health/wellness

an annual SJL special section

Sean Weiss Facial Plastic Surgery has expertise in wide range of procedures

Located in Metairie, minutes from downtown New Orleans, Dr. Sean Weiss Facial Plastic Surgery offers a wide range of facial plastic surgery procedures. Dr. Weiss is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and otolaryngologist, which means that he has extensive training in both the surgical and medical aspects of facial plastic surgery.

He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, which is a prestigious organization that recognizes the highest levels of expertise in the field.

Services offered include Rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), Facelift, Necklift, Browlift, Otoplasty (ear surgery), Facial fat grafting, and non-surgical facial rejuvenation.

Weiss is committed to providing his patients with natural-looking results that enhance their individual beauty. He takes the time to listen to his patients’ goals and create customized treatment plan that meets their individual needs.

In addition to his clinical practice, Weiss is also an active member of the medical community. He is a fellow member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the American College of Surgeons.

Weiss has been featured in several publications, including New Orleans Magazine, The Times-Picayune, and New Orleans CityBusiness. He has also been awarded the Patient’s Choice Award by Vitals.com, which is a recognition of his outstanding patient care, along with Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors.

As Erin, one of his patients, put it, “Dr. Weiss is a very, very good surgeon. I could not be happier with my results. At the consultation appointment, he made his recommendations and explained everything so well. I had a neck lift, facelift, and brow lift. I feel like I look amazing! I also went back and had the laser treatment on my face and neck and could not believe how fabulous it made my skin look. I contemplated facial surgery two years prior and consulted with other physicians. Dr. Weiss made me feel comfortable and confident that I would have the outcome I was expecting. His office staff is so easy to work with and the entire experience could not have been better!”

Caroline said “Dr. Weiss and his team are some of the kindest people I

Favorite Treatments for Spring

PHYSIQ, Vivace, Laser Hair Removal, Hydrafacial, Lip Filler, Botox

205.415.7536 | gunndermatology.com

32 Church Street, Mountain Brook, AL 35213

391 Rele Street, Mountain Brook, AL 35223

SCAN TO FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM! @gunndermatology have ever met. I am young and this was the first (and hopefully last) facial plastic surgery I will ever need! Dr. Weiss did an absolutely amazing job and I am so happy with the results as we just hit the one-year post-operation. Thank you to Dr. Weiss and their team for giving me the confidence I always wanted. Cannot say that enough!”

If you are considering facial plastic surgery, Dr. Sean Weiss is considered by many to be the best choice for the Southeast region. Dr. Weiss is a highly skilled and experienced facial plastic surgeon who can help you achieve your aesthetic goals.

The office is conveniently located near major highways and public transportation, making it easy to get to. To schedule a consultation, please call the office at (504) 814-3223 or visit www.seanweissmd.com

MyEyeDr. focuses on lens advancements and proactive care

MyEyeDr. continues to focus on advancements in lens technology and educating patients on proactive measures they can take to promote good eye health.

“We’ve seen some great advancements in contact lens technology over the past several years,” said Dr. Brooke Kaplan, a clinic manager for MyEyeDr. and practicing optometrist at the Mountain Brook office. “Especially as it pertains to daily disposable, multifocal and comfort.”

One of the newer daily disposable lenses developed by Bausch and Lomb is designed to mimic natural tear film and has been hailed as “the most comfortable on the market.”

In addition to more options for multifocal contact lenses, lens makers have set their sights on combatting digital eye strain.

Kaplan recommends adding Lipiflow in the treatment of dry eye. It heats and expresses meibomian glands.

She also lauded advancements in contact lenses from Alcon. Those lenses include a permanent water surface technology that helps ease dry eye symptoms in contact lens wearers.

Kaplan said new contact lenses by CooperVision filter out harmful blue light from computers, phones, and other devices.

“They’ve had the glasses out and the contacts came out earlier this year,” she said. “We have had some patients say their dry eye symptoms and headaches they were getting have been alleviated” by the filtering of harmful blue light.

The number of dry eye cases has gone up, while the average age of getting the first symptoms of dry eye has been going down in the past few years.

“Most people and their kids have been on computers and social media more, especially during the earlier times of Covid,” she said.

“Doctors have been proactive with advancements in detection of dry eye causes and treatments,” added Kaplan, noting that Intense Pulsed Light Therapy has helped treat dry eyes, especially in patients who have rosacea or other dermal conditions.

MyEyeDr. also advises patients and their kids on what they can do to limit digital eye strain and dry eye. “We suggest the 20/20/20 rule,” she said. “Every 20 minutes, look out 20 feet for 20 seconds.” Kaplan adds that kids should be sure to go outside and take breaks to break up the visual field focus.

The fastest growing modality of lenses is daily disposables, including bifocal contacts. In 2021, contact lenses came out for kids that can be used to prevent the progression of myopia.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, glasses that prevent nearsightedness progression were released. “We’re all about proactive care and the (contact lenses or glasses) can help kids as young as six or seven,” said Kaplan.

MyEyeDr. was co-founded by Sue Downes in 2001. Downes started as the front-desk person for a local optometrist in the Washington area. She helped the company grow from one location to 843 across the nation. There are 17 MyEyeDr. offices in Alabama and eight in Louisiana.

“It is inspiring to be led by a woman who is as passionate about optometry as we are as optometrists,” said Kaplan.

She said as of January of this past year, she is overseeing MyEyeDr. offices across Alabama, Tennessee, portions of Georgia and coastal Carolina.

Even with her busier travel schedule, Kaplan remains incredibly involved in the Jewish community and is past president of the board for the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School.

It is truly a family affair as it pertains to eye care. Her brother, Dr. Mark Schaeffer, leads the Hoover MyEyeDr. office, and her brother, Dr. David Schaeffer, is with her at Mountain Brook. Their father, Dr. Jack Schaeffer, still lectures all over the world.

“We’re very passionate about learning and about educating our patients, our communities on eye health,” said Kaplan.

For more information or to book an appointment, go to www.myeyedr. com

LJCC gets grant to expand water safety classes for area schools

The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham has provided a $15,000 grant to Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center, to help launch the LJCC Swim School, a water-safety and swim lesson program for underserved students in local schools. The program will provide basic water safety, lifesaving, and swimming skills through six and a half hours of instruction.

The new initiative will benefit as many as 90 students from i3 Academy during the 2023-24 school year.

“We have a robust aquatics program here at The J, based in part on the ancient Talmudic instruction about the importance of teaching your children to swim,” said LJCC Executive Director Brooke Bowles,. “We’re delighted that we’ll be able to assist so many first- through third-graders from i3. Swimming is a lifelong skill that includes numerous physical and mental benefits, and we’re glad this program will contribute to the students’ overall well-being.”

The after-school program will also include transportation from i3 to The J.

“I’m excited for this partnership,” added Aquatics Director Billy Greene. “I’m eager to see these i3 students learn a whole new set of skills in the pool, and it’s never too early to introduce some career ideas.” i3 is a “STEAM-inspired” tuition-free public charter school in the nearby Woodlawn community that serves kindergarten through seventh-grade students. While “STEAM” means focusing on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, the three i’s in the school’s name stand for imagine, investigate, and innovate.