As we are 10 days away from xmas, I was thinking about all the patients who do cosmetic procedures as a holiday gift, or in preparation to see family and friends over the holidays.  It is always a very busy time for nonsurgical treatments with immediate results, like Botox, fillers, spider veins, skin peels, and acne treatments, and my Nurse Injector and I have been squeezing in patients to make sure all are happy.

For the surgery seekers, it is a bit different.  They usually want to avoid family and friends during recovery, utilizing the holiday break as an unsuspicious time in which to heal in privacy.  Sometimes, it is an excuse to NOT see family, depending on the dynamics.

Then there is the group of patients that realize that in less than a week, 2014 is over, and they did not accomplish their goals.  The New Year is a natural endpoint for reflection, and all are thinking about how to make the next year more rewarding, and realizing they are another year older.

The nonsurgical group are like the children who want something now, do not want to be surprised or wait, and Mom and Dad give in and let them have it early.  Everyone is happy, and the giver is a hero for the moment.

The surgery group is more reserved, wishing in secret for one great thing just for themselves, and wait patiently to unwrap their (bandages) present over days and weeks and sometimes months.

The last minute shoppers are the ones I have to be careful with.  They can be desperate and impulsive, and want everything in a rush.  They are like the people running out on xmas eve, hoping to get it done in an hour.  As a Board Cetified Plastic Surgeon, I not only have to make sure it is the right procedure physically, but that the reasons are good, the emotional state is appropriate, and that all the testing procedures and safeguards are followed.  If things are not right, I would rather be a Grinch then put a patient at risk.