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Four Questions for ‘Top Laser Expert’ Josh Fink, M.D.

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Dr. Josh Fink in his Mount Kisco office

Considered by many of his colleagues a top laser expert in Westchester County, Josh Fink is double board certified in internal medicine and pulmonary diseases, and is also a Fellow of the American Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery. In addition to his laser and cosmetic practice based in Mount Kisco, Dr. Fink is the Director of the Clinical Trials Program at Northern Westchester Hospital, where he and his team of Clinical Research Coordinators oversee all new and investigational therapies. Previously, he dedicated years of his professional life caring for the sickest of all patients in the Northern Westchester Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, where he performed most of the ICU procedures.

“Community is everything,” says Dr. Fink who makes sure that he donates to such causes as Force Blue and Operation Enduring Warrior, which are two Veteran causes he deeply cares about.

What draws clients into see you?

One of the most beautiful things about medical aesthetics is that it combines both Science and Art. As we age the brow sort of flattens a little bit, the cheeks splay outwards and we develop a jowl line. Face shape changes from heart shape to trapezoid. Part of that is due to collagen loss, loss of the elasticity of the skin and fat pads start to shrink as we age, asymmetry becomes more exaggerated.

I like to tell people to think of their facial structure as a table and tablecloth. The table is bone structure, fat, and volume while the tablecloth is the way it looks–wrinkles, pores, redness, and brown spots. We treat both the table and the tablecloth.

We’re known best for fillers and “neuro-modulators.” Things like Juvederm, Voluma, Restylane, Dysport and Botox. I have a background in art and think most fillers require the most artistic expression of any non-surgical based procedure. Lasers are fairly straightforward, fillers and the way you use them and the combination of fillers is very much artistry.

How do you customize your approach to each client’s needs?

I’m not likely to use long-lasting fillers on someone who has never had one before, as they may not like the look. So I may want to give them something that’s on the shorter lifespan of fillers and recommend coming back again in six months and we can do something that lasts a little bit longer. I suggest they grow into it and see if they like it. It’s a smart way of doing it.

There is no one size fits all. So if somebody comes in and says I want to have a pair of Angelina Jolie lips, but the problem is they don’t have the natural spacing for that to be done. We’re all cut slightly different. So when we do filler work, which is really the artistic part of esthetics, one size does not fit all.

Our eye gravitates towards symmetry, it’s really important. So we’ll measure angles and ratios because in beauty there’s science and in science there’s also math. So there is math to what we do, and we’ll actually measure out angles to see where we think what needs to be done and sometimes not often, but 20% of the time, someone will come in and I will say, I don’t think we should do anything with you. I think you look great.

What tends to be your clients’ biggest fears and concerns about any particular procedure?

Bruising. But people do bruise and bruises do go away. I think the biggest concern aside from the practical is they don’t want to look fake. We take care of hundreds of people in this community and I’ll ask [prospective clients], tell me the last time you saw somebody walking around here that looked that way. The nice thing about my practice is, people we’ve treated in the past, we’re still treating. I think to the credit of the practice, when we’ve had people who’ve gone to other locations I’d say half of them end up coming back here because the artistry is different. You can take the same doctors, the same fillers, and get completely different looks.

What are your best tips for optimal skin care?

Moisturizer and a sunblock are the most crucial. Everybody wants to look good when they need to look good but that requires you to do some maintenance along the way. You’re not going to take someone who is 55 and make them look 30, nor should you try. We want them to look really good for their age and that is something that I think can be done.

So stay out of the sun, don’t smoke, hydrate, wear your sunblock; avoid highly restrictive diets if not medically necessary (they can cause hair loss and acne), eat a rainbow of foods of all colors; good skin care products aren’t cheap, cheap products aren’t good and expensive products aren’t necessarily any better. So know your skin care products that you’re using.

There is a commitment that you make to your skin care because what you do when you come here is important but what you do every day that you’re not here is just as important if not more.

Calm, Cool and Collected: Home Furnishing Selections Arrive at Family Britches

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Family Britches current lifestyle look accentuates the pleasure of Chappaqua’s residential life and the calm, natural beauty that the Town of New Castle offers. The community’s bucolic feel is reflected in the natural texture, seasonal color palette and versatility of the new women’s and furniture collections.

