We’re really excited about a new treatment for axillary hyperhydrosis-excessive underarm sweating. In the past, patients with this embarrassing and expensive condition were treated with Botox. It’s expensive but it works. Problem is, it only lasts about four months so the treatment has to be repeated. With our new laser, we now can offer a permanent solution.  The laser energy destroys sweat glands thus eliminating the problem.  The procedure is done in the office using mild sedation and local numbing. A nice side benefit is it also permanently reduces hair.

We are excited about adding MicroPeel and MicroPeel Plus to our skin care regimen. These are acid peels with dermaplaning and cryotherapy. As opposed to laser treatments, they require no pre-procedure preparation and there is no downtime.  When used in a series of four to six, they result in healthy,beautiful skin which can be easily maintained.

The HCG diet continues to be very popular.  We have had great success helping hundreds of patients lose weight. Due to our high volume, our supplier has cut the cost of  HCG  and we are passing the savings along to you. So HCG is half price until July 22. To introduce more people to HCG, we are having for a limited time a group consult, overview of the diet, and lunch consisting of  dishes from the HCG diet cookbook-all for only $20. Space is limited so call now.

Botox continues to be popular. It’s an old standby for facial lines and wrinkles-the original uses- but we also use it for severe headaches, excessive underarm sweating, masseter hypertrophy-common in those of oriental descent, and certain anal conditions.  Our present special is 25% off filler and $25. off Botox.

One of the things we showcased was our new Joule laser by Sciton. This state of the art machine has the latest technology and is the most advanced laser in the area. We are very excited to be able to offer the multiple treatments we can perform with this equipment including laser liposuction, skin tightening, varicose vein treatments, facial rejuvenation, micro-laser peels, acne treatments, Pro-Fractional and more.  The laser Pro-Fractional improves the texture and tone of the skin and is considered by some to be a superior alternative to facelift and blethroplasty.

A very popular stop on our office tour was a visit with our HCG weight loss patients.  Several of our patients including Rebecca B, Shannon, Angela, Linda, Rebecca C, Joy and Nancy were there. We missed our poster child, Vicki, who has lost over 150 pounds on the HCG diet. She couldn’t come because she is in recovery from recent foot surgery. Check out “HCG Diet Support Group” on Facebook. Our next HCG and Bio-Identical hormone meeting is scheduled for the 1st Thurs. in Jan.

We also appreciate our Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy patients who came and shared their experiences.  Special thanks to Susan and Virginia.

It took a lot of hard work to plan this event, redecorate the Anderson office and keep the practice up and going. Laura deserves the lion’s share of credit here. As always, she is on the frontlines working tirelessly to do whatever needs to be done to make our efforts successful.

Thanks to our staff -Betsy, Margaret, Nicole, Amber, and Kathy for their hard work in planning and hosting this fun filled event. Also thanks to our friends and relatives who volunteered  and worked so hard.

I would like to thank the following companies without whom we could not have made this happen.  Please be sure to visit them or keep them in mind if you need their services.

Bailes-Cobb

Hartwell’s premier clothing store put on a great fashion show and helped guests with their fashion and accessory needs.  MaryLynn, Pudge, and EdithAnn were great and their model, Tonette was WOW. Thanks to Earl, Laura and Pete for working in the store so the girls could come play.

Uptown Lounge

Sarah Dowler catered our event. The food was absolutely fabulous. She had a separate menu for lunch and the evening and mixed my “healthy martini”, the Tony-tini, for the climax of the party. Look for her new restaurant coming soon to downtown Anderson.

Scrooge’s

These beautiful ladies hosted the wine tasting and showcased a variety of their red and white wines.  My favorite was the Hook and Ladder Pinot.

Propp Drugs

Lee took time off from his busy schedule to spend the day with us explaining the benefits of  bio-identical hormones available at his compounding pharmacy.

Hrbacek Chiropractic and Massage

Jodi and Lois demonstrated the benefits of chiropractic and gave complementary chair massages. The chair was never empty.

Susan Steely Realty

Susan worked tirelessly on this project from the beginning, doing everything from organizing, doing mailing lists, finding sponsors and hosting. She is a great friend. Where does she get all that energy?

Gold’s Gym

Candace and her friends gave gym memberships and personal training sessions as door prizes.

Sharlane Oakley

Donated hair style services as a door prize.

Premier Designs

Donated custom jewelry as a door prize.

Kalisha’s Kreations

Celebrity Hairstylist did clip in hi-lites and demonstrated hair and eyelash extensions.

