RIP – Dr. Daniel Ronel

It is with great sadness that I have to tell all of you that Daniel Ronel was killed last night in a head on collision in Albuquerque.

The family requests that any donations be made in Daniel’s name to the Espanola Valley Humane Society at www.evalleyshelter.org.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of Daniel’s patients, staff, associates and all of those who knew and loved Daniel. He will be more than missed by all of us who had the opportunity to have Daniel in our lives.

With many thanks and blessings to all,

The Ronel Family

Our new laser – The Beauty Beam – Specifically for skin tightening of the neck, lines around the eyes, and scars

That’s right! We now have the mother of all lasers that hits specific areas and works on skin issues that we haven’t been able to address with other lasers. Our new laser, which we’ll start using at the end of February, is going to focus on skin tightening and scars, even some stretch marks. And those fine lines around the eyes!

Before now, we’ve never really been able to make a huge difference in the neck without having a full-on face or neck lift. We’ve also never really been able to tackle stretch marks or scars before. Our new laser takes care of those problem areas and much more. Check out the video below as our aesthetician, Marian Urban and I, discuss our new laser:

As you saw in the video, we have these tricky areas on our skin that are harder to reach: the area around the eyes, the upper lip, the neck, stretch marks and scars. Please keep in mind that this isn’t a “one-time will do it” kind of treatment. It will take multiple visits and the amount will depend on how old the scar is, how deep it is, and how much sun it has been exposed to.

Here is part two of the Humanity Behind the Vanity where we discuss pain level of this laser and answer some questions you may have about scarring.

Another thing we mentioned is that the laser won’t interfere at all with Botox or Dysport. Rather, it will support both of those products, especially around the eyes. Give us a call at 505-988-8886 to schedule. For the first 50 people who come in and pay for one laser session, they’ll receive their 2nd one free. Don’t pass up this great opportunity!

Questions?

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Redefining myself through weight loss and plastic surgery- Guest post

I’ve been doing a series of guest posts lately so you could get inside what a patient has gone through and GOES through when he/she decides to undergo plastic surgery. I’ve just worked on a mother-daughter duo who have been documenting their procedures. We’ve heard from the daughter. Today’s post is from the mother.

I’ve struggled with saggy skin since I had my first child in 1970. I think of it as “dough belly” or “jiggly wiggly.” I was so small when I got pregnant, weighing 151.5 lbs at 9 1/2 months pregnant. My daughter weighed 8lbs 12oz. You couldn’t even tell I was pregnant if you saw me from behind. It was all baby. So, once I had her, the skin never went back to normal even when I got my weight back down to 117lbs.

After my second child, I started gaining weight and keeping it on. It just wouldn’t come off. I was also an emotional eater. I’d eat when I was happy, and I’d eat when I was sad. If I couldn’t eat, I’d feel deprived. It was my source of comfort. My husband was my food police and that didn’t help. I’d then reach for more food as if my own little way to rebel. I tried to exercise but I just hated it. I found nothing enjoyable about it at all. I now feel differently as I started on this path to really lose weight and find some sense of control. My top weight was 209lbs.

I felt like I needed a personal trainer to help get me off the ground. We belonged to a gym that was doing a group fitness challenge. I committed to doing it and didn’t let anything stop me. I weighed 186lbs when I went into the challenge. I had yo-yo dieted for years…it’s nice that I’m not dieting anymore. I’ve learned to make healthier choices, but that took time.

My husband had always promised that if I got the weight off, he’s get me a tummy tuck because I’d always wanted one. He stuck to his word. My daughter had found a doctor she really loved as she was researching to get a breast augmentation. She is very particular about these things and her research. We flew in from out of state. That’s how adamant she was about Dr. Ronel. So here we are…in New Mexico.

Her surgery was on Friday. She’s doing great. Yes, she’s been in pain, but it’s all been worth it. I had my surgery on Monday. So, I’m now three days into recovery for a thigh lift, tummy tuck and a breast lift with augmentation. I’m 61 years old. I decided to redefine myself. So, how do I feel?

The first couple days were rough. My daughter had to help me with everything. I’m impressed that I’m three days into it and feel I’m starting to turn a corner. I’m anxious to see what I look like with the dressings off and see the progress. Tomorrow, I go in for my first post-op exam. I’m excited because I’m starting to feel like a human being again. I’m in no way ready to part from pain medication. My body feels as if a train has hit it. This certainly isn’t easy but I know how much happier I’ll be once I recover fully. I also know I’ll be making much healthier choices from now on. I’ll keep you posted on how I progress.

If you have any questions for my patients or me, please post them. I’ll keep them in the loop.

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Plastic Surgery up in 2010

2009 may have seen a bit of a plunge in plastic surgery procedures, but 2010 saw a serious comeback in a number of different procedures, according to the newest stats published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Here are some of the most popular surgical procedures that rose in 2010:

• Breast augmentation procedures were up 2% in 2010 compared to 2009

• Breast lifts (Mastopexy) went up 3% in 2010 compared to 2009

• Breast reduction in men were up 6% in 2010 compared to the year before

• Buttocks lift (we’ve written about this) were up 5% in 2010

• Eyelid surgery (Blepharoplasty) was up 3% in 2010

Some of the most popular minimally-invasive procedures in 2010 were:

• Botox/Dysport treatments were up 12% in 2010 with over 5.3 million people having this procedure

• Intense Pulse Light treatment was up 7% in 2010

• Laser hair removal was up 5% in 2010

According to ASPS President, Michael McGuire, MD. “The current economic climate will likely not have an impact on long-term growth. The largest contributor to the increase in procedures over the past decade has been the advent of injectable wrinkle fighters and other minimally-invasive procedures.”