Celebrating its 47th year in town, Family Britches occupies space on King Street that formerly housed the post office, a liquor store, a real estate office and a beauty parlor. When co-owners Barry Mishkin and Rick Buggee bought the building in 1972, the Chappaqua streetscape had a driveway that ran through from the back parking lot to King Street. They built a multi-level addition in 1984 to showcase women’s wear and boy’s clothing.

Freshly repainted, the inspired loft space is now stocked with handpicked items set under the building’s original overhead tresses. Visually appealing and intriguing pieces such as fiber pillows, fuzzy goatskin seats, woven fabric poufs, plush throws and luxe upholstery invite shoppers to settle in and enjoy the refined ambience.

Wonderful gifts, all at different price points, such as Buddha snowglobes, poured candles, organic aromatherapy and beautiful pottery are perfect for hostesses, for teachers and for newlyweds. Whimsical items for new parents and handcrafted jewelry designed and made by Family Britches employee, Stephen, including sculptural pendant necklaces and delicate beaded chains are tastefully displayed throughout the store.

Generations of patrons have long trusted Rick, Barry and the staff to graciously assemble outfits for work, relaxation and special occasions. Shopping at Family Britches has always meant the finest clothes that are fitted to the customer’s preferences. Munzer, the tailor, hand stitches each alteration on garments. Family Britches rewards clients who shop in the hassle-free boys department and the extensive men’s section with friendly service and an educated aesthetic. The evolving women’s selections currently features a large selection of contemporary casual spring/summer attire items that look cleaned up but also have a throw-on vibe, like t-shirts, hoodies, Frye boots, in combination with favorites such as Cambio jeans and Repeat sweaters.

“Come in to be inspired, it’s theatre.” Rick adds, “We want our customers to experience what e-commerce can’t deliver. We personally guide you through the best wardrobe options and provide exceptional quality, comfort and surprises.” Just as dress codes have shifted away from white-collar business garb, Family Britches contemporary selection reflects a more relaxed attitude and active, healthy living. The shop’s versatile clothing can be worn for both work and weekend activities, combining classic style with fresh upgrades.

Family Britches collaboration with J. Seitz, a Litchfield County, Connecticut retailer, brings one of a kind items as well as furniture displayed in composed decorative settings. Manufacturers such as Cisco Brothers and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams are known for eye-catching styles that are versatile and simple. J. Seitz offers a custom design service to help clients create a comfortable, stylish environment in their homes, whether traditional or contemporary interiors. “Beautiful pottery from artisan sources as well as cashmere throws and pillows of all kinds are also now available in Chappaqua.

You can now furnish your home as well as shop for clothes, in this new lifestyle shop,” states Seitz.

“The healthy 21st century hamlet is much more than a retail destination,” states the 2017 comprehensive plan for New Castle. Family Britches, a vital institution in this commuter town, is committed to always improving its presence on King Street and being aesthetically pleasing on many levels. “We want to give people more reasons to come downtown,” says Barry. “We want them to find a mix of things that are new and exciting to inspire them.” Family Britches’ serene and thoughtful store windows encourage a relaxed pace of shopping.

Customers who love Family Britches good taste and quality now can have a well-dressed home too, with furnishings, linens, bedding and accents that reflect today’s balanced cool and simple comfort.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF J.SEITZ

Discovering the True Gift of Dance… in an Operating Room

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When I started ballet in the 3rd grade, I was immediately thrust into the two worlds of dance: the world of practice and the world of performance. Practice consisted of endless classes and day long rehearsals where skills could be honed in the privacy of a studio. Mistakes were acceptable but promptly corrected and mastery of technique directly correlated with hours of hard work.

Performance, on the other hand, was different. The music enveloped you, bright lights illuminated you and as you look out on the dimly light audience between movements of carefully set choreography you realized there were hundreds if not thousands of eyes in the room…and they were all looking at you.

And while many people think dancers perform only for the applause, the truth is we perform for the intense, adrenaline-filled rush that accompanies successfully completing painstakingly practiced movements while under extreme pressure.

