In this episode, we delve deep into the journey of our skin, the body's largest and most visible organ. From teenage concerns about acne to the pursuit of youthful radiance in our 20s, from early anti-aging efforts in our 30s to navigating the changes of aging skin in our 40s, 50s, and beyond, especially post-menopause and breast cancer treatment.
Join us as we chat with Lee Nivinskus, NP, Medical Director and Owner of the Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center in Chino Hills, California. Lee enlightens us on an array of treatments from facials to lasers, and vitamin therapies. More crucially, she shares invaluable insights on safety precautions and essential knowledge for anyone considering a visit to a medical spa or seeking treatments from an injector. Discover a broader perspective on skin health and beauty in this enriching conversation.
Resources:
The Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center in Chino Hills
Read Full Transcript Below:
Laura Lummer 0:00
This is Laura Lummer, the breast cancer recovery coach. I'm a healthy lifestyle coach, a clinical Ayurveda specialist, a personal trainer, and I'm also a breast cancer survivor. In this podcast, we talk about healthy thinking and mindfulness practices, eating well, moving your body for health and longevity. And we'll also hear from other breast cancer survivors who have reengaged with life, and have incredible stories to share. This podcast is your go-to resource for getting back to life after breast cancer.
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the breast cancer recovery coach Podcast. I am your host, Laura Lummer. I am thrilled that you are listening to the show today. And you're going to learn some really cool stuff. I'm super excited about this show because we're going to be talking with Lee Nivinskuse discuss who is the medical director and owner of the Beverly Hills rejuvenation center in Chino Hills, California. And she is an amazing, talented, educated wealth of knowledge on taking care of our skin.
And so I'm going to jump more into that in a minute. But I want to remind you before we get into it, that for the month of October, so I think when this podcast comes out, there'll be eight or nine days left, I'm not sure. And the sugar challenge my five day sugar challenge is free for the entire month of October. So go to my website, thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/sugar, you will get access to the member area where there are videos and worksheets, you'll get access to the Facebook group for other survivors who are in the sugar challenge. And it's a very mindful approach to the food choices you make to help you really get an understanding of how these food choices align with the person that you are, and how you can work on getting them a little more aligned if they're not exactly where you want to be. So I love to offer this gift to you through the month of October, I hope you take advantage of it. thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/sugar.
Okay, so in the spirit of inspiration for this month, and keeping all of us survivors excited and forward thinking, This show is about something that it's really important to me and I hear a lot from the women that I work with about how important it is to them. And that is our appearance, our skincare, the way the outside of our body presents itself to the world in how we feel about that. Because I know again for myself, and for some so many women, I know whether they're survivors or not, it's important to us that the way we look on the outside represents the way we want to present ourselves to the world. And that doesn't mean you've got to be all dolled up every minute of the day. It means that you need to look at yourself and think Yeah, I'm happy presenting myself to the world like this.
And for my own experience, I found that chemotherapy had a big impact on that hormone treatment, steroids, they all had a big impact on it, they changed the coloring and the texture of my skin. And you'll hear a little bit about it in the show. But one thing that dramatically changed when I went through chemotherapy was that space under my eyes just sunk. And I think that was a process of the whole dehydration and kind of fat loss or collagen loss in the skin as you're going through breast cancer treatment.
But it really, really bothered me, it was something that I looked at, I thought I look old, and I look tired. And that's not how I feel. And I don't want to look away that I don't feel it just didn't line up with me. Right. I didn't look at and go Oh, you're so ugly or judge myself. I just went to need that just doesn't look like the person I feel that I am. But I didn't know what to do about it. I didn't want to have plastic surgery. I didn't want to have a facelift. And so it was something that just bothered me. And as you hear in the show, my mom said to me, oh, you just look so much like grandma now her mother and I like isn't that what everybody wants to hear? You look like your grandma. And that's what I felt like.
So I was so excited when I went to a medical spa to get a consultation about what I could do with I had hyperpigmentation like red spots and brown spots on my face that I think were a result of hormone change and of course of aging and you know, just sun exposure. I've lived in Southern California my whole life. But the hyperpigmentation was exacerbated a lot by my treatment. And I didn't like it. You know, I wanted to especially because in the work that I do, I'm in front of people a lot and I'm on camera a lot. I want to look the way I wanted to look right.
So I went to get a consultation on what I could do for this hyperpigmentation in my skin. And that is when I met and fell in love with the amazing, Lee Nivinskuse. She is such an incredible soul. And I don't mean just because of her talent, which is mind boggling her knowledge, which is mind boggling, but just a gentle, sweet woman who really wants to do things that make you happy things that feel good about yourself. And her knowledge is what just blew me away. And when I sat in the chair to get a consultation on my skin, and she began asking me about the things that bother me, and I told her about how much my eyes bother me, she says, Oh, we can take care of that.
And I was thrown, thrown back for a sec, you can take care of that. You could fix that. Oh, yeah. And she explained to me how it could be fixed. And I asked her, of course, about safety. She explained everything to me. And I felt completely confident and secure in what she did. And I said, right now, I didn't come for that, but I want it right now. And she did. And she put this filler underneath my eyes that just filled in that hollowness that made me feel like you know, the cryptkeeper and I was so happy. I was so happy.
