The following is a transcript of this episode. It has been edited for clarity.
Intro: Yes, today we’re going there, ladies. Our topic is plastic surgery, and registered nurse Kirsten Swanson is here to tell us about all the procedures that are currently at your disposal, short of a traditional facelift, in case you’ve been considering a little refresh. And if going under the knife is not your thing or if you’re scared of it like I am, no worries, because we’re also discussing some non-invasive treatments that can give you a little lift or glow. And we chat about why sometimes just letting nature take its course may be the best way to go. Welcome to More Beautiful, the podcast for women rewriting the midlife playbook. I’m Maryann LoRusso, and I invite you to join me and a guest each week as we strive for a life that’s more adventurous, more fulfilling, and more beautiful than ever before.
Maryann: Hi, Kirsten, how are you? Thanks for being here.
Kirsten: Hi, Maryann. I’m so happy to be here.
Maryann: So, we all consider ourselves enlightened women, right?
Kirsten: Right. [Laughs]
Maryann: But we’ve all looked in the mirror once or twice and maybe noticed something we didn’t like and thought about, you know, should I do something about it? What do you think are the first signs of aging that have women running to the doctor?
Kirsten: I think it’s those first wrinkles around the eyes and, you know, between your eyebrows. The ones around your eyes I don’t think are so bad because that means you’ve been smiling a lot in life.
Maryann: That’s what I think.
Kirsten: Yeah. But the ones that I think people really get upset with are those frown lines, because it’s like they think you’ve been scowling and you’re unhappy.
Maryann: Right. And you look in the mirror one day and you decide that that’s not me. That’s not how I look. Who’s that lady staring back at me?
Kirsten: Right, I’m a happy person. Who’s scowling at me?
Maryann: Right, right. What’s next, after that? What do you think?
Kirsten: I think the forehead, because of all of our expressions. I think when I was young, I was trying not to be very expressive in my forehead. But it still didn’t work. It just happens when we’re animated and talking and happy.
Maryann: Yeah, I guess so. So I think some women, when they start seeing these signs, think, I’m not going to do anything about this. I’m going to age gracefully. Others decide, I’m going to nip this in the bud right now. What makes some women do it and embrace it more than others. What do you think?
Kirsten: I’ve been thinking a lot about that. Because recently, I met this woman, and she’s just amazing. I really don’t have any idea how old she is, just because…I know she’s lived in California for like 25 years. She worships the sun. Everything she does is outside. And she has so many wrinkles. But she owns it, and she’s just beautiful, because it’s her zest for life. Or then there’s the rest of us who, you know, we’re looking in the mirror and we see these wrinkles. Like, I can’t deal with these. This is not how I feel, I want to do something else. I want to look happier and more restful.
Maryann: So, I think wanting to look more restful is a pretty legitimate reason. You see some of these jobs in Hollywood, or even at the supermarket, where you go, oh, wow. Like, maybe she went a little too far. Right?
Kirsten: Right. I think the first person that always came to mind in the past, well, besides Joan Rivers—
Maryann: Oh, right. But she embraced it. She loved it. [Laughs]
Kirsten: [Laughs] But like, Renee Zellweger.
Maryann: Oh, yeah.
Kirsten: Yeah, remember? She doesn’t look the same at all.
Maryann: Yeah, I’m thinking back to even… I mean, this is not an age thing, but you remember Jennifer Gray from Ferris Bueller?
Kirsten: Yes, yes.
Maryann: I remember that little bump on her nose. When she changed it, she did not look like Jennifer Gray after that.
Kirsten: Right, exactly.
Maryann: So, how can you avoid that from happening? How can you avoid not looking like yourself anymore, looking like you’re frozen, looking like you don’t have expressions?
