I Am Featured in the New York Times Today
August 12, 2010 by dr. lam · 3 Comments
I was featured in the New York Times today with my patient Phu Pham for Botox Jaw Reduction. I thought I would share with you the link to the story.
Dr. Lam's Patient Phu Pham After Botox
Predictably Irrational Part 5 of 5: How to Order off a Menu
December 19, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
Here is another study with beer. In Predictably Irrational, Ariely asked a group of individuals sitting down at a table in a bar to order from a limited list of beers: Summer Wheat Ale, Franklin Street Lager, India Pale Ale, and an Irish Stout. The first individual would call out his or her beer and then the ordering would progress around the table. At the conclusion of imbibing, the individuals would be asked to write down their rating of their beer. Interestingly, the person who asked for the beer first consistently rated his/her beer satisfaction to be the highest. The ratings would then go down proportionately to when the beer was ordered. The same experiment was tried by having individuals hand in their beer order silently without declaring their wishes aloud. Interestingly, almost every individual rated the satisfaction of their choice very highly. Also interestingly, when beers were ordered out loud, almost every person ordered a different type of beer; whereas when beers were ordered silently there was much more similarity in what was ordered. The same experiment was carried out in Hong Kong. However, in this case, when people ordered out loud, the second, third, etc. person would order most likely the same thing that the first person had ordered. As would be expected, their enjoyment was greatly less than what the first person ordered. What we learn from this experiment is that in the United States we value our maverick individualism even in spite of our best interest, and in Asia conformity is prized to a similar detriment. In summary, if you are going to order, order it first before everyone else so that you can enjoy your meal!
Sometimes in our society, we want to be different just for the sake of being different. Sometimes different is bad. Sometimes there is a reason why no one else is doing what you are doing. Sometimes different is good because the majority out there are doing things that are not good. We should fight against any of our cultural legacy (whether from the Occident or the Orient) that is our natural tendency to be “predictably irrational” so that we can make choices that are the right ones. In my field, I truly believe that too much lifting is being done for all the wrong reasons with absolutely dreadful results. As you know, I believe that the majority of docs out there who believe that lifting brows and cheeks is right are in a word wrong. However, I believe that Botox, almost despite its popularity, is so very right thing to do for long-term gains and to avoid what would otherwise be ineluctable aging. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, watch my 3 video logs: 1, 2, 3). I believe that Restylane and Perlane, which are the most popular fillers on the market in Europe and the U.S., are the most popular for a reason (which is corroborated by my clinical experience). Believe in the right thing whether it is popular or not, but don’t believe in something either because it is popular or because it is not.
Predictably Irrational Part 2 of 5: Comparative Perspective
December 16, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
I wrote a blog a few months ago on perspective that was actually stimulated by a patient’s comment regarding the book, Predictably Irrational, as source material. I would like to use this blog that borrows heavily from PI, for more inspiration. The opening psychological study presented in PI was quite brilliant. Using a real-world subscription plan by the famed British magazine, The Economist, Ariely the author subjected students at MIT, where he is a professor, to a small test in human psychology. The Economist offers 3 subscription plans: Internet only for $59, Print only for $125, and Internet plus Print for the same $125. With these 3 plans, the students overwhelmingly chose the combined Internet plus Print option. Removing the “print only” decoy, he offered the Internet only for $59 and the Internet plus Print for $125. The students overwhelmingly chose the Internet only at the bargain price of $59.
We as humans tend to require a comparison for us to make good decisions (or not so good decisions). As mentioned in a previous blog, the patients who are truly loyal to me are the ones who have had Botox, fillers, surgery somewhere first before coming to me. Without a comparison, people enjoy the experience and results that I offer but their mind may think for a moment I could get it cheaper down the street. That thought almost never crosses the mind of a patient of mine who has been down the street. By offering a uniquely better product, service, and experience, I think I have garnered more loyalty from my patients who have chosen me after they have been elsewhere.
Well, we have covered that ground before in a previous post so I wanted to explore this idea in greater detail. I am about full disclosure and not trying to trick a prospective patient into choosing me. Instead, I would like to think of how could I help a prospective patient truly understand the service difference that I offer. What I have done in the past and would like to continue is to try to frame the differences of a procedure that I do to contrast that with another practice down the street or, to be honest, anywhere else. I have done that in many ways without ever mentioning a competitor by name, just the philosophical, technical, and artistic differences that LFP is all about. For example, I explain how my Botox is intended for long-term goals not short term which I reinforce with baseline photographic documentation and photographic progress reports with how their skin is doing over time through sequential photographs. That alone is almost a comparison within itself, that is a comparison of one’s current state and one’s former state.