You know, it's like getting a fantastic new makeup that you love and like, Oh, it's just such great coverage are so true color. I mean, I felt so good about wearing it afterwards and about the improvements that she made. And from that point forward, I just continued to see Lee to manage my skincare, my healthy aging, my preservation of my skin. And I am so excited to share her knowledge with you.
Now I want to point out that this is not something that's for everybody, I get it. There are a lot of people who are resistant to things like injectables, and that's totally fine. So in this show, we're going to cover a whole range of things, from fillers, to Botox, to facials, to lasers. And as incredible as it is another bit of information I did not know is how some of these injectables and laser treatments can be used to help with vaginal atrophy and to relieve some of that pain that so many breast cancer survivors suffer from. So don't tune out because you think and want to hear about this injectable thing. There's a lot in here. That is not about injectables, vitamin therapies, I mean, we cover a huge range of treatments that can be done at a medical spa. And you might just hear something that resonates with you and gives you some direction on something that makes you feel better about yourself.
As we talked about in the show, there's a lot of truth to the whole look good, feel good. And there are some things that we can't change after breast cancer that we have to learn to live with and accept. But there are a lot of options you may not be aware of. I certainly was not aware of that we do have some power to change, if it's something that will help us to just feel better about our own presentation.
So a little more about Lee before we jump into it, I told you she's the medical director and the owner of the Beverly Hills rejuvenation center in Chino Hills, Southern California. It is a medical spa. Lee is a nurse practitioner. She's a Board Certified critical care registered nurse, and she has years and years of experience in trauma and acute care. And one of the things that impressed me most about Lee from the very first time I met her is her fascinating grasp of anatomy, and to listen to her talk about what is going on in your face and what will help and what won't help and things that you can do to slow the process of aging and maintain that healthy look that you'd like to have on your face. She is completely dedicated to continuous learning. And she travels around the world to continue to increase her knowledge to stay on top of the newest technology and tools that are available to master her craft as a master injector. And she's one of those people you could just sit and listen to in awe for hours. And she not only travels around the world to train in these newest techniques and innovations, but people travel all around the country to come to her and train with her because she is so talented and so experienced and so educated.
So, without any further ado, I am going to let you hear from the amazing Lee Nivinskuse.
Welcome, Lee and thank you so much for joining us on the breast cancer recovery coach Podcast. I am super excited that you're here today.
Lee Nivinskuse 9:31
Thank you for having me, Laura.
Laura Lummer 9:33
So let's just jump right into it and talk about what really happens to someone's skin when they're going through chemotherapy like what are the common changes that you see and what are some of the things that can be done to help with that.
Lee Nivinskuse 9:51
So during chemo, as well as radiation, and some of the drugs that that women are placed on. I'm seeing that The skin is a little bit more friable, a little bit thin, as well, it's it's more susceptible to be irritated by products that maybe they weren't sensitized to before. Also, there's some discoloration in their skin, some a bit more pigment, some a kind of a greyish tinge to the skin. And it's not just external. It's also, if you want to talk about later on about some of the vaginal tissue changes, there's that as well that we have, I believe in a holistic approach, and doing things conservatively to address all the issues that may concern a woman about her the changes in her body due to these treatments.
Laura Lummer 10:48
So what does that mean when you're saying to approach it holistically and conservatively, like what kinds of treatments would you start with?
Unknown Speaker 10:56
Well, I always start with a good skincare regimen, just depending on what stage they're at with the chemo and or radiation. Things that are more protective of the skin barrier on things that don't exfoliate the skin too harshly. Also things that are very, that don't have fragrance or too much anything added into it like color, and things that are just very protective and gentle on the skin to support this skin's natural barrier function as far as holistic and achieve from inside out. Just depending on what stage they're at, and what they'd like, what they'd like their end goal to look like.
Laura Lummer 11:39
So for me, I went through chemotherapy, which I felt changed my skin dramatically. And what the things that happened to me I felt was my eyes got sunken, like the little space underneath my eyes just kind of hollowed out and sunk in. And my mom would say to me, oh my gosh, she looks so much like my mother now. And I would think I want to look like my grandma. That's fantastic. And I'm sure she meant her memories of her mom and her mom was younger, she'd say, right. Beautiful. It's my story I'm telling myself is Oh, great. I look like my old sickly grandma. You know,
Lee Nivinskuse 12:21
You're gorgeous. Oh my gosh.
Laura Lummer 12:23
oh, well, thank you. But the point being that it's, you know, when we come out of it, there's different things that bother different people. Some people may not other by a little bit of wrinkles. Some people not might not be bothered by feeling like their eyes are sunk in or their changes to their skin. I had a lot of discoloration on my face, I got hyperpigmentation as well. So for me when I first met you, and you told me that that could be fixed, I was so excited and so happy that that was even a treatment that could be done. And yet a lot of women especially coming out of breast cancer, I think it's a great thing that you said you like to approach it holistically and treat from the inside out first because there's a lot of fear around injecting something into their body. Right? So when it comes to things like fillers, Botox, people say, Oh my gosh, you're injecting poison into your skin. What's the real truth about the safety there?
