WHEN YOU hear the words “ medical spa ,” you might think of eye lifts and hair replacements , but the founder and head of Allure Medical Spa , Dr . Charles Mok , has a long-term vision . He wants to affect every aspect of his patients ’ health . “ Our treatment options are immediate , positive , and certain ,” says Dr . Mok , “ because we know that by offering that kind of care , we can encourage our patients to be active partners as we help improve their lives .”
Since Dr . Mok first opened Allure in 2004 , he and his team have branched out into performing advanced techniques to treat varicose veins , innovative new procedures for tummy tucks and breast augmentations and reductions , and cutting-edge stem-cell therapies . Dr . Mok ’ s staff is also cross-trained to recognize and promptly address problems that patients may not even know they have , like skin cancer . Having doctors from various specialties — dermatology , phlebology , bariatrics , nutrition science — on the Allure team means that patients have access to a wide range of expertise and care .
One of Dr . Mok ’ s recent areas of focus is hormone replacement therapy ( HRT ) for women , specifically with regards to how testosterone treatments can be helpful for women ’ s daily and long-term health . Recent advances in HRT research indicate that starting testosterone treatments at or around the time of menopause not only alleviates typical menopausal symptoms but also protects women from heart disease and breast cancer . In fact , Dr . Mok points out that women who receive HRT at the start of menopause have a 40 percent less chance of having a heart attack , a statistic that convinced him to become an advocate for considering women ’ s testosterone needs when treating menopause .
“ My typical patient is a menopausal woman who wants to take care of herself , who wants to have sex , who wants to look good . She wants to be healthy ,” he says . “ Yet when these women see a doctor , they ’ re told ‘ Well , we ’ ll give you more antidepressants until you don ’ t care .’ That led me to write my first book , Testosterone : Strong
Enough for a Man , Made for a Woman . I spent about two years reading everything I could about HRT — at least 10,000 pages of medical literature on the subject — and I realized that we had to start impacting our community . Because mathematically , with HRT , we ’ ll have a certain number of fewer deaths per year from breast cancer and heart disease . While that doesn ’ t mean women are going to be immortal , at least they ’ ll live healthier longer .”
Another recent area of interest for Dr . Mok is stem-cell therapy . He has seen it benefit patients suffering from degenerative conditions and autoimmune diseases such as knee arthritis , heart disease , emphysema , asthma , and lupus . Multiple sclerosis ( MS ) also responds well to stem-cell treatment , a fact that has been particularly rewarding for Dr . Mok given his personal interest in treating MS — his grandmother and aunt both suffered from the disease .
“ The reason stem-cell therapy works so well for MS is not so much that it ’ s replacing the cells . It ’ s that the stem cells are extremely anti-inflammatory ,” he explains . “ Stem cells typically lead to a positive response in the case of any autoimmune disease .”
This kind of visionary care is why Allure
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WE KNOW THAT BY OFFERING THAT KIND OF CARE , WE CAN ENCOURAGE OUR PATIENTS TO BE ACTIVE PARTNERS AS WE HELP IMPROVE THEIR LIVES .
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26 SPRING 2017