Although we practiced for months at a time leading up to our shows, inevitably every performance comes with its set of unforeseen errors. Props get dropped, people fall on stage, someone stands on the wrong mark, backstage lighting malfunctions, music starts too early or too late (or recently for our Snow Scene not at all!), but it is in those moments of chaos where true performers shine. Maintaining a calm demeanor when your heart is beating out of your chest, thinking up quick, effective solutions to unexpected snafus, and emotionally dealing with the embarrassment of a mistake cannot be learned in the ballet studio; it can only be learned on stage.

When I hung up my ballet slippers in 2011 after 13 years of dance, I felt a void in my life where performance had once lived; the adrenaline-filled moments I experienced on stage were gone. I resigned myself feeling this loss as the inevitable punishment for those who walked away from dance. But then, in my third year of medical school, I rediscovered the excitement in the most unexpected place: the operating room (OR).

In the OR for the first time, I felt an implacable but eerily familiar feeling. Scrub techs and circulating nurses were busy ensuring the surgeon had proper lighting and securing the patient to the OR table. After the patient was placed under anesthesia and covered with sterile drapes the room quieted as the surgeon and his residents entered. They gowned/ gloved up, the room lights were dimmed, the OR lights were turned on, and it hit me; I was at a performance! The OR had lights, cameras, a stage, and audience members. Principle, soloist, and corps dancers were replaced by surgeons, residents, and medical students. Each surgery had a carefully laid out choreography that required precise technique, impeccable timing, and hours of practice before show time.

In those early moments of my surgical training, I realized the gift ballet had given me–the gift of being able to perform. Thanks to years on the stage, it came naturally to me that I could think quickly while under the OR lights, improvise when something was going awry, and keep a calm demeanor when my heart was racing. In the Operating Room, confidence saves lives, and yet again, the confidence that my body would perform as I wanted it to under intense circumstances was there from day one.

To feel sure that you will actually help someone by cutting them open, inflicting wounds onto their bodies–which in any other setting is considered assault with a deadly weapon–and to believe after you have pieced them back together they will be better off (than if you had never touched them in the first place)…these are not convictions that can be learned in the library.

There are so many pieces of my life I am eternally grateful to dance for giving me: the best moments of my youth, great friends I still love seeing, a work ethic which got me through medical school, and the ability to thrive under the pressure of the OR.

Former dance students don’t say this enough to their instructors, and certainly not years later, but to Mr. Logrea, Mrs. Logrea, Nick and Carol, thank you for all the lessons and time you spent with me, I truly believe I am a better doctor and a better surgeon because of all of you.

From 1997-2007, Ari Bransdorfer, currently a first year Ophthalmology Resident at Montefiore Medical Center/Einstein College of Medicine, studied dance at Ossining’s Logrea Dance Academy www.logreadanceacademy.com  He returned as a guest dancer in 2008 and 2010.

 

 

 

 

A Catering Option, too, at Armonk’s La Mer Seafood

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Ed Wechsler, owner, La Mer Seafood, also actively caters for diffferent events.

Almost three decades ago, Ed Wechsler opened La Mer Seafood on Main Street in Armonk. At the time he was 22-years-old, already armed with a wealth of experience from working in top epicurean stores in surrounding towns. Back then, he focused mostly on fish but as lifestyles changed and consumer demand for organic foods skyrocketed, La Mer Seafood evolved and today it offers full service catering and mostly wild caught organic, locally-sourced fish.

Being in business for so long, Wechsler knows his customers and his fish. While Inside Armonk was in the Cape Cod nautically-inspired store, a customer walked in for lunch and asked for “the usual.” A few minutes later, he walked out with a homemade soup and lobster roll featuring fresh Maine lobster caught daily.

The store focuses on offering healthful and wholesomely prepared dishes. Wechsler believes fish works best with herbs and he avoids using butter, salt, flour and wheat. He can offer suggestions on how to prepare the fish and if you are a reluctant chef, his team can provide a homemade rub, marinade or dipping sauce to ensure a succulent dinner. “As in any five star establishment, our recipes are our own. We’ve been perfecting them for almost 30 years!”

With summer approaching, Wechsler and his team are at the ready preparing clambakes, lobster bakes and elegant hors d’ouvres, buffets and barbeques for pool parties, graduation celebrations and even weddings. Wechsler prides himself on choosing only the most friendly and courteous staff for set up, serving and preparing the food and clean up. In the past few years, La Mer Seafood has expanded its catering services and he now is busy year round with holiday parties and corporate catering events.