Lee Nivinskuse 13:23
Well, Botox has been around and studied, probably more than Tylenol, I believe. And we used it medically for something called strabismus. So its safety profile is proven with the white papers, a lot of research papers. And the dose in which a adverse reaction would occur would be with a dosing that we use for spastic limbs, for example, and we don't go anywhere near that for aesthetics, so it's rather safe.
Laura Lummer 13:55
And what about fillers? What about things like fillers should people be concerned or what would you say to someone who's concerned about the safety of injecting a filler into their face?
Lee Nivinskuse 14:06
Well, we have this the main ingredient for most of the fillers is hyaluronic acid which we normally have in our skin, it gives us that nice plump and moisturized, look to our skin. And we lose we lose that with sun exposure with time. You know some environmental stressors, and so it's it is a good idea to replace that with hyaluronic acid which is what most fillers are or we can use a calcium base which is what our skeletal muscle is, is comprised of. So there are they are really at the at the at the core of and they are natural substances that we normally find in the body so they are safe. However, it does depend on the safety is directly correlated with the experience of the injector as far as knowing the anatomy, of the face.
Laura Lummer 15:01
So tell me a little about that. What does that mean?
Lee Nivinskuse 15:04
Right? Okay, so well, we, they should ask the injector, if they've taken a cadaver course, how prepared are they? How have they prepared? How have they trained. And it should be a hands on cadaver course. And they should know where the blood vessels are. So they don't inject filler to the blood vessels. Know what the risks and benefits are and let the patient know. So they can decide for themselves whether or not they want to go through with it.
Laura Lummer 15:36
Because as far as safety, if the injector hasn't had certain treat, or a certain training, are you saying they could cause harm to the face or pain or what what are the potential downsides of getting someone that isn't properly trained?
Lee Nivinskuse 15:51
Right? Well, if they inject into the improper level of the skin, like too deep or too superficial or in the wrong direction they could inject into a blood vessel. And the worst case scenario, one of them would be blindness, for example, they could become blind. Right. And so it is important to know, you know, who is injecting the filler and what they would do and an adverse reaction if a person did experience an adverse reaction, for example, knowing how to reverse it if they can be reversed, knowing they have a protocol in place, and just you know, overall, just the fact that if they're if they are knowledgeable or not about anatomy, and filler and placement.
Laura Lummer 16:42
what kind what would you suggest? So if your daughter was going to go look for an injector, let's say you asked her injector, and she's like, Mom, I'm gonna go look for an injector? What would you tell her look for out of those questions? What would we be looking for to know that that was the proper training?
Lee Nivinskuse 17:00
Well, I would I would tell my daughter to first of all, like, go to somebody that you're comfortable with that they have the same vision as you do, for your end goal, like if you like natural, and that injector is not known for that look, well, that's my first warning sign. And then I would ask about their actual training, and they have to disclose that to you. Ask them how many hours of training they get every year for refreshers, ask them, if they went to hands on courses and with whom, and what they took away from that you can ask that, how many times they've done that procedure, what their, you know, what their outcomes are? And if they've ever had any issues with blood vessel, getting the filler in it, what they've done, blindness, all those things they should disclose to you. Okay, and if they don't, you should just walk away.
Laura Lummer 17:54
Yeah. Well, that's good advice, because it is very intimidating. And I think, first of all, I wouldn't know that somebody could cause blindness or something like that. I think that if we're not exposed to that field, that the general knowledge and the understanding that I hear from other people would be, oh, I will be able to have facial expressions, because they'll freeze my forehead too much. Or people are afraid of Joker phase looking like blowfish, that kind of thing? And would you say that that's a result of a not really well trained injector, when we see things like that?
Lee Nivinskuse 18:30
It could be. It's also sometimes the patient may seek out several injectors, that is ultimately the injectors responsibility to tell the patient that's enough and that I don't think that this would, right, that this would suit you or would enhance your features. I think it's our responsibility as well. It's all technique placement. And just knowing that everyone has a different goal and a different face, and the same technique and formula used on one patient will not necessarily apply to the next, you know, respecting the face. I mean, nowadays, I think the injectors place their work on social media, or at least are beginning to I think looking at their work. And, and just, I think talking to them and seeing you can ask them for their actual work as well. Most of them keep a portfolio around as well as personal references. If for example for patients in another city. I may refer a person that I may know in that city that I know does good work to them. So ask your injector you know for other references as well.
Laura Lummer 19:43
But what about for people who no matter what they're just it's not going to work for them like injectables is not going to work for them. What are some treatments that they can do to improve their complexion or maybe the overall texture of their skin if that's something they're concerned about without something that's invasive.
Lee Nivinskuse 20:03
There's there's a lot of new developments that we had that are more
Laura Lummer 20:07
You had the best menu ever. Yeah, you're always like a smorgasbord of ideas.
Lee Nivinskuse 20:14
No, a lot of fun. But there's lasers, there's micro needling with energy. There's threads, thread lifts, superficial, thick in the skin down deep, with barbs to help to re approximate the tissue like kind of like a, like they call it a mini facelift, or brow lift. There's, there are also internal treatments so I can do stem cells, vitamin, we're
Laura Lummer 20:46
Well let's talk about that for a second, what does stem cells and what's the difference between PRP and stem.
