So we’re to believe some mass gatherings are ok during a pandemic?

mass gatherings

Early on in this pandemic, the recommendations from the CDC and state authorities were pretty clear when it came to mass gatherings: don’t have them. In fact, the CDC reiterates this guidance in an update from July 7th, 2020. The highest risk of spread of the coronavirus comes from “large in-person gatherings where it is […]

Do you have ZOOM neck?!

zoom neck

We now have a variation on the tech neck – the ZOOM neck! And there’s a treatment for it – the SIMI neck lift! When I developed the SIMI neck lift several years ago, first published here, it was a treatment for patients that had too much skin for liposuction but not so much skin […]

Men get liposuction too!

men get liposuction

As gender roles evolve in the work place and at home, there’s still a misconception about who can and can not get cosmetic surgery. In addition to other surgical and non-surgical services as discussed here, men get liposuction too!   Men get liposuction too! Man’s resistance to getting cosmetic surgery may be a societal convention. […]

For better or worse, this is the best time to get cosmetic surgery

best time to get cosmetic surgery

Here we are, emerging from  the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic, entering the unknown chronic phase. There is much we still don’t know about the virus, including why some become symptomatic but others remain asymptomatic. Even with these unknowns, the world must press on, doing our best to adjust our lives and maintain some […]

What’s not going to happen if there’s a new surge of coronavirus

new surge of coronavirus

Let’s review the initial response to the first wave of coronavirus by hospitals, city and state governments. Hospitals cancelled elective cases. Cities and states ordered a shelter in place order, shut down restaurants and closed parks and beaches.   These techniques were able to mitigate some of the worst predictions. 100,000 deaths instead of 2 […]

Do collagen supplements work? A synopsis

do collagen supplements work

While I always felt that collagen supplements in the form of pills or tablets were degraded by stomach acid and didn’t work, there’s really more to the story. You can find an overview of the great “do collagen supplements work” debate here. Or you can read the synopsis below.   One thing we know is […]

Dispelling two myths after surgery

myths after surgery

As seen in the image, I received a text message from a patient the morning after her surgery. She underwent a Brazilian Butt Lift and Tummy Tuck. In the text message, she’s thanking me after getting out of the shower. It was the first time she was able to look in the mirror and was […]

Hospitals and surgery centers not performing cosmetic surgery

performing cosmetic surgery

Here in San Francisco, the city and health department issued a directive on May 15th allowing elective surgery. In the directive, it was very clear elective surgery, including cosmetic surgery and dental procedures, could move forward. For this reason, we began performing cosmetic surgery in our in-office AAAASF accredited operating room the following Monday, May […]

Introducing our new dermatologist: Dr. Gaetano “Guy” Zanelli

Dr. Zanelli

Dr. Kaplan and the entire PHPS Family are excited to welcome Dr. Gaetano “Guy” Zanelli to the practice. He’s a board certified dermatologist with decades of experience. As you can see above, he brings new aesthetic, non-surgical devices to the office! Now taking appointments for the full breadth of medical and cosmetic dermatology, including: Botox and […]

No more waiting in doctor’s offices!

no more waiting in doctor's offices

When we consider black swan events, which I’ve discussed here before, they’re often looked at in a negative connotation. And rightly so. But in an effort to find a silver lining to this pandemic, we should consider the pandemic as a black swan event, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a dramatic improvement in society. There […]

Why everything, including cosmetic surgery, will be more expensive now

more expensive now

Here’s the sad truth. Everything will be more expensive now. Regardless of what business you as a customer frequent, the business owners’ expenses are going up. And they’re not arbitrarily using COVID as a pretext to raise their prices. Expenses are up because restaurants, clothing stores, doctor’s offices etc are spending more on personal protective […]

Ice cream shop : takeout food :: cosmetic surgery : elective surgery

cosmetic surgery

Think back to your SATs. Remember the analogies? The goal was to determine the relationship between the first pair of words and then choose the second pair of words that had an equivalent relationship. In the title above, ice cream shops are to takeout food as cosmetic surgery is to elective surgery. In other words, […]