Self-Worth with Jaclyn Steele

Plastic Surgeon Stephen Lober chats self worth and aging gracefully (plus plastic surgery Q+A)

January 20, 2021 Jaclyn Steele Season 2 Episode 54
Self-Worth with Jaclyn Steele
Plastic Surgeon Stephen Lober chats self worth and aging gracefully (plus plastic surgery Q+A)
Show Notes Transcript

I had never considered plastic surgery to be a part of my wellness practice, but I think that thought needs to be shaken up.  Why?  Because the way we feel in our bodies is important.  While I don't want you, dear listener, to ever feel like you need to have plastic surgery to fix anything, I do want to take some of the stigma surrounding plastic surgery away.  That's why I think this conversation with Dr. Lober is so interesting and that's why I'm openly talking about the procedure I had done.  

You are gorgeous the way you are, but I understand what it feels like to feel self conscious about an area on your beautiful bod.  

So, we crafted this episode around your questions.  My intent in sharing this information is to educate, empower, and satisfy your curiosity around the intriguing world of plastic surgery.

You can find Dr. Lober at:
website: https://www.stephenloberplasticsurgery.com
instagram: @drstephenlober
facebook: @drstephenlober

Parker Clay:
Parker Clay's mission is to create a better bag for a better world by working together to create a future without exploitation for women in Ethiopia.

Visit parkerclay.com to purchase your next favorite bag - I'm telling you, you'll be hooked - and use code: PC-JACLYN20 for 20% off your order.  


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Light, Love, & Peace,

Jaclyn Steele

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My friends, Welcome. Welcome. Welcome to today's episode, I have the distinct privilege of introducing you to plastic surgeon, Dr. Steven loeber. If you're wondering why we're chatting, plastic surgery, or if you're feeling like, this is a personal development podcast, why are we talking about plastic surgery, then I highly encourage you to check out Episode 41 and 42. In Season One of this podcast, I want to tell you a little bit about Steven loeber Dr. Steven loeber. Before we dive into this episode, so you can have a background on his amazing resume. He is a graduate of Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, and he received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Clemson University. And he also has a master's degree in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Houston. He is a skilled and board certified plastic surgeon, as well as an author and a celebrated sculptor. Yes, you heard that right, a sculptor, and he has been practicing plastic surgery in Georgia since 1995. beyond his qualifications, reason, I chose Dr. lopers practice for my plastic surgery procedure lies within this paragraph that you can find on his website, it reads, we think about plastic surgery practice in two connected but separate ways as the basis of our business. We are a surgery practice, yes, but also as the foundation of our philosophy of holistic medicine, to practice is to take time with something to work toward a goal and most importantly, to commit to a process. To us cosmetic surgery is more than a quick fix. It is part of a practice of wellness to which our patients commit to achieve their goals. Nothing we do is magic. But what you can do in your daily practice of everyday healthy living is nothing short of magical. You know, I had never considered plastic surgery to be a part of my wellness practice. But I think that thought needs to be shaken up. And here's why. Because the way we feel in our bodies is important. And I don't want you dear listener, dear, dear, dear listener to ever feel like you need to have plastic surgery to fix anything. But I do want to take some of the stigma surrounding plastic surgery away. So in the chance that you do want to have a procedure done, you aren't feeling any shame surrounding that decision. All of this and more is why I think this conversation with Dr. Lobo is so interesting. And that's why I'm also openly talking about the procedure that I had done. Dear listener, you are gorgeous the way that you are. But I understand what it feels like to feel self conscious about an area on your beautiful, beautiful body. So with that in mind, we crafted this episode around your questions. And my intent in sharing this information is to educate, empower, and satisfy your curiosity around the intriguing the very intriguing world of plastic surgery. Without further ado, let's type in where that mass. Okay, I have the distinct pleasure of having on the podcast today, plastic surgeon, Dr. loeber. And we are going to go over some listener generated questions. So first of all, Dr. loeber, thank you for being here. Welcome. My pleasure. I know you are a busy man. So for you to carve out some time in your schedule. I just so appreciate it. But I'm really excited to ask you these questions because I think these are a lot of questions that people who are interested in plastic surgery don't get the chance to actually actually ask a plastic surgeon, this would be stuff that they would be googling or just wondering and never asking. So this is going to be a very helpful episode to anyone who is toying with the idea of having plastic surgery. Question number one. Can you Yes. Can you describe the mindset of someone who's a good candidate for plastic surgery? Well, you know, that's a big broad spectrum question. It it's really boils down to what that particular person, what bothers them and what can be done that. Mm hmm. And as you well know, there's all different avenues. Half the people I see. The first thing they say is I'm alone. person I thought would ever be sitting here in your office. But something only bothers them or they finally get up the nerve to come see about having something done. And it's very different for every different person that comes in. Mm hmm. No quick answer to that. But if somebody has something that bothers them, and I can do something about it, they're a good candidate. Yeah, if they're looking to have something