Lee Nivinskuse 20:54
So PRP is when I take the patient's blood. And I spend it in a centrifuge, which gets the bigger components or heavier components of the blood to sink to the bottom. And then the thinner parts to rise to the top, which is the serum and it looks gold. So we call it liquid gold just has five types of healing factors that I can then inject into different parts of the body. Depending on what the patient wants to treat, for example, I can put it underneath the eyes to help thicken the skin. I can inject it into the scalp to help stimulate more hair growth. And I can inject it into a knee to help build more collagen or you know, just to alleviate some of the pressure on the knee that has lost cartilage. vaginal tissue, I mean, we can inject it there to help with the walls and getting them to thicken.
Laura Lummer 21:58
Okay, so let's stop there for a sec. Because that sounds really uncomfortable. that situation, how do you keep someone comfortable and do that? So you're doing vaginal injections to help with the lubrication? Is that? Is that correct?
Lee Nivinskuse 22:16
Well, for women, especially perimenopausal and menopausal women, they start to have dryness, pain, you know, when they have relations and when one treatment that I like to do a combination treatment is a laser internally into the vaginal tissue and then I'll inject their PRP into the vaginal tissue. And that helps to thicken the tissue as well as to help with the lubrication as well as some of that. Sometimes women have incontinence when they laugh, you know, though urinate a little bit. Oh, yeah. It helps with that, too. Yeah, alone.
Laura Lummer 22:56
So I know that what about maybe I'm not sure if you're if you know this part, but when you're taking after chemotherapy hormone treatments like tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, and having vaginal atrophy or dryness is a major side effect of that.
Lee Nivinskuse 23:15
Right
Laura Lummer 23:15
When you're continuing to take that medicine, if you have the streaming can it help to? I mean, I'm imagining that it wouldn't completely reverse the effects of the drugs that you're taking that causes it, but does it help with it, you know?
Lee Nivinskuse 23:31
it does, it's the combination of the energy as well as the PRP to help to get that tissue to thicken. And, you know, it takes maybe two sessions or three sessions to see, you know, the most change and the most benefits, but it does definitely work and it is very comfortable. Because internally we don't have as many nerve endings and we don't have pigments so I can do this laser on any skin type, for example. So interesting.
Laura Lummer 24:07
Now, so the PRP is completely natural, because you're getting it from your own body, you're taking your blood spinning your blood, and then you said that you're injecting the liquid gold has five healing factors. And let me just say you've done under my eyes with PRP and in my hairline and I loved it. And especially friends who like that, that little side of their hair right over their temples, is that a common area of thinning but or something as we go into menopause because I hear that a lot from my friends that my hair is thinning right here. And it is okay. But PRP you said is not really stem cells, right? It's plasma rich platelets?
Lee Nivinskuse 24:49
Yes, that's correct. So they're the stem cells are actually undifferentiated cells that can become anything depending on what the body needs. It can become cardiac tissue, it could become kidney, it could be anything. It's not programmed to do to be anything yet. And so we take this from a, a live birth, during, typically, cesarean. And they take it from the umbilical cord, which is the richest source. And I have my source from one of the companies, one of the largest companies in America that does a, that has a third party test it as well as screens, the parents and the, before they even pulled up via stem cell. Okay, the highest quality?
Laura Lummer 25:42
And then what would be the benefit of injecting stem cells? And do you do that in the face? Or what can that change or affect.
Lee Nivinskuse 25:51
So I the most requested, areas that I inject stem cells are, I can mix it with the filler, or I can get hyaluronic acid from the baby cord as well. And inject that into the face, and you'll get immediate results. But it's over the course of the next four to six months that the cells will then generate into whatever it is that we need. And typically in the face that'll even more collagen, hyaluronic acid, whatever, you know, and whatever the body is lacking. And I also Yeah, if I put it into the scalp as well, and I've had great success with hair regrowth specially with patients that maybe had hair transplants that didn't quite take.
Laura Lummer 26:38
So it knows when you inject that stem, let's say into some, let's say under the eyes, because I'm gonna ask you about that in a minute to like, why we get that hollowness. But if you inject it under there would know hey, I we need more collagen here and become collagen.
Lee Nivinskuse 26:56
Right? And part of it is because we're using we're using a needle or cannula, which is a blunt needle to place the, the filler or the the stem cells are causing some micro trauma underneath the skin, which the body will come and repair and, you know, consequently have the stem cell there ready to go.
Laura Lummer 27:19
Okay, that's interesting. And so what happens as we get creepy skin, the eyes as we age and it gets thin or hollows out? Or what about when we get big bags under neath our eyes like puffy bags,
Lee Nivinskuse 27:33
Some of that, and I would just I would look at the patient and see whether or not that would be a surgical and surgical consult versus, you know, just an aesthetic treatment. Because some of that can be genetic. So for me, I personally like to just stick in the skin, I might place threads under there as well. There's just different things that we can do. If it's too lacks, meaning if I pinch it and it doesn't immediately spring back into place, they probably wouldn't be a good candidate for fillers, for example.
