Greetings. Another week seems to be flying by! I don't know where this summer is going. It's hard to believe that school will be starting in a few weeks. Some of you may be aware that last week I went to New Hampshire to attend my Dartmouth College reunion, as well as visit dear friends on Lake Winnipesaukee. The mountains of New Hampshire are always beautiful at this time of the year, even with the catastrophic rains New England has been experiencing, along with the hazy conditions caused by the Canadian fires. My daughter went with me, and it was a magical weekend for her since she had never really spent any time in the Northeast. Here are some pictures!
Upon my return, I headed straight back into the OR. Some of my recent patients happen to be diabetics and are taking some of the newer medicines such as Mounjara and Ozempic. You may have heard about Ozempic, which seems to be the new weight loss craze. As a disclaimer, I want to emphasize that I am not a diabetes or weight loss medicine expert, and defer to my endocrine and internal medicine colleagues for their expertise. But I do want to share what I do know since I believe this is an important topic. The medical community is seeing more cases of slowed gastric emptying from these medications, which can lead to bowel obstructions. Slowed gastric emptying or motility can also lead to anesthetic complications and/or the need to refrain from eating for longer than the typical "nothing to eat after midnight" before surgery. A full stomach at the induction of anesthesia can lead to a potentially life-threatening aspiration. For this reason, it's imperative for patients to disclose that they are taking these medications prior to any surgery. Additionally, I have anecdotally seen cases where a patient's weight quickly rebounds after stopping Ozempic, which can create a vicious cycle of weight gain and loss, which is not healthy. The drug has apparently been approved for long-term use, which is fabulous for the earnings of the drug companies, but lifelong use is probably not fabulous for your health. As more and more patients take these medications, will we likely learn more about their risks and benefits and the proper protocols for their use, especially before surgery. I will definitely keep you updated as this information becomes available!
Now that I've been a "Debbie Downer" for any of you who were hoping that Ozempic would be their answer to getting their beach body back, I do have some more uplifting news! For those of you who enjoyed the summer sun but are now suffering from the ill effects, like a worsening of your melasma and sunspots, we are offering a great special on our "Brighten" chemical peel. Starting now and through August, we are offering 25% off the regular price. Keep a lookout as well for our Instagram posts about the peel as well! Yesterday we also posted a Botox special on IG. If you are wanting some Botox and have free time on Monday, Kelly has availability and for the lucky few, the price is only $10 per unit (and can be combined with Alle points), but only for Botox administered on Monday!
I hope you have a great rest of the week, and I'm going to leave you with a great Talking Heads song, which always reminds me of my college days!
'Til next time,
Heidi Williams
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