Seattle Plastic Surgeon is thrilled with her recently restored 84 year old double hung windows.

They just don’t make windows like these anymore.

One of the things I just love about my 1929 home is the old, wood double hung windows.   They are drafty and rattle in the wind and keep my home so very, very well ventilated.   But recently they needed a little TLC to get them back into working order.

I know it is fashionable and oh so green to replace these old windows with new, hermetically sealed windows and I have looked into doing just that.   But all the new windows I have seen are just not quite right for my old house.

I found a craftsman, Martin Muller,  who does nothing but fix these old windows and he’s working on mine at this very moment.   He has a deep affection and appreciation for these wonderfully functional and beautiful windows and his goal in life is to keep as many of them out of landfills as possible.  That sounds green enough for me!

Mr. Muller has three down and about 8 more windows to go and his attention to detail is really showing in his results.  The windows he has restored now positively glide as smoothly as butter.  And the upper sashes lower easily to allow for maximum air movement when my little brick house heats up like a little brick oven in the afternoon sun.   Air conditioning?  I don’t need no stinkin’ air conditioning!

I just love detail freaks like Mr. Muller and craftsmen like him.   They remind me of plastic surgeons!

Thanks for reading.  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Seattle Plastic Surgeon wishes everyone a Happy First Day of Spring.

Hellebores, a.k.a. Lenten Roses love Seattle’s wet winter and early spring.

Today is the first day of spring and a storm is heading Seattle’s way.  It is supposed to hit mid-afternoon and bring wind up to 50 m.p.h., rain, sleet and/or snow and even a little thunder.

I made it a point to get out for a first day of Spring walk early this morning before all heaven broke loose.  I took my dog, Stella, to Seattle’s Parson’s Garden which is a teeny, tiny pocket park about a mile from my home.

I was delighted to see so many Hellebores in bloom.  They are my favorite winter perennial.    They bloom during Lent hence their common name Lenten Rose.    They are truly a 3 or even 4 season attraction to a mixed border garden.  Their blooms look great even months after Easter and most varieties have lovely foliage.  They look very delicate but are very hardy.  I’m quite confident that they will survive whatever the storm brings us today.

Thanks for reading.   Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Seattle Plastic Surgeon thinks her patients are the best.

Earlier this week one of my patients had bruises all over her body and I was a little worried about her until she told me that she and a bunch of friends had competed recently in a Muddy Buddy Race.  I knew what she was talking about because the Seattle Times had covered this race and after reading the article and seeing the photos, I thought,  ”I bet that is a lot of fun!” 

But now after seeing those bruising and hearing a first person account of the obstacles (an ice water “hot tub”, being hoisted up many climbing walls, and electrical shocks) and a waiver that is called the DEATH WAIVER, I think I will leave that sort of fun for others.  But I am so proud that one of my patients was a finisher. 

Do my patients rock or what? 

Thanks for reading!  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Seattle Plastic Surgeon is a big fan of this very Seattle-ish tradition.

Every late winter/early spring, when the city of Seattle is just about ready to move to Phoenix the Moisture Festival saves the day.

This quirky vaudevillian celebration of human weirdness runs for several weeks at various venues in Seattle.  It showcases jugglers, comedians, contortionists (my husband’s favorites), aerialists, musicians, unicyclists, bubble masters and even a guy who makes sandwiches with his feet and then gets members of the audience to eat them.   What is not to loooooove?   All of this for $20!!!

Soooo, if you need a few laughs, check out a show.  The Comedy/Variety shows are PG rated and fine for the kids.   (My daughter loves the Moisture Festival and wants to be an contortionist when she grows up).  The over 18 shows are for adults only and showcase Seattle healthy burlesque scene and, although I do not have proof, probably some nice plastic surgery work!

Thanks for reading.  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Seattle Plastic Surgeon blogs about the lessons learned in the play, Pygmalion, now playing at Seattle’s Intiman Theater.

Mark Anders as linguist Henry Higgins and Jennifer Lee Taylor as Eliza Doolittle. Her décolleté is so lovely, he dare not look!

Last night I soooo enjoyed attending Pygmalion at Seattle’s Intiman Theater.  There is something about live human beings on stage telling a story through words and action that just touch my soul so much more than film or television ever does. 

 Pygmalion, as most of you probably know, refers to the story of the artist who fell in love with his own sculpture of the “perfect woman”. 

The play, written by George Bernard Shaw and made into the musical My Fair Lady, tells the story of Linguist Henry Higgins turning the gutter snipe Eliza Doolittle into a Duchess.  In the end of course, he learns as much from her as she does from him.  It’s a great story of class and money and manners and empathy and for the plastic surgeon in the audience, the importance of sun protection on the ever important  décolleté .  

The  décolleté  is so often exposed to the sun and, unlike the face, is not amenable to deep chemical peels or laser treatments to treat the sun damage.  Therefore, prevention is paramount.  I recommend adding quick spray of Neutrogena spray-on sun block every morning to the décolleté  to every woman’s morning skin care routine.  It takes but a second or two and helps maintain skin health in this most important female landscape. 

I also highly recommend seeing this delightful play!

Thanks for reading.  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Seattle Plastic Surgeon prepared to walk (or ski) to work tomorrow if the weather folks are right.