I really enjoyed this book, Predictably Irrational, and would like to help my patients not to think irrationally but to think things as rationally as possible. Knowing our own irrational behavior can help us free ourselves from it. Comparisons are important, in my opinion. Without them, we fail to judge the quality of something because we only see that attribute in isolation. The language I use is oftentimes trying to articulate what I offer so that if the comparison is not immediately obvious, it will become so by your speaking with your friends about their experience elsewhere or simply put you would already know this fact if you had tried services elsewhere in the past.
In fact, besides trying to have a service down the street, I ask my patients a small favor if they have never tried any services besides my own is to ask their friend some explicit questions: 1) How painful was your Botox? 2) Did you get a wow effect from just filling your smile lines with Restylane? (no) 3) Were you educated about your options or just brought back and injected? 4) Did you get baseline photographs and shown the before and afters of the work? 5) Were you offered free touch ups and asked to come back to make certain the result was good enough? 6) Were you given long-term goals so that you could determine what would be in your budget and goals for now versus where the physician desired you to be in a year? 7) Were you educated about options that would clearly be harmful or a waste of time and money for you and actually talked out of a service that was not right for you? REALLY? “My doctor, Dr. Lam, did all those things for me.” I hope that you can say those things about your experience at LFP.
BOTOX BLOG: PART 3 OF 3 (”Botox Like Exercise”)
August 1, 2008 by dr. lam · 4 Comments
This blog will conclude the 3 part series on understanding the LONG-TERM BENEFITS OF CONSISTENT BOTOX USE.  Many individuals who have not been educated by their injector (try everyone outside of my office!) have no idea why they are doing Botox.  They come to my office with a bewildered expression, “Oh I thought I was just doing it to make myself look better when I want to, like before a party.† NO!!!  Botox does give you those short-term gains, but what it does with consistency over time is begin to make significant improvements in your wrinkles. Â
I really like to think of Botox like good exercise. Â Do you feel the endorphin rush after a quick jog? Â Yes. Â That is what I call the short-term effect of exercise. Â Similarly, the short-term gain with Botox (or “endorphin rush” equivalent) is that you look better immediately and that is why you get Botox done. Â You feel better after a little exercise and that is why you exercise.
 But what are the long-term effects with exercise?  Better health, better appearance, etc.  What are the long-term effects of Botox?  Wrinkle reduction, better tone and texture in the treated areas.  Now, if you exercise once a year does exercise do any good for you?  Not really.  How about if you exercise twice a year?  Not really.  Here is the point, exercise is important for you if you do it consistently.  That is the same way you should think of Botox.  Consistent usage will provide long-term gains for you not just the short-term fix.  In short, BOTOX IS A REGIMEN AND CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY.  It is not just for the short-term quick fix.
BOTOX BLOG: PART 2 OF 3 (”The Botox Like a Shirt”)
July 31, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
Okay, I hope you liked Part 1 yesterday, “The Botox Scale”. Â In review, if you don’t do Botox, every year you don’t your wrinkles will get worse. (Remember Botox does not fill in lines it prevents motion in the muscle, albeit temporarily.) Â Every year you do CONSISTENT Botox, they will get better. Â
Now, let’s think of a shirt analogy for you to better understand the situation. Â I have used the shirt analogy extensively throughout the learning modules and virtual consultations. Â But who has bothered to read those? Â If you already understand what I mean by thinking of Botox like a shirt, you can skip this blog. Â If not, read on.
Here’s the deal, your skin is undergoing constant creasing and wrinkling every day every movement you make. Â Think of your skin like a shirt you would wear. Â If you wear the exact same shirt every day consecutively for 5 years what will your shirt look like. Â Obviously, pretty bad. Â Now, let’s say you take a somewhat crumpled shirt and let it hang on the wall for 5 years, the wrinkles will look much better over time being hanged on the wall. Â Let’s say your best friend at the same time wears his/her shirt for that same period of time, what will that shirt look like? Â Obviously, bad. Â There are really only 2 options: Â wear the shirt (no Botox) or don’t wear the shirt (using Botox). Â Like the principle of the Botox scale, wrinkles will either get better with Botox or worsen without Botox. Â Now, one caveat. Â Some wrinkles will persist in a shirt even hanging it for a long time. Â However, with Botox the skin can completely heal since it has regenerative capacity so the analogy is not perfect. Â
Many people then ask, “How about ironing the shirt?” Â I always say, “Ironing the shirt is like laser or plasma skin resurfacing”. Â The ironing can make the shirt look better but what if you start wearing it again. Â It will start the process over. Â So in almost any case Botox is a critical part of a regimen toward healthy skin, more important than anything else you can do for the skin other than sun avoidance and sun protection. Â If the wrinkles are early, “ironing the shirt” with lasers, etc. may not be necessary and “hanging the shirt on the wall” (Botox) may be sufficient. Â Whatever technique you do to make your skin look great: Â facials, skin care products, drinking water, etc., the most important thing to do is Botox to prevent the source problem which is motion and the cause of wrinkles.