Kirsten: Right. I remember when I was working at the plastic surgeon’s office, there was a woman that came in. She was probably like 28 years old, and she was getting married, and she wanted to have her upper eyelids, the upper bluff, done. And we tried to talk her out of it because that was her, you know, that’s just the way she looked. And she just wanted to have more eyelids so eyeliner would look better on her and that sort of thing. And we literally held off for quite a while from doing it. Like, OK, let’s book the surgery and go ahead with it. Let’s know what you think about it. I want you to talk to your family and your fiance, because this is gonna change the way you look at such a young age.
Maryann: That’s interesting. And I wish more nurses and doctors would do that. I mean, do you think there’s a psychological background to some of these cases?
Kirsten: I do, and I don’t exactly understand that. And my concern is now—and this was quite a while ago—I think with social media, it’s just gonna get worse, because everyone’s looking at pictures and then you use those apps…
Maryann: Oh, you mean the apps that contort your face and your body, right.
Kirsten: Yeah, when you use an app and you put your picture in it, and all of a sudden your cheeks are thinner and they’re lifted and the sagging is gone and all the wrinkles are polished off…
Maryann: I don’t even know what those apps are. Maybe I should find out. [Laughs]
Kirsten: [Laughs] No. And my concern is the younger and younger girls looking at that, and then going under the knife earlier and getting Botox earlier, not embracing themselves.
Maryann: Yeah, body shaming really runs the gamut, doesn’t it? From teenagers, tweens preteens to people our age who are then shamed for their looks, their aging. It’s sad. Do you miss working in the plastic surgeon’s office?
Kirsten: I do, just because it was the only job I had where people come into an office, they’re happy and excited, and then they leave even happier.
Maryann: If they don’t leave happier, you know you have problems. [Laughs]
Kirsten: [Laughs] Right, right. But it’s just such a positive day all day long, right?
Maryann: You know, one thing I don’t think many people understand is that there’s a difference between cosmetic surgeons and plastic surgeons, right? Can you explain the difference?
Kirsten: Well, the one I worked for, she was a board certified plastic surgeon and also an ENT— like, ear, nose and throat. So she was facial plastics. And that was really something to keep in mind. You want to have someone that’s a board certified plastic surgeon, and then because of the ENT, she knew all the nerves in the face really well. Whereas a cosmetic surgeon might have been board certified in another specialty and then became a plastic surgeon, like, started to do plastic surgery work.
Maryann: So you want to look for a board certified plastic surgeon. Cosmetic surgeons are not, right? What kinds of procedures do cosmetic surgeons do?
Kirsten: Well, they might have been a surgeon in general and started doing, like, the tummy tucks and lifts.
Maryann: Speaking of that, yeah, besides the face stuff, what are the most common body surgeries for women in middle age?
Kirsten: I think the mommy makeover.
Maryann: Can you tell our listeners what that is?
Kirsten: So you get the breast lift and the tummy tuck and whatever. Oftentimes they do the liposuction along with it.
Maryann: Oh, wow.
Kirsten: So basically, the complete overhaul of the body.
Maryann: Is it like a present you give yourself after having kids, like a push present?
Kirsten: [Laughs] Yes, I think so.
Maryann: So you’ve got that. But I mean individually…Which is more common, a breast augmentation or a breast lift?
Kirsten: Augmentation for the younger girls, though the lifts for the older women that might have had done breastfeeding or have large breasts.
Maryann: Can you do a lift without doing augmentation, or do you need fillers?
Kirsten: Well, lots of times they’ll put an implant in as well, just to provide the correct shape.
Maryann: I see, to just fill in where you’re lacking in volume?
Kirsten: Yeah, and then for most of those, they put the implant underneath the muscle versus on top because it gives a much more natural look.
Maryann: This morning I was researching because I was trying to think of examples of women in Europe that had as much work done as the women you see, like, in LA, for example, and found an article. A plastic surgeon in Paris was quoted in this article and he said, people in the US think Nicole Kidman and Megan Fox look good, but we think they look overdone. An actress here in France wants to look her age, but better. In LA they want to look younger. We think that if a facelift shows, it’s a disaster. And then another plastic surgeon quoted in the article said the average size of breast prosthesis in the US compared to what we use in France is almost double. So women are getting more work here, and they’re getting large breasts when they get an augmentation. What’s going on with Americans?
