BILFPOD - BILFPod x Dr. Michael Newman Beyond the Mirror: Redefining Beauty, Healing, and Confidence

Episode Date: May 22, 2025

In this bold and unfiltered episode, Mara connects with award-winning plastic surgeon Dr. Michael K. Newman—Beverly Hills’ go-to expert in breast reconstruction, confidence restoration, and next-gen cosmetic procedures.Voted one of LA’s top doctors and frequently featured in national media, Dr. Newman is changing the narrative around plastic surgery. From reconstructive breakthroughs to his signature "Forever Breast Reconstruction" technique, he’s not just transforming bodies—he’s rebuilding lives with intention, empathy, and innovation. Tap in for real talk on:    •    Breaking the stigma: Why plastic surgery is more than just vanity    •    How Dr. Newman’s work empowers breast cancer survivors    •    Why patient care > perfection in his Beverly Hills practice    •    Award-winning techniques that prioritize natural results and long-term confidenceThis isn’t just about the scalpel—it’s about stories, second chances, and redefining what it means to feel whole.Get connected:Dr. Michael NewmanWebsite: www.drnewmanbeverlyhills.comInstagram: @drnewmanbeverlyhillsMara DorneWebsite: www.maradorne.com Instagram: @maradorne #BILFpod #BossIdLikeToFollow #DrMichaelNewman #PlasticSurgeryTruths #ConfidenceIsHealing #ReconstructiveSurgery #MindsetAndMedicine #MaraDorne #WomenInWellness #HealingJourneys #MedicalLeaders #BILFbabes #PodcastPower

You are a creation of what's in your mind and what's your heart. Is it okay to put on whatever clothes that you want? Is it okay to cut your hair a certain way? Yeah. To do your nails a certain way. Those are all kind of self-maintenance, self-care items. Beauty and vanity is a big part of who I am. It makes me feel good.

I don't press that on anybody else because I think anybody can do whatever makes them happy. The more important part about authenticity, which I think you're demonstrating is being honest. Yeah. And if you had stuff done, don't get worried about the stigma. be honest about what you've done and be authentic about who you are and what your past has been. Welcome back to the BILF pod where authenticity trumps authority. Now, I have a question before we even get started. I'm going to throw you off.

Do you even know what a BILF is? Do you know what a BILF should be or what a BILF is? I don't know. What do you think BILF is? Well, I did a little bit of research. I have to admit. So I did cheat. So I do know what it is.

But I went through it with some of my friends, and they definitely got thrown astray. That's so funny. I've heard several variations of what people think it is, but I'm sure you know because you did your research. It's Foss I'd like to follow, and I'm Marrador. And I'm here with the fabulous, amazing Mr. Michael Newman, who is a, I love this, that he is a plastic surgeon. And if you know me, then you know, I have no shame about admitting that I have had plastic surgery. I'm not shameful about it. And I'm really interested to kind of get into it.

So I'm just going to kind of get into it and get into your background. And then I'm going to dig deep and ask them really maybe a little uncomfortable questions and see how you feel about it. But I really am excited to have you on the show because I think it's really important for people to talk about plastic surgery. I don't know why it is so taboo and why some people are ashamed. I know people that will not admit that they're on OZempic or that they've had plastic surgery. I can't understand that. But before we even get into that, let's talk a little bit about your background.

I know you're super fascinating from Europe. Yes, born in Belgium and moved to the U.S. when I was young, and then grew up mostly in Los Angeles, and then went through a million years of education and training, and finally, you know, killing it as a plastic surgeon. Did you always know that you wanted to be a plastic surgeon? No, actually, I was really looking at all different kinds of medical specialties. You know, I was really intrigued by... Gynaecologist? No, interesting.

My uncle's a gynecologist, so I got, you know, exposed to that early on, let's say. And, you know, I was curious, but not enough to make a deep dive into it. But I love surgery. Yeah. You know, I love anatomy. I love working on people. I love seeing the instant results from surgery. And so I wanted to do something in the surgical world.

And plastic surgery was just my calling. I love that. And one thing that I read about you that is very interesting. And kudos to you because I do believe in giving back in servitude. but I read that, you know, breast cancer survivors, it's already horrible, right? They already go through a tumultuous time. I mean, it is absolutely heartbreaking some of the stories I've heard. But there is silver lining, you know, and I love that.

You love to be a part of that journey, so you do deal with a lot of breast cancer survivors. You know, plastic surgery, one of the reasons I went into it is because it's really a positive part of medicine. So really you're dealing with making people feel better, look better, you know, restoring their form and their function. and doing breast reconstruction is a big part of that. So I did a fellowship in breast reconstruction and breast surgery in general with a guy that writes the textbook on all kinds of breast cosmetic surgery and breast reconstruction and learned all the different techniques and just found it so rewarding to work with breast cancer patients and give them that positive aspect of their whole diagnosis and their whole journey.

