Stories from Real Patients
Betsy Cantor
Doctor: Dr. Grant Stevens
Marina del Rey, California
www.marinaplasticsurgery.com
Turning Back the Clock on Years of Sun Damage
Like many women her age, Betsy Cantor liked to lie in the sun when she was younger. And she did it a lot. Now at the age of 50, Betsy says her years of sun worshipping have caught up to her. "My skin is wrinkled and discolored," she says.
Betsy, a mother of two, enjoys exercising, shopping, reading, and spending time with family and friends. She has worked as a marriage and family therapist and a clinical dance/movement therapist for 25 years. She has a private practice with children and families, and consults in early childhood education centers.
During the past year, Betsy kept looking in the mirror and seeing her mom, rather than the hip, happening woman she felt herself to be. As she enters the second phase of her life, Betsy wanted to regain a more youthful appearance. That was especially important to her with her daughter's Bat Mitzvah approaching at the end of the year. Betsy would be reunited with old friends and family at the celebration. "My dream is for my face to glow on that day and reflect the youth and vitality I feel inside," says Betsy. "It will be a new beginning."
Betsy is well on her way to that new beginning after the third Fraxel® Laser Treatment on her face. She says her skin looks and feels completely different. Her brown spots are gone and she has regained a pink coloring after years of a dull, beige tone. "My skin looks and feels fresh and smooth, like a baby's bottom," she says. Betsy spent years searching for the perfect skin treatment only to throw money away. "It's a great feeling to look good without any effort and not to worry about makeup and concealer," says Betsy. Her younger looks are also affecting how she feels, . "I feel lighter, freer and more confident. Because of that I am able to impact everyone around me in a more positive way."
Her First Treatment
Like most patients, Betsy was both a nervous wreck and an excited trendsetter leading up to her first treatment. After a topical anesthetic was applied, the treatment began. "Overall it was uncomfortable, but manageable," reports Betsy. "Small dues for the results ahead." The next day she woke up with her face swollen and red, looking sunburned. Ice packs helped relieve the swelling. A few days later, her face was still a little swollen and looking sunburned, but beginning to transform. Skin was flaking off and underneath she could see layers of smooth, pinkish, fresh skin.
Her second treatment was stronger than the first treatment and again led to some swelling and red splotches. A few days later her skin began to flake and continued to look sunburned. Ten days after treatment Betsy's skin was smooth and showed good, even color. Not only was she seeing the results, but others were as well. "I went to 'Back to School Night' for my daughter, and I could tell people were noticing something different, but they didn't quite know what was changed," says Betsy.
By her third treatment, swelling and redness were pretty much gone. A week and a half later, Betsy was noticing some major changes. She says her skin looked completely different. "I felt confident going out of the house with just some moisturizer and tinted sunscreen," says Betsy. She's also stopped wasting money on over the counter cleansers and moisturizers that were not effective with the amount of sun damage she had. Betsy works around a lot of younger women and had begun to feel self-conscious about her age. The treatments helped her regain a more youthful appearance. "I don't feel like the granny anymore," she says. "Overall, having these treatments has given me a new beginning."
Grant Stevens, MD - Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Stevens is a California board- certified plastic surgeon and the Medical Director of Plastic Surgery Associates in Marina del Rey and Palos Verdes. He specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery and has been named one of America's Best Physicians in The Guide to Top Doctors. He is an active member at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital where he is the past Chairman of The Department of Surgery. He is also on staff at St. John's Medical Center and The Marina Outpatient Surgery Center. He was appointed by the governor to The Medical Board of California Medical Quality Review Board, and is on the Plastic Surgery Faculty at UCLA and USC. Dr. Stevens has authored many journal articles, lectured at international, national and regional meetings, and appeared on a number of national broadcast and cable television shows.