done, that's not possible or it can't be achieved, then I tell them, you just have to be just realistic with people. And one time there is something that can be done. It's just that people don't know what you can even be done sometimes. Yeah, well, I think he told me that you could do this. Yeah, I think there's a lot of education that goes into the process that people don't even know where to begin. And that's, again, why a podcast episode like this is so important. One thing that I really appreciated about you, and we're going to talk about my plastic surgery that I had done with you is how direct you were. When I came in for my consultation, I feel like you set up expectations really, really well. And do you feel like that's a really important part of the consultation process is setting those expectations to be realistic. It's, it's the most important part. And I hate to promise somebody something that I can't deliver, that was the band aspect of the old computer generated stuff, well, I can take your nose and do this. You could do things on computer graphics that you go on, that's not really realistic. So you want to be just straight up with people and say, Yes, we can make a huge improvement there or no, that's not going to be in your best interest. You just have to be honest, because the last thing I want is a patient going Gosh, I was expecting more out of this. We we try to under promise and over deliver. Yes. And I think that's the best way to be. I mean, especially in the field of plastic surgery. Okay, next question. Why do you feel like mindset is important in this process. And the reason I asked that is because for somebody who has now had plastic surgery, I feel like going into it saying to myself, I'm not going to magically just be transformed into a different human after I get off of that surgery table, I'm still going to be me, I'm still going to have the same emotions. If I have body issues, I'm still going to have to do the emotional component of working on those body issues. So do you have any advice around that area of what you do? Sure. Um, I'll tell you what, I just saw several concepts today for rhinoplasty. Okay, that's the that's the one surgery where you can take somebody and totally change their whole image. And that's not always a good thing you want, what I like to do is take somebody and correct some of the things they don't like, but they still end up looking like themselves. And they look natural. And people go, Well, you look good. What happened? I don't want to go out there and people say, Oh, you had a facelift or this or that. Good plastic surgery. people notice a difference, but they don't notice why somebody looks better. Yeah, shouldn't notice you shouldn't be surgical. I think that is hitting the nail on the head. Somebody looks glowy and spectacular. But you can't quite put your finger on why. Right. That's great surgery when you have that. I couldn't agree more could not agree more. One of the user generated questions is about rhinoplasty. And she said, she said that she has a nose that structurally needs to be realigned because she's having trouble breathing. But she also wants to have her nose altered to be slimmer. So how does she find a doctor that can skillfully do both? So most surgeons who do rhinoplasty can do both? Okay, now, years ago, people used to get sort of a free surgery out of doing the straightening a septum and fixing a turban. It's and then oh, by the way, we can add this on. Okay. surance companies now separated that. So it's considered two separate surgeries. So there's no financial incentive to have extra stuff done because you're not going to save any money. Okay? And if you really truly have functional breathing problems, then that's a totally separate thing in it. It can be done all at the same time. Obviously, would you recommend having it all done at the same? Absolutely, because you're there and it's it makes perfect sense to have it all done at the same time? Yeah, it's just that these the functional part of the rhinoplasty is totally separate from the aesthetic where somebody's trying to refine their nose or get rid of a dorsal hump. And once the most important thing about rhinoplasties is that you're talking about differences of millimeters, a very small reduction, your nasal tip makes you look great. A dramatic reduction gives you a chisel nose that might not even fit your face. So, again, if I can tell if somebody had a sort of an aggressive rhinoplasty, they have the kind of scooped out nose pinch tip and you go, that doesn't look like their nose. And that doesn't look very human. Yeah, it does it. You know, another thing that I appreciate you is about you is that you are a sculptor in your free time. And I feel like that also is a big influence on the way that you approach plastic surgery. That's what my next career is going to be. I'm a wannabe artist. Not even want to be I saw your sculptures in your office. They're beautiful. Just beautiful. Yeah, until they're selling for big bucks at a gallery. I'm a wannabe artist. Well, I understand how that goes. But okay, I want to talk about my surgery. Specifically, I had I had liposuction done on my arms. And can you describe a good candidate for arm liposuction, and then touch on the two different types of fat that humans carry on their bodies, because I found that to be absolutely mind blowing. So you were the perfect candidate, because your arms were out of proportion to the rest of your body, it was you could have lost, you could have gotten on a just extreme weight loss program and lost another 30 pounds and your arms would not have changed. Yeah. And what we talked about. The reason for that is that you have functional fat cells that large when you take in more calories, you take in fewer calories, you have other fat cells that don't have the same receptors. No matter what you do diet and exercise wise, they stay the same. So cushioning fat cells, you don't want those in large and shrinking want to maintain a cushion. So you've had a genetic collection of fat cells in your arms that you probably could see in your whole family tree. Yes. Oh, absolutely. Find