Our Internet Newsletter

Welcome to our October email Update.

Please Note: We are sending our newsletter for a second time this month. A number of our newsletter subscribers did not receive the original mailing. If you are receiving the newsletter for a second time, please accept our apologies.


A note from Dr. Tobin

Gail and I just returned from a five day hiking trip in Quebec, Canada. Our journey took us to the St. Lawrence River and the Saguenay Fjord. If you’re surprised to learn there are fjords in North America, so were we. Now you are asking, “what is a fjord?” Fjords are deep, glacially carved valleys now flooded by the sea. A fjord’s steep walls fall far below the surface of the water, making the fjord inlet very deep. Some fjords in eastern Canada are up to 500 meters deep. There are many fjords around the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador. In Quebec the Saguenay Fjord is located off the northern shore of the St.-Lawrence estuary. For those of you interested in learning more about fjords, here’s a helpful link: http://www.gfc.dfo.ca/habitat/aifm12.htm.

Although the hiking was fairly rugged, the spectacular views made it well worthwhile, and fortunately our trip corresponded to the peak of the color change in the trees. This coupled with some outstanding French and Quebecois cuisine made for an all around wonderful vacation.


The Internet, email and medicine.

There is quite a bit of interest these days in the appropriate use of the Internet in medicine. Originally, the World Wide Web was considered to be a source of information. Now, it seems, the primary focus is commercial. Of course, there is a blending of the two, and many commercial sites are valuable sources of information. (We certainly hope that we fall in that category.) Too often, cosmetic surgical web sites are merely a medium for promotion of a doctor or a group of doctors. Frequently they are filled with before and after photos showing outstanding results.

Many companies have arisen to promote websites. For that reason, search engines often direct you to one that has paid for a listing rather than the best site for information. Along these lines, we hasten to tell you that we do not participate in any commercial promotion of our website. Not that we feel that its wrong or unethical, we simply haven’t seen the need. Without any form of commercial promotion we now get 6,000 to 9,000 hits a day! Hopefully we’re doing something right.

Patients certainly want to see before and after photos and the web is a great medium for showing them. Unfortunately, most people tend to show their best results rather than average ones. Rarely are poor results or complications shown. For this reason, before and after photos should always be taken in context and recognized to represent what can result and not necessarily what will result. We have tried to include enough pictures to give you an idea of typical results.

We get a lot of questions from people who visit our website. It is important for you to understand that we cannot give out medical advice to individuals who are not patients of the Center. We do try to respond to questions that provide the name, address and phone number of people inquiring, but, of course, our answers can only be of a general nature. It is this restriction that led us to begin offering telephone consultation.

People who are interested in this service are asked to fill out a complete registration form, just as if they are coming to the Center. Typically, they will send us photos by email or regular mail. Afterwards, a phone consultation is scheduled. Of course, there is no obligation. Sometimes, people are interested in coming to the Center for surgery and at other times, they are just seeking information or a second opinion. In either case, we will try to provide as much information as we can.

The Internet is becoming an increasingly important tool in medicine and we continue to find it more and more useful for our practice.


New Consultation Location in San Angelo

Dr. Tobin will now be seeing his San Angelo patients at “Cielo” a newly opened Day Spa. “Cielo,” meaning “the heavens,” will provide a more quiet and relaxing atmosphere for our patients. The business is owned and operated by mother/daughter team: Georgeanne Powell & Jessica Lynn. I’m sure many of our San Angelo patients are already familiar with these ladies who have been in the beauty profession for years.

The address is 2507 Johnson St. and telephone number is 915-949-1001. Feel free to call to ask for directions. All appointments to see Dr. Tobin are made through the Facial Plastic and Cosmetic Surgical Center in Abilene 1-915-695-3630. We look forward to seeing you at this new, beautiful location and hope that our patients find it a more comfortable and confidential setting.

Achieving Facial Harmony through Facial Implants
Jon D. Perenack MD, DDS
Fellow, Facial Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery Center

Often, patients come to the Facial Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery Center with an interest in a particular surgery – perhaps cosmetic enhancement of the nose (rhinoplasty) or eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty). In an effort to achieve the most pleasing result possible, Dr. Tobin might also suggest a secondary procedure to enhance facial harmony – facial implants. Facial implants are small, specially shaped forms of silicon rubber used to augment the contour of the face. The chin, the cheekbones, or the angles of the jaw are the most common areas improved. Dr. Tobin has used facial implants safely and successfully for over twenty-five years, with minimal recovery time. Considering the patient who wishes to de-emphasize a prominent nose, and also has a smaller chin; rhinoplasty combined with a chin implant can create a balanced, more aesthetic facial profile. The patient with baggy lower eyelids and flat cheekbones is an excellent candidate for a lower blepharoplasty combined with cheek implants. Of course, chin and cheek implants are often used alone to create a more attractive facial contour. Jaw angle implants create a stronger jaw line and help improve the appearance of the neck.

If you are considering facial implants to achieve an appearance that is more pleasing to you, and have any questions, please feel free to contact me, or any of our, or ask for an appointment to see Dr. Tobin.

That’s it for this month. Please keep your questions and comments coming. We want this to be as informative as possible and your input surely helps.

Sincerely,

Howard A. Tobin, M.D., F. A. C. S.
www.newlook.org

For general information: askdena@newlook.org or n41gt@newlook.org