Patience is a Virtue
May 13th, 2009
When my mother decided to have facial cosmetic surgery, she wanted it all. Her wish list included upper and lower eyelid surgery, face lift, forehead lift, and perioral chemical peel or dermabrasion for wrinkles around her mouth. It was my practice earlier in my career to consider doing several procedures at the same time. Generally the combined surgery could have lasted 6 hours. I suggested that we do these surgeries over a one year or two period, spaced at six month intervals, since she had a minor heart dysrrythmia. Physiologically, I though this would be easier on her. Little did I know, it would be easier on me, as well.
Her first surgery was the face lift. It was done as a singular surgery and took only two and a half hours. We used local anesthesia with sedation. She had very little pain and was ready to go out for dinner in just a few days. I noticed she was swollen but not like my other patients which would have had several surgery at once. Six months later we did her forehead lift and lower eyelid surgery. Finally, a year or so after her face lift, we did her upper eyelid surgery and upper and lower lip dermabrasion. With each surgery, she had very little pain and minimal swelling or bruising. I am still amazed that she joined me on a slow walk of about two miles on the day after her forehead lift and lower eyelid surgery!
Now I rarely do combined surgeries anymore. I have learned that narcotic pain medications can usually be eliminated when surgical procedures are done individually. Safety and reduced recovery time are enhanced with reduced operating time. Patients can usually be out and about within a couple days. It alleviates any pressure to hurry and allows me to take my time in providing the desired result, thus improving patient satisfaction. I have extended this practice to limiting procedures in all areas of surgery. Because of excellent results in my single surgery routine, I choose not to operate on more than one area of the body, except in the case of liposuction. Patience has its rewards!
What My Mother Taught Me
May 12th, 2009
Almost twenty years ago a 73 year old woman approached me regarding upper eyelid surgery. She had lost her husband some 5 years prior. Having completed her grieving, she was ready to become socially active again. I knew she had grown up during the Great Depression on a farm in western Pennsylvania. She had been a nurse while her deceased husband had been an iron worker for 30 years. Their entire life had been very frugal and simple. They had retired to Yuma, Arizona.
She had a minor heart condition and needed cataract surgery. I didn’t believe cosmetic surgery was “right” for her, so I insisted she proceed with cataract surgery. She completed cataract surgery in both her eyes, following all the after-care instructions. In the interim, she began talking about not only eyelid surgery but also face lift, forehead lift and lip chemical peels. She finally insisted on having cosmetic surgery after I had deflected her request some three years earlier. Now she wanted it all, if I didn’t do it she would go elsewhere!
I took her aside and said, “Mother, I think I understand. Here is what we can do and it will take some time.” Over the next year or two my mother had the works, one procedure at a time. She is now 93 years old and has been sharing her life with a younger man (85 years old) for the past 19 years. It was having a new man her her life that had kindled her desire to ditch the wrinkles. She not only looked younger, but she also had a renewed interest in living life.
This experience taught me many things. Age is a relative term and it is unclear why something starts to bother us, when it hasn’t been an issue before. Life changes may contribute to embracing new perspectives and perhaps lead to actively seeking some type of transformation. You are never too old to want to look your best!
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