Dear Patient,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to update you on what’s new in facial enhancement, facial plastic surgery and my practice.

As I pen this letter, I am preparing to go to Rome for a large international facial plastic surgery conference. As a result of publishing my book last fall, I was asked to present a lecture at the meeting and happily accepted. My surgical textbook Rhinoplasty: Cases and Techniques is selling worldwide and doing quite well. If you are interested in what I have been up to, you can find it on Amazon.com. The positive reception for it has been very gratifying and it has opened many doors. I have also accepted an invitation to be the keynote speaker this November at the International Congress of Plastic Surgery hosted by the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons in Seoul, Korea. While I enjoy sharing knowledge with my colleagues and traveling to exotic places, I still plan to spend most of my time at home being with my family and working in my practice.

Speaking of the practice, an exciting new development has taken place. Through many years and hundreds of facelifts, I have refined the basic facelift technique. A new method I have developed is called theMicro Minilift™. It is a real advancement in facial rejuvenation, and for that reason I have trademarked it. This small incision lift hides in the natural contours and valleys around the ear and allows lifting of the jaw line and neck. It is most appropriate for patients with mild to moderate sagging in these areas. I plan to introduce the Micro Minilift™ this September at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery annual meeting in Washington, D.C. to share this technique with my colleagues, but it is already available to you here in Richmond. Not all patients are good candidates for this lift, but if you are, the incision is smaller and the downtime dramatically reduced, all while achieving a substantial improvement. I will be happy to discuss this with you if you have an interest.

My injectables practice continues to be very popular. For relaxing frown and squint lines, we have not only Botox®, but also Dysport® and the recently FDA approved Xeomin®. For filling facial folds and lines, I use tried and true materials such as Restylane®, Juvederm® and Radiesse®. Many patients have commented on the fact that these procedures seem to hurt less in our office than in others. I attribute this to the fact that we use an extremely strong numbing cream which is compounded in California specifically for this purpose. It is put on several minutes before the treatment and makes getting the injections much more comfortable.

Our licensed master medical aestheticians continue to do wonderful work with the extensive selection of medical-grade skincare lines and treatment options which they offer. If you are not already receiving skincare from Anne, Carole, Annie or Tricia you may be missing out! Please know that they offer a complimentary consultation in which they will examine your skin and make recommendations for the skincare regimen that suits you best. I am grateful to all of them as they continue to add an important dimension to my practice.

Finally, it is getting near the time when I will wish my current fellow-in-training Tom Tournas goodbye and welcome our new fellow to the practice. Tom will be returning to Quebec where he will practice both academic and private facial plastic surgery. He has done an excellent job this year and both I and the patients he has helped are grateful to him. Our new fellow will be Dr. Maher Younes who is coming to train with me from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Younes did an extensive post doctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas prior to joining the Head and Neck Surgery program at UNC. He brings a wealth of experience to our practice and I am looking forward to working with him.

From the above I think you can see that we have an exciting, thriving and dynamic practice that emphasizes excellent results delivered in a safe manner. I also continue to have a genuine passion for advancing the science and art of facial plastic surgery. As always I am grateful to you, my patient for having the confidence in me to let me help you. I wish you a very pleasant summer and hope that you wear sunscreen enthusiastically. I am here to help you whenever you would like.

Sincerely,

Michael S. Godin, M.D.

The creation of original sculpture is a growing passion of mine. I recently attended a sculpture workshop given for plastic surgeons from around the country. This five-day course was given by professional sculptors in conjunction with the New York Art Students League.

A live model served as the subject for this intensive eight-hour-per-day experience. It was gratifying for me to see her form take shape in the clay and was an extremely enjoyable way to spend my time. By creating beauty out of shapelessness, the surgeon’s eye is trained in a different way. I truly believe it enhances my aesthetic sense and helps me to deliver even better results to my patients.

In my spare time, I enjoy sculpting and accept commissions which I’ll execute pro bono for charities. Should you be involved with a charity event that would benefit from auctioning a commissioned sculpture, please get in touch with me to discuss.

– Dr. Godin

Readers looking for the latest in “must-have” beauty products, anti-aging strategies, and cosmetic enhancements turn to the pages of NewBeauty. Dr. Michael Godin is featured in the Spring/Summer 2013 edition, which is due on newsstands April 2013. The world’s most unique beauty magazine, NewBeauty is the ultimate aesthetic resource for “everything beauty,” covering subjects from advancements in facial fillers to the most luxurious spa treatments to the newest wrinkle-reducing serums and everything in between. NewBeauty’s reach beyond print—to online and retail—cements its reputation as a beauty brand powerhouse among readers, marketers, and medical professionals.

Dr. Godin, a double board-certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon in Richmond, VA, was happy to talk with NewBeauty about his treatment philosophy. “I customize what I do for each individual patient. I take time to really listen to what they would like to achieve. Then I try to give them a range of options from less invasive to more invasive treatments.” For instance, Dr. Godin has developed a modification of a facelift called the Micro-Mini Lift^®, which is minimally invasive and is appropriate for patients with a small amount of excess skin in the jaw line and/or minor looseness of the neck.

Since its launch in January 2005, NewBeauty has fearlessly enabled an open and ongoing line of communication about cosmetic enhancements between consumers, manufacturers, and medical professionals. Let’s face it: More than 12.4 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures were performed in 2010—a number that continues to rise each year. With a distribution of approximately 500,000 copies per issue, NewBeauty is available for purchase at 40,000 plus retailers in the United States, including major bookstores like Barnes & Noble, as well as airports, supermarkets and newsstands.