the same thing. Yes. And I told you the classic example that is like I've had patients who are bodybuilders, aerobics instructors, they're down to a body fat of 8%. But they can still have these little blips on their thighs, and their mother had them their grandmother had them. And it's it's structural fat that just won't go away. And that's what liposuction is great at is attacking that structural fat. It's not great at taking away physiological fat cells, because that needs to be addressed with watching what you eat and exercising more. So those cells will shrink. But the cells that are just sitting there, they're not going anywhere. That's, that's perfect for liposuction. And that's why you are a great candidate for that. While and I'm so happy with the results, because I feel like my arms look so natural. I loved him. Yeah, well, and they fit my body now body better. Oh my gosh, it's like night and day. I mean, I am somebody who works out regularly, I eat a ton of fruits and vegetables. I'm very mindful about my diet and about getting physical activity. And it was so frustrating at 34 years old to feel like my arms have been the exact same no matter how much weight lifting I do, or yoga, or Pilates or anything, the rest of my body will slim out. But my arms just always stayed the same. And it was so frustrating. And it wasn't until I went to you. And you clarify the two different types of fat that I realized I can continue doing what I'm doing forever. But I'm still going to get the same results unless I have liposuction done. And if you again, your arms were out of proportion to the rest of your body, and your the rest of your body, what you were in great shape, because you did all this stuff. And you know, people have a tendency to look at one problem and go, I'm doing all this hard work. I'm watching what I eat, and this isn't getting any better. And I quit. And that's but if you look in the mirror, and you look at yourself, I look pretty good here. It's just yeah, this won't go away. And then that really is the ideal liposuction candidate, the person who has lost all their the excess physiological fat, and now they're just left with that. You can call it a diet resistant fat, but it's structural fat that just doesn't respond to the whole physiological loop of the body. I just think that's so interesting. And I think it's encouraging for people who may feel like they want to give up on diet and exercise because it's not working, that there are other solutions. It doesn't have to be something Yes, I think that that's fantastic. need to look in a full length mirror and go. Okay, I look better over here, but not where I want it to be in then. Yeah, time to come in and have something and then call Dr. loeber and schedule a consultation. Okay, next question. Have you seen an increased demand in 2020 for plastic surgery and any procedures in particular? I think so it's been, I've been very busy. And I think that a lot of people have plenty of time to sit around. They look at something they go, Oh, I didn't know you could do that. So I think there's been an increase. But, you know, this is also a busy time of year for us to just on a yearly basis. I got to get my surgery done by the end of the year. Oh, wow. It's a little late. Yeah. Oh, my God. But as medic surgeries were booked up through March or maybe April. Oh, my gosh, wow. People come in and go, I need to have this done. I've got a week off next week. I want to have this stuff, which Oh, you should let us know how surgery works. Yeah, that's not how surgery works. We usually do backflips to try to accommodate people. Some people don't cash I have to have this time. And yeah, we try to fit that in. But it's a busy time of year. Yeah. Are there any procedures in particular that you feel like you've seen an uptick in in 2020, in particular, or is it just all procedures in general? You know, well, that's hard to say, because there is a seasonal aspect to the things we do a year and I'm doing a lot of facelifts Okay. Um, they might be professional people that they want to take a week off to recover. So nobody knows what was going on. And this is a time of year, most people can do that. Now take time off and get away with it. As we move into March and April, people put on their bathing suits and they go, Oh my god, I need to do this or make this bigger and make this smaller. So it's kind of a seasonal thing where we do more certain procedures like in the fall, and then we start doing body contouring procedures going into the summer. Okay, I've been doing a lot of abdominoplasty, tummy tucks, too. So that's usually something I would see in March or April, but they're coming in earlier, too. So I don't know maybe Yeah, maybe you just have in a podcast got them to come in. I mean, it's just it's so fascinating to me. Okay, next question. are more men having plastic surgery now? And do you feel like there's any kind of stigma associated with plastic surgery for men? There's a little bit of a stigma. Because, as you well know, most men don't give a damn that I say that jokingly, but there's some truth to that. So for instance, a man comes in wanting his nose refined, I'm not a lot of those, that type of patient has what's called body dysmorphic syndrome, where they see a nose that you're not seeing those are, those patients have a psychological problem. But if I have a guy come in, who got hit by two by four on the construction site, sitting over here and says, you know, can I get this fixed? Yeah. And that's, that's so men are very, how should I put this? They're not interested in aesthetics, they're interested in function. And we'll come in for upper eyelid surgery, because they're walking into branches. They've got such covering that they go, why do you want this done? And they say, I'm running into things I need to have that fixed. Whereas a woman would go, I'm looking older and more tired. Men rarely say that. Yeah, I have had some men who come in for facelifts which are very rare. I don't do a lot of men. It's a very small portion. But there are more coming in for stuff because it's just, it's a culture is shifting. You