Start preparing for bikini season now with laser hair removal by Jacksonville's Garcia Institute.

Here in sunny Northeast Florida, you’re almost as apt to see women walking around in strappy sundresses in January as you are in June. While we’ve still got a few cool spells to go before the official start of summer, temperatures in the 70s have local ladies looking to get fit and fabulous in plenty of time for bikini season. And they’re starting with laser hair removal.

Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute offers laser hair removal for the legs, bikini area and underarms using the top-rated GentleLASE 755nm alexandrite laser designed to permanently reduce hair growth. But contrary to popular belief, significant permanent removal of hair doesn’t happen in just one visit. Typically, eight to 10 sessions scheduled from 21 to 35 days apart are required for optimal results. So the earlier you get started, the more prepared you’ll be for beach season.

To get the best results from your laser hair removal, Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute also recommends that you stay out of the sun in the weeks prior to your first session. Tanned skin increases your risk of unsightly and potentially painful side effects like blistering and permanent skin discoloration. That goes for both natural tans and tanning-booth tans. Either way, you’ll have to wait until your bronzing has completely faded before undergoing laser hair removal.

Jacksonville clients also are advised to skip waxing or electrolysis in the weeks prior to your session. However shaving may actually be recommended, as it preserves the hair shaft and follicle and may help improve your results.

You’ll also need to fess up about any and all medications you’ve taken over the past six months, including both prescription and over-the-counter products. All hormonal and birth control drugs and many antihistamines, anti-depressants, anti-inflammatory, acne and anti-cancer medications can increase your skin’s sensitivity. Your technician needs to know if you’ve taken any of these medications to effectively valuate your risks and to schedule your sessions appropriately.

Think you’re ready for laser hair removal? Jacksonville’s Garcia Institute and Reviva Medical Spa currently are offering a huge special. Purchase six lower leg hair removal treatments for just $1,125. That’s half off the regular price of $2,250. But it only lasts through the end of January, so call 904-247-8522 to schedule your consultation today.

Some vitamin and mineral supplements can interfere with your plastic surgery, Jacksonville surgeons say.

You might think that loading up on vitamins and minerals will help make your body and skin healthier, and thereby in better condition to undergo cosmetic surgery. Not so fast, says Dr. Phillip Garcia of Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. Jacksonville patients are advised to avoid particular vitamins and supplements that can interfere with plastic surgery procedures and healing. Some can cause post-surgical bleeding, worsen inflammation, raise your blood pressure or alter your sugar levels. And don’t think that an herbal supplement is safe simply because it’s natural.  Some can be downright dangerous.

Among the medications and vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements you should avoid at least three weeks before plastic surgery are:

• Any diet pills or appetite suppressants – herbal and otherwise
• Blood-thinning medications such as aspirin, Motrin or Advil
• Vitamin E
• Chromium
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Ginkgo
• Goldenseal
• Flaxseed
• Fish oil
• Echinacea
• Licorice
• Saw Palmetto
• Ephedra
• Ginseng
• Feverfew
• Kava-Kava
• St. John’s Wort
• Valerian Root

After your plastic surgery, Jacksonville’s top surgeons may recommend medications or vitamin and mineral supplements known to aid the body in healing. In fact, Dr. Phillip Garcia and Dr. Roberto Garcia, partners in the Garcia Institute, have developed a patented line of supplements proven to help speed healing. Patients report less swelling and bruising as well.

No matter who your plastic surgeon is, be sure to tell him or her about all prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals and supplements you have taken over the past six months to a year. Many patients are less than forthcoming, afraid that they’ll be ridiculed by their doctors, perhaps for buying into a bogus supplement claim. But in some cases, that information can help avoid a tragedy.

If you plan plastic surgery in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call 904-247-8522 to schedule a consultation at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery today. And be sure to ask about the Drs. Garcias’ Reviva line of healing and anti-aging vitamins.

Are you a good candidate for Botox? Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery can help you decide.

If you’ve been considering Botox, Jacksonville plastic surgeons Dr. Phillip Garcia and Dr. Roberto Garcia want to help make sure you’re a good candidate. Although it’s a minimally invasive procedure, Botox, like any cosmetic procedure, has both benefits and risks. Here’s what you need to know before making your decision.

Ideal candidate for Botox injections are between the ages of 18 and 70, have reasonably good skin tone and are both physically and emotionally healthy. They want to diminish or eliminate lines and wrinkles on their face and neck, but have realistic expectations of what Botox can do for their looks and their lives.