Laura Lummer 28:09
Oh, interesting. Okay, I'm gonna be going back and pinching my face after this is yours. What about some lasers? So I see, you know, skin and pigmentation changes in the face are really common. Can laser treatments help that or what? What are some different options?
Lee Nivinskuse 28:33
It depends on the skin, how much pigment is in the skin, which laser I use and how long they've been off of chemo and or radiation. So it's not, you know, it's not black and white with that. But I do love a great, a great laser to use as a co2 laser, for example. My patients that are fair skin fair eyed, they get the most beautiful results from that they look almost filtered. Right, and they're walking around with filter and no makeup on. Yeah.
Laura Lummer 29:08
Wait, why have we not done this yet?
Lee Nivinskuse 29:11
Yeah, so the downtime with that though, is I've been able to take it down from two weeks to one week with the skincare that we have that stimulates elastin, which is another great product for patients that have had chemo and or radiation if
Laura Lummer 29:29
It is getting here.
Lee Nivinskuse 29:31
right, right. It's the only one that stimulates elastin, which we stop producing it three months old. Oh, wow. But you told me one time about a laser that you were getting in that goes all the way down to the layer of skin that would or muscle as if you were having a facelift.
Right. The microneedling one? Yeah.
Laura Lummer 29:53
Is that what it is? microneedling
Lee Nivinskuse 29:54
Yeah, so that one's not it's not a laser through a radio frequency. It is energy that just Not columnated light, which is what the lasers are. And I use needles to reset energy precisely in the Layers skin that surgeons will pull up for a facelift. And that layer is called the smas. So that tightens the skin and then restructures the skin on top of it as well makes it thicker.
Laura Lummer 30:22
every time I sit with you, I just want to get a recorder. I'm a what what I mean? So interesting. So let's, let's go back to what you said in the beginning that you like to treat from the inside out and take a holistic approach. And so I know that as a part of that treatment, you do vitamin therapies, and I have had that vitamin therapy at your place. It's amazing that intravenous hydration is amazing. I've talked about on the show before. So when I want to hear what you think about it, and what are some great, how does it help our skin to get them in to is it becoming more common? Because when I'll talk to people about it, oftentimes they'll say, you know, I've never heard of such a thing. And is it becoming common? Or where could people look to get that if they didn't live here in Southern California and had the opportunity to come and see you.
Lee Nivinskuse 31:15
so it is becoming more commonplace? I think it's it's very popular in Korea. They use vitamin C and glutathione are very popular to suppress pigments for you know, to suppress sunspots, warming, as well as to brighten the skin. Okay, and we have that at the clinic. So I like combining, I have some facials where the patient be getting a facial and getting an IV treatment at the same time. So inside out, yeah, they go up and then the next day they are just glowing from inside out. I love that one because it's the vitamin C, the Goudapsyon, and I put in a little bit of biotin for the hair, skin nails, your hair's growth a little bit faster, and healthier. And then I'll just replace any other vitamins that the patient might be deficient in.
Laura Lummer 32:08
How long does something like that last? And how frequently would you recommend doing it to really help rejuvenate the skin? Especially postmenopausal?
Lee Nivinskuse 32:19
Right? Well, the vitamins that I use are pretty much metabolized by the kidneys. So as long as the patient has good functioning kidneys, there, they can have the treatments, up to twice a week. Most patients will just do it once a month with their facials. Personally, if I'm ill, you know, just just feeling like I'm about to get sick. I'll do it half a dose every day. And I find that my my person my cold during the flu season will go from A two what's typically a two week down to three to four days. And oh, as the skin Yeah, sorry. No, it's
Laura Lummer 33:04
Amazing. That's amazing. I agree with you, I've done the same thing. I just think that is the most incredible therapy ever. It's wonderful. Agreed.
Lee Nivinskuse 33:13
And for the skin, it's the hydration, the vitamin C, the glutathione and the bio skin are just like they really are game changers, and you get this glow that I've never had from any skincare products before.
Laura Lummer 33:31
And so cool. I agree. They feel whenever I have those, I feel like I'm fluffy, you know, I feel like my skin filled in or something and just been much nicer after that. Can people do these treatments, these vitamin treatments while they're in treatment, what happens with that? Does it depend on the patient?
Lee Nivinskuse 33:50
It depends on the patient, I would have them clearer. The treatment with their oncologist always just to be on the safe side. But there are studies. And one of them is by Oh, it was by the National Cancer Institute. But they find that high dose vitamin C given during the chemotherapy and for six months after the completion of the chemotherapy that the patients had fewer side effects from the chemo and or had slower progression of the of the disease. And that study was done in 2014. For me, personally, I just as long as it won't hurt the person, you know, and they have you know, good kidney function. I do see that there is benefit to replacing vitamin C or any other nutrition nutrients that that are typically depleted when we are in a state of illness.
Laura Lummer 34:51
And what would be the difference between taking those vitamins orally versus taking them through an IV with hydration.
Lee Nivinskuse 34:58
Now that's such a good question. No, it is I have that question quite quite a bit from some of my IV patients before they, you know, do a regular regimen, they. So I tell them like you take a pill, you have to rely on your gut and your stomach, your process and your gut to absorb it. And then it goes to the liver for more processing and then hopefully to the cells. But if you do it into an IV, or sometimes into a muscle, it is immediately bioavailable. So you're not you're not leaving it up to chance how much you're going to add, absorb.
