why people have coaches and spotters and and partners in terms of their, so I think it’s great that everybody can can do this. And no question, you know, something you got to take seriously, need to see your healthcare provider, need to have a medical professional, make sure that you’re a good candidate. There are a few few people that don’t qualify, but we’ll walk you through that or your health care provider. Well, exactly. Well, well, I think those are a lot of great things that we’re excited. Don’t worry, I know that they’re just teasers. We’re definitely gonna go into all of these topics a lot and a lot more detailed in future episodes, but want to give you at least a little preview of what’s to come this year. So, we’re super excited. So thank you all for listening. Appreciate you longtime viewers, sometime DMers. Don’t forget Plastic Surgery Untold wherever you get your favorite podcast, iHeart, Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, and then if you want to see our smiling faces or or Gilbert looking fine, you can definitely check us out on YouTube. So we’ll see you guys soon. Bye. Bye.