And it's already awful to begin with. So does their entire, like, does everything kind of change for them? They feel better because I know as a woman, you know, all of a sudden, well, that's why I had breast. enhancements because I didn't have any breast so I can only imagine you know you have them then you have to because of what's happened you have to remove them I mean have you seen like positive results from it of course yeah so you know traditionally people used to have mastectomies and no reconstruction at immediately so they go home and they just be flat and you can imagine how

traumatic that must be but these days you know you can do the reconstruction right away the same day so they go to sleep with breasts and they wake up with breast and you know it's just so awesome to be a part of that process and people are just incredibly you know tearful and appreciative to be able to have that result and have that experience I mean I just ran into a patient the other day I was out to dinner with my parents who were visiting and a patient came up to me that I operated on probably 15 years ago and she just you know thank me and thank my parents and you know she undergone her reconstruction

was still happy with the results and looking great so it's just it's incredibly rewarding and positive I love that I absolutely love that like it's part of giving back and making people especially women feel like a woman that's so important as a woman to feel good and look good I know how that I mean I just know myself how that felt when I had no breath like you know walking around like that but then being able to feel and look good that it's just kudos to you that you're able to do that and I also read this is very interesting your top 1% of plastic surgeons here in Beverly Hills helping to look, everybody looks so fabulous

out here. Yeah, so there are a lot of plastic surgeons of Beverly Hills and there are a lot of good plastic surgeons, but there are a lot of bad ones, of course, too. So, you know, it's easy to stand out. What's the worst case? I'm sure you've gotten some botched cases. What's the worst? You don't have to say the name, but tell me like the worst, like scenario you've ever seen. Yeah, I mean, I get a lot of patients coming in that have had surgery elsewhere, you know, out of the country, typically. So Mexico, South America, Central America. And unfortunately, we just had somebody come in recently who had a lot done at one time, you know, massive weight loss, had arms, tummy, legs. And the sad part is, you know, if they're not taking care of well, the surgery isn't done well, everything just falls apart.

And so then, you know, they have open wounds on their legs, open wounds on their arms, their breasts, everything's infected. They're in the hospital. They're getting blood transfusions, IV antibiotics, end up with massive scars. And the sad part about that is even after they're all healed up, then they have to pay for another surgery to try and fix all that. And it's often even more difficult to fix than it would have been to just do it the right way in the beginning. Yeah, so you would advise people because I know a lot of people, I know Turkey is a big thing right now for hair transplants. I mean, just everything. I know I know people personally that have gone overseas to get worked on.

I don't think that I would do that because I'm just so crazy myself. Like I just can't see me doing it. Not that I don't have any opinion whether people do it or not. But what is your opinion about people going somewhere where things are not FDA approved or there's not American doctors? Yeah, it's such a gamble. Yeah. You know, so if you love going to Vegas and, you know, putting all your money on the roulette wheel on, you know, 12 and seeing how it goes, then, you know, you might turn out great. But, you know, if you want something that's predictable, it makes sense to do something local, to do something with a board certified plastic surgeon.

And that way you have somebody that can follow up with you. And so if you need a revision or a touch-up, if there's a problem, there's someone that can take care of you right away. Yeah. I mean, that's so important. So what advice would you give if somebody is looking for a plastic surgeon, right? I assume people would do their research. That's what I did. I went and looked at ratings.

I went on Google reviews to see what different people were saying. You go on their website, their Instagram, because Instagram's now big and popular, right, for showcasing your work. So what advice would you give somebody like myself that would maybe be looking for a plastic surgeon? Yeah, I'd say, you know, make sure they're board certified. So look up the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, make sure that they're on there. You know, check out their medical, their state medical board record. So if they have any, you know, lawsuits or issues with their medical license, that's kind of a big deal. And then don't get sucked into the marketing.

You know, there are some doctors out there that are incredible at marketing, but maybe not that good at surgery. And so you can really get drawn to their marketing and end up with a bad result. Yeah, that's it. Do most doctors specialize in something like I know your specialty are breasts? So is that important to look for too? Like you, I probably wouldn't go to you for, I don't know, what would be something that I wouldn't go to you for? Like a hair transplant. Yeah, hair transplant.

So I probably wouldn't. Do you know how to do that? Sure, I do. You know, so in plastic surgery, you really trained broadly. Yeah. With a bunch of different things. But then most of us kind of, you know, pick certain fields that we emphasize. That's your niche.

Right, right. That makes sense. Yeah. So going to somebody that does that stuff regularly, you know, knowing a patient, you know, getting a referral from either another patient or from a physician. Yeah. Makes sense. You know, your primary care doctor.

