New Years and Plastic Surgery

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In a few days, 2014 will be in the past.  This has been the fastest year of my life, and I never even had a feel for it.  The seasons and weather were odd, and it never really felt like it got going.  So, as always, the question becomes, what can I do to make 2015 even better at Yager Esthetics?

This past year was quite successful, in both patient care and community service. We added Exilis Elite for skin tightening, new skin care and stretchmark treatments, improved scar reduction techniques, and enhanced our spider vein and injectables practice quite a bit.

We had very successful Y Gallery art events, with a very high quality group of artists.  Many paintings were sold completely for the benefit of our Hispanic artists.  Our educational seminar series has been met with a tremendous response, and patients are acquiring the tools to make informed decisions.

So, what to do for Yager Esthetics in 2015?  We have some great live events planned, and details will follow soon.  We have hired even more Hispanic women to help the community and our practice grow together.  New technology is being evaluated now to add to the offerings for our patients, both surgical and nonsurgical.

We are expanding our social media outreach, and I still tweet daily and have an active Facebook page.  Look for videos and photos of our events, as well as copies of my live television appearances.

We are interactive, so if there are questions or suggestions of how we may serve you better, or if there are suggestions for Blog topics or seminars, contact us at info@dryager.com or call 212-543-1700 any time.

Prospero Año y Felicidad!

Beauty and the Beat

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For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while, you will know of my great love of music. I have spoken of the importance of having music playing when my patients enter the operating room, and how it helps my creative process during surgery as well. What you may not know is that I am also a musician.

For the last two years, I have been involved with a two other people in creating and performing original music. All of us busy professionals, our time together is quite limited. We tend to manage about 6 hours a month together, with the occasional gig.

As we have now completed enough original songs, we are in the process of recording in studio for our first CD. I have to say it is remarkably helpful for my surgical creativity.

As a musician, I am not the most gifted technically. I play with much better artists, and that has lifted my skill level and confidence. I have developed a great feel, and my natural inventive spirit allows me to succeed.
In surgery, I am exceedingly well trained and have tremendous natural ability. After 17 years in private practice, surgery is like a beautiful musical composition. My confidence enables me to go beyond the average result and deliver the extraordinary when safety permits.
When I play and sing, I imagine it is my operating room, my musical instruments are surgical instruments, and my voice is the OR music. Both areas improve, leading to happy patients and (hopefully) happy listeners!

I will be sure to let you know when the recording is done, and will place a link here so you may listen and give feedback.

Art, Children, and Plastic Surgery

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At first glance, any two of these things go together well, with an easily seen connection. Plastic Surgery can be very much an artistic field where creativity and esthetic vision are of primary importance, and so it would be a natural fit with art. Children and art are also a natural pairing, as those of you with children know. Even Children and Plastic Surgery can be connected by birth defects, cleft lip correction and even pinning back the ears.

When I expanded Yager Esthetics for the second time, I had a dedicated free art space for Hispanic artists created within the offices. It was a great way to expose the works to the Latin community, which makes up about 95% of my patients. Through our In House Artist Program, we have hosted several events each year for the artists to explain their works, and have sold pieces at every show to date.

Our motto is “In the Community, For the Community”, and so I thought that to further help the Hispanic population, I could reach out to the children. Growing up, I always loved art. It was a way to express myself, and exploring in that medium helped all of my studies and thought processes. I was saddened to hear that art programs were being cut in the school system. The result of my brainstorming became Pequenos Picassos.

Through Pequenos Picassos, young children from single parent low income families are invited to participate in art classes with our In House Artist. They not only learn about technique, but are exposed to a Hispanic role model. Scholarship money is awarded, and money is also donated to their schools to help restore art programs. It has been incredibly rewarding for me and the participants. The response from the community has been wonderful.

Art, children, and Plastic Surgery. Now that is a combination that works well together.

996 out of 1001- The Search Continues

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As many of you who read my blog regularly know, I am a huge fan of all types of music.  I listen to a great deal of it while in the Operating Room (20 hours a week). A little over a year ago, I purchased a book entitled “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”.  It contains music from all genres from the late 1950’s until 2010.  As obsessive and detail oriented as many Plastic Surgeons are, I decided to try to collect them all in original CD format, as that is what I play during surgery.

I set rules- I had to buy them in person, and could not pay more than $10 for a single CD and $16 for a double album.  I would try to go once a week and buy what I could.  I started at the local FYE store, and expanded to other locations.  I was able to find about 400 this way.

I then expanded to other areas with large stocks of used CDs- Princeton Record Exchange, Vintage Vinyl, Other Music, even Barnes and Noble- Made it up to 900.  Then it got difficult for me time wise.  I compromised and went on line.  I was able to get to 995, and was stuck with 6.  I contacted cd finders, but they could not help.  I did find one from a US serviceman stationed in Japan, which leaves me with 5.

I have been searching for over a month with no success.  I am turning to you for help.  I am looking for :

  1. Big Black- Atomizer
  2. R D Burman/ Bappi Lahiri –Shalimar/ College Girl
  3. Ramblin Jack Elliott- Jack Takes The Floor
  4. Loretta Lynn- Don’t Come Home A’Drinkin (With Lovin’ On Your Mind)
  5. Koffi Olomide- Haut De Gamme

Please email or call us with any leads.  Thank you.

Writing Music and Plastic Surgery

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After an embarrassingly long time away from writing and playing music, I recently formed a new band in all the free time I do not have.  I used to play the drums, sing, and write original music.  I was never great, but it was such a fun experience being a part of the creative process.

While I perform surgery, there is always music on in the background.  As each year I am busier, I spend more time in surgery.  More time in the operating room means more time to listen to music.  Listening to more music makes me think of playing and writing music, and here I am again back in a band.

What does this have to do with you, the prospective plastic surgery patient?  Surprisingly, quite a bit.  When listening to and writing music, my creative energies spike.  This has lead to even more artistic results, and an improved surgical process.  Every movement, suture, incision is like a symphony, and each patient an obra maestra. 

Some day soon I will share some of my music with you.  Just like new technology, products, or procedures, I do not offer them to my patients until I am sure of the quality and benefit.  Maybe you will hear it when you come to our operating room.