Abacoa & Alton Neighbors January 2021

J a n u a r y 2 0 2 1 | Abacoa &Alton N E I G H B O R S 9 Aging Gracefully By Craig M. Forleiter, MD The COVID-19 pandemic has touched each of our lives in profound ways across the entire spectrum of emotion. From adjusting to working from home to helping our children navigate virtual school to mourning irreplaceable losses, 2020 has been full of many not so wonderful surprises. Through it all, I am inspired by the indomitable human spirit, and confident that with altruism and togetherness, we will emerge a stronger society. In the meantime, like so many Americans, I will continue to stare at myself in the corner of the Zoom screen and wonder when I started to look so old! It didn’t happen overnight. A wrinkle here; a deepened fold there. Somewhere between four years of medical school and nine years of general and plastic surgical training, I just noticed myself looking more tired. Whether it the shadows under my eyes or the loss of jaw and neck definition, I cannot be sure. It is fascinating that we all age similarly, anatomically speaking. There is a clear pattern to the aging human face; understanding and putting it into words helps a patient understand what options are available. Maybe it’s coincidental that my journey through my 30s coincided with a pandemic that forced us to conduct business and personal affairs online with our aging faces thrust into the spotlight, but I’ve never received so many texts and calls from friends asking, “where do I start?!” They are always apologetic, like they are bothering me, but the truth is, I love it! I always felt that medicine is privileged information and there is no greater joy than being able to share it in a welcoming manner. I love seeing the lightbulb go off when I explain to a patient in the mirror that their deepened smile lines are due to loss of cheek definition, and that by correcting their cheeks, they will achieve the youthful appearance they desire. I love when a patient thinks they are unhappy with their nose, but with a few simple calculations, we determine it is actually their chin that needs the tweaking. While recognizing that we cannot stop the aging process, we can certainly intervene. In my professional quest to help patients (and my personal quest to help my friends!), I believe in the synergistic effect of both surgical and nonsurgical interventions. As the saying goes, “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” I prefer to use my entire toolbox of quality skin care, injectable neurotoxins and fillers, lasers, and the countless surgeries of the brow, eyes, face, lips, and neck to turn back the hands of Father Time. Everyone is beautifully unique, and I find my patients don’t want drastic changes but rather seek the most refreshed version of themselves. With a warm and open consultation, easy to understand education, and realistic individually- tailored treatment goals, I seek to leave all of my patients confident they are aging gracefully into a better 2021, one Zoom meeting at a time. EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR Lighthouse Adventure Climb Smartphone Tour App Available in English, French & Spanish Discover the Palm Beaches Florida $1 OFF REGULAR ADMISSION PER PERSON EXP 12/31/21 EXP21 500 Captain Armour’s Way, Jupiter, FL 33469 501(C)3 nonprofit Lighthouse Climbs • Historic Grounds Programs • Nature Trails • Gift Shop 561-747-8380 x101 jupiterlighthouse.org