Face + Neck Episodes

While looking at photos of herself about five years ago, Maria noticed that an “11” had appeared between her brows. Those pesky parallel lines were so deep that they didn’t tan with the rest of her face. That was the moment she decided to do something. Maria works as a labor & delivery nurse across the street at Scripps hospital, a friend who already had “beautiful Botox” told her where to go. So she first came to LJC to get rid of those 11’s with Botox, then for help reversing sun damage from ...

Many people come to LJC seeking to look less tired, old, or sad – because they are not actually tired, old, or sad! Fillers can only be used for so long before surgery is the only option. LJC facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kiersten Riedler talks about the blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery and how it solves the very common problem of constantly looking tired. As you get older, it’s common for eyebrows and upper eyelids to fall. Your skin loses elasticity over time, resulting in fat to bulge and crea...

If you think the treatments available at a medical spa aren’t for you because you’re not old enough, think again. Autumn’s story will change how you think about those barely visible fine lines between your brows, around your eyes, and around your mouth. Find out which treatments have been her secret weapon since she started coming to LJC in her late twenties. From Botox to microneedling to laser skin resurfacing, Autumn shares how each of these treatments delivered a subtle, natural result to k...

For our patient Kathleen Lisson, an accident while hiking in the desert led to a broken nose, which led her straight to Dr. Brahme for a rhinoplasty… and while he was at it, a face lift, brow lift, neck lift, chin implant, fat transfer to her cheeks, and a septoplasty to fix her deviated septum. Not everyone seeks cosmetic surgery for aesthetic reasons; sometimes it’s necessary following an accident or injury. For Kathleen, a freak accident while hiking in the desert was the catalyst that cause...

Corey Dylan from San Diego’s KFBG BIG FM 100.7, tells her story about doing Ultherapy for her face and neck. At 51, she felt like her cheeks were looking jowly and knew there was no way to reverse that with skin care products. As a radio and tv professional, Corey chose Ultherapy because she knew it would allow her to be in and out of the office within a couple hours without anybody noticing she had anything done. Hear how she’s feeling and what changes she’s already noticing one week after her...

If you aren’t quite ready for a facelift, Ultherapy is a great way to delay surgery by lifting and tightening your face and neck. In the first of a two part series about Ultherapy non surgical skin tightening, Anh Bridgewater gives us the full rundown of what Ultherapy is, what it does, how long it takes to see results, and who is a good candidate. How does Ultherapy work? Microfocused ultrasound is delivered to the tissue layers to stimulate collagen regeneration. Results appear slowly over ti...

LJC’s laser specialist Julia Jowett, PA-C, and Cameron Vessey, licensed esthetician, discuss why lasers are such a valuable investment for our skin and how to protect that investment for the long term. Julia and Cameron walk us through what to do prior to prepare your skin before treatment, which products to use and which ones to avoid in order to keep your skin calm and respond well to the energy from the lasers. They share advice from decades of experience treating all ages and skin types to...

We catch up with Dr. Luke Swistun a week after his broadband light (BBL) & Halo laser resurfacing treatment to hear about his treatment experience and recovery process. Dr. Swistun tells us about how his treatment experience compared to his expectations, describing the pain level as “tolerable pins and needles.” At LJC we offer ProNox to our patients, also known as laughing gas, and Dr. Swistun describes this feeling as surreal, because you can make conscious decisions while simultaneously bein...

LJC’s laser expert Julia Jowett, PA-C, lets us in on her strategy for treating plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun’s fine lines and sun damage. Dr. Swistun had treatment on a Friday and he was back to the clinic working with a practically healed face on Monday. To identify problem spots, Julia took photos of Dr. Swistun and his wife with the VISIA Skin Analysis system. She then combined broadband light (BBL) and HALO laser, one of her favorite combinations to address pigmentation, pores, and fine ...

