Now, I have a new and improved version of this sunscreen.   It goes onto your skin clear.  Yes, there is zero whiteness.  It is not heavy at all.  It is the lightest feeling sunscreen that I have felt.   It is  free of  all oil, alcohol, fragrance, paraben, and  paba.    It is sensitive skin friendly.  You can put it over your make-up.  It is water resistant for 40 minutes. It is broad spectrum, SPF is 50+, UVA & UVB protective.  It also has antioxidants of Vit C, Green Tea Polyphenols and Resveratrol. Best of all, it does not have the sunscreen smell.   It costs $38.20 for 4 oz.

Please come in and try it!

Sunscreen pops in your head first, but many other products can also help.

Sun and other environmental stressors cause our bodies to produce free radicals, which in turn break down collagen and thereby cause our skin to wrinkle, spot, and sag.  What can we apply to our skin to help prevent free radical damage?   Vitamin C!    That’s right… Vitamin C is an antioxidant that absorbs free radical chain initiators and shuts down propagation of free radicals that break down collagen.  Vitamin C also helps lessen hyper-pigmentation, reduces inflammation, and boosts the efficacy of sunscreen actives.

Not all Vitamin C skin care products are equally effective.  Vitamin C is hard to stabilize.  As soon as Vitamin C comes into contact with air and light, the Vitamin C begins to break down.  Thus, Vitamin C products must be stored in airtight containers.  Vitamin C products stored in tubes or glass jars with droppers will lose their potency as soon as you open the container.  Also, many types of vitamin C exist, and the best type of Vitamin C for skin care products is L-Ascorbic acid.

At Honolulu Cosmetic Laser, we have Brighten, our product containing pure stabilized L-Ascorbic Acid in a patented system, which provides an enhanced means of delivering L-Ascorbic Acid into the skin.  In addition to the Vitamin C, Brighten also has growth factor TGF-beta-1 that may play a significant role in stimulating collagen growth in order to help reduce the telltale signs of aging.  In a recent clinical study, after 60 days, patients experienced a 30% increase in collagen and 50% decrease in lines and wrinkles.

For this month, Brighten is on sale for $95.50.  (Regular price is $114.60)

If you are interested in experiencing the beneficial effects of Brighten, please call 808-469-1997 or e-mail honolulucosmeticlaser@gmail.com to schedule an appointment.     HAPPY EASTER!

For people who use botulinum toxin on wrinkles between the eyebrows and on the forehead lines, two new treatments will be available in the future.  One is a botulinum toxin cream. Yes, that’s right: not an injection but a cream!   You’ll have to come to the doctor’s office to have the cream applied, but you won’t have to have a needle injection.  The cream will also help in areas where a lot of punctures are needed to have any effect, such as the neck.

The second treatment is a device that freezes superficial nerves.  The treated nerve hibernates, resulting in the nerve’s temporary inability to make the corresponding muscle contract.  You immediately see results with forehead lines smoothed out and lines between your eyebrows erased.  It was pretty impressive.  I do not think it will be used for the other areas that botulinum toxin can be used.  The company assures me there is no long lasting harm to the nerve.

These two procedures are currently being evaluated by the FDA for approval.

Please check out the new specials this month.

What are cannulas?  Well, they are blunt tubes to deliver the fillers in your face.  Needles have sharp points that can pierce blood vessels leading to bruising or worse : obstruction of blood vessels.  With cannulas, there are no sharp points to cut into vessels, so that filler product can be more safely placed into the facial tissue.  Moreover, since cannulas  are not sharps , there is no pain on injection.

Thus, studies have shown diet can contribute to acne.  These are the foods you should avoid if you want to decrease your acne:

1. High glycemic foods such as baked goods, processed foods and foods that contain sweeteners such as corn syrup, maltodextrins, dextrose, glucose and artificial sweeteners.
2. Milk and any dairy products such as cheese and ice cream.
3. Iodine and salt – These are foods that contain MSG and a lot of salt: snacks, chips, egg yolks,  seaweed and condiments such as ketchup and barbecue sauce.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented + fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking, so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
–Marianne Williamson

What do these  three products have in common?  They are all forms of botulinum toxin A that help relax muscles and thereby smooth out dynamic facial wrinkles and creases.  They all do the same thing, but the difference with Xeomin® is that the extra proteins found in Botox® and Dysport® have been removed.

What does this mean? As a result, in comparison to Botox® and Dysport®,  Xeomin® is  a more purified form of botulinum toxin A.

Compared to Botox® and Dysport®, with Xeomin®, your body has a lower chance of producing antibodies to the botulinum toxin.  When your body produces antibodies to the botulinum toxin, over time the botulinum toxin becomes less effective.   Thus, the more pure botulinum toxin found in Xeomin® will continue to work for longer periods of time.

Is Xeomin® safe?  Xeomin® has already been safely used in 20 other countries on 240,000 people .  In European studies, onset of Xeomin® was 2 days and the duration was 110 days.  However, everyone is different so the onset may take up to 7 days,  and the duration may range from  90 to 120 days.

My office is one of a few selected by Xeomin’s manufacturer to roll out Xeomin® in the United States.  If you want to try Xeomin®,  please call 808-469-1997 or e-mail honolulucosmeticlaser@gmail.com to schedule an appointment.

Having long lashes is a great advantage!.  Studies evaluating eye movements have demonstrated people fixate on  the eyes and the mouth when looking at faces.  A recent article in the professional journal Facial Plastic Surgery  that beautiful eyes are associated with social advantages.  Long and thick eye lashes are considered a sign of beauty in many cultures and have a positive psychological effect on women (Shaikh 2006; Demello 2007). Unfortunately,  as we age,  our lashes get thinner and lighter.  Latisse  reverses this trend!

Latisse works by increasing both the growth phase of the eyelash and also the percentage of lash follicles. ( Allergan, Inc., 2008)  So, even if you still want to get eyelash extensions, Latisse can help you keep those artificial lashes on longer.

What about the other eyelash enhancers, such as MD Lash Factor, Revitalash, and RapidLash, among many others.  Latisse is the ONLY eyelash enhancement product that is  U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved.  No other eyelash enhancement product has passed the stringent safety requirements necessary for FDA approval.  No other eyelash enhancement product has proven itself to the FDA that it actually does work.

Right now there is a special on Latisse.  Look at the special section for details.

In the spirit of Halloween, let’s get batty!

My name is Carolyn Mai, M.D.  I am a physician, who specializes in making you look and feel better.  I use medical grade skin care, lasers, fillers, Botox and my artistic eye, to help you look refreshed and less tired.  I travel the world to find the latest procedures and products.  I just recently returned from a medical aesthetic conference in Asia with the latest ideas for facial rejuvenation!

Welcome to  my new website for Honolulu Cosmetic Laser!   I want it to be a place for you to learn about the different procedures that I offer.  I also want it to be a place for me to share the knowledge I gain from my patients, whether it be about beauty (inner or outer), diet or life.  This blog will be linked to the Honolulu Cosmetic Laser Facebook.

Best Regards,

Dr. Mai