know, I know marketing for a very long time has been geared toward women and making women insecure, and making us feel like we aren't good enough. And with men, there is some of that, but I don't think it's as acute. However, in 2020, I'm a very, I am a student of observation. And I have found that marketing is being geared very much more acutely toward making men insecure now than it was even 10 years ago. So I wouldn't be surprised if there's more men going you're absolutely right. And there's an Old Spice commercial where the guy's getting into a fight with his partner, because she's using his body scrub. Yeah, you've probably seen that when are they're targeting men for that type of stuff. And 10 years ago, men wouldn't care. Yeah. Now men do care once again, like the facelifts, they really don't care about looking older, but they do care that if people perceive them as being old, it's going to be poor for their business, ie if somebody is in the computer business or internet services, yeah, they look, they look to all people, this guy that he's probably using a, you know, an old calculator or something like that. So there is some pressure for men to look younger and certain job markets. That's okay. So I'm just telling I, you know, I have clients that will look at me and think I'm too old. And look at them, and I think they're too young. Yeah, I was, I was just gonna say, I think there needs to be a conversation opened up about how important it is to have people who are wiser and older than us tell us things that we don't know yet. And it frustrates me so much when those kinds of stereotypes are brought into the conversation, because we all have voices that are worthy and necessary to be part of different conversations. So once you start shutting people out, you're just killing yourself. Because everybody, the janitor in the hospital, they said, Doc, you know, they got that other thing down. And it works better than this. You know, I'll try it. Everybody knows something you don't know. I don't care who they are. What do you think their intellectual level is? Because when it comes down to it, most people are smarter than me. And I can learn a lot from you. And I like I love that though. Because I love to ask questions, and I love to have conversations. And I feel like no matter who I talk to, I always gain something from them or something. You learn something every time you do it. Oh, amen. Amen. Okay. What is the best age to get a facelift? When you start to think you're looking too old. I have, again, a lot of genetics involved. I have patients who are 40 years old come in, they have early jelling, they have certain features that their mother looked like she said, my mother looked like this, and I'm not gonna let it happen. Yeah, then you have other people who can look be 16 Look, 40. And they come in, and they have something totally different. They say, you know, my, I had some relaxation here. I'm just, I just see myself and pictures, and I'm looking old. That's what people do. They'll tell you when they're ready for, okay, you don't have to. And if somebody comes in and about something else, I'm not gonna sit there and go, you know, we can do this and make it look better. I go What's wrong with ya, I want to you don't want to adjust the facelift to somebody they need to come in and ask about themselves. Yeah, but it's whenever they're ready for it. And they think they need it. And it's self serving to say I would the younger you do it, the better. But I've seen where I do some people earlier than maybe, I think might have should have been done. Sure. But they never curses and the other stuff. And they can do just very minimal touch ups as they go along. Whereas if they waited until things are really bad, then you never get quite as good a result. So that is the preventative. People do it the better long term results. I think that's true. Wow. Okay, so that's worth repeating. The younger people do it, the better results, they'll have long term. And that makes sense. Because it's not such a dramatic shift and your face or whatever body part isn't experiencing that level of trauma. It's like a shorter amount of trauma, right? You're not trying to do so much at one setting. Plus, older people tend to develop deep creases, that no matter how hard you pull, they're not going to go away. But if you have to you avoid getting those creases in the first place. I truly think that goes a long way. Yeah. Oh, yeah, most definitely. If I had a 20 year old show up, say I'd like to have a facelift, I'd say come on. Yeah. No way. No. And, and I liked that about you that you're so direct. Yeah. And I think that's so necessary. If I don't see what they're talking about, I can't fix it. If they say I'm worried about this, and go Yeah, you do have that. And we can do this. If they come in and say I don't like the way my nose looks. And I look at him and they have a perfectly good nose with good symmetry and proportions. I've had patients where I go, look, I'm not seeing a problem with your nose. And if I can't see it, I can't fix it. So you're probably better off finding somebody else who can Huh, who sees that? And is your experience in a situation like that? That it's usually a psychological thing and not a physical thing? When it comes to the nose? Yes. Okay. here and again, there's this thing, body dysmorphic syndrome, where Oh, for sure, a series of back and kill their surgeons because it was all run a flat male rhinoplasty patients. And they, they might have been given the perfect nose, when they look in the mirror, they're seeing this and all of their life's problems get focused on that one thing. No, thank you on that. If I can't see him, it's not worth going down that road. And it sounds like they're hanging their like self worth hat on their nose, which is a very dangerous thing to do to hang your self worth on one body part and Exactly. And the other thing that's a red flag saying patience, and I've had this happen before too, and I just I kind of bail on these patients do I hate to do it? But if I have a patient who I don't think really wants to have anything done, but has a spouse