You may not be a good candidate for Botox if you:

• Have a disease or medical condition that affects nerves and muscles;
• Are breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant soon;
• Have any severe allergies or any known allergies to bovine products or to preservatives found in Botox Cosmetic;
• Are taking antibiotics, heart medications or certain other drugs;
• Have a neurological disease;
• Have Lambert-Eaton Syndrome or Myesthenia-Gravis Syndrome, muscle-weakening disorders;
• Have skin infections on the areas to be treated with Botox;
  Have sagging, drooping or sun-damaged skin.

When you choose Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery for your first Botox injections, you’ll get a thorough consultation to make sure that Botox is right for you. If not, our double board-certified plastic surgeons and expert aestheticians can suggest alternatives to help you achieve the look you want. Call 904-247-8522 to schedule your appointment today.

Get $15 off 60-minute skincare treatments on any Tuesday throughout January at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery.

If your New Year’s resolutions include a beautiful new look, you’re in luck. Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery is offering a slate of January specials designed to give you a smoother, firmer, more youthful look.

To keep your skin healthy and vibrant throughout the year, experts recommend adding a touch of luxury to your skincare routine with weekly or monthly facials. Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery makes it easy to get started with “Terrific Tuesdays.” You’ll get $15 off all 60-minute skincare treatments on any Tuesday throughout January. We know you’ll feel so relaxed and look so radiant that you’ll commit to making this resolution stick.

Is getting your body in bikini shape on your list of New Year’s resolutions? Make sure your skin is beach-ready, too. Start early with a series of laser hair removal sessions designed to permanently reduce hair growth on your legs, bikini area and underarms. Throughout January, purchase six lower leg laser hair removal treatments for just $1,125. That’s half off the regular price of $2,250.

All these great specials come to a close January 31, so call 904-694-0091 to book your appointment today.

Also during January, we’re hosting two Botox and a Taste events where you can meet our double board-certified plastic surgeons, get a complimentary skin analysis and opt for onsite Botox injections. The first is hosted at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery‘s Reviva Medical Spa in Neptune Beach on Thursday, January 5 from 5:30-8pm. RSVP by calling 904-247-8522.

A second Botox and a Taste event is scheduled for January 25, 5:30-8pm at the Fountain of Youth Medical Spa in St. Augustine. Reserve your spot by calling 904-806-4208.

Give the gift of beauty with Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery.

What better holiday surprise than the gift of beauty? Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery offers a range of gift ideas perfect for the both the girls and guys on your holiday shopping list:

• A luxe new look: Facial cosmetic procedures, both surgical and non-invasive, are increasingly popular gifts. If someone you love has talked about a chemical peel, brow lift or Botox injection, consider a Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery gift certificate toward a procedure of their choosing. A favorite this year is the Garcia Institute’s Contoura, a proprietary procedure designed to take years off a face in a matter of minutes. Certificates for a SunFX spray tanning session, hand rejuvenating treatment or lash and brow tint make great stocking stuffers.

• A sweet respite: Everyone can use a little R&R now and then. A luxurious facial treatment or massage is always a welcome gift. The Swedish massage is a favorite. The athlete in your life will love a sports massage, designed to release lactic build-up in the muscles and prevent injuries. And if someone you care about is carrying a stress load, our deep tissue massage will help him or her relax, rejuvenate and refocus.

• A little knowledge: If someone on your holiday shopping list is considering facial plastic surgery, make sure he or she is well informed. Penned by Dr. Phillip Garcia and Dr. Roberto Garcia, Just Faces: A Guide to Facial Plastic Surgery provides a comprehensive look at all you can expect while preparing for, undergoing and recovering from a cosmetic surgery procedure.

• A little swag: Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery and Reviva Medical Spa offer a full battery of top-quality skincare and beauty products to fill any stocking. We carry the LaLicious line of all-natural bath and body products including luxury shower scrubs, body oils and scented lotions in a variety of sumptuous scents. Known as the “skin care makeup,” Jane Iredale cosmetics are best known for their mineral makeup products that offer beautiful, smooth coverage while allowing the skin to breathe. And our DecoCandles soy blend jar candles fill your home or office with soothing scents.

• A little love: For the person who already has everything, consider a donation in his or her name to F.A.C.E., the Foundation for the Advancement of Children’s Aesthetics. This nonprofit organization provides free facial reconstructive surgery to underprivileged children with facial trauma or disfigurement throughout Northeast Florida. It’s a gift that will positively and permanently impact a child’s life.