I think all those things are smart. And try and stick local. You know, I think it is helpful to go somewhere. If you're in a city like L.A., you know, stay. There are a bunch of good plastic surgeons here. If you're in, you know, Idaho or Montana or something, then maybe it makes sense to leave the area and find somebody that's more skilled. Yeah, that makes sense. So when do you, okay, so I've, listen, I love this.

I'm so fascinated. And now I'm, like, more, even more excited that I get to have this intimate conversation with you. Okay, so when do you tell somebody, like, enough is enough? Like, no, you need it, like, your lips are too big? Your boobs are fine? Like, are you, are you an honest doctor? Do you tell people when enough is enough? Yeah, it's such a.

tough conversation for me and my colleagues too. We talk about this all the time. But, you know, people come in and they are addicted to the procedure and sometimes they get a distorted view of themselves. And so they will ask and the typical things are just like you said, oh, I want more lip filler, you know, I want more facial filler and I want bigger implants, breast implants. And many, many times I tell them, look, let's back down, let's talk about this. And I'll turn people away all the time. You do. Yeah. I'll say, I'm not going to do that. This is not in your best interest for your health. It's not going to look good. And I don't want to be associated with that. I don't want you to tell other people that I'm your doctor and this is your result. Yeah, obviously,

like you don't want people walking around and then they look botched and then they're like, oh, Dr. Newman did it for me. Yeah. I've seen plenty of women because I see it a lot. I see women, their lips are so big. And look, if they like it, for me, I think beauty is within the eye of the beholder and, you know, whatever they want. But sometimes it's like, excessive and I'm like nobody said anything to this woman that maybe they shouldn't have any lip filler like they've had enough I don't know they people just don't you're right I think they're addicted to it and in term but the doctor I feel like a lot of times doctors because you're getting paid and unfortunately people are driven by money the doctor doesn't know when saying enough is enough

it's a dilemma you know as a physician you know I think we all face it because people come in you want to make people happy yeah that's where we're in the business of kind of achieving people's goals and making them happy and sure some financial benefit too. And the sad part is a lot of people will come in and say, I want this. And then we know if we don't do it, well, they're going to go down a block down the street. And there are 100 other plastic surgeons that will do it. So, you know, it's tough to say no, but I do it all the time. How do you feel about, I have a daughter who is 17. Me personally, I don't think that she, I would, I know at this, she's not getting plastic surgery in any way, shape, or form. Not yet. No way.

As a plastic surgeon, as a renowned doctor, when do you kind of like a girl comes in and there's the stigma of what women should look like, when do you think is an appropriate age to start with not plastic surgery because some girls, they know they have like in large breasts, whatever, but like a Botoxin filler. When is like an okay age to start with it? Yeah, Botox and filler, you know, I usually tell people definitely by 30 you should be doing Botox. Yeah. Maybe 25. 18 is, I think, too young.

I think so. But there are some people out there that are doing it. Lipfer. I really try and push people off, you know, until at least in their 20s. But it is such the rage right now. It's tough to say no. Yeah. But certainly, you know, as you said, I mean, there are medical reasons to undergo

plastic surgery. You know, some people have very asymmetrical breasts or very large breasts. You know, some people are just born with a massive nose. of nose and a big hump that they're embarrassed about and- Or like a deviated septum, so there's- They have problems breathing, right? So there are reasons to do some plastic surgery procedures, but, you know, those strictly cosmetic procedures, yeah, I usually tell people at least like 21, but, you know, better

off even later at 25. Yeah, that makes sense. I started at 25. That's kind of like when I started with it and then, you know, just kept using, I love, I mean, I love, I'm not ashamed. I really am not ashamed of talking about it, you know, and I laugh, I was telling you before that I always tell everybody everything on me is fake and well that's not a hundred percent true but you know people talk about authenticity and living like your greatest truth and

for me you know beauty and vanity is a big part of who I am it makes me feel good I don't press that on anybody else because I think anybody can do whatever makes them happy and and I'd ask you this do you think that it is unauthentic of women to get plastic surgery I know this is your business but in like your own without without you just kind to conflict with both. Do you think it's unauthentic? No, because I think people are really bringing out what's in their heart, you know, and you are a creation of what's in your mind and what's your heart. I mean, you know, is it okay to put on whatever clothes that you want? Is it okay to cut your hair a certain way,

to do your nails a certain way? You know, I think those are all kind of self-maintenance, self-care items. Yeah. And I think plastic surgery fits right in there. So I think is the more important part about authenticity, which I think you're demonstrating is being honest. Yeah. And if you've had stuff done, I think, you know, don't get worried about the stigma, you know, be honest about what you've done and be authentic about who you are and what your past has been. Yeah, I agree with you. I mean, and I also feel like if it's broken and you can fix it, why not do that? It'll make you feel better. And a lot of times, I mean, I know if something's bothering me if I see that, you know, wrinkle or gray hair, I get my hair done or, you know, I wanted my hair longer, so I have extensions. I really have zero shame in it. But honestly, it makes me feel better. It makes me feel better as a mom. It makes me feel better as a business person. It just makes me feel better. Do you find out with the women that come in that when they get, when they get better? something done, whatever it is, that they kind of walk away, just feeling a lot more, I would let's say, comfortable with themselves. Absolutely. That's a huge confidence booster because we all have things that we're insecure about or conscientious about. And it could be something we were

