Gabrielle is a 38 year old Executive Assistant in Covina, California who's always cared about her appearance but had never given much thought to facial rejuvenation procedures. While on vacation, she looked at herself in the hotel's magnification mirror and was surprised by what she saw. She remembers, "When I saw the wrinkles around my eyes and looked at everything up close, I was shocked - it was like someone smacked me upside the head. I thought, 'Where did this come from?'"

Gabrielle realized that her earlier days as a working student, combined with poor nutrition and sleep deprivation, had taken their toll. She says, "When I looked in the mirror, even if I'd had a good night's sleep, I was starting to look tired every day." So she decided to take action. Gabrielle recalls, "I wanted my outside to match my inside."

I wanted my outside to match my inside.

Doing Her Homework

Gabrielle spent a lot of time researching her options by visiting doctors' Web sites and reading cosmetic surgery blogs, medical journals, and magazines. She found Dr. Wang's site to be the most informative and consulted it to find out which procedures provided the longest-lasting results and gave the most "bang for the buck." Gabrielle knew she wanted to stick with non-invasive treatments. She says, "I wanted to do the healthiest thing and then think of it as maintenance in order to head off bigger problems down the line."

After meeting with 3 doctors, Gabrielle chose Wang Plastic Surgery because Dr. Wang seemed to have the most holistic view. Gabrielle says, "He has wide knowledge and experience. By listening to him, I could tell he was looking at the big picture, and that made me feel very comfortable." Initially, Gabrielle was exploring various options, including a ThreadLift. She says, "I told Dr. Wang, 'I want this, this and this.' He responded 'no, no, and no.'" During her consultation, Dr. Wang educated Gabrielle on how certain procedures can work against each other and helped her set more realistic expectations.

Dr. Wang was looking at the big picture and helped set realistic expectations.

Her Treatment Choices

Over the past year, Gabrielle has had several treatments to gradually improve her tired appearance and enhance her skin tone. She started with BOTOX® Cosmetic to treat a few forehead wrinkles and lines around her eyes. Then, Dr. Wang used JUVÉDERM® Injectable Gel for the "nasolabial folds" that ran from the sides of her nose to the corners of her mouth. It turned out that Gabrielle experienced an added bonus from her BOTOX Cosmetic treatments. As a self-proclaimed "tense person," she found that BOTOX kept her muscles relaxed, which actually helped her feel calmer.

Next, Gabrielle returned to Dr. Wang's office for a Thermage® skin rejuvenation treatment. She found the experience relaxing and enjoyed having time to lie down and not do anything for an hour. There was no pain, just a sense of warmth on her face, and when the procedure was completed, she just put on sunscreen and was able to proceed with her day.

Gabrielle's most recent visit was for a light chemical peel. She originally asked for a heavy peel, but Dr. Wang advised her to go lighter, since her skin is fair and thin. Knowing her skin would be peeling and unattractive for awhile, she took some time off from work. Gabrielle recalls, "I definitely got a couple of strange looks out in public!" During this recovery time, her routine changed a bit. She didn't wear makeup for a couple of weeks and made sure she wore a hat to protect her skin from the sun. The experience actually reminded her of how much she likes to wear hats - something she has continued to do since. Most peeling was gone after 3 days and a week later she could fully enjoy her smooth, rejuvenated skin appearance.

I finally look like I got a good night's sleep!

Loving Her Look

Gabrielle is very happy with her results and continues to visit Wang Plastic Surgery to maintain her revitalized appearance. She notices that her skin tone has evened out and the fine lines on her face have diminished. Gabrielle says, "It's kind of like making amends to my body for the things I did in the past. The cosmetic stuff is the last frontier. I feel younger now and my outlook on life is better now than when I was 18. I finally look like I got a good night's sleep and I just feel better - it's been such a positive experience."