that's pushing? Oh, yeah, take a look at it. She needs to. I go. I think that looks perfectly fine. I mean, you do and that woman any favors by letting her be basically bullied by their husband? That's what's going on? Gosh, well, thanks. Yeah, I, I have, I appreciate you bringing that up. And I think that that is so important, too. Because I want this conversation to be empowering. I think so often, when people think about plastic surgery, they go to an insecure place in their head where they're like, this isn't right with me, this isn't right with me, this isn't right with me. I feel like the way that you approach things is like, look at all these things that are right. And if there's something that can be tweaked in a way that looks natural, that's going to make you feel really good. Let's do that. But let's not transform you into a new person. I think that is spot on. Because a lot of people they come in and say, you know, I had these gels and my mother had my sick. Yeah, but you've got beautiful eyes and you got great cheekbone. So yeah, we can fix this glass. You just, I really do. Whatever I do needs to be for that individual person. Because that's who who it's for not somebody else who's pushing them into. Yeah, I don't want to I don't want to have a patient who doesn't want to have the surgery but feels like they have to. I don't want any part of that. That sounds like a slippery. Like most patients come in and said, I've been thinking about this for years and I just want to do this and I had a lady who is 75 or something came in for breast implants. And I go, Okay, now why do you want to do this? She said, you know, I've always wanted and she was very well adjusted. She was great. She said I've always wanted to do this. My husband died wanted to do this. So by god i'm going to do. Yeah, he's happiest. And she didn't she had very small plants. She said, really what I want to do is fill out my clothing. So I'm tired of buying blouses that just fall off on me here. Yeah, that's a that's a rational reason to do some of this stuff. So it's but it's for the person, not for somebody else. Yeah, yeah. And I love that. I love that you made that distinction. This episode is supported by Parker clay. Parker clay creates premium leather bags that provide stable and dignified work for at risk women in Ethiopia. Every item on their site shows how many hours of employment your purchase will create. This company's mission is to create a better bag for a better world by working together to create a future without exploitation. This is a conscious company that I am beyond proud to be affiliated with. Personally, I own the Mercado signature tote and sand. I have the Miramar backpack the Eden carry all the squares up wallet, the cord tacos for organizing the list goes on my friends and I've also purchased many gifts from their site for my family and friends. One of which is the a zash bandana mask combo and got it from my husband and he loves it because it's stylish and it looks cool around his neck but it also provides protection in this crazy pandemic time that we are living in. Anyway everything that I have from them. I have been totally impressed by you know the quality as soon as you open up their beautiful packaging and touch the letter. It's so buttery soft. The colors are vibrant, and the leather is thick and gorgeous. I wear my Parker clay pieces with such pride and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. And as a side Know, when we're talking about forever and the rest of our lives, these bags, they just get better with time because of the way that they're made. The quality is just, Ah, it's so good. Visit Parker clay calm to purchase your next favorite bag. And I'm telling you once you get one you're gonna be hooked and use code p c, dash Jacqueline 24 20% off your order 20%. Again, that's p c dash Jacqueline 24 20% off your order. You can find the link and all of the details in the show notes below. Now back to the episode. Okay, next user generated question. This is this is the direct question. Okay, so I have maintained sound and proactive skincare. Nevertheless, at 60 years old, it's my neck that's giving me away. So I'm interested in a neck lift. How long does that does a procedure like that hold and around? How much do you think I need to budget Okay, so typically when somebody is worried about excess in the neck here, you you have to you have to do part of a facelift to Wikis facelift is going to pull up like this, and you pull back here, but there's two different patient categories, there's somebody whose skin has become lacks down here. There are also younger people who are just born with a, their thyroid cartilage was way down here. So it looks like they have a real full neck. Hmm, those are younger patients that don't like their neck, that you can actually tighten the muscles and adjust it. Oh, it all at once again, it's genetics, if somebody has is born with the thyroid cartilage way up here, they are called model's beautiful neck lines, you don't even see where they're where this area sweeps up to their neck and they have these and they're just lucky. They were born lucky. So a little bit skin laxity is sort of a neck tightening procedure in in this area, it's you know, you're talking about six to five to$6,000 Okay, in LA you might be talking eight to $10,000. So somewhat, a lot of this is regional. They say always get a you know higher price than out here in the hinterlands. Okay, next question is for someone interested in having plastic surgery, what qualifying questions are important to ask for a surgeon? And how do you find a skilled doctor who really knows what they're doing? So I personally think he ought to go see two, maybe three people getting good feeling for who's doing what. But a lot of this is just is your gut feeling 5000 happy patients who never say anything, I have one patient that I was unhappy with this. And you've been to restaurants where you go is this rating real because this is one of my favorite places. And it's getting two stars in this other place that really isn't very good as getting five stars. And a lot of that there's a game