born with. It could be changes after pregnancy, you know, maybe mommy makeover stuff, your stomach stretched out, your boobs have lost volume. It could be, as you said, you know, hair, facial contour. or addressing those things really most of the time puts them to rest in your mind and allows you to be more confident more confident in the bedroom. I mean, I have patients that would wear a bra when they have sex with their spouse every time until we did surgery and now they feel more confident being naked and undressed with their significant others. So, you know, being able to provide that for somebody is just life changing.

Yeah. And it's true, you know, for people of all ages. So I think it's really meaningful. I think that's what people don't understand is that when it comes from an insecure place and people don't want to admit that, that it's an insecurity. And it is true. Like for me, I had my breasts and I had him not once but twice because I had zero breasts. And I was made fun of as a kid.

I remember, like they would say I'm like part of the itty-titty, what was the itty-bitty-titty-committee. I mean, it stayed with me forever. And look, it was very, as a kid, you know, can you imagine like all these guys? girls are developing and as a kid it never happened for me zero it didn't happen to like afford it at the age of 25 and you're right it was a hundred percent of confidence booster for me and it made me feel better about myself so when people say oh it's not authentic or they they earned not it doesn't i feel like it just doesn't matter as long as you feel good and it doesn't make you unauthentic if you use filler if you have had breast implants if you've had a bbl i don't think that's unauthentic i think it's very

authentic, actually. I agree. And I think admitting it is authentic. And so I applaud you for, you know, being open about that stuff. And I, you know, not only is that, I think, good for you, but then I think it's good for, you know, young women that are growing up and they look at you and they're like, oh, my God, she's so perfect. You know, she's perfect hair and perfect breasts. And it's good for them to realize, well, you know, you had some help along the way to get there. And that's okay. Yeah, and you don't do it until you can afford it. That's the other thing to tell my daughter. Like, you're not doing anything until you can afford to do it. It's not just the hand-me-out thing. But what about men?

Do men do plastic surgery? Absolutely. Yeah. So men are certainly a smaller proportion of the plastic surgery world, but absolutely men, the most common things are rhinoplasty or nose surgery or liposuction. Really? Yeah. Really, men are that. So I feel like my husband, he just does it.

Like, he does things for me, but like I feel like he really just doesn't care. I don't know. Yeah. And so some, you know, and that's true for women, too. There are women out there that don't care that are discussed it by the whole, you know, self-care, self-maintenance. world. But I think there are men that take good care of themselves and don't get plastic surgery or don't get involved in that stigma. But there are definitely plenty of men out there that get stuff done. And LIPO is for sure common. As I said, nose job stuff too. But then

I think there are a lot of guys that don't get Botox and should. Most of us as men have very strong facial muscles, including me. And I think, do Botox? Absolutely. Absolutely. I I love it. Love it. I love that you admit it. So I was going to tell you the story about my first time. You know, I was in training and one of the nurses I work with does, you know, Botox on everybody. And, you know, she at the end of the day, at the end of the clinic day, she was like, I need to talk to you. And I said, oh, you know, maybe I did something bad, you know, was, am I in trouble? And she's like, no, you can't leave today until we do the Botox on your forehead.

And that was the first day. And I did it. And I was like, almost felt like a little offended by it. But I was like, all right, let's give it a go. and I'm telling you, you know, people say, game changer. Yeah, people say, you know, once you start Botox, you can't ever stop. And it's not because you can't stop, but it's because you don't want to because it makes you look so good and feel so good

that you wouldn't want to stop it. I love it. I mean, I love Botox. I love filler. And if, like I said, if you can fix it and you can feel younger and you can look better, I mean, I have no shame. My friends will ask me. They're like, do you think I need it?

I'm like, oh, yeah, you can use it over here, a little over here. It's actually my mom. My mom is so vain. My mom is with, that's who started with this. She was like, you have to try it. You have to try it. And I never stopped. And honestly, I don't feel like I need to stop.

I don't feel like there's anything wrong with it. You know, people ask me all the time, well, what about your daughter? What does she think about it? And my daughter feels the same way. Like, if that's what makes my mom happy and there's been critics that have said stuff, like, you know, your daughter's watching you. You know, it kind of looks, it's a bad role model, but I would 100% disagree with that. I agree.

