Labor Day 2016

Posted on

It is Labor Day! Enjoy your day of rest and relaxation. This means that tomorrow, all the kids go back to school, and my teachers have to return to work after a summer of vacation.  The rush of plastic surgeries for the teachers is over, and now they start coming to book for Thanksgiving and Winter Break.

The first weeks of September are usually quieter for most people in my field, and an excellent time for vacation for me. I usually work hardest when most people are on vacation.  Although I am a professional and highly educated, I am a servant to the needs of the public, and therefore must make myself available at their convenience.

The side benefit of this strategy is that when I take vacation, most people are working.  This means the vacation spots are less crowded, and sometimes even less expensive.  You have to look on the bright side of things, as every seeming negative usually has a positive hiding somewhere.

The year has been quite rewarding for the first 2/3. I have a solid and stable staff, we just refreshed the entire Surgery Center OR and Recovery areas, and are getting ready to launch our new website design.  Our transition to electronic medical records continues, and we hope to be paperless by the end of the year.

Please keep reading weekly, as some exciting news will be revealed over the next months.  I will share details as they become finalized.  Enjoy the last day of Summer (unofficial), and get ready for an end of year to remember.

Is it Okay to Visit Cuba?

Posted on

I was speaking to a patient the other day who was about to travel to Cuba. She is of Cuban descent, and she was born here in the US. She had mixed feelings about the trip, and would never have done it while her Cuban father was alive. He absolutely refused to return until the country was free.

I have other Cuban friends and patients, and the dividing line seems to be similar. The older generation wants nothing to do with the Castro government and is resentful of what they endured. The children are a bit unsure, but most want to see the island firsthand.

My patient told me that her children wanted to see where they were from, the places in the stories that there grandfather told them. The house where he was born, the building that he owned that is now home to 20 families. Even though he still has the deeds, there is virtually no hope of reclaiming it.

I understand both sides, and do not want to help a regime that has oppressed its people for so long unless my visit can somehow improve the quality of life of the people of the island. But how can I do that?

For now, I will wait and see what the future brings. There is no right answer, only what each person feels.

Ms RDUS 2016

Posted on

This Thursday, August 18th, will be the Ms RDUS pageant finals.  It is my 5th year as a patron of the event, and I must say that I enjoy it more each year.

Many people think it is about beauty and appearance, and to some degree they are correct.  The outward form is an important determinant of who might win.  As a plastic surgeon, specializing in cosmetic plastic surgery in the Hispanic community, why would I not want to celebrate latin beauty?

The best part of the event to me is meeting these young women.  Some are firmly American and were born in the US, barely speaking Spanish.  Others have not been here long, and for them, English is a struggle.  What binds them together is pride in being of Dominican heritage.

Dominican pride, to me, is not about wearing the flag in a parade or a bumper sticker.  It is about remembering where you come from historically, and taking those values and being successful in whatever field you choose.

It is okay to also be proud to be American, as this country offers so much to all who come.  You do not have to hide who you are or where you are from.  Make it so when people find out you are Dominican, they immediately feel positively about you.

That is why I am proud to know these women and support the event.  Ed Payano does an amazing job of organizing the pageant.  Support your community by not only coming to the event, but by being proud and setting a good example for the whole younger generation.

Early Results With Inspira Breast Implants

Posted on

Another breast augmentation blog!  Whenever something new comes out, I do my due diligence and report back to my patients.  When I was informed of the Natrelle Inspira line, I naturally read all I could and spoke to my implant people. I have been using these implants for 6 months, not exclusively, and find that they are not the only answer, but a very helpful tool in my implant arsenal.

Inspira is a silicone gel based breast implant of the traditional type.  It is not a highly cohesive gel, or gummy bear type.  What distinguishes it from the standard or classic gels is that the same dimension shell is filled to a higher percentage.  This results in a bit more fullness.

Inspira implants come in different profiles, which further adds to the options for custom tailoring each procedure to each patient.  I can select many different implants for the same size breast and create different looks depending on the personality and desires of each patient.

I find that for the patient who wants that little bit more upper pole fullness without looking fake, it is an excellent option.  My patient satisfaction has been extremely high so far, and I have not yet had a capsular contraction.  This most likely will happen at some point.

I would be happy to offer my advice to those of you who are considering breast augmentation.  Inspira may not be right for you, but it is worth considering.  The search for the perfect implant continues.

Aug August

Posted on

It is August already, and as Summer marches on, I am reminded of the Summer of 1998.  It was my second year in practice, and I was not as well known as I am now.  For some strange reason, I got an influx of patients for breast implant surgery.

I was so excited that my practice was growing, and that I was making it happen for myself.  With no real money and a lot of school loans, I had managed to survive a whole year as a solo plastic surgeon in Manhattan.  I could feed myself and afford rent on a one bedroom apartment outside the city.  Sadly, this was similar to when I was a resident in terms of my disposable income.

I had always been very good at selecting breast implant sizes, even as a student.  Spatially, I could see a woman and a photo of what she wanted in terms of breast size, and instantly know the implant size required.  I never use sizers during surgery, nor do I order multiple sizes for a single patient.  I had been fortunate to have a patient or two who didn’t mind sharing the fact that they had surgery with me.

It came to pass that in that month, I had a string of days where nearly all the cases were breast augmentations.  At that time, it was far and away a record for most implants in a single month.  We called it “Aug August.”

Now, I sometimes do that many implant cases in a week.  Don’t worry, the breast is yet to come.