being played with a lot of this. So you have to be careful what you get on off the internet. You know that? Yeah. But word of mouth, but really going to see somebody just getting a feel for if they they are seeing what you're saying. And if you feel confident and you check credentials, and yeah, I would be in my search. Of course, the first thing I did was check credentials. But then the second thing I did was make an appointment, because I wasn't willing to get on board for anything with anybody if I hadn't met them and gotten a feel for you should. Yeah, I think that that's so wise. And you know, here's another thing too. I talked to people that they have their surgery and they never see the doctor again. Even if they're having problems. Wow, you need to have some who's gonna be there and see you and follow up with you. Yeah, sometimes you just don't get that. Well, and I have to give you another kudos here. You called me personally that night and left me the nicest message because I wasn't next to my phone and I didn't see it. But you just wanted to make sure I was okay. And then I think I had to. I think I had at least two follow up appointments before I moved. That's totally self serving. Before I go to bed, and if you if you're worried about something I can tell you it and then yeah. Yeah, no, I I so appreciate it. It was an extra mile. Patients like that and they like to have, I have no problems with people calling me directly. I really don't. And, you know, in this day and age, I get 20 calls a day just for spam stuff. I don't ever answer my phone unless it's a caller ID. I tell patients, if you need me, leave me a voicemail, and I will get back in touch with you. So just knowing they can call you oftentimes covers a lot of the stuff. Well, I'm just waiting till Monday to see him. He told me I could call them and I'm not that worried about it. But yeah, they're worried about something, they just get more and more worried about it. So I'd rather just have him call me and I say, no, that's not a problem or meet me down there. And we'll take a look. Yeah, yeah. Well, I appreciated that so much. It just felt very personal. And my recovery process was so easy. So I you know, especially if somebody's going through a more dramatic surgery, I'm sure that extra call to just, it's just, it's that heart component of the whole process that I think people really appreciate your one thing, a lot of people are shocked at how easy some of this stuff is, oh my gosh, why people come back for other things they go. I thought this was gonna be an ordeal. And this actually was pretty easy. What else do you do? Oh, oh, Totally. Totally. I think people thought I was going to be out of commission for months. And when I told people that I was, I had surgery on a Thursday, and you cleared me to go back to my normal work activities on Monday. Yeah. You said I can start working out that following week just not like lifting weights and moving my arms a lot. I couldn't like start doing yoga that next week. But I think two weeks after the procedure, you said start slow. But you can start as long as it feels okay. To be incorporating those activities you usually do. I know from personal experience, half off of your workout routine. You fall off the cliff. Yeah, I don't want to go there today. And I don't want to do that. It's amazing. And then you start it back up, and you go, Oh, my gosh, I feel so much better doing this stuff. It's but you keep learning that over and over three life you really do. But I like to get people back to their routines as soon as they can. They do. Oh, I don't think God go back to the I have to do it for stress. It's just it helps me manage stress. And so effectively, it's and you keep forgetting how beneficially you know, if you're worried about something, you go run a workout. It's amazing. All of a sudden, that clears your head and you go, Oh, I know exactly what I'm gonna do. Yeah, the solution is right there. Speaking of recovery times, what are the most intense surgeries that you do that have a longer recovery time? Would that be like a tummy tuck or like a body lift? What would be some of those. So a tummy tuck is probably the most difficult recovery is also the most game. women that have children, their skin stretches out, they deposit hormonal fat, that's just like the structural fat just never goes away. And then their abdominal muscles have spread apart. And it's a it's really technically a hernia, although insurance companies don't recognize it like that. The muscles are spread apart, the skin is stretched, you have this abnormal fat deposited during pregnancy. And no matter how hard they try, like I said, they look in the mirror and they see this lower abdomen they go, I gave up. Yeah, but when they have that surgery, I mean, it's life changing for a lot of women because they Wow, their stomachs flat again, and you're just correcting the problems that, you know, that happened during when everything was stretched out. Mm hmm. Probably now the body lift. I'll be honest with you. The more surgery do on people, the more danger you put them in. I can operate on one malaria body for a long time. And it really is not physiologically not a big insult to the body. When you do these crazy, total body makeovers. That's how you get people in trouble. Though some of these total body lifts. I very much prefer to do say the abdominoplasty first and then come back and do the hips and the flank because that's a lot of surgery for one setting. Yeah, those people the more expensive ones. They even put in the hospital in the ICU overnight, because they have such a traumatic fluid shift. Yeah, I'm not in the business to be doing surgery in and having somebody in ICU at any point. Yeah, I mean, I walked out same day after I had my arms done. I think I got into your office at seven in the morning and I was gone by noon. So a lot of the surgery and the other painful surgery do breast implants, mainly because we used to put them all under the muscle. We thought it was a better place for capsular contracture. And now we know that that's really not true. I started putting the implants on top