You know, so I think it's like, would you, you know, not cut your finger. fingernails or would you not cut your hair? You know, would you not wear makeup? I mean, those are basic maintenance things. And Botox is the closest thing that we have to a fountain of youth. It really prevents aging. And so people always ask me, you know, what's the first thing I should do? And, you know, really, truthfully, the first thing you should do is wear sunscreen. Yeah. That ages all of us. Oh, yeah. I'm not going to the sun anymore. It's zero sun for me. Yeah. But then number two is Botox because it just stops that aging process of, you know, certain areas of the face. And once it's already, you know, worn out. I have patients come into me and they're, you know, in their 60s and 70s,

and they're like, oh, I've never done anything. And now I'm ready. Well, where have you been for the past, you know, 50 years? Oh, God. What do you do? Well, you know, we do everything, but you just can't get to it. But when you say to them, like, we're going right to the facelift. Yeah, yeah. I mean, by then, you know, you're talking, lasers, you know, facelift and tightening forehead lift, everything. But it is important to do a little maintenance along the way to try and prevent the aging process if you want to look good and if you have some, you know, vanity. Yeah, I would agree. You know, one thing I didn't know growing up was the sun was so bad because my mom came from an era where they would like sit with the aluminum, you know, like this. So I, I didn't know, and I didn't know

anything about skincare. My daughter, who is 17, knows everything about skin care. So I started getting into skincare probably in my 30s. And that's when I stopped going to sun. I would not go in the sun. I will not go in the sun anymore. Like I'm not like in a, you know, in a room all day. But if I'm in the sun, it's with a huge hat and glasses. I do wear sunscreen because the sun. I don't think people understand how bad the sun is for you. For sure. Sun is the, you know, sun and I think smoking are the things that age people the most. And, you know, for those of us that grew up in warm climates, California, Florida. If you look around, those people have aged 10 times more than, let's say, people from Northern Europe, US, or Canada. So profound, profound benefit to sunscreen or to

staying out of the sun or wearing hats, you know, some kind of protection. So absolutely critical. And it's great, I think, that the younger generation now is aware of this, you know, because when we were younger, we didn't know. Zero. I did the same thing you did. I sat out in the sun. I was like, with the oil. Yeah. It felt good. You know. I would just try and get as much sun as I could. But now, yeah, I'm hat, sunscreen, and very conscientious about my hours outside. Yeah, same. And with global warming, which is like a real thing.

It gets really on from Florida. So the heat is excruciating. It is vibrant. You can feel yourself cooking. So I don't go into some. My daughter, too. She'll sit out there a little bit, but no, she's into the whole skincare thing. Well, she's lucky that she's got you as a mom.

I'll tell you that. I mean, yeah, because, well, I only knew later. My mom never said anything. Never. So she, I mean, she knows all about the skincare routine. But one thing about plastic surgery, I think people don't understand too, is that it's not a magic pill. You can't just go in, I feel it. You can't go in and get liposuction.

Like, I think people look for like a magic pill all the time, even with the Ozumpic, which we'll talk about. But do you, would you agree or do you think, in your professional opinion, and do you advise clients, like, yes, I'll get you the lipo, but this is not the magic pill. The fat can come back. If I'm correct, I don't know, I might just be overtalking. The fat, if you eat, it's going to come back. You know, even with the gastric, I've seen people lose the weight from it and then they become obese again. So there's more to it than just plastic surgery. That's not the tell-all-b-all.

Would you agree with that? Yeah, well, you can eat through anything. You know, you can eat through a gastric sleeve, gastric bypass. You can eat through lipo, and you can eat through OZepic and all of the GLP-1. So, yeah, absolutely. Plastic surgery is not going to solve everything. So if you have bad habits, we'll do liposuction, and you're going to gain that weight again. And I've done liposuction on people that have had liposuction in the past, and they come back five years later, and they've gained weight, and the fat comes back.

Now, the fat is more likely to go somewhere else. I was going to ask you that. So if you do liposuction, let's say, around the waist, and you gain weight, it's more likely to come back in your thighs or your arms or elsewhere. But it'll still come back to that original area of lipos as well. And so, you know, you can mop it up again. But, you know, there are all kinds of people that come in now that ask for liposuction. And I always have to ask them the question, well, what's our goal? You know, are you really trying to sculpt or are you trying to lose some weight so you can fit into your clothes and, you know, get that number lower on the scale?

Yeah. And if they're trying to lose weight, then liposuction is really not the best answer. And so I'll tell them, it's better to lose the weight first, then come in and we can reassess in whatever stubborn fat is left, then we can really sculpt you. Yeah. And that's going to give you a great long-term result. And the definition you're looking for. And the way to do that, I think these days now is all these weight loss medications,

you know, the OZEPIC. How do you feel about that? Because there's a lot of controversy about it. And I, like, I'm authentic. I'm real. I did take OZMPIC. I took it because my biggest insecurity were my legs. Like I competed.