Kirsten: Well, I lived in France, and I spent summers on the beach, on topless beaches, and I think a lot of the women I would say did have smaller breasts. But they’re also fairly comfortable starting at a very young age with their bodies and showing that, and I don’t think they’ve ever felt the need to better themselves in that way.
Maryann: I know. In this article they talked about how the ideal French breast size is the size that could fill a martini glass. Have you heard that?
Kirsten: Like a strong B cup, right? [Laughs]
Maryann: [Laughs] Yeah, right. It’s so freeing to think…I mean, I was in Paris a couple years ago, and women are still thinner but they’re not, like, I’m starving myself thin, just naturally thin. They have smaller breasts, they have wrinkles. When they laugh, you can see their smile lines, their laugh lines. And I don’t know, there’s something beautiful about that.
Kirsten: I think so too. Yeah, I was thinking about how those lines mean something, those laugh lines. It means you’ve had a good life. You’ve enjoyed your life. Maybe too much so, in terms of spending late nights in clubs and not getting enough sleep, but it also could be OK, well, you raised three children and have been up all night for many years.
Maryann: Yeah, that’s true. I’m noticing a lot of actresses in movies and TV shows now who look very natural, like Kate Winslet in that Mary Easton show. She looks like a 40 something year old woman. And I’m seeing more of that, as I think more roles for women are coming up in our age group. And I don’t think as many actresses are trying to look younger. Maybe I’m being optimistic, but it seems like it might be changing. Do you think maybe we are headed in that direction? Is it possible that we’re going to be more like European women?
Kirsten: Well, I think a lot of people are starting to try to do more of the healthier alternatives and not go under the knife and just take care of their body. And they realized what makes us glow is being happy, getting enough sleep, eating healthy. Those are the things that really will show beautiful skin, right, and you’re shining from the inside out.
Maryann: That’s so nice. We’re gonna move into some of those ideas for how to do that. But first, back to what you can do if you do decide to get plastic surgery. We talked about finding a board certified physician. What are some other things you should do?
Kirsten: I always look to see, where does that surgeon have privileges? Do they have privileges at your local hospital? That’s really important. Because if something goes wrong, you want to make sure that you can go to the hospital and they’ll be able to round on you. And yeah, making sure that they’re board certified, getting word of mouth references, looking at all the pictures, being OK with asking a lot of questions, and being OK to tell them, like, I’m gonna get a second opinion or I’m gonna get a third opinion. It’s OK to go. A lot of the good ones, they won’t charge you.
Maryann: They’ll encourage you to do it.
Kirsten: I think it’s a good idea, too. It really is.
Maryann: Well, what about post and pre-ops? You should be really diligent about that stuff, right?
Kirsten: I think so. I mean, the doctors will give you instructions in terms of how long you should go off any kind of NSAIDs, anything that would cause you to bleed. And I always tell people just eat healthy. Like, you cannot heal your body with junk food and preservatives. You know, take care of your body. I’ve seen people postoperatively and the ones that heal the fastest, I used to say, oh, what kind of diet? Just out of curiosity, what kind of diet do you follow? “Oh, I’m vegetarian and I don’t really eat any junk.” You heal really, really fast. Yeah, no, like, you cannot heal eating junk food.
Maryann: I believe it, yeah. So if they’re not sure about a certain procedure—they think they want it, but they’re not 100% about it—how would you advise them?
Kirsten: I would, all right, this is your long term goal. It sounds like you want to do something, but that might be a little bit too extreme for you right now. You’re not ready for that. So what are some other little things that can help achieve those results?
Maryann: And would some of those things include maybe just, let’s take a step back and try some non evasive or less evasive measures?
Kirsten: Right, right. Like, they might want to do some Botox or do some fillers. Or maybe their skin is starting to sag and they should do some skin tightening.