“It would seem, as innovations in cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures increase, surgery will continue to decrease,” added Dr. McGuire. “However, as the economy rebounds, more patients and Boomers will continue to seek surgical body contouring procedures (liposuction, tummy tuck), eyelid surgery and breast augmentations. In fact, breast augmentations are up 36 percent since 2000. Silicone implants are now used in 50 percent of all breast augmentations.”

As more and more people continue to get both surgery and injections, the technology and healing time will continue to improve. I’m excited to see the evolution thus far and even more excited to see where we go in the future.

Questions about these procedures or any others? Please let me know!

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Two days post surgery – Breast Augmentation guest post

For all of you who have been following along, one of my patients has been guest posting on her breast augmentation procedure. I just did the surgery this past Friday, and she sent me this post last night. Here you go. By the time I get this posted, I’ll be working on her mother. We’ll keep you posted on that as well.

I’ve posted a couple times in the past two months about my breast augmentation that Dr. Ronel was going to be performing on me. It’s now Sunday, and my surgery was on Friday. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t what I was expecting, mainly because I think I’m some kind of ninja and that it wouldn’t hurt “that” bad, and I’d be that one person that was like, “It’s no big deal if you do what you’re supposed to…” Granted, I kinda feel that way NOW, now that the first 48 hours are over, but it hurt…more than what I expected. Yeah, let’s talk about the first 48 hours.

I had heard rumors… “after” stories from my friends (all of whom have called to check up on me, btw) that once I got through the first couple days, I’d be much better, but that the first 24-48 hours were going to be hell, and that it would feel like a truck had hit my chest. Why don’t I believe these things? Well, they were right.

For those of you who’ve worked with Dr. Ronel, you know he’s pretty awesome. He’s one of the most humble, well-educated, sincere people I’ve met. My mother feels the same way, and her surgery is tomorrow. But back to that…right before I went in, the whole team who worked on me made me feel completely comfortable and happy. I knew going into it that I was in the best hands. Anesthesia started, I asked some stupid question about people trying to fight it, and that’s the last thing I remember before waking up. The crazy thing is I woke up, and I was dreaming about a friend of mine.

I didn’t really know where I was, but then I felt burning in my chest…then it hit me what was going on. I was like, “Okay, it’s done. I’m done. Phew.” As I started to fully wake from the anesthesia, I was pretty nauseated. I’ve never really been put under like that as an adult, so I didn’t know how I would feel. The staff took great care of me though by giving me medicine for that and pain.

But it hurts. No pressure can be applied. I’m moving slowly and carefully. I didn’t cry, but it’s intense. This morning, when I woke up at 4 am to take my pain medication (I’m staying ahead of it), I sat strait up in bed and meditated for 30 minutes. I visualized my bruises healing, my body moving, oxygen fully getting to all the proper places to make the healing go faster. I did this over and over until 30 minutes were over. I was amazed by the peace it gave me, how relaxed I was, and when I woke up (this is no joke), the bruising I saw on my body compared to the night before was astonishing. My mom was shocked. So, lots of ice, patience, rest, and don’t forget meditation/visualization the first two days. So far, it’s completely worth it. More later…

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Smoking and plastic surgery

It’s certainly no secret on how dangerous smoking can be in any situation, but in weeks leading up to a plastic surgery procedure, it’s even more important to quit ALL nicotine products.

Everyone at my office can understand how difficult this must be, but in order to give yourself the most proper chance at recovery, it’s worth the grouchiness and mood swings. Smoking can have dramatic effects on the healing process in a number of ways. If you smoke, it is hands down a longer healing period as well as an increased chance of scarring. Dr Adam Rubinstein, a respected Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Florida just talked about this subject on his talk show, and it’s the number one thing all surgeons agree on. Here’s why:

1. Nicotine (any nicotine product including the patch or gum) shrinks blood vessels. When blood vessels are smaller, there is less oxygen being delivered to your wounds. Your wounds rely heavily on this oxygen to heal. When it’s not there or coming in restricted amounts, your wounds simply can’t heal properly.

2. Tar gets built up in the lungs. When there is tar in the lungs, it inhibits proper oxygen flow there, which inhibits proper oxygen flow to all other organs in your body…including your wounds. Not to mention that if anesthesia is used, it can have serious effects on that as well.

3. There is carbon monoxide in cigarettes. Carbon monoxide actually binds to blood vessels, inhibiting oxygen to bind to them. The carbon monoxide stays alive in your body, attached to your blood vessels, until the blood cells die and new ones are created. If you’re still smoking, the carbon monoxide will cling to new blood cells, thus creating a vicious pattern.

These are very serious things to consider. If you’re going through a major surgery, the one amazing thing you can do for yourself is to quit smoking. Did you know that if someone stops smoking two weeks before their surgery and continues for two weeks afterwards, their wound healing becomes the same as a nonsmoker? That’s definitely worth it.

This barely touches the surface of this subject, but it’s so important to be honest with your surgeon about what you’re putting in your body. So, did any of you struggle with quitting smoking or nicotine products for your surgery? Let’s talk about this.

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