I've done so much. I mean, I exercise all the time. Literally every morning, 5 a.m. I'm in that gym. I'm in the gym six to seven times. I could not get the weight off my legs. So that's why I took the ozambic. It worked.

It 100% worked. It continues to work. But there's a lot of controversy behind it. So what's the real deal? Yeah. Well, I think these medications are revolutionary. I think they're going to change the world. I think we've seen it change our society already.

Yeah. You know, I think obesity is going to be optional, you know, one of these days. I think it's a big problem here. Why the U.S.? Why is it so bad here? here than any other country. Well, I think we, you know, a lot of reasons, I think huge portions and sedentary lifestyle. You know, what do we do all day?

We sit at a computer and, you know, talk on the phone, go to meetings. We're not out there working in a field. We're not out there walking to work and walking home. We're in a car. So sedentary lifestyle and then all the food out there tastes good. The chefs are being paid to make things taste good and look good and be inviting. Food is everywhere you turn. Yeah.

And so food is very tempting. Yeah. And so O-Zempic and that family medications work by just shutting down our appetite. They slow down emptying of your intestines and your stomachs. Your stomach feels full so you just don't eat as much. Yeah. And you can work out five times a day. You're not going to burn enough calories to make up for all the food that you eat.

The best way to lose weight or to prevent from gaining weight is to not eat. It's really just about calories. Yeah, caloric intake. Yeah. or when you're, what do they say, it's 80% what you put in your mouth versus going to the gym. That's right. And it's important. I mean, I think there's a huge misconception.

And you see it when people, I mean, go on, have you ever been on a cruise? I've not been on a cruise, fortunately, because I've heard stories. They, like, I see people walking around and they're like loading their, I mean, there's so much food on there. I don't even think it's normal how people can eat that much. And I don't think they understand the adverse effects of it. And it's here because I've traveled, well, you're from Europe. So in Europe, people are not as big as they are here. Absolutely.

Yeah, because Europe, you're seeing smaller portions and more active lifestyles. Yeah. Do you think it has something to do with the hormones, though? Because why do the kids look huge compared to when we went to school? Yeah, I think, you know, hormones definitely are out there. They definitely contribute in some way. But I think it's more about the calories than anything else. And I know, you know, we've seen hundreds of patients on these medications that shut down the appetite.

Once people stop eating, the weight goes away. Yeah, I mean, that's really what the semi-glutide does, right? That's the active ingredient. What is the difference? So what is it, like, why would somebody use semi-glutide versus Wachovie versus Majer? I know a lot about it. Can you tell? Like, I know all the names.

Yeah. Like, I know all of this up. Why would somebody use, like, for weight loss, not for, like, diabetes, but why would they use that? Yeah, so the two main medications out there, the generic names are semi-glutide and terseptide. Right. Which one's better?

Yeah. So better is kind of a debatable. question. For people that are really trying to lose significant weight, 50 pounds or more, then terseptitide's probably a better choice. And the reason is because it acts through two different modalities. So it's more effective versus the semi-glutide is just through one pathway. But sometimes people can get enough improvement with just that one pathway and that's fine. But if you really want to hit it with a hammer, then the tersepotide's going to get you there. And what's the difference between the other ones? The like majourno, are those just the name for?

the brand names, yeah. And so each medicine has two brand names associated with it, one for diabetes and one for weight loss. So that's why it gets confusing. So is this stigma, because I've read too, that the stigma that the people, like the, I guess the diabetic, not world, but people or doctors, there's like been a big, there's been a big controversy over people using it for weight loss. And there's been a shortage for people that are diabetics. Is this like a real thing or? Yeah, it's very real. So the companies that make these medications, can't keep up with the demand because so many people want it and because it works so well. And so because of that, the FDA has a rule that allows compounding pharmacies to make these medications not through the factory and distribute them. Right. And so, you know, the good news is that has allowed a lot of access for people that can't afford

the price of buying it through a pharmacy, which, you know, might cost $1,500 a month or more. And then they can get it through a medical facility or a pharmacy at a rate that's much cheaper, you know, anywhere from $400 to $500 a month instead. Yeah, that makes sense. What about the long-term effects? I think people are really scared. I know myself, like, I've researched it. And then, like, how do you know how much to take? Like, that's a big thing, too, and it's so unclear.

Because a lot of these places, I don't know if you know this, but you can really get semi-glutide anywhere. They have them, like, in these vital lounges. Do you know, like, these clinics now? where they do the drips. So you can literally get, you can buy it offline. I know people are doing that too. So how do you know how much to start with?

