Cyber Monday 2018

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Today is Cyber Monday, and all of my patients are on their favorite web enabled devices seeking out the latest and greatest deals available.  Cars, phones, tv’s and clothes at limited time pricing seems to motivate people, especially with the holidays and New Year right around the corner.

I am sure that some plastic surgeons will be getting in on the action, offering discounts or sale prices on surgeries, injectables, or skin care.  I would not waste your time looking for Yager Esthetics specials that day.

While I like to think of myself as progressive, innovative and young thinking, I am truly old school when it comes to the professionalism of the practice of medicine.  I am friendly, my office is decorated with style and color, I play current music and have young staff.  When it comes down to the actual patient care, I will not be trying to sell you anything.  If you come in to discuss a particular concern, that is what we will talk about.  I will not take the opportunity to upsell procedures or services.

In my opinion, plastic surgeons are not salespeople.  We are physicians, and should always put our patients’ best interests ahead of anything else.  Our duty is to serve and assist, and that is what I do.  I never talk money with patients, and I honestly do not know or want to know the cost of many of the things we do.  It keeps me focused on patient care.

So enjoy Cyber Monday, seek out those amazing “shopportunities”, and if plastic surgery is in your future, I hope you will come by and get nothing but an honest assessment of what you might need and a more than fair price to do it.

Thanksgiving 2018

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Another Thanksgiving at Yager Esthetics- this is our 22nd! Each year, we have a gathering for staff and family to show our thanks and appreciation for being together as a workplace family. We cook, eat, and relax in the space we normally work to make it feel more like home.

Being thankful is a powerful theme, and I am so thankful on many levels. I would like to use this blog to give a little recognition to those who mean so much to my practice.

Thank you, Anesthesia! Your attention to detail and patient safety and comfort makes what I do a great experience for each patient. I spend a lot of time making sure that surgery goes well, and no matter how perfectly I perform, if the anesthesia is not good the experience is ruined.

Thank you, clinical staff! You make sure I have what I need, and that each patient is well taken care of. You are my eyes and ears and I rely on your good judgment to help care for our patients.

Thank you, office staff! If you do not answer the phones professionally and have the knowledge to make sure that the proper appointments are made, I have no patients to see. Your warm greetings and interactions make each patient feel at home.

Lastly, my patients! You are the reason I work so hard. My mission since 1997 has been to provide a safe and excellent choice for cosmetic plastic surgery for the Hispanic community in Washington Heights and I have never deviated from that goal. It is you who sends me most of my new patients and extends my care through so many generations of so many families. I appreciate each of you.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Veterans Day 2018

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On Veterans Day, we honor those who have served in our military.  The sacrifices and dedication of our service people cannot be ignored.  It is fitting that we take a day to recognize those willing to fight to preserve our way of life, and to never take it for granted.

Interestingly, the field of plastic surgery really had its beginnings during the World Wars, where advanced techniques were needed to reconstruct the horrific injuries that modern weaponry inflicted upon our troops.

The innovations of the founders of plastic surgery in the modern era started the ever expanding role of our specialty to include virtually the entire body.  This extensive and comprehensive training in surgery and anatomy and physiology makes us the specialty with the most variations in surgical sites, and has lead to so many breakthroughs in other medical specialties.  The reconstructions that plastic surgeons can offer lets cancer surgeons be more complete in removing tumors and allowing function afterwards.

Cosmetic plastic surgery is a byproduct of all of the wonderful reconstructive procedures developed by our specialty, and I am grateful for all of the efforts of those who came before, as well as for the training I received to be the surgeon that I am today.

To our military veterans as well as the plastic surgery pioneers who saved their lives, I thank you for your service.

Mid Term Elections and Plastic Surgery

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I am far from a political person.  I do not believe in the two party system for government, and think both sides are doing a horrible job at fulfilling what a government is meant to do.  They are supposed to represent the people, not the parties, and each side wants the other to lose or perform poorly so that they can gain power.  The public is following suit, and angry people on both sides of the aisle are just hurling insults at each other. The philosophy should be that when the airplane is in the air, everyone should root for the pilot.

When I am in the operating room, nothing outside exists.  I do not care about your politics, race, gender, or prejudices.  I am trying to serve the trust you have placed in me by taking the very best care of you and delivering the best possible results.  I am the pilot when you go to sleep, and you would be wise to root for me.

My political advice is to make your voice heard. If you do not like either candidate, think about running yourself or supporting someone you believe in to run.  Throwing up your hands and complaining about it does nothing to stop the process, and allows the political parties to win.  They count on you forgetting, getting tired, and giving up.  It is very similar to the way some health insurances try not to pay your claim.

If your doctor does not treat you with respect, and you feel he/she does not have your best interests at heart, make a change as well.  When the public realizes that we truly have the power if we band together and use it for a peaceful and positive change, good things will happen.