Laura Lummer 35:44
Especially if you're undergoing something like chemotherapy, which we know tears up the digestive tract, then you don't worry about what's actually being absorbed as much you know that you're getting the full benefit of having that vitamin put right into your bloodstream. That's a good point.
Lee Nivinskuse 36:00
Yes, I agree. Yeah.
Laura Lummer 36:01
But you know what, let's talk about facials for a sec. So you'll get facials like a girls day out, right? Oh, let's do facials because it'll feel so nice. But how beneficial are facials? Really? I know you have a wide menu of different facials. I even saw one that had gold in it. Right? Yeah. What is what is the facial really doing for us? And how frequently would be a good skincare regimen for facials?
Lee Nivinskuse 36:33
That's also a great question. So it depends on what the issue is, whether it's acne, skin, if it's dull, you know, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, as well as the actual ingredients and application of those ingredients during the facial. So we offer pretty much medical grade facials, there has to be somebody on site that has a medical license in order to deliver these facials that we have as well as our peels. For example, yeah, so for somebody that lives the city want to come in for a facial and they've had during chemo or have radiation, for example, we have, we have specific things that we can use that are gentle enough to provide some hydration, you know, kind of just calm the skin. And so that is coming in for acne, I have prescriptions, prescribe actual prescription grade skincare, to treat it as well as lasers. So he really did have a laser facial, for example. So yeah, they are beneficial, and I would say at least once a month.
Laura Lummer 37:51
So it's not just a superficial like that felt great today, let's go get facials and go to lunch and have a glass of champagne. But with regular facials, especially medical grade facials, you can see some long term change in the skin. Is that right?
Lee Nivinskuse 38:07
Right, right, because we're helping the skin to turnover or calm the inflammation that can damage the skin. So just the different issues that we're addressing will help to just preserve the skin.
Laura Lummer 38:20
So let's just clarify that your clinic is a medical spa,
Lee Nivinskuse 38:23
right? That's correct. Okay.
Laura Lummer 38:26
So what would be the difference between going to a place like yours that is a medical spa and that require someone with a medical license versus just going and getting a facial at will something that isn't a medical spa just unregular cosmetologist I guess or an aesthetician,
Lee Nivinskuse 38:45
it would be with the actual active ingredients that we're able to use. And then you'll get to your your skincare goal much faster. Because we're using higher concentrations. Because these certain things are have to have, we have to actually prescribe them or be able to prescribe them and to use them on the patient. Because there's such high percentages.
Laura Lummer 39:13
It's just nice to know that there are those options out there. Right me I don't want to look like a Barbie doll. But I want to have a nice natural reflection of myself to the outer world that aligns with the way that I perceived myself. Right. I want the way I think that looks nice on me and I can do that with gentle, safe treatments that just preserve the youthfulness of your skin the youthfulness of your appearance without making you look like a blowfish or a Barbie doll. Right. Right. Right. I think that's really important to know and know that your options out there are something that's as high quality as a medical spa, and that you can go to that they're licensed medical professionals, they're treating you that really understanding No, well, especially if you go to Lee's medical spa. As you know, there's, I was like, do I want to let the secret of Lee out into the world or keep her all for myself? Oh, yeah. I mean, it's really, really nice to know. And I mean, you're just incredibly talented. And I think that the work that you do is so wonderful, because, like I said, so many women have issues with self esteem or self image. And I think I know, there's controversy, people, oh, that's fake or grow naturally, or whatever. And that's fine. Everybody has a right to their own opinion. But I think if it makes you feel better about yourself, and it makes you feel more confident about putting yourself out into the world in whatever way that is, then that's a great service, right? That's doing something really beneficial for other people.
Lee Nivinskuse 40:57
And I like that. I agree. And there's actually a study that they did with Botox. Some patients that had to had clinical depression as a, as one of, you know, what if these are going through, and it was resistant to any treatment, you know, as far as medication and therapy that they did just a little bit, I know, it's, I found it interesting. I'll take it with a grain of salt, but they, when they did the aesthetic treatment, the Botox, they actually felt better and had a more positive outlook. So there is that whole feel good, look good. Or look good. Feel good? Yeah, connection? Yeah.
Laura Lummer 41:43
100%, there is. And you know, with a lot of breast cancer treatment centers, they have a program that's called look good, feel good. And there are classes that will, they'll do it at breast clinics or cancer centers, where they teach women who are going through chemotherapy, like how you can apply makeup, how you can wear whatever it is that they want to wear scarves, or pads or earrings or false eyelashes, to help them feel more confident about themselves. And you can say it's superficial, but a superficial is, you know, on the surface of something, right, and on the surface of our bodies, we like to, like I'm saying, reflect to the way that we feel inside. And I think we're we're not aligned with the way that we want to present ourselves in the world that it undermines our confidence, to some extent at least. So yeah, hundred percent. I mean, let's admit it if, if women didn't want to look good, it wouldn't be a billion dollar cosmetic industry. We all wouldn't be sitting in quarantine. Boy, when are the nail salon gonna get my hair done? I mean, come on, you know, there's a little bit of truth to all those means that are going around. Right?
