In this insightful interview with Aesthetic Insider™ Dr. Shweta Agarwal, a triple board certified aesthetic medical doctor who practices at Mia La Maven Medical Spa located in the heart of Santa Monica, CA, just minutes from the Pacific Ocean and the world famous Santa Monica Beaches, discusses how her diverse medical background is a tremendous asset in her beautiful practice. By expertly and safely performing a broad range of cosmetic medical procedures and treatments including fillers, neuromodulators, PDO threads and more, Dr. Agarwal delivers vibrant and youthful natural looking results to her patients. Originally from India where she completed her medical degree, Dr. Agarwal finished her higher medical studies in the United States and has lived in different parts of the USA before settling in Southern California. She is married to her medical school sweetheart who is also a doctor and has three beautiful daughters. An outdoors enthusiast, Dr. Agarwal loves hiking, skiing and exercise and her passion for health, anti-aging and beauty is reflected in her practice. Dr. Agarwal and Mia La Maven Medical Spa have become a destination for those seeking to rejuvenate their appearance. To learn more about the aesthetic beauty and anti-aging procedures offered by Dr. Shweta Agarwal and her team at Mia La Maven Medical Spa, visit www.mialamavenmedspa.com or call 310 314-0404.
What inspired you to develop your medical spa in Santa Monica, CA? That’s a great question! To me Santa Monica has everything one would desire. It is stunningly beautiful and a destination for people from all over the world. Of course it has the best weather and the beaches are incredible, but it also attracts people from many diverse backgrounds from both ethnic and professional aspects. It has long been known to be the home of many Hollywood celebrities, and a location for film and TV shoots, but it is also home to many other hard working people who thrive on the youthful, friendly and all-inclusive culture that has been embraced here. The people really inspire me. They are easygoing, fun-loving, and down to earth with a true desire to connect. The connectivity of Santa Monica is really one of the best parts about this vibrant community. And of course, they are people who like to take care of themselves. They like being the best version of themselves, which is why I’m drawn here.
Please tell us the story behind Mia La Maven Medical Spa? Mia La Maven Medical Spa is actually named after the daughter of my partner Ed Sidaros. Mia unfortunately is no longer with us, but her memory lives on at our medical spa. Mia Helena Sidaros developed pediatric cancer and during her teen years she became a beauty and fashion blogger and continued to write while undergoing chemotherapy. During that time, she made a name for herself as Mia La Maven, or Mia The Expert, and would weave her journey of hope and courage into her writings on beauty and fashion. Although we lost Mia to this dreadful disease, instead of suffering the loss, Ed realized he could continue to share her love and passion for beauty and style and through that vision brought Mia La Maven Medical Spa into existence. When I met Ed, I felt as though the two worlds met. His passion to keep Mia’s spirit alive and my love and passion for aesthetics to fill ‘ Life’ into the lives of many. Mia is a guiding angel, she’s there for us. Mia’s picture is displayed in the entry to the spa and greets all of our patients and visitors with whom we love to share her story. Mia had a very rare pediatric cancer for which there is still no cure, so Mia La Maven Medical Spa donates a percentage of its profit to the UCLA Pediatric Cancer Research Center to help others . Mia really is our guiding light toward all things beautiful.
Is there anything different or unique about your patients living and traveling to Santa Monica for treatment? Santa Monica is a very diverse community. While we definitely think about the beaches and Hollywood celebrities, it has also been a destination for art, culture and entertainment and I believe the people are as unique and diverse than just about anywhere else in the world. Santa Monica has a base of people that have resided here for many years and, more recently, we have the Silicon Beach business culture that is rapidly growing, and they are hard-working and busy people that I feel are driven by the youthful energy and gorgeous environment that surrounds them. They excel at their chosen professions and live life to its fullest. The increase in minimally invasive aesthetic treatments is as a result of the demands of this fast-paced community who want to look as good as they feel, be able to fit in an age defying rejuvenating procedure and still be able to go to the beach or participate in other adventures on the weekend with little to no downtime. We have people from all ethnic backgrounds including people of color and fairer complexions in our patients of European descent. Understanding their needs and their cultural differences is paramount to the success of the results we can achieve together at Mia La Maven Medical Spa. It’s a very unique thing and I feel I have the perfect toolkit both as an aesthetic physician and, as a person of color, I bring my own background into the mix. I have a great understanding of both darker and lighter skin and its conditions which has really helped me work successfully with this wonderful community. For example, we have many people who come to us with rosacea which they do not like and we have several treatments to address this condition such as the V Beam and our other Laser Assisted Devices. Then there are patients that have melasma which we can improve with topicals and resurfacing lasers or other modalities. I feel that everything about our patients is different and unique and I am grateful to be able to constantly move between different cultures, different wants and needs, and tailor an individual program to each patient.