For any of these gift ideas, stop by Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery at 700 3rd Street, suite 102 in Neptune Beach near Jacksonville. Happy holiday shopping!

Baby Boomers are more likely to go rock climbing than sit in a rocking chair. And they're getting plastic surgery to help them look as lively as they feel.

These days, Baby Boomers just might be the coolest cats in town. They’re working out, launching new businesses, burning up the dating scene and looking as gorgeous as ever. For some that means indulging in a little plastic surgery to help them age gracefully.

A recent survey highlighted primary trends emerging among the Boomer generation:

1. They’re living longer. Medical advances and the easier-than-ever access to medical and health information is helping Boomers long outlive the life expectancies of prior generations. Well, why live longer if you can’t enjoy it? Boomers increasingly are reflecting upon their lives and reinventing themselves at each milestone year, setting new goals and taking up new hobbies or even launching new businesses. Seems the rocking chair has gone the way of the dinosaur.
2. They’re technologically and socially connected. Yes, Grandma is on Facebook. And she’s not there just to keep up with the grandkids. She’s got her own extensive list of Facebook friends, thank you very much. And her status updates just might make you blush. Statistics show that seniors are the fastest-growing segment signing up on Facebook and other social networking sites. Of course, since Grandma likely doesn’t have to get up and go to school or work in the morning, she’s got lots of time to meet and mingle with her Facebook friends off-screen. Seniors are on the social and dating scene like never before.
3. They’re competing and winning in the workplace: The financial crunch is affecting everyone, including seniors. But rather than stick to the jobs they’ve held for decades, many seniors are taking advantage of that milestone-year reinvention and going back to school in huge numbers. Many are enrolling to update their skill sets in an effort to land promotions at work. Others are ditching their old skill sets in favor of whole new ones with plans to switch career fields or launch new businesses of their own.
4. They’re aging gracefully. Those top three trends fold nicely into the proudly-going-gray movement. To help boost their success on the social scene, in the dating game and at work, seniors increasingly are undergoing plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures designed to help them look as lively on the outside as they do on the inside. Mind you, they’re not interested in the wind-blown, trout pout look of those who overdo it in an effort to shave decades off their looks. Today’s seniors are proud of their age and don’t care to look too much younger. They simply want to look their best at the age they are and they’re accomplishing that with expertly performed facelifts, brow lifts and eye surgeries or with less invasive procedures like Botox, Restylane or chemical peels.

If you’re a Boomer with an unbridled passion for life and want a look to match, contact Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery. Jacksonville’s top facial plastic surgeons can help you continue to look gorgeous throughout your golden years.

Face the fall season with a beautiful new look. Check out Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery's October specials.

With the fall season fully underway, many are thinking about the holidays – what they’ll cook, what they’ll wear and how to look their best during a fun but stressful time of year. Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery has a few October specials to help you get a head start on your beautiful holiday look.

Through the end of October, we’re offering a steep discount on our Lightening Lift Series. This pigmentation resurfacing cocktail is a highly effective blend of natural and synthetic agents designed to tighten and brighten your skin, leaving it smooth, even-toned and radiant. You’ll take home a full size bleaching serum and precise instructions on how to complete the at-home portion of your treatments. The series includes six lightening lifts and the product all for $450 – that’s a $240 savings from the regular price.

Here in sunny Florida, we get a little extra time to enjoy wearing leg-baring skirts and sandals. Make sure your legs are smooth and silky with a six-session full leg laser hair removal treatment. You’ll save more than $1,200 and you’ll be ready for the 2012 bikini season.

Also, don’t forget our monthly Botox & a Taste event at the Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery and Reviva Medical Spa clinic. This Thursday from 5:30-8pm enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres while you get to know our double board-certified facial plastic surgeons Dr. Phillip Garcia and Dr. Roberto Garcia. You’ll get a complimentary skin analysis, plus you can opt for on-site Botox injections.

Our October specials are expected to go quickly. Call 904-685-8852 to book your appointments today.

DIY Botox is no beauty bargain, plastic surgeons say.

In today’s tough economy, everyone’s looking to save buck. But do-it-yourself Botox, Jacksonville plastic surgeons Dr. Phillip Garcia and Dr. Roberto Garcia say, is not a beauty bargain. In fact, it can end up costing you in both cash and looks.

Botox injections have remained strongly in demand, and even increased in demand in many markets over the past several years. Competitiveness in the job field is tougher than ever and having a youthful, healthy look is a proven boon to job seekers and those angling for promotions at work. But professional administration of Botox or other dermal fillers can be pricey. And many believe they’re getting a bargain with low cost DIY Botox kits that sell online.