Lee Nivinskuse 43:01
Right.
Laura Lummer 43:02
It's a big industry for a good reason. We like to look the way we want to look. And that's what helps us to feel good about ourselves. You know? I agree. Okay, so let's talk about dissolving fat.
Lee Nivinskuse 43:17
Ah, yeah.
Laura Lummer 43:20
Right. So we like to tighten skin we like to fill skin. But we can get that double chin, oh, or fatty chunk size, or just parts of our body that we're not comfortable with that are super stubborn, that won't go away. No matter how good you take care of yourself and it drives you crazy. What can be done about stubborn little pockets of fat.
Lee Nivinskuse 43:44
Okay, so there's a lot of there's there's several things that you can do. There's one that I've, I've actually done in the past on patients but I don't really like called sculpture. It's basically a laser that finds the fat and it's just really hot and uncomfortable. But there's another one that my patients probably very well called cool sculpting that I have at the clinic I love that done it myself and my family. Of course all my patients love it. That one freezes the fat and then it It causes them to become so damaged enough that they die in an organized manner and then the body just gets rid of it over the course of two months. And I like to do that to bulk reduce areas like for example, my problem areas like the lower stomach, you know, the lower abdomen or that area that's really stubborn, especially after having children and and then after that's gone or almost gone just to refine it, they can I can inject something called Kybella. And that is what's normally in our bodies as well. But now they found a different purpose for it, inject that into the fat, same thing damages the fat cells, and then a body gets rid of the fat. And these are both permanent.
Once it's gone, it's gone. Okay,
Laura Lummer 45:14
so you said Kybella is something that's already in our body,
Lee Nivinskuse 45:19
in our gall bladders
Laura Lummer 45:21
in our gallbladder, okay? Okay. So the CoolSculpting freezes. And so tell us what that looks like. Do you sit in? How do you freeze it.
Lee Nivinskuse 45:32
So there's a different head for different parts of the body just to be able to, to contour to the body. And, for example, my number one area would be probably the abdomen, just the front portions of it that are more, the next area would be underneath the chin. You know, there's under the chin. Right, exactly, do that. And then the other area is the flanks. And then probably inner and outer thighs, kind of like you know, last place, but people like to do that as well. And so the patient just sits there for 35 minutes with the applicator and it sucks it the fat up into this kind of it's a little vacuum. And then it takes it down to a certain temperature, the patient first feels really cold, and then it goes numb. And then they're just watching Netflix, we have snacks there in the room. Yeah. And the actual ad just feel numb. And then after that, we take them take it off 35 minutes, take it off and really massage the area. Now that part is where it can be a bit tender. So we have options, we have laughing gas, most patients to get through
Laura Lummer 46:46
always a good option.
Lee Nivinskuse 46:47
Yeah, just just to be comfortable, and most people tolerate it fine.
Laura Lummer 46:53
And how many treatments does it usually take if you have a stubborn pocket of fat that you want to get rid of?
Lee Nivinskuse 46:58
Depends on how much there is to be you get rid of but you can get rid of about 25% with each session, of cold sculpting permanently.
Laura Lummer 47:07
And then with Kybella are only used to finish off like the last little bits of fat, or can you use kybella for other things as well.
Lee Nivinskuse 47:17
It's, it was tested by the FDA, and you know, FDA studies were underneath the chin, but I've used it on myself as well as my patients and a lot of other practitioners as well off, they call off label because it wasn't tested in that area. But I do it for the gels. That bra fat, that little piece of fat that just comes through the sheath dresses, you know, get rid of get rid of that little thing, the one on the back, the one in the front, you know, it's great for inner thighs as well.
Really.
And also that little banana roll right beneath the buttock. Like right there. Underneath the glutes. The banana roll. I love it. All right, get rid of that.
We're so free to muffin tops and banana rolls and getting hungry. Yeah, yeah. And when you first told me about Kybella, like what I mean something that actually melts fat. That's amazing. What about the texture of your skin? Does your skin tighten with it? Or do you end up having loose skin?
So we combine our packages with something another elastin product, which is called the body a transform. And and so what we do is right after we take off the applicator, we rub it in while we're massaging and the patient goes home with it as well. That one is known to type to help tighten the skin as well as I think it increases fat loss by another 40% compared to if it wasn't done. Wow. Yeah, like a difference. Yeah,
Laura Lummer 49:04
that's really awesome. What about the back of the arms? As women age, a lot of times if they're not working out, especially and keeping up some lean body mass in their arms and they get that saggy skin in the back of their arms is anything that can be done with that.
Lee Nivinskuse 49:20
Yeah, there's a couple of things I like to combine, you know, different therapies, I can put some smooth threads in there. And or Sculptra, or radius diluted. And these are different products that help to stimulate collagen production and tighten the skin.
Laura Lummer 49:38
How long does something like that last?
Lee Nivinskuse 49:41
It was studied for two years before they stopped studying so they can start selling it but at two years they found out there was there was no reduction. So it's it's got to last longer than two years. My patients have reported to me that it's lasted them between five and eight years when used in like, for like a butt ogmentation, for example, like in large quantities. Good.
