Pope Francis in New York

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Last week, Pope Francis made his visit to New York City.  Of special interest to my practice, he is from Argentina as are many of my patients.  The great majority of my patients, being from the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean and  Central and South America, are Catholic.

The meaning of a Hispanic Pope to the community is difficult to describe.  Christianity was brought to these countries centuries ago, and missionary work still continues in most.  The devotion and dedication to the church is still of major importance in virtually all of them.

To see a Latino be considered the leader of the most powerful religious group in the world instills a pride not only in the Argentinian community, but amongst all of the Spanish speaking cultures. It means that they are not just the “little people” in the giant machinery of Roman Catholicism, but equals on every level.

The perspective of the pontiff has been eye opening.  He is addressing areas long thought to be taboo, and appears to be concerned with doing the right thing despite the grumblings of the old guard to maintain the status quo. People truly love him, and he embraces all with a holiness and humility that is genuine.

To me, he is the symbol of the Hispanic in today’s world- rising in power, and ready to effect real change for the better.  Welcome to New York, Pope Francis! Come to Yager Esthetics- you heal the spirit, I have the body covered.

Five Years of Y Gallery

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After our last expansion of Yager Esthetics, we installed a free art space for Hispanic artists called the Y Gallery.  In its 5th year, we have showcased some terrific artists from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Spain.  It has been also used in conjunction with the debut of a book of poetry and performances by live musicians.

The whole idea of Yager Esthetics is to provide a space for the art of plastic surgery and nonsurgical treatments specialized in the Hispanic beauty ideal that the whole community can be proud of.  Anyone who has been to our office knows exactly what that means.

It has been gratifying to be able to support so many deserving artists with the proceeds of my practice.  While our fees are quite reasonable for the services we provide, it is still important to give back to those who support you.  Y Gallery has been especially dear to me, as I consider myself an artist as well as a lover of art.

I encourage you all to visit the Y Gallery in my office to appreciate the creative energy of the space, and to enjoy the art.  Also, you can sign up to be informed of special artist nights in the gallery where you can meet the artist and discuss the work.

Thank you all for trusting me with your beauty, and for helping me keep Y Gallery as a resource for our community.

You Can’t Argue With Crazy

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When I first heard this phrase, it totally changed my practice.  As a Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon, all of my patients are choosing to have surgery- it is all elective.  Being exceedingly well trained and Board Certified, my thoughts opening my practice were that if I did everything right in the operating room, the patient’s personality or demeanor were secondary.  Who could be unhappy with a good result? I then learned that the patient’s personality and demeanor were the MOST important part of my job.  It doesn’t matter how well you do the surgery, it matters how the patient PERCEIVES the result.

After more than 18 years in private practice Plastic Surgery, I can tell you that the key to happiness in my profession is happy patients.  I can also tell you that superb results do not always result in happy patients.  The key is to identify them before surgery is performed and tell them no.

If you can look at a before and after picture side by side that shows a great result, and the patient says she sees no difference, something else is going on.  Either it didn’t fix a relationship issue, they did not get the feedback they wanted, someone in their life said mean things to them, or they are crazy.

If someone’s expectations were not met, you can reason with them and explain what is possible.  Usually they realize that things went well, and ideally are happy.  If they are unable to see reality, explanations or conversations are meaningless.

I try to not operate on crazy people, but I some occasionally slip through the cracks. Afterwards, they become my difficult people. If you are crazy, please do not come to my office. I love what I do, but there are some patients I can not help.

Labor Day

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On Labor Day, I like to think not only of celebrating the end of summer and the start of school, but how hard I have worked over the last year.  It had been more than a year since I took a vacation and time away leads to reflection.

One of the things that distinguish my practice from other plastic surgery practices is how hard my patients work for their money.  There are plenty of Park Avenue doctors who charge what they wish for patients with bottomless bank accounts and nothing but time on their hands.  At Yager Esthetics, I have patients from all walks of life- from housekeepers to the Presidents of the Hotels they work in.  They all are treated the same here.

On Labor Day, I appreciate my hard working patients.  I know it is a sacrifice to realize the dream of improving your appearance and some finance or save for years to achieve it.  I am both grateful and humbled by the confidence that they place in my abilities.

So, to the tens of thousands of people who have visited me at Yager Esthetics over the last 19 years, thank you.  Take this day and relax- you have earned it.