Three years ago we had a mother of a snowstorm right before Christmas and I found myself walking to work.  The streets were a hilly ice rink littered with spun out cars and busses and at least one (I’m not making this up) motor home with bald tires.  I wasn’t about to risk my beloved 1991 325ix, and my dog sled was in the shop.  I live about 5 miles from my office and it took me about 1-1/2 hours.  I do a lot of hiking and skiing so I have all the gear for such excursions and like I said; I love snow.

I have a couple of surgeries scheduled over the next 2 days and I just want to assure those patients that if they show up, I’ll show up!  Surgery patients are very, very motivated to make it in for their case.  After all, they have psyched themselves up, arranged for time off work, child care and all the stuff that is necessary for a smooth recovery.  Rescheduling surgery is a real hassle and those of us involved with surgery know it.  So if you see some hardy souls trudging through the snow tomorrow, it just may be a surgeon or even a patient heading in for their surgical appointment.

Thanks for reading.  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder, Seattle Plastic Surgeon and still a Snow Bunny after all these years.

Seattle Plastic Surgeon breaks the ice at a party with her Tuzzie Muzzie!

There’s a Tuzzie Muzzie to complement any party frock.

Last Friday I attended my very first Twelfth Night Party.  It was a fancy affair with cocktails, dinner, dancing, and dessert buffet at Seattle’s Women’s University Club.

You readers of my blog may find this a little hard to believe, but I am quite shy and I was a little concerned that I only would know one person at this fancy affair.  I needed a little wardrobe courage  so I wore my playful Tuzzie Muzzie.  This little, whimsical party hat is a great ice breaker and conversation piece.  It has served me well over the years.

Shorty after walking in the door into a sea of strangers, I was approached by a lovely gentleman who knew a lot about this particular party accouterment.  I learned that the generic name for these fancy head pieces is “Facinator”  and they are all over the place in the British party scene and the Kentucky Derby.   I had no idea.  I guess this Seattle gal needs to get out more or at least pay more attention of Royal Weddings and horse races!

I had a lovely time at the party and I know that my Tuzzie Muzzie was a big help.

I now feel lucky that Seattle has it’s own Facinator milliner.  You can either shop online or go to Crackerjack in Seattle’s Wallingford Center and try one on.  And make sure to wear it to your next party, especially if you won’t know many people and are a little on the shy side.

Thanks for reading!  The rather shy Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Seattle Plastic Surgery, Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder blogs about her newest obsession and Seattle’s lousy summer.

Last weekend my daughter and I went to Swanson’s, which is a lovely nursery in north Seattle.  We had a light lunch at the cafe and then went browsing.  (Now that I am most definitely a woman of a certain age, I would rather cruise a nursery than a boutique).

Marie and I saw it as the same instant, just sitting there like a beautiful young orphan, so tiny and out of place with the much taller quotidian deciduous ornamental trees.  And we fell hard for this Japanese Umbrella Pine.  I put it on our cart and found a staff member to ask about it.  He could have said you need to water it with sterile thrice deionized water 4 times a day and apply platypus feces as a side dressing in the spring and fall and I would have still purchased this beauty.  Actually all he said was that it will grow to 20 feet over 20 years and I can’t let it dry out.

And drying out won’t likely be a problem, at least this summer.  While the rest of the nation is sweltering and frying, Seattle is experiencing the coldest and wettest summer in any one’s memory.  But this is good for my sweet, beautiful Japanese Umbrella Pine.  It is native to the rain forests of Japan and I’m sure I can keep it happy in the rain forest of Seattle.

So what does this have to do with plastic surgery?  Okay, how’s this?

• Just because it’s cloudy, you still need sunscreen!
• And the real reason I do plastic surgery is to support my gardening habit.

Thanks for reading!  Seattle Plastic Surgeon and Plant Freak, Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Another lovely day in Seattle

Plastic Surgeon just loves practicing in Seattle.

An article in the Seattle Times today confirmed that Seattle has had one of the wettest, coldest springs in recorded history. My Vitamin D level is probably undetectable. But……..

I still love it here and here is why. Earlier this week I was at the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (www.surgery.org) and got a little taste of what patients in some other parts of the country want in the way of plastic surgery. When it comes to breast implants, it’s “go big or go home”. Ditto for buttocks. Ditto for lips. With liposuction, it is the six pack look for women. Some of these patients after surgery reminded me of some comic book heroines.

I love having patients who have a healthy and realistic idea of what the beautiful human form ought to look like. Almost all my patients share my idea that it would be nice to come out of surgery looking like it could have – on a very good day – occurred in nature.

Maybe my low Vitamin D is just making me cranky, but I just don’t like that totally fake look and (as further proof of an ever loving God), neither to 99% of my patients.

Thanks for reading!  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder

Beautiful moss weather we’re having

Seattle Plastic Surgeon discusses the joys of a soggy climate.

The front page of the Seattle Times today featured a great story on moss. We’ve had one of the wettest and coldest springs in recent memory and the moss is just loving it. I must admit, when I was in college and taking botony, I had a great admiration for moss, especially when I got down to moss level and really looked at it. And under the microscope – wow.

Everyone with a moss garden is estatic about this weather and I also think anyone who cares about their skin should be estatic too. I spend the winter months slathering on skin cream because I get so dried out and the summer months I slather on sun block, but the last two months I’ve headed out the door with just a dollop of sun screen on my face and that’s it. It’s so moist here, my dry skin just soaks up the ambient humidity and with this cloud cover, I can be a little lax about endless my battle with the UV. Let’s here it for Seattle’s moisture festival!

Thanks for reading!  Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder