When it comes to products and services that can change how you look, one group in greater Lansing puts it all in perspective. With multiple specialties under one roof, Lansing Opthalmology focuses on comprehensive eye and skin care.

Examined through its widest lens, the decades-old practice offers vision-related services from traditional eye exams to advanced procedures like LASIK, no-stitch cataract surgery, and ReSTOR--inner-ocular lens implants, recently approved by the FDA. Related services include occuplastics and skin care, including both functional and cosmetic procedures around the eyes and on the face.

“As our population ages, there are lots of demand for ophthalmologic services, and it’s projected to increase substantially,” said Charles Dobis, executive director, of the group’s Regional Eye Care Center in East Lansing. “As ophthalmology has developed over the years, we began to add additional services and subspecialties that people need and desire.”

Lines of site

Lansing Opthalmology dates back nearly 40 years to its original location on Grand River Avenue, just off the 127 U.S. exit.

Starting with just three doctors, the practice has grown to 14 ophthalmologists, seven optometrists, and sizeable support and specialized medical staff. The practice’s main location is in East Lansing, with offices around central Michigan, including Lansing, Grand Ledge, Lake Odessa, Charlotte, Howell and a state-of-the-art retinal care center in Mount Pleasant.

Dobis said that while all aspects of eye care are increasing in demand, Lansing Opthalmology is also responding to the growing interest in cosmetic procedures related to the eyes and face.

“Certainly, there are more people out there interested in cosmetic procedures than there were 10 years ago,” he said. “And if there’s a demand out there, we’re going to try to provide that service.”

The practice’s ophthalmic plastic surgeon fills that niche.

“We perform what ophthalmologists traditionally don’t do,” said Charles Rice, MD, “like management of trauma, reconstruction and cosmetic surgery.  So where ophthalmology is geared toward surgery on the eyeball, I do surgery around the eyeball.”

Rice pointed out that many plastic surgeons are not as familiar with the anatomy of the eye area as the ophthalmic plastic surgeon.

“So, we fall into a no man’s land so to speak, where people require special training,” said Rice. “There are only about 400 ophthalmic plastic surgeons in the United States.”

Rice, in fact, is the only member of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in central Michigan. He’s proud of that, and pleased to have the privilege of providing top quality care to area residents so they don’t have to travel hundreds, even thousands, of miles for similar procedures.

“Plus, the patients we see here in the Midwest are very sensible about what to expect,” said Rice who hails from Arkansas. “They don’t have unrealistic expectations, and simply want to look their best.”

Seeing is believing

An ophthalmic plastic surgeon, Rice explained, is an ophthalmologist with special training in surgery of the eyelid, eyebrow and tear duct system.

Problems affecting the eyelids, tear system and adjacent face can be caused by birth defects, aging, tumors, trauma or general medical conditions such as thyroid disease. Depending on a person’s condition, prescribed surgery may be medical-functional or cosmetic.

From a surgical standpoint, the most common procedure is blepharoplasty--or surgery on the upper or lower eyelid area. Raising eyebrows to normal position--or browplasty--is another common surgical practice that has both medical and cosmetic appeal.

“There’s a duality involved,” said Rice of eyelid enhancements that can remove excessive skin or fatty tissue and reduce signs of aging. “This is particularly true in the upper eyelid area where the surgery not only can help improve vision by reducing eyelid heaviness, but also improve appearance.”

Rice offers new laser techniques to tighten eyelids in the lower area, which results in reduced wrinkling and dark circles. Lasers have also revolutionized the management of facial spider veins caused by sun exposure or rosacea, and treatment of pigment spots caused by the overproduction of melanin. Fillers, collagen-like materials used to fill in lines in facial areas, can be a first-line defense against aging. And Botox, now a common household name, is a familiar “old steady” of the ophthalmic plastic surgeon.

“Oddly, ophthalmologists were the first to use Botox,” commented Rice. “As surgeons, we’ve been using Botox since the 1980s to reduce tics and spasms in the facial area and improve vision. It was only in the mid-1990s that Botox became popularized for cosmetics.”

Other aesthetic or age-defense tools at Rice’s disposal are permanent cosmetics--or pigment applied into the superficial skin layer of the eyebrows, eyelids and lips.

“I don’t have an idea of how to put makeup on, so we have a registered nurse who does that,” he laughed. “We’ve found that many people are more comfortable having this done in a medical rather than a salon setting. We also provide the service at 50 percent off to people who have had chemotherapy or breast cancer.”

Skin deep

Because of the close relationship between seeing well and looking good, Rice bundled many of his services under a new line and label through Lansing Ophthalmology.

Opening in spring 2005, ARRIVA Skin Care provides treatments that can help rejuvenate the skin, as well as a clinic for facial cosmetic surgery.

“In my field, we often work a lot with dermatologists and ear, nose and throat surgeons in treating growths around the eye area, and removal of skin lesions,” said Rice, as he described what initially sparked his interest in skin care. “It’s a natural fit as a subspecialty, and together, we’ve been able to help patients better than we would have alone.”

With four staff, ARRIVA provides advanced services related to skin correction, anti-aging and age management, including facials, chemical peels, depigmentation, as well as pulsed light treatments that can remove age spots, sun damage and vascular irregularities. The 45-minute microdermabrasion is another popular service that manually exfoliates skin surfaces.

“The biggest difference from a salon is that we carry particular products and do certain procedures that you can’t get unless you’re under the auspice of a doctor,” said esthetician Olga Briseño. “That difference is what makes us unique to Lansing.”

Briseño, and fellow esthetician Beth Hunt are board certified, and share a combined 30 years of experience. To stay current, ARRIVA staff attends conferences with plastic surgeons and skin-care specialists, as well as study and research the latest products and treatments to help stimulate, firm and tighten the skin.

“It takes a lot to get on our shelves,” said Briseño of the line of home care products and high-end mineral makeups that can follow professional treatments. “We scout the very best in our industry, and don’t have a private label.”

ARRIVA’s clients come from all age groups, from teenagers to women and men in their 80s. The majority, both Briseño and Rice said, are women in their 30s and 40s who are just starting to notice the effects of the sun or other environmental factors, and want to prevent or slow things down.

“With the changing of our society, and more people staying in the workforce longer, more people do pay attention to how they look and want to look their best,” said Rice. “Usually, these are people who have a positive outlook on life. After all, no one can fault you for looking good.”