of the muscle. And there's almost no downtime to that. In fact, I've started doing all my breast reconstructions, putting the implants on top of the muscles that are underneath. Yeah, that's where patients would be in a lot of pain from the muscle being stretched down. Yeah, and more importantly, this is one of the reasons I switched over. A lot more people are working out now they spending more time and women have learned lifting weights is good. Because you want to build muscle mass. You don't want to be bogged down. Want to build muscle mass. Yeah, just be toned, and answer put up underneath the pectoralis muscles, when they're doing stuff like that the implants go for shooting the jump. Yeah, so this is called an activation? Yes, if they're on top of the muscle. So I have a number of patients who are body lifters, body, you know, competitive body builders. They will not let you put it on the muscle because it distorts the muscle. So yeah, you can put on top of the muscle. And they can do all their exercises and in place don't move so. And do you find that it looks as natural on top as it does underneath looks just as natural. Oh, beautiful. We always thought you'd have a more natural slope under the muscle. But yeah, that muscle when if I go in and operate on somebody 15 years down the road that muscle has drawn up like this. And most of it's not even covering the implant anymore. So put it out, make it painful and put it on me. So yeah, it's the most painful procedure I do now because most of my breast implants are put on top of them. Yeah. Okay. That's good to know. All right. What advice do you have for someone who wants to age gracefully and is open to plastic surgery on the face but doesn't want to look over done? They need to just get on. Number one thing, this is this is everything. Start using a sunblock. Yeah, most what we call facial aging is not aging, it is sun damage. So if you start your age, you get into a habit of doing just a just a basic skincare routine. And putting on sunblock, you will look you might not ever need a facelift to glitter. I mean, I started when I was 18, like moisturizing the neck, doing eye creams, all of that because I thought as much as I can be preventative, I want to be preventative, I'll do what I need to do. But do if it's in my control, I want to keep it in my control. You know, you can go into a spa, something like that and walk out with $1,000 worth of skincare products. And one of those might be working and the rest probably aren't. So what I you know, this is what I tell people, it's a very fundamental, get a good cleanser, which probably already have a good moisturizer doesn't have to be $200 moisture, sometimes, on an individual skin a $2 moisturizer work might work better than the 200. It all depends on how your skin reacts to it. A good sunblock and it goes a long, long way. Good exfoliant, which is a products that help get rid of some tough outer layer. Then once you're doing that. And again, the sunblock is really the key preventative thing. Once you're doing that, then add skin products skincare products, one at a given difference. It's not working. Yeah. And if you're wondering if it's actually working or not use on half your face. I mean, the proof is Oh, winning is a difference, then put it on your ship. It could be mud from the akoni River, if it works on your skin. Not working despite everybody say oh, this works. This is fabulous on my face. So there's lots of sort of more esoteric skincare products like with see through like and stuff like got a lot of patients who love that and they put but I've had patients like I couldn't tell a difference. So don't get it again. Don't Yeah, but if you get five things at one time, you have no idea what's working and what's not. So that's pretty simple, straightforward. Just use add things on. somebody tells you Wow, this stuff from the Red Sea. The seaweed I put on my face really is life changing. And you try it and go. Don't get it again and it doesn't matter what they say it does. Yeah. So sunblock, sunblock, sunblock. Here's a great example of that. You look at an old Georgia farmer, they their skin looks like leather, so I got creases, you lift up their sleeve and their shoulder is like a baby's bottom. Age. It's smooth. It's not. It's not scorched by the sun because they are What are the heavy shirt? Yeah, that is all sun damage that you're saying that's what most people need a facelift for is Sunday March. Yeah, and sun damage is probably so much harder to correct than a little drooping here and there. Oh, it's very hard because you have to resurface all the skin. But the retinol products are great for that they actually rejuvenate the skin. So that's, that's something that you might not need right now. But down the road, you add that to the care line. Or for somebody like me do it a couple times a month or something if it's not totally necessary. And then you know, Botox is great for what you use it for. It's great if somebody it helps them create these creases that are very hard to get rid of once you develop them. And if you do it right, people look fine. They don't look funny. Yeah. I think this was a great case. Just saw her this morning. She had she was in a bad accident and had a big scar all the way up here. She smiled. Her face went like that it almost looked like her face was paralyzed. Yeah. stuck down. And I actually gave her some Botox in this muscle that pulls the mouth down. Yeah. smiled on both corners of the mouth was just like a beautiful Oh. Everybody says, Oh, I'm not gonna use that Botox. It's great for what she what it's good at? Yes. It's not, you know, like, gonna, just like anything else it can be over done. If you don't have somebody who is administering it that knows how to administer it properly. Yeah, and if you do it, right, people look natural. They look relaxed. And they look like stone face, then their eyebrows, artwork, and nothing's moving. Yeah, I have many friends who have had Botox done so well that I would never know if they had it or not. And the only reason I do know is because they told me and that's it. That's the way it ought to