Carolina College of Hair Design

Linda, Timothy and Devan;  sister-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew. Every time we need help, we know we can count on you. You saved the day again! All the unexpected repairs and work and staying till the very last minute.

Phillips Recoveries

Vickie, Thanks for your help and continued support. Laura’s brave sister is always there to let us try out new procedures on her and to help with events such as this (and anything else.)

Royston Diagnostics

Thanks to Nancy and Jerry Lord for their hard work.  The best neighbors and friends ever.

Thanks to Kathy Smith and her darling daughter, Sophie, who was available to answer questions about the MicroLaserPeel and ProFractional.

Nancy Cronic - Interior Decorator

We saved the best for last. Nancy is our very good friend, patient and decorator guru. She has helped us with our home, both offices and now this open house.  She is the reason our office looked so classy. Thanks a million to the classiest lady I know.

Our corporte sponsors were:

Juice Plus

Janet Dee presented this whole food nutrition product.

Allergan

Michelle and  Elizabeth let visitors “visualize” themselves with Botox and Juvederm and donated prizes.

Obagi

Karen and Brenda offered free skin evaluations, discussed the importance of proper skin care and donated door prizes.

Sciton

Our Sciton rep, Travis, couldn’t attend due to family illness but we demonstrated several laser procedures. We missed you and hope all is well.

VNUS Technologies

Phillip demonstrated workup and treatment of varicose veins including Doppler exam, VNUS Closure, injection sclerotherapy and laser vein treatments.

Another feature on this unit is Pro-Lipo Plus. We have been performing suction assisted liposuction which works well but extra skin such as after abdominal liposuction has to be excised. The new Sciton uses two different wavelengths of laser energy, one to breakdown the fat cell allowing its easy removal and another to tighten the skin, thus avoiding long incisions.

Other functions include Microlaser Peel, an ablative procedure with variable depths to treat surface irregularities and pigment problems, along with wavelengths to do laser skin rejuvenation, treat acne, scars and vascular abnormalities. The vascular treatments are a perfect complement to our varicose vein closure and sclerotherapy treatments.

In summary, we are very happy to be able to offer this latest advance in technology to our patients.

Being a surgeon, I have a different take on obesity than most people. I’ve experienced firsthand how difficult it is to take care of the obese when they need an operation. Surgery is technically harder to do and the postop complication and mortality rates are higher. I performed laparoscopic gastric bypass on the morbidly obese for several years. That operation is technically demanding and the risks for the patient are great(even death) but the patients have reached a point of desperation. The surgery was extremely gratifying. I saw people drop their excess weight and throw away medications for blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and breathing medicines and start a whole new life. It was almost as good as telling someone they were cured of cancer. After a time, I reached a point where I couldn’t devote the time and energy necessary to obesity surgery and do the other parts of my practice.

About this time my wife, Laura, and I became more interested in the concept of healthy aging. She is a Personal Trainer and Surgical First Assistant so she shares my passion for surgery. Even though we stopped performing gastric bypass, we continued seeing obesity take its toll among our patients. So we began searching for a good medical treatment for obesity. After much study and attending many seminars, we have developed a balanced approach to medical weight loss. We offer a meal replacement plan- Medifast, whole food supplement-Juice Plus, and HCG. Rarely do I recommend appetite suppressants because of the side effects plus patients quickly regain the weight loss and more.

The HCG diet consists of daily doses human chorionic gonadotropin (the hormone of pregnancy) and a very low calorie diet. HCG causes mobilization of stored fat. Since the patient is on a 500 calorie diet his/her body uses the mobilized fat for energy. Each pound of fat burned yields 3500 calories so you typically have plenty of energy and no hunger. Men typically lose weight easier than women and HCG is safe for both sexes. No you’re not going to grow manboobs. The protocol was first described by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons who discovered the weight loss effect while treating children with delayed sexual development. It required daily injections which some still prefer although HCG is now available for oral, topical and nasal spray delivery. The treatment cycle lasts from three to six weeks according to patient need followed by a six week maintenance phase. The cycles can be repeated as needed to reach desired weight. The key to success here is while losing weight you learn a new life style and healthy eating habits so your brain resets your bodies “normal” weight. It thinks you should be at your new weight and doesn’t drive you to eat your way back to your old weight. The program requires close attention to detail. Those who follow the diet carefully typically lose a half to one pound a day.

Adequate protein intake and good nutrition are important so we monitor our patients closely. At the initial visit we take a complete medical history, perform a physical examination and do blood tests including metabolic and hormone evaluation. It is not unusual to find hormone imbalances that hinder weight management. Our patients return at frequent intervals for weigh ins and support.

