Maybe the Franchise Model Just Doesn’t Work for Something as Personal as Plastic Surgery?
I got word yesterday of the closure and pending bankruptcy of “Lifestyle Lift”. You have to be living in a cave not to recognize this name and their pitch for a “one hour face lift under local anesthesia” and their very pretty spokeswoman, Debby Boone.
Years ago, I was approached by the Seattle Lifestyle Lift with the offer of a part time job which I graciously turned down. I cannot do a decent facelift in anything under three hours and I seriously doubt that even the speediest of surgeons can do much of anything in just an hour with the patient squirming away with only local anesthesia on board. Also, I was turned off by their one facelift fits everyone approach. Facelift, like just about every surgery a plastic surgeon does, is highly individualized. That’s one of the many things I love about my work. I never do exactly the same operation twice. (Well, I take that back. I did do breast implant surgery on a lovely set of identical twins about ten years ago.)
I just don’t think a franchise is a great business model for surgery in general and plastic surgery in particular.
I will not miss seeing their ads and I am sure Ms. Boone will find another gig.
Seattle Plastic Surgeon clears up some confusion about postoperative “issues.”
I recently did a pre-operative visit on a lady who will be having a face lift next month. We have patients read an extensive informed consent document and discuss any issues that arise from that document. She was most concerned about nerve damage that may leave her face “paralyzed and numb.” This got me thinking about surgical complications and trade offs.
Facial paralysis after a face lift is an exceedingly rare (as in it has never occurred in any of my face lift patients) but possible complication of face lift surgery. That is in contrast to facial numbness after a face lift which is not a complication at all. It is a trade off meaning that it happens because of what the surgeon must do to accomplish the face lift. In raising or peeling up the skin on the face, many teeny, tiny sensory nerves are cut and this leaves the face numb until those teeny, tiny sensory nerves grow back and the sensation returns (this usually takes about a year).
Here is another example: A trade off for a tummy tuck is the hip to hip scar. An incision must be made to remove the excess skin and all incisions heal with a scar so a normal scar is not a complication. It is a predicatble and expected trade off. Now if the skin on either side of the incision becomes infected or falls apart and the scar ends up being really wide or indented, that is considered a complication. It was not expected.
Complications are not expected but can happen and patients need to be aware of their risks. Trade offs are expected and will happen and patients need to be accepting of them.
Wow, it was good to get that cleared up, at least for me it was. Thanks for reading! Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder
Seattle Plastic Surgeon discusses the promotion of stem cell face lifts by ethically challenged physicians.
Pssstttt …. I’ve got a Stem Cell Face Lift for sale.
Recently I have had several inquiries about “stem cell face lifts” and whether or not I perform them. There must be someone out there promoting this as the latest and greatest fountain of youth. That someone is probably deceptively promoting him or herself as a plastic surgeon with a magic wand.
A little background on stem cells: These are little baby cells that can differentiate into almost any adult tissue. Research on stem cells is one of the hottest areas of biology and with good reason. Figuring out how to turn on the right genes in a population of stem cells could lead to tissue and organ engineering and amazing advances in the treatment of human disease and injury.
Adult fat tissue has a lot of stem cells. Cool, huh? Who would have thought that Mother Nature would pack away these tiny powerhouses of potential in our blubber? Stem cells can be isolated from fat tissue in the laboratory using very sophisticated equipment . This equipment is not something available to physicians working in a clinical setting. Stem cells are not being isolated from fat and injected into human faces.
So what’s the deal? Fat transfer for facial rejuvenation has been around for 20 + years and is becoming more and more popular as we understand the aging process better and also get better with the very fussy techniques required for successful fat transfer. I’ve been doing fat transfer for facial rejuvenation for 15 years. Fat transfer does something that is very obvious: it plumps up a deflated face and makes it more youthful appearing. It also does something else that has been observed by those of us who do fat transfer: it improves the qualityof the overlying skin. And this qualitative improvement is likely the effect of stem cells that come along for the ride with the fat. So the “stem cell face lift” practitioners are doing fat transfer but are promoting it as something new and unique. It’s a little like calling a jelly donut a new type of fruit serving.
Seattle Plastic Surgeon wishes Happy B-Day to those ageless boys of the Rolling Stones.
It’s hard to believe that the orginal Bad Boys of Rock ‘n’ Roll first went had their first gig fifty years and one day ago. Several years ago, Marianne Faithful wrote Memories, Dreams and Reflections about her high times with the band and rumor has it that Keith Richards gave her a call to tell her he didn’t really care what she wrote about him but to be sure to let her readers know how much fun they had. Further proof that time flies when your having fun. I haven’t read Marianne’s memoir but I’ve read Keith’s. It’s a good read, especially about the early days in post WW II England and how he gets that unmistakable sound on his guitar.
I’m not sure I would call the Stones examples of graceful aging but they have sure made it look much better than the alternative which of course is dying young and leaving a good looking corpse. One thing they all have in common is that they DID NOT GET FAT. Not many dudes can fit into their circa 1962 jeans but these dudes can. Staying lean is obviously not good for the face but that’s what fillers are for.
My favorite Stone’s song is Gimme Shelter but Satisfaction is my all time favorite party sing-along song. It’s so fun to play that opening riff and seeing everyone (well, I guess almost everyone) perk up and start tapping their feet. What’s your favorite Stone’s song??? Let me know.
Seattle Plastic Surgeon won’t donate surgery to her children’s school.
My children’s school had its annual fund raising auction this past weekend. This year was a 60’s theme and we all got to dress up like hippies. It was a blast.
Every year someone inquires about me donating surgery to be auctioned off and I always have to decline. The two national associations I belong to – the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery forbid the donation of surgery to raffles, auctions, wet t-shirt contests, and the like by their members.
When one gives this some thought, it is a very good policy. These events are set up to get participants excited and enthusiastic so they will bid higher or buy more tickets and the winner of the item may never have had an inkling to purchase such a service and in fact may not be a good candidate for a particular service. I would hate to see an unhealthy, overweight, indoor tanning, 2 pack a day smoker in my office expecting a face lift because he or she was the high bidder at the auction. Participation in these events really undermines the usual process of doctor and patient selection. We are allowed to donate non-invasive procedures such as skin care, Botox and filler injections because these have a much broader range of appropriate patients than surgery.
This year I donated our medical skin care system, Obagi Nuderm. It works like a charm for fine lines and uneven pigmentation and is safe for just about everyone. I know the lovely woman who had the high bid this year and I am looking forward to helping her transform her complexion. It’s a win, win, win. She gets great skin, I get a great patient and the school gets a nice chunk of change.
@lisalynnsowder