What's the max amount? And what are the long-term effects? Yeah, well, these are all really, good questions. So you can get these medications from all over. You know, you can get it shipped in from Thailand,

from Canada, from, you know, little stores on the street. And the problem is it's not very well regulated because because of this FDA rule where these compounding pharmacies can manufacture it, it's being manufactured all over. And it might be to different.

standards and so in fact we sell it through our office it is true you can get these medications everywhere it can get it online imported from overseas imported from Canada yeah and then the pharmacies that sell it or the medical spas and so on that sell it bring it in from different locations and so they might have different strengths or different purities of that medication so one dose that might work great for you with one manufacturer might be a different dose with another manufacturer so it's tricky so all these medications should be monitored by a physician and dose by a physician and you should get some kind of

guidance so in our office we have a monthly visit where we'll talk to the patient see how they're doing with their weight loss chart it and then make a decision do we go up on the dose down or change the frequency and so just like you were asking you don't have to be on it forever and so once you get to a stable weight that's kind of at your weight goal then you can taper it off yeah either go down on the dose or go down on the frequency you know originally it's It designs a weekly injection, but you can do it just every other week, every third week, every fourth week.

And then I even have some patients that will stop it for months at a time, you know, maybe just do it seasonally, you know, a few months a year, just to kind of get them back on track. Yeah, that makes sense. So that's kind of what I do. Like, I have like a storage bottle. So if I feel like my pants are too tight, I'll just go ahead and inject myself. And that's, you know, that's kind of the way it is. But I do, like, for me, the effects, do you find this with the people are nausea?

that's number one and then when I first started with it was tired I was extremely tired and I didn't want to work out that was a big thing for me is that like a normal thing interesting I haven't heard tiredness that much but certainly nausea yeah and I think sometimes when you're nausea so you don't feel like working out so maybe those are related but not your caloric intake is down so maybe that's what it is sure so you could have less energy yeah more commonly I think people see like dehydration because you forget to drink yeah you know you need to make sure you keep up with your electrolytes keep up with your protein intake because you're going to have some muscle wasting unless you're keeping up some intake of protein.

Yeah. So I think these are great medicines. They're going to be around forever. They really have changed our society. But, you know, they need to be managed and monitored. Yeah. What about the long-term effects? Yeah.

So I think, you know, these medications of this family has been around for almost 10 years now. Yeah. And we really haven't seen any major bad effects. And so, sure, it is possible that something could turn up down the road in the future. But unlikely, based on. on the data we've seen so far. Yeah, and I feel like obesity is such a problem anyways, and there's so many diseases attributed to obesity that I can't imagine that if somebody

is of weight or not obese, that it's going to correlate with, you know, major heart condition, anything like that. I know kidneys is one thing that they're concerned about, but overall, I can't imagine that if people are in shape and not obese, that they're going to have likely, you know, terrible problems going on. Right. So if you're obese, for sure, the benefits outweigh, the risks taking this medicine because you get, you know, increased risk of diabetes, obviously

high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes. I mean, everything that could kill you is worse. Cancer, all those things are worse when you're overweight. Yeah. So if you're very overweight, no doubt that medicine is going to be a benefit. But if you're trying to lose 10 pounds, you know, then maybe the risk reward ratio is more of a question. Yeah.

But as far as we can tell, the risks are super low. Yeah, I love that. Now, for your, like, where your practice, is it just you, is this your practice and you have other physicians that work there as well? Or how does that work? Yeah. So I have two office locations in L.A. And it's a group of five of us, so five plastic surgeons. When I started, there were just two of us.

And we've grown, we've hired more plastic surgeons, grown the business, you know, built a medical spa, built an operating room. And so you have it all. Yeah. And so we're kind of one-stop shop. I love that. Like an inpatient? Yeah. So we have a overnight stay, a surgery center.

we can do the full range of surgical procedures for people, you know, anesthesia, the whole deal. And now you oversee the whole, both of them are yours, or are you in partners with other people? Yeah, so I'm a partner with the other people in our group. So it's five of us, and we've kind of brought people on. And I think the way to keep,

oh, sorry, the way to keep people around is to treat them fairly, right? So you got to treat them with respect, be honest, be authentic, and be transparent. Yeah, I mean, you are essentially, like I do, sales. So you're essentially in sales also. And that it's so true people buy from you. I'm sure people, because you're so warm. You're so nice. Is there anything that you do specifically that would set you aside from another, from another doctor? Yeah. Well, I think mostly I customize things, you know, because I think a lot of people come in and, you know, there are plastic surgery

out there that just are a factory. Yeah. The patient comes in, all right, stamp, this is your, you get this. But I really go through every little detail with the patient. So we have them try on breast implants. We do 3D simulation of their results, you know, whether it's facial or body surgery. We might customize different procedures based on their anatomy. You know, everybody's anatomy is different. And so if you want them to look like themselves when they're done and not this cookie cutter image, then you want to customize their treatment. I love that. So you have like the 3D imaging and they can see. I love that that you do that. And you, are you looking to expand anymore? Absolutely. You know, I think we all are