The HCG diet is not easy. You have to follow the rules or it won’t work. But if you are carrying around extra weight that you just can’t get rid of check it out. It’s worth the effort to improve your health and to look and feel good again.

Several things happen to the face as we age. These include development of fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, discoloration, large pores and loss of volume which causes sagging skin. These changes of aging are aggravated by sun exposure,  smoking, change in nutritional status and hormone deficiency among others.

There are many things you can do to slow the aging process. These treatments involve office procedures with little or no down time so you can maintain your schedule.

Botox Cosmetic relaxes the small muscles of the face. It is great for vertical lines between the eyes, forehead lines, crow’s feet and fine lines on the upper lip. Botox Cosmetic can also be used to slightly lift the corners of the mouth and will give you a small brow lift. The injections are virtually painless.

Fillers smooth out deeper lines such as those on the forehead, nasolabial folds and lines at the corners of the mouth. They can also be used to restore lost volume of lips, over the cheek bones, eye brows and underneath the eyes. Among the fillers, we offer Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm Ultra and Juvederm Ultra Plus.

Microneedling  is very popular in Asia and Australia.  Treatments consist of rolling a small wheel with microscopic needles over the treated area which is infused with  specific healing serum. An initial deep series of MicroNeedling is followed by maintenance treatments which can be done at home

Laser Facial Rejuvenation includes combinations of various wavelengths to improve the texture and tone of our skin. We usually use a series of treatments tailored to your needs and time line. Various procedures include microlaser peel, laser rejuvenation treatments and Profractional by Sciton.  These procedures reduce wrinkles and discoloration and stimulate collagen formation to smooth and tighten the skin.

Chemical peels help smooth and tighten the skin and improve your complexion. Peels are done in a series until desired effect is reached then maintenance peels are done as needed. We offer botanical, TCA, and Obagi Blue peels.

Hormone and nutritional balance are important parts of any skin care plan. What we take into our bodies is reflected in our skin so we offer medical evaluation and treatment of nutritional problems and hormone deficiencies.

We offer all these treatments and more to our patients at Essential Balance Medspa-a part of Daws Wellness Center in Anderson, SC and Hartwell, GA. Call for a consultation. Give us six months and your skin will be in the best shape it has ever been.

In modern times, varicose veins occur in up to sixty per cent of the adult population. Symptoms include pain, swelling, itching, cramps and restless leg syndrome. Findings on exam range from minimal spider formation to dilated tortuous veins and skin changes such as stasis dermatitis and even ulcer formation.

Family history, hormonal status, type of job and previous injury or blood clots all contribute to the risk of varicose vein development.

If you have varicose veins - what next? Evaluation should include a complete history and physical exam and in many cases a Doppler ultrasound. The Doppler ultrasound is a noninvasive pain free way to map the veins and check for reflux which is the reversal of  normal blood flow. This reversal of flow causes high pressure in the veins and leads to the formation of  painful dilated veins seen in venous insufficiency. If reflux is present, we close the vein using minimally invasive techniques. This is an office procedure using laser or radiofrequency and is  far superior to vein stripping.

For those without reflux, the next level of treatment is laser or sclerotherapy. The laser delivers energy at  a wavelength absorbed by blood cells so the vessel is coagulated.  Sclerotherapy injections cause irritation of the lining of  the vein leading to its collapse.  Modern sclerosing agents are virtually pain free compared to older chemicals such as hypertonic saline.

The mainstays of treatment for any stage of  venous disease are external support, frequent elevation and exercise. Compression stockings are recommended for all patients.

At Daws Wellness Center, we offer the full spectrum of treatment for varicose veins. Our medical director, A. W. Daws, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a board certified surgeon with training in vascular disease and we offer total vein care to Upstate South Carolina and Northeast Georgia.

It seems that “wellness” is the new buzz word in health care. What does it mean? Wellness refers to a balance between health, fitness, and a long life. An Essential Balance, if you will. While we all want to live as long as possible, I believe most would agree that it is optimum quality of our life that we want most. There are many things that we can do to add healthy, happy, productive years to our lives.

Daws Wellness Center is committed to give you the motivation and assistance you need in the pursuit of Essential Balance. The practice of “wellness” is a multifaceted approach to slowing the aging process and reducing the risks of contracting preventable diseases. Achieving Essential Balance can not only make you look and feel better, it can make you live longer. Let Daws Wellness Center help you in your quest to achieving your personal Essential Balance.