Legally, only a licensed physician can purchase Botox. But many opportunists are finding ways to sell the product illegally – and they’re finding plenty of willing buyers. Here’s the catch: Many of these kits come from developing countries that have far less stringent regulations on these types of products. Thus, what you’re getting may not be Botox at all, or may be a far less potent form. In either case, harmful and potentially fatal reactions can occur. Thousands of plastic surgeons have treated patients who come in after injecting themselves with DIY Botox formulas, only to end up with uneven features, ptosis (drooping of the upper or lower eyelid), burning or rash-like skin an abscess or a potentially fatal staph infection.

Even if you are to able get your hands on the real thing, injecting yourself with Botox can be dangerous. Skillful injections take intensive training and a thorough understanding of the facial muscle and skin complexities. Injecting too much Botox or injecting it in the wrong spot can lead to serious, possibly irreversible problems, not to mention costly medical bills.

If you’re considering Botox, call Jacksonville’s Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery (a.k.a. The Garcia Institute) at 904-247-8522 for your consultation with a top-notch, double board-certified facial plastic surgeon. Don’t risk your beauty to save a buck.

Your skin can take a beating in the fall and winter months. Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery offers tips.

Cooler temperatures are sneaking up on us. Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery in Jacksonville offers tips for protecting and pampering your skin throughout the fall and winter season.

1. Hydrate your skin: A hallmark of the fall and winter seasons is a drop in humidity. Unfortunately, this seasonal change alters the skin’s natural PH level and makes it more susceptible to moisture loss. Keep your skin hydrated from the inside and out. Find a hydrating moisturizer or mask that works well with your skin type. Drink lots of water and juices and fill up on fruits and vegetables. This is particularly important if you plan to undergo a surgical procedure such as a facelift during the fall and winter months. The healthier and suppler your skin is, the better your facial plastic surgery results will be.
2. Exfoliate: Gently exfoliate your skin once or twice a week to remove dead, flaky skin cells. Look for products with natural, grainy ingredients like oatmeal, ground almonds, sugar and sea salt. Once or twice a month, opt for a professional facial treatment designed to exfoliate, hydrate, tighten and smooth your skin.
3. Swap lotion for cream: Creams typically offer more potent moisturizing ability than do lotions. The heavier oily barrier reduces water loss from the outermost layer of your skin, protects skin from the cooler, drier temperatures and aids in restoring moisture balance and elasticity.
4. Switch to a cold-processed, unscented soap: Heat-processed soaps loaded with dyes and fragrances can strip your skin of essential oils, leaving it dry, dull and cracked. Cold-crafted soaps create a glycerin byproduct that acts as a humectant to draw moisture to the skin.
5. Don’t slack on sun protection: Although the temperatures are frigid, the sun still shines. And it still pounds down on your skin with harmful UV rays just like it does during the summer. That’s why some of the most common skin cancer sites are areas of the body exposed year-round, like your face, ears and the left arm of drivers. Keep on using sunblocks with the same vigilance you do during the hot weather months.

For more ways to keep your skin and face looking youthful, vibrant and healthy visit Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery near Jacksonville.

Is your skin ready for the cool snap? Check out the fall skincare and laser hair removal specials at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery and Garcia Medical Spa.

Fall is upon us. It’s time to prepare your skin for the cooler weather. What better way to do just that than Facial Fridays at Garcia Facial Plastic Surgery and Reviva Medical Spa?

On Facial Fridays, Jacksonville area clients enjoy any facial or level 1 peel for $80, or an Ultimate Microdermabrasion treatment for $85. Our facials, peels and microdermabrasion treatments are designed to repair sun damaged, acne prone, unbalanced or dehydrated skin. Our expert aestheticians pamper your skin, preparing it for the cooler temperatures and dryer air. You’ll leave with beautifully hydrated, soothed and smoothed skin, as well as tips to protect it from the elements. Facial Fridays run through September 30 and exclude level 2 and 3 peels, Micro-Lift treatments, gift certificates and series.

Free laser hair removal is another September special option. Here in sunny Florida, knee-length and short skirts are worn well into the fall season, so a smooth pair of legs remains a fashionable must. At Reviva Medical Spa, purchase laser hair removal package and get a second area (of equal or lesser value) treated free of charge.

Our specials fill up fast, so call 904-694-0091 to book your appointment today.