Nip This Tuck That

Exciting day here today.  VIP surgery (celebrity, public figure, roaylty, captain of industry?) and then did a case with a TV film crew.  From the VIP case where secrecy is paramount…to the oepnness of doing surgery with a film crew filming everything.

 As the VIP is leaving…the film crew is setting up in another portion of our facility and my staff is directing traffic.  That’s one thing about my staff…they are superb at their jobs…and they sure can kep a secret.  They directed everyone around and the film crew hadn’t a clue who had just had surgery or that they were even there. The operation they were there to film started less than 1 hour after the film crew first arrived.

 When a film crew comes there’s a brief meeting with the director and the crew to set some basic line for the shoot and to brief them as to what they can do and where they can go.  I never assume that they have been filming inside an operatuing room before and give them a brief set of do’s and don’t.  For example….don’t touch the patient once they have been prepared for surgery…and don’t touch the back table with all the instruments…heck, pretty much don’t touch anything unless we tell you it’s OK to do so.  Then there’s the introductory interviews with the patient and then with me.  They film a brief consultation and then I scrub for surgery.

 In the OR, it’s easy to become distracted except that I have done this many…many times before and I’m used to it.  It doesn’t really phase me.  I am happy to provide the film crew a running dialogue of what I am doing and why…in that regard it’s not much different then teaching resident surgeons Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery procedures.  I quickly settle into a routine and go about my business.  I have learned that if I’m at a point in the operation where I can’t speak….I just hold up my hand and say “not now…I’ll be able to speak with you in just a minute.” 

Beverly Hills Rhinoplasty, Face Lift, Neck Lift, Cheek Implants, Chin Implants, Brow Lift, Blepharoplasty, Breast Augmentation, Tummy Tucks, Lip Augmentation, Radiesse Injections, Botox Injections..these are all plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures that seem to interest TV shows whether they are based here in LA, NY, London or elsewhere.

Following the completion of the surgery comes the exit or concluding interview with the patient another one with me and then a wrap up by the field reporter or the producer.  All of this on top of me doing my usual things before, during and after the operation.  It’s fun but it does take effort.  From about 6 hours of filmiing today, 5-10 minutes will be aired as the edited version. That’s why TV seems to flow seamlessly.  It’s edited to look that way.  Take it from me…it takes way more time and effort than it appears when you see the final program.  Mr Demille…I’m ready for my close up!

Dr. Francis R Palmer, III