It’s not every day that the surgeon becomes the patient! Moments just before his broadband light (BBL) & Halo laser treatment, Dr. Luke Swistun shares what he thinks it will be like and gives insight into why he’s having laser resurfacing. We’ll be back with more in this 3 part mini-series, including a chat with Julia Jowett who’s treating Dr. Swistun, and a follow up to hear how he’s doing in a few weeks. Links Check out Dr. Swistun’s pre-treatment VISIA photos La Jolla Cosmetic is located j...

You might think the only option for reshaping your nose is to undergo a surgical rhinoplasty. But there’s another way to change the shape of your nose that isn’t so serious. Facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kiersten Riedler educates us about the liquid rhinoplasty, known as the “non-surgical nose job.” In this procedure, an injectable filler like Juvederm Voluma XC is used to change the shape or contour of the nose. Deep indentations or depressions above the hump can be filled in, camouflaging any ir...

Breathing through your nose is one of those basic things you take for granted until you can’t do it anymore. Guest host Laura Cain talks with facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kiersten Riedler about nose surgery, specifically the septoplasty and rhinoplasty surgeries she does to fix the inside and outside of the nose. If you’re used to going through life with restricted nasal passages, you might not even realize how much better it could be. The septoplasty is surgery to straighten or correct a deviate...

Facial plastic surgeon Dr. Kiersten Riedler answers important questions about noses and rhinoplasty, like do your nose and ears really keep growing as you age? How old do you have to be to have rhinoplasty? What should you do if you get hit in the nose with a baseball? Although no two noses are the same and no two rhinoplasty procedures are the same, the approaches to surgery are fairly standard. Dr. Riedler explains the open approach, in which an incision is made externally between and inside ...

As we age, the lower half of our face slowly begins to fall, causing despair and confusion over how to slow it down or reverse it. Anh Bridgewater walks us through the non-surgical options for lower face rejuvenation including threads and fillers. Hear how these innovative treatments work in tandem to contour the jawline for immediate improvement without surgery. La Jolla Cosmetic is located just off the I-5 San Diego Freeway at 9850 Genesee Ave, Suite 130 in the Ximed building on the Scripps M...

LJC’s esthetician and skin care expert Cameron Vessey takes us through treatments for melasma that actually work, including hydroquinone, kojic acid, azelaic acid, the Cosmelan peel, and lasers like Moxi or Halo. Melasma is a chronic condition of patterned pigment, for example, the occurrence of a dark “mustache” or circles on the cheeks. Although those with melasma cannot expect to ever stop treating it, this condition can be very well controlled. For so many women who suffer from melasma, oft...

Aesthetic injector Julia shares her deep expertise with plumping and reshaping the lips with fillers, which of the Juvederm & Restylane products are her favorites, and why you shouldn’t be afraid of getting your lips injected if you’re in the care of a trained, experienced injector. She covers the latest trends including the Instagram-famous Russian lip technique (spoiler alert, it’s not a thing), the “lip flip,” how to avoid the “duck lips” look, and the refreshing new direction toward natural ...

After spending the last year looking in the 21st century mirror that is Zoom, many people discovered their lower face and neck looked a bit too tired. Although the condition itself hasn’t changed, the name “turkey neck” has been replaced by the more modern “Zoom neck.” Plastic surgeon Dr. Johan Brahme and non-surgical aesthetic nurse practitioner Khanh Nguyen, FNP-C join us to explain what causes the Zoom neck phenomenon in the first place, and what’s on the menu at LJC to treat it. Dr. Brahme...

Raving fans across all of San Diego follow esthetician Cameron Vessey’s expert skin care recommendations, and we’re here for it! If you’ve ever wondered why products from the drugstore are different from medical grade skincare or how some people have skin that truly glows, Cameron’s advice for good skin care will be truly life-changing. Read more about Cameron Vessey Learn more about skin care services at LJC. La Jolla Cosmetic is located just off the I-5 San Diego Freeway at 9850 Genesee Ave...