What are the most popular aesthetic procedures patients are requesting? The most popular procedures are the ones that take the least amount of time but give tremendous results. Of course, fillers to the lips, chin and cheeks are always popular, as is the use of neurotoxins to reduce crows feet and wrinkles. Many patients require assistance for skin renewal and sun damage using various light and laser devices or PRP and microneedling procedures. Our newest and probably most popular treatment is the use of PDO Threads for correcting and lifting the tissue. Our patients generally fall into one of two categories. Those that want to delay the aging process by having treatment earlier and know what they want, and those that have waited, are not sure of what they want, but understand they may require a longer term treatment plan and are seeking options. Many of our patients are very health conscious, physically fit and youth oriented. They also represent all age groups and the aesthetic procedures we offer are suitable for patients at any age. During a consultation we determine what treatments best suits, whether they have volume loss, sun damage, wrinkles, sagging skin, etc., and will they benefit from dermal fillers, exfoliation, PRP micro-needling or, as mentioned earlier, PDO Threads. PDO Threads are rapidly gaining in popularity, but I would say dermal fillers and skin rejuvenation are currently the most popular.
What are PDO Threads? PDO Threads have been safely used for several years to gently lift skin tissue and are made from medical grade suture material. PDO stands for polydioxanone and it is a substance that coats the threads. PDO Threads are basically absorbable sutures that have a variety of uses. There are three types of threads. The smooth threads can be placed under the skin to lift tissue. Over time as the thread dissolves it causes collagen formation under the skin which helps with skin elasticity and keeps the tissue looking toned. Other threads, such as volumizing threads which we call twists, are threads that are placed to help with volume enhancement of the face or any place in the body. The third kind of threads which are more dramatic and with which we see some immediate results are the barbed threads. The barbed threads are long threads and are also longer lasting and, as an example, are an effective way to lift the skin of the lower face, nasolabial folds and jawline without surgery in those that are candidates. They can be used in most people and can be used in combination with dermal fillers, neuromodulators and skin rejuvenating treatments. While threads cannot replace a facelift in the person that has tremendous sagging, if somebody is looking for a mini-facelift that they can recover from over the weekend with wonderful results, PDO Threads are the way to go.
What treatment can you offer to the aging hands? The hands can really give away a patient’s age and is something many people forget about. As well as obvious sun damage and age spots, the hands also lose tissue volume and begin to look almost skeletal with veins protruding. I have developed a great combination technique of using both dermal fillers to conceal the bones and veins, and plump and soften the hands, combined with PDO Threads to lift the tissue. Sun damage and age spots can be reduced with creams or laser treatments resulting in beautiful younger looking hands. My patients love this treatment and can’t believe they didn’t do this sooner.
How does a person that has never had an aesthetic treatment decide it’s time to consult with you? The initial step is always the hardest because we are all our worst critics. We all tend to look in the mirror and find flaws – real or imaginary. So I always tell our first time patients to stop hiding behind the mirror and make-up and let’s sit down together so they can tell me what they see that bothers them the most. Together we can fix those flaws so they can walk with confidence. Beauty treatments and image enhancement dates back hundreds of years and people have sought the fountain of youth for even longer. Aesthetic treatments such as those offered at Mia La Maven Medical Spa are just the current day beauty treatments that are now accepted by people from all walks of life, all over the world so my advice is that if something bothers a person on their face or body, be it small or large, just come in and talk to us. It might be the best decision they ever make.
To listen to Dr. Agarwal at Aesthetic Insider™ Radio CLICK HERE
To consult with Dr. Agarwal call 310.314.0404 or email dr.agarwal@mialamavenmedspa.com
www.mialamavenmedspa.com