successful because we're ambitious. And so part of that is looking at the future and looking to grow. So we do plan to expand further into the wellness world because I think health and wellness go along so well together. I think it's a big thing now too more than ever before. Right. So you know into you know the world of stem cells, exosomes, IV therapy. We're already kind of into the medical weight loss world as well and then expand space too. So we need to grow physically and then with staff and more surgeons. Yeah, I mean, and I read also that you have this renowned procedure. So you coined this procedure. This is your own like technique and patent. This is your, so you're pretty, I mean, you're pretty smart. That's a really like, that's not like a little thing. That's a pretty

big thing. That's a huge accolade. Well, thank you. Yeah. I mean, of course, you know, I think all pretty much all plastic surgeons are smart. I mean, obviously we've gone through, you know, a huge amount of school and all have like a certain caliber of knowledge. But I appreciate it. Yeah. So this technique that I trademarked is called the forever breast surgery. And it's a technique that's kind of evolved over time, but it's essentially taking fat from your own body and using that to enhance the volume of the breast. And there are some modifications that make it work particularly well. And it can be done either for people that have never had surgery and just want breast enhancement, you know, a little more volume, or people that have had breast implants before. And they've gotten older,

they've had a problem with their implants, so they just don't want them anymore. And so we can take the implants out and use fat instead to create that volume. Yeah. And I know with, you know, just myself having two breast surgeries, the first time I had the, not the, not the silicone. What are the other ones? Saline. Saline.

So I'm assuming that like anything else, that the plastic surgery world is ever evolving. So it's constantly like staying up with the new trends because then you see in some places, you're right, stem cell is a huge thing right now because people want to be younger, right? And people are, they're living longer. So are you, you said you're, are you currently in stem cell or are you getting involved with it? We're getting involved in it. And there's a lot of benefits, right? There are.

So stem cells is a really kind of tricky world right now. There was a lot of stem cell marketing procedures and clinics out there. Yeah. And the FDA really cracked down on it probably, you know, two, three years ago. And so people now, a lot of them are going to other countries. Panama's the spot, right? So everyone's going to Panama for stem cells, Mexico, of course, too. because it is illegal here to use stem cells in some ways.

But you can use stem cells and stem cell derived products topically. Yeah. And so that's kind of the frontier right now. And so we're getting involved in that. And then the next frontier, I think eventually, once there's more research and more regulation, is to start using it internally. So, you know, for joints, intravenous therapy, you know, surgical sites, etc. Yeah, I know several people that have gone to Panama.

to do something on their joints. I don't know. I mean, one girl is struggling. It didn't work. So I don't know. Maybe they probably should have done in the U.S. Yeah, well, that's the problem. You know, you go to these other countries

and you don't know where you're getting. Sure, you're signing up for stem cells, but who knows what they're actually injecting into you. Yeah. And who knows whose stem cells they're injecting into it. Yeah, I'm not doing it. Yeah, there's a new company, actually, that we're just starting to work with,

where they actually take your hair follicles, so they pull out a couple pieces of your hair, hopefully from areas where you're not losing hair, if you're losing some. So maybe in the back or the bottom. And they can take the stem cells off of the hair follicle and use them to create new healthy cells of different types. Wow. And use those derived products from those cells to help restore your skin, your scalp, et cetera.

Wow. I love that. I love everything about this world. Everything. I want to be forever young. You have no idea. But as we wrap up, I just want to know if you can leave somebody a viewer that might be on the brink. they don't really know if they should get plastic surgery. Maybe they're embarrassed. Like what advice would you give to somebody that is just kind of on that, that teeter tottering where they don't know which way they should go with it? Yeah, plastic surgery is such a diverse field and it's very emotional.

And so I think the best thing to do is to come in and talk to a professional. You know, I think don't be shy. Find a doctor that you can have an honest, authentic conversation with. And if that doctor is good, he or she is going to, to tell you whether it's a good idea or not. You know, I have patients come in all the time that say, oh, well, I want to do this. And I look at them and I say, you look great. You look great for your age.

Maybe not do this major thing, but maybe just do a little maintenance. Maybe just do a little skincare. You know, maybe hold off until after you have kids. So go to somebody, get some professional advice. Don't make all the decisions yourself. And, you know, if you find a doctor that's, you know, you're not able to talk to, then go see somebody else. I love that.

You are a true bill. Thank you. You are, a boss I'd like to follow. Well, at least a doc, a dill, a doctor I'd like to follow. That's a new one. Ooh, that could be, yes, that's your. Now, if anybody wants to get a hold of you, which I definitely were going to, I'm going to take your info. If anyone wants to get a hold of you, where would they find you? Yeah, the best place is Instagram. You know, it's so immediate these days. So it's Dr. Newman, D.R. Newman, plastic surgery. I love it. Well, I appreciate you coming out here and being authentic and real. And I cannot wait to come personally see your clinics. Such a pleasure. Thanks.

Thank you.