be. Well done. You don't you don't know that I had it done. Natural, natural, natural, natural. Okay, we have one more question. Obviously, feeling good about the way we look plays a big role in self confidence. But beyond how we look, what are some ways in which you think we can cultivate self worth? Just doing what you want to do? Yeah. Yeah. You know, if you ever retire, you have nothing to complain about. And then you go, I'm gonna keep just doing stuff, it might not be this, but I'll keep doing stuff until I just keel over. But your self worth should not be tied to how big a nose you have, or how much extra skin you have here. It's just it's a, it's a global thing. And you can't focus it on one body part. So you know, just doing what you like to do having having a good time doing it. Yeah, I think that's so true. And I think to, for me, self worth, and self confidence is something that's built over time where I try something new, or I conquer a fear that I didn't know if I will be able to conquer and then I go, Oh, hey, I now conquered this, I'm ready to move on to something even bigger. And so I think it's a very like cyclical, it's built over time, self confidence, or self worth isn't something we just wake up with one day and then have forever, we have to actually be very mindful of doing the things we need to do to cultivate it. There was a, there was another good quote, it was, you know, there's a classic one, he never hit a homerun if you never take a swing at the ball that one was a failed at this five times. But I'm still way ahead of all the people who've never even tried in the first place. That's a great quote with like Edison said, some people like to say I failed to invent a light bulb. 873 three times, he said, I'd like to think that I proved how not to make a light bulb 873 times because he went through almost 1000 things before, right? attitude of that didn't work. I'm gonna keep trying. Not so do what you like to do, and just keep doing it. It's perspective. It's all perspective. We'll look at you, you're traveling the world here and doing all this. You're doing what you want to do, aren't you? And you're happy about it? Yeah. So people feel stuck that they, Oh, I can't do that. Because I have to take care of these. You can always sometimes it's just a fear of moving on from the comfortable even if you're not happy with it to the uncomfortable. But okay, this is great. I'm moving forward. So people are fearful of the unknown, I think across the board and I think that that's a human reaction, but as we grow older. And as we expand or hopefully expand versus staying stuck, I think it's so important to face those fears. And for me, having plastic surgery was not something that I was like, Oh, I think I'll just do this and it'll be fine. And I had no fear. I had a healthy amount of fear going in. But I will say on the other side of plastic surgery, especially now that I'm healed up, and things are pretty much where they're going to be. I'm so happy that I took the risk because I feel much more in proportion, and much more. Like I wanted to look. And I think it's natural to be anxious about going into surgery. If somebody's not worried about I'm worried about them. Yeah. It's a self preservation type of thing. But now you're going to everybody who goes into the these surgical procedures is anxious about it. And I have had this not very often, but if I have a patient, who I got, like, we when you came in, I marked everything. And you were you were fine. You were you had some anxiety, but you were fine. Yeah, I have somebody who is an absolute wreck, they're gonna die in the procedure. Yeah, I've had people say, I'm really worried, I think I'm gonna die in this, I think I'm not gonna make it through. I said, Well, let's not do this, then just cancel the surgery, or postpone. And if it's not something for you, then let's refund your money. Most of the time is the only that's probably happened three times in my career, and they all come back and they got cash. I don't know why I was like that. But I had this sudden feeling that of dread or something like that. And I said, you know, if you feel that way, you're, you're behind the eight ball just going into the surgery, you don't, that's not good for you. So if I've learned that the patient says they're worried about something, I'm going to be worried about it too. Because there might be some reason that they don't know why they gonna, you know, I'm gonna die from this. Gosh, that's the last thing I want to do. No, that's you listen to people. And if they're seriously worried, then you better worry too, and just say, let's find a better day to do this and it and they'll come back and they'll go, I don't know why it was like that. I just had this feeling I'm fine. Yo, people are definitely all done stuff like that. And some different way or no, absolutely. And also, I think so much of it goes back to. And this also speaks to why you haven't had many of those cases. You're a very trustworthy doctor, you have a fabulous education. You've been doing this for many years. And so going in, I know for me, I had a healthy amount of fear, like I'm having an elected surgery. But I feel like I'm in very capable hands. Well, thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Okay, last question is Where can people find you online? Well, they can find me. I don't even know. I know what it is. It's Steven loeber. Plastic surgery.com. Even if they live in Montana, if I have a question, they need just somebody to honestly answer they can. They can send a little query and and I'll be happy to get back to them. Well, thank you. And I will link your Instagram. I will link your website and everything in the show notes. So thank you so much. Thank you. And we need at some point in time, we need to get some post up pictures, because that's great for YouTube, because you see you go I didn't look like that. Oh, I know. I know. Definitely. Well, and I'll be back in like three months again to know ahead of time and we'll we'll get in here and take a look and it'll be great to see. Absolutely. All right. Thank you so much for your time. Take care.