Laura Lummer 50:07
Yeah. And so the threads you were saying can do that in the background. So that thread is you injected just underneath the skin and you just kind of pull it back up, right? It's just an instant lift.
You can do that. And then it's smooth. Once it's thick in the skin. I can use lasers that can you sculpture, there's a lot of different tools.
Yes, so many tools, you have quite the toolbox. I love it. I love it. Well, thank you so much, Lee, because I just wanted to really, I mean, again, I'm always amazed when I talk to you. And I'm like, Oh, I need to go get a second job and start a Lee fund over here. Because yes, many cool things to offer. And I just wanted to get you out there the world and let other women know, like, if there's things that bother you, it's okay. So fix them. Like it's okay to do something to make yourself feel good about yourself. And there's tons of options and they don't have to be scary, and they don't have to be super invasive. And we didn't really talk a lot about downtimes with a lot of these procedures. But it seems like you know, with most of them, we're talking a couple of days to the maximum a couple of weeks. Is that right?
Lee Nivinskuse 51:16
Yeah, um, I think he a couple weeks for the, for the most invasive like a like a laser that way. Yeah, exactly. I agree with you with that.
Laura Lummer 51:25
And when we say downtime, does that really mean don't go out in public downtime, stay in bed downtime, you're going to be a little pinker than you normally are. What does that really mean?
Lee Nivinskuse 51:36
Well, the for the first week, definitely it's, they don't, they're not going to want to do their normal social activities for some of the lasers. But after that, it's pretty much you can cover it up with makeup. It's just you don't want to I like to plan a big social event during that time, we have to look your very best.
Laura Lummer 51:53
Right? So plan ahead, because especially if you're going to do any kind of an injectable, you want to make sure that you plan ahead because you may have some bruising, right? Right. What about things like Botox or things that make the skin smoother? Those also take a few days to a couple of weeks before you see the effects of them. All right.
Lee Nivinskuse 52:14
Right tip. It depends on the neurotoxin. We have four of them that are FDA cleared in the US. But typically, anywhere from 48 hours up to seven to 10 days to kick in.
Laura Lummer 52:26
Yeah. And that can also be used for perspiration, sweating. So if you have, right and using the neurotoxins that if you have a palms are sweaty head or anything like that, that you don't like you can use them to reduce this wedding.
Lee Nivinskuse 52:40
Yeah, for sweating, for migraines. It's used for migraines, so lots of different applications.
Laura Lummer 52:46
Oh, wow. And how long is it usually effective for migraines? If you get relief from that
Lee Nivinskuse 52:52
a lot of the patients will go back every two to three months. I tell them just to go to their neurologist for that just because typically covered by insurance.
Oh, okay.
Laura Lummer 53:03
neurologists will actually do the injections if they have migraines.
Lee Nivinskuse 53:07
Yeah, because they'll, but we can do them. It's just I'd rather you know, have them go there for that. Yeah, I'll do the I'll do the face. And
Laura Lummer 53:17
they can do that. There is awesome. Okay. Well, thank you so much for making the time to be here. I'm going to get out your contact information, your website, all of that. And it'll also be on the show notes for this episode so that people can find you. And it's been awesome. Thank you so much for being here.
Lee Nivinskuse 53:37
Thank you for having me, Laura. This pleasure.
Laura Lummer 53:41
All right, my ladies, I hope you heard something, anything that gave you a little bit of insight into anything that you might be struggling with, with your skincare, or options that are out there that might be something that sounds attractive to you and feel safe and comfortable for you. I, as I said in the introduction could listen to this woman forever. She's just know so much. I always take a notebook and pen with me talking to her, because I always learned something when I'm with Lee. Now obviously, everyone doesn't live in Southern California and have access to her physically in Chino Hills. But for those of you who hear this and do and are interested in any kinds of facials, or lasers or vitamin therapies or treatments, I could not recommend her more. She's an amazing woman with the highest standards of safety and service. I just can't say enough great things about her. You know, I don't trust myself and my health and my care to anyone who I don't have complete respect for and I have complete respect for this woman.
So if you're someone who doesn't have access to her and some of these things sound interesting to you, at least it gives you some direction that you can use to explore and ask questions of other injectors to make sure that you You feel safe and confident, and to understand the difference between treatments we can get at a local facial place compared to medical grade treatments that are available for you. So I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you got something out of it that inspires you and gives you a little bit of hope for anything that may have been troubling you that you'd like to tend to.
Alright, so before we go to things, have you left a review for the show yet? I would love it. If you're listening on iTunes or on a smartphone, you can just scroll right down to the bottom where you're listening to this podcast, and click on rate and click on review. It's super easy, it helps the show so much and I would greatly greatly appreciate it if you enjoy the show, if you could do that.
And the second thing is please go to the website, thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/sugar and take advantage of the gift of the sugar challenge. Do something good for yourself. Do something mindful, get in touch with yourself and really get your head wrapped around a different way to think about food and the choices you make with food and the power you have over those choices. Okay, I would love to see you in the sugar challenge Facebook group.
And until next week, be good to yourself and expect others to be good to you as well.
Take care.
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