“We do a lot of cocktail parties, office parties communions and Bar Mitzvahs mostly in people’s homes. We supply the staff, the rentals, bartenders and everything is prepared from scratch and as healthful as possible.” La Mer Seafood also has partnerships with area caterers by providing seafood for En Vious Events and Culinary Angels, among other endeavors.

In addition to lunch and dinner specials, the “take and bake” option is also very popular with customers these days who are short on time. The staff will season the fish for you, place it in a small tin and then all the customer has to do is bake it in the oven. Wechsler is all about making the customer’s life easy and provides one-stop shopping with breads and other produce available at the store to round out a complete dinner.

It’s no coincidence that Wechsler is known as a “fishmonger extraordinaire.” He has intimate knowledge of every fish that is sold in his store. The fish is bought at the Fulton Fish Market (now located at Hunts Point in the Bronx) and his buyers get there early to get the very best selection. He is also a veritable wealth of nutrition information on virtually every fish in his store.

Wechsler prides himself on knowing where it was caught and how it was caught (wild versus farmed). He knows about fish farming techniques, mercury counts and use of pesticides in farmed products. Fish that is farmed outside of the US, Canada or Central America has different safety regulations and is often laden with pesticides and antibiotics. That’s why Wechsler prefers wild caught, and if he is going to purchase farmed fish, he prefers to buy organic.

Besides knowing his fish backwards and forwards, he knows his customers very well too. Being a mainstay of downtown Armonk for almost 30 years, he has a good rapport with many of his customers. “It’s not uncommon for someone to walk in and say I’ll have the same thing I had last week or my son wants to try something new what would you suggest and I already know her son doesn’t like salmon so I can come up with suggestions. I’m like the local bartender.”

Visit www.lamerseafood.net

 

Keeping Your Pearly Whites Healthy

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The waiting room of Dr. Aki Shirakura’s dental office in a historic home in Armonk is warm and welcoming with cozy armchairs and sunlight peeking through the windows. On top of the coffee table is a binder with patient testimonials and as you peruse through it, you’ll see many comments on his friendliness, professionalism, patience and gentle touch.

Dr. Shirakura has been practicing in Armonk since 2008 and is currently a faculty member at NYU Lutheran in Brooklyn.

He attended dental school in Buffalo, New York, and also completed three additional intense years in Prosthodontics at Eastman Dental Center at the University of Rochester. He has extensive experience in restoring and replacing teeth through the fabrication of veneers, implants and dentures and has performed full mouth reconstruction. He refers to his dentistry work as an “art”–the teeth must be functional and also improve the patient’s smile. Prior to moving to the United States, he was a dental technician in Tokyo for more than two decades which gives him a unique perspective on what he does and how he helps his patients achieve truly beautiful, healthy smiles.

As a prosthodontist he has worked to restore or replace teeth on patients that have been in accidents, had oral cancer or cleft palates. He also does cosmetic dentistry to help those patients who may have damaged teeth due to age, poor dental maintenance or those who just want to enhance their smiles.

Shirakura and his staff of nine employees provide regular dental check-ups and take care of many Northern Westchester-based patients from young children (even babies) to senior citizens. He recommends that patients follow the American Dental Association guidelines that now suggest that babies be seen as soon as their upper and lower baby teeth erupt so that they are on a good track for preventative care.

Recent scientific research is starting to show a link between oral health and general health. Shirakura urges patients to maintain their oral health with regular check-ups every six months.

Being in the dental field for more than three decades, Shirakura is pleased to see that “implants are becoming more of the gold standard in dental care with some good dental insurances now covering it.”

An implant’s success rate is very high compared to older procedures like a bridge, which can cause tooth decay over time. He also uses a 3-D CT scan on patients, which is safer and more multi-dimensional than traditional X-rays. Shirakura’s office contains an in-house lab, which is a huge bonus if teeth need to be quickly repaired. The practice also offers Invisalign and teeth whitening services. Shirakura is proud to utilize his background in geriatric dentistry to conduct dental check-ups as a volunteer on residents at the Bristal, an assisted living facility in Armonk.

In addition, his practice is an active member of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. This spring he hopes to teach local Byram Hills kindergarteners and first grade students about the importance of oral health.

Dr. Aki Shirakura and his staff