The Natural Look
The Lumen Center helps patients look and feel their best selves with minimally invasive and innovative techniques.
“Aging is a fact of life; looking your age is not,” or so the saying goes. The aging process eventually comes for all of us, and the reflection in the mirror starts to assume noticeable differences. Some may see crow’s feet around the eyes. Others may experience thinning hair. Love handles may become resistant to diet and exercise. Fortunately, we live in a time where we have some control over the process so you can look as good as you feel. Or perhaps there is the desire to look better, knowing it will restore self-confidence in the process.
Generations ago, social stigma around cosmetic procedures created hesitancy for many people looking to address such imperfections. It elicited a fear of looking overdone, obvious, or plasticized. But times have changed. Fueled by new technologies and innovations, more and more women and men of varying ages have found it more acceptable to seek treatments and procedures to help with their appearance. Ultimately, changing the narrative around cosmetic procedures has opened the door for the latest and most cutting-edge treatments to take center stage.
At The Lumen Center, located in Bryn Mawr, patients are proof that you can look good without looking overdone. Andrew Kwak, M.D., and his team specialize in providing natural-looking results—and making patients look like refreshed, more youthful versions of themselves. In some ways, they are turning back the clock and supplying the artistry to enhance their patients’ own features with as little downtime as possible.
“Ultimately, if you can look better, it has a tremendous psychological impact,” Dr. Kwak says. “What you see when you get up in the morning affects how you carry yourself through the day. If you have the wherewithal to do something that is going to make that better, it can have a positive impact not only on yourself but the people you interact with: your children, your significant other, and your peers in the workspace.”
A native Philadelphian, Dr. Kwak is a graduate of Episcopal Academy and Duke University, having received his medical training at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Pennsylvania. In 2005, as minimally invasive techniques began transforming medicine, he was inspired to found The Lumen Center, a cosmetic surgery practice blending cutting-edge treatment with compassionate care. These medical breakthroughs help reduce the risk and recovery time for patients, and can be offered in an office setting instead of an operating room, with no general anesthesia.
Dr. Kwak has been at the forefront of innovative technology and minimally invasive methods. He served on the faculty for the Penn Center for Human Appearance, and in 2005, was among the first in the nation to champion laser and ultrasound-assisted techniques for liposuction. He continues to lead the way with the most cutting-edge technology, which includes utilizing the ARTAS iX® Robotic Hair Transplant System, likely the only one in the Philadelphia region. In addition to using ARTAS robotic surgery, The Lumen Center utilizes the NeoGraft hair transplant system, and is one of only five practices in the entire country with both technologies. Both systems boast the ability to deliver a natural-looking hairline and permanent results.
Dr. Kwak has also gained a reputation for his artistry in performing fat-transfer procedures. This includes the Brazilian Butt Lift and natural breast augmentation, which harvests fat to increase volume in those areas as an alternative to implants.
“With little nicks in the skin, we can use lasers and plasma to heat the fat and safely remove it,” he says. “Fat is also an incredible material to rebuild areas to create shadow, contour, and a beautiful silhouette.”
Meanwhile, Shanna Amoroso, MSN, ACNP-BC, BS, a certified nurse practitioner who received her bachelor’s in nursing from Drexel University and her master’s in nursing from Georgetown University, provides a variety of popular injectable services. As an ICU nurse for more than 15 years, she often collaborated with the cosmetic surgery team on trauma cases. This led her to want to see a different side of medicine. She joined The Lumen Center in 2019.
People often seek out injectables because they offer a more affordable way to rejuvenate the skin with little to no downtime. Amoroso provides Botox®, dermal fillers, spider vein therapy, platelet-rich plasma for hair loss, QWO® for cellulite reduction, and sexual health treatments, including the O-Shot® to patients. In the fall, The Lumen Center will be launching new services using the revolutionary CoolPeel CO2 skin resurfacing laser and Subnovii Plasma Pen. Both noninvasive procedures can repair sun-damaged skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines, and improve skin texture—all with minimal downtime.
“I have the most amazing patients, and it’s been very rewarding,” Amoroso says. “They are very conservative in what they’re trying to do and want to maintain a natural look while aging gracefully.”
Just as important as providing innovative treatments and optimal results, Dr. Kwak and his team strive to give an exceptional patient care experience.
“From the moment we meet a patient at the consultation to up to a year after the procedure, we want patients to reach their best potential and be happy with the services we provide,” he says.
Furthermore, he is excited to see what the future brings—and the results he can deliver for patients—as the field climbs to new heights.
“I’m biased, but I think our staff here is world class, and I would put them up against anybody,” he says. “The thing that’s most important to me is to provide natural and discreet results that are truly excellent yet allow our patients to get back to life right away. If we can do that and provide a concierge level of service, that will continue to make us different and unique.”
The Lumen Center
919 Conestoga Road, #305
Building 2
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(610) 525-0606
LumenLaserCenter.com
919 Conestoga Road, #305
Building 2
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
(610) 525-0606
LumenLaserCenter.com
Photo by Jay Gorodetzer Photography
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, August 2022.
