This is a letter from a patient who is also in the medical industry. Thank you to our staff for their great care and attention given our patients!

October 29, 2011

Dear Dr. Rehnke,

I am writing this letter to compliment you and your staff on your patient care
and communication. When I am selecting a medical practice for myself or
my family, I pay close attention to the consistency of care from front to back.
This includes courtesy, organization, communication to the patient, and of
course, medical competency. I practice medicine in a busy, referral practice
and am also closely involved in the management of our staff. I am acutely
aware of what is involved in building a well-run medical team. The effort of
all team members is essential, but the tone is set by the clinician and their
example as they lead the team. I commend you on the image that your
practice presents. Your surgical skills and reputation are very well respected
in our medical community, but the consistency of your practice is equally
impressive. With my family’s medical care, I have been in many medical
offices and few are cohesive and consistent.

When I was considering cosmetic surgery, I evaluated three surgical
practices in the area. I wanted to let you know that you were the only one
of three surgeons who performed a complete breast exam on me. Also,
you were the only one who required complete blood work and EKG prior to
anesthesia. As a clinician who practices a high standard of medicine, this
was significant to me. These criteria also influenced my selection of your
practice for my procedures.

Often, as managers or owners of a medical practice, we hear the
complaints more than the compliments. More likely, your patients, when
they compliment you, are doing so based on their surgical results. I thought
you should also hear how your team performs, from the viewpoint of one of

Click on image below to track Dr. Rehnke and Marissa's progress as they begin The Dermesse Face-Off!

Dermesse™ is a physician’s directed skin care system that treats hyperpigmentation, photodamage and melasma, similar to that of the Obagi system. Dermesse™ uses a combination of hydroquinone and tretinoin to treat the skin at the cellular level using topical prescription strength products.

Dr. Rehnke takes a special interest in breast cancer awareness, as he has treated so many breast cancer patients by way of reconstructive surgery. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we will let you know about any events in which we are involved or supporting.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer: The American Cancer Society will be having a “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” event on Saturday, October 23, 2010 in Straub Park. For additional information or ways to become involved, please visit http://makingstrides.acsevents.org

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 2010: Dr. Rehnke, his daughter Shelby, and our aesthetician Marissa (along with other Dr. Rehnke & DayGlo Med-Spa staff and friends) participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Dr. Rehnke and Shelby ran the 5K while the rest of us walked in support of Anne Marantz, Marissa’s mother-in-law. Anne is a breast cancer survivor and a strong woman. She was glad to have her friends and family there to support her and help in the fight against breast cancer. Anne’s team, “Breast Friends Forever” raised over $1500 for the Susan G. Komen Florida Suncoast affiliate. Up to 75% of the money raised remains local and goes to nonprofit organizations for community-based breast health education, breast cancer screening and treatment projects for the medically underserved.

Click on an image below to enlarge and view gallery

The event is hosted by First to the Cross Ministries, Inc. and will take place at North Straub Park in St. Petersburg, FL on October 9, 2010. The Sunrise Run will include a 5k run, 1 mile run and a 1 mile faith walk. There will also be children’s activities, live music, t-shirt, awards and more. There will also be a breakfast of coffee from Cappuccino Express and bagels. If you are interested in participating, you can register online at firsttothecross.com. Or you can register by mail -- registration pamphlets are available at the offices of Robert D. Rehnke, M.D. Plastic Surgery. You can also register in person at Feet First running store located at 4949 4th Street North, St. Petersburg. RUN-WALK-WAVE

One of the hottest new trends in plastic surgery today is autologous fat transplantation. Translated into plain English, this means liposuction of fat from areas that are unwanted and reinjecting the fat into areas where the patient desires augmentation. For instance, many of us at middle age have learned that, as we age, our faces become more hollow and our waistlines thicker. Autologous fat transplantation is a wonderful way to get back at Mother Nature’s cruel trick.

Small incisions are made in areas such as the abdomen, hips or along the waistline; then a local anesthetic is injected and small cannulas attached to the syringes are used to extract fatty tissue. This is done in a careful manner to avoid injury in the cells and is processed by centrifuging syringes. Centrifuging allows for separation of the pure fat cells from non-living tissue such as water, blood or local anesthetic. Once the fat cells have been harvested, they are transferred into small syringes and injected into the desired area such as the lips, nasolabial folds, cheeks and jaw line. Because the fat is scattered throughout the recipient tissue, it survives by borrowing from the nutrients and oxygen of the surrounding tissues until its own capillary blood supply is established. Once this has taken place, thextransplant and tissue is there for good, unlike injections with other
manmade substances that requireperiodic reinjection.

The surgery is simple and can be done under a local anesthetic with conscious sedation and recovery is quick. Minor bruising and swelling is expected and most patients who have the lips injected experience a greater amount of swelling. Within two or three weeks, however, all patients look excellent and can enjoy the results for a lifetime.

Allergan, the multi-specialty health care company and world leader in medical aesthetics (Botox, Juvederm and Natrelle Breast Implants), conducted an independent survey and found overall patient satisfaction with Dr. Robert D. Rehnke and the Center for Surgical Excellence to be 99.3%, when compared to their national database.

Allergan's national database is made up of over 340 Cosmetic Plastic Surgery centers in the United States. Clients were asked about the Surgeons' treatment and recommendations, customer service, patient education, and overall experience. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being excellent, 1 being poor) Dr. Robert Rehnke, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, scored a 4.96 average, an almost perfect score. For a copy of the survey, click on the link below.

Dr. Rehnke, an avid music lover, sponsors Rick Gee's Jazz Jamm series at the Mahaffey theater. For more information about Rick Gee go to Rick Gee's Jazz Jamm.com. For times, tickets and Featured Artist in the Jazz series go to Mahaffey Theater .com.

Written by Robert D. Rehnke, MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Modern plastic surgery approaches to facial rejuvenation have changed greatly in the last 15 years. They center around three key procedures that match up to the three zones of the face: endoscopic brow lift for rejuvenation of the upper third of the face; blepharoplasty and mid face lift for the middle third; and lower face and neck lift for the jowls and neck.

Endoscopic techniques make use of operating telescopes to enable complex surgical procedures to be performed through small incisions. This modern technology has been most successful in the upper third of the face where it clearly decreases the length of scars within the scalp when compared to standard open brow lifts. Two small incisions are made behind the hairline directly above the eyebrows and a slightly longer incision is made in each temple region. The endoscope and specially designed tools are inserted through these incisions to release and lift the skin and soft tissues of the forehead. Special scissors are used to divide and weaken the muscles between the eyebrows which are responsible for undesirable frown lines. We use dissolving sutures to hold the forehead scalp in the lifted position until post operative healing keeps it there permanently.