Maryann: Right. Let’s go over some of those things one by one, because there’s so many. There’s like a menu of things. [Laughs] So OK, let’s start with Botox. Everyone talks about Botox. When they see that someone’s looking different or looking younger, the first thing they say is, oh, she got Botox. But it may not be Botox. Tell everybody what Botox does exactly.
Kirsten: Basically, it’s gonna just freeze your muscles so you can’t produce that wrinkle. And you can get a little tiny bit of it, and you know, when you go to get Botox, what I’d recommend is to go to someone that’s super conservative, because everyone’s face and the nerves and the blood vessels are a little bit different, and you want someone that’ll try to avoid those blood vessels. They might actually hit a nerve and that then could actually make you look worse.
Maryann: Oh, what can happen? A droopy eye or something?
Kirsten: Yeah, you could have super droopy eyes, and that might last for three to five months. So just like, OK, let’s just do a couple places. Let’s see how I react, and then…
Maryann: And again, look through word of mouth, reviews, people you can trust. What are the most common areas to get Botox?
Kirsten: Oh, one other thing on that was just like, when you see those specials…Yeah, don’t don’t go there. [Laughs]
Maryann: [Laughs] Yeah, you don’t want a groupon for cosmetic surgery. Save it for vacations and rental cars.
Kirsten: Yes. Maybe once you know how many units you need and where it needs to be, then you can get an idea to be able to tell other people, but not at the beginning.
Maryann: Good advice. So, Botox is good for around the eyes, as you mentioned earlier. Where else?
Kirsten: On the forehead and the frown lines.
Maryann: OK, great. That’s Botox. And then dermal filler. They keep coming up with new dermal fillers. Tell us about those.
Kirsten: Right, they have all different kinds of fillers with different consistencies. Now, some even have lidocaine in it so it makes it less painful.
Maryann: What actually happens when you get fillers?
Kirsten: So usually they put topical lidocaine on your face to numb it up. And then they go in and you can actually see, they’ll put the filler in it and it basically just plumps up the skin.
Maryann: Oh, wow. So yeah, so that’s to add volume. I’ve never done this. So do you see the surgeon or the nurse actually push it in and sculpt your face?
Kirsten: Yeah, they push it in and sculpt the face. And some of the different fillers sculpt a little bit easier than other ones, and some are a little bit firmer. So that is where a good consultation is important. You can’t just say, I want this filler versus that filler. You might not know that. It’d be best to speak with the plastic surgeon.
Maryann: Are different fillers and brands good for different types of…
Kirsten: Different types of skin, different areas—you might need different fillers in different parts of your face.
Maryann: It’s so complicated.
Kirsten: Yeah. And you’ve all seen when they’ve gone overboard with that, right?
Maryann: The worst thing that I’ve seen is when people have really huge cheeks and it seems to make the eyes look smaller.
Kirsten: Right. You want to create a nice balance.
Maryann: It’s an art, it sounds like. It’s an art form. You need skilled hands.
Kirsten: Right, right. And what I think versus what the doctor thinks could be totally different. Well, I think I need to be lifted here, so you should put it here. They’re like, no, no, no, in order to get that you have to put it up here.
Maryann: Right, they know. OK, that’s good. Yeah, I’m not even sure I’m going to pronounce this right, but what is…Is it Kybella? Say it for me.
Kirsten: Basically, Kybella. Yeah, it’s for women, underneath their chin where they get the little sag because of fat.
Maryann: The little turkey neck?
Kirsten: Yeah, the fat accumulation. And usually that takes, I think, multiple times to do that. But that will slowly help dissolve the fat underneath there.
Maryann: So, Kirsten, I’m hearing a lot about this relatively new procedure called thread lift. It sounds intriguing. Can you tell us about that?
Kirsten: Well, I think thread lift is a really good option for women that aren’t good surgical candidates, that might have complications that don’t allow them to go under surgery. So thread lift is a really good option for that. And it’s a relatively quick and fairly painless procedure compared to, for example, a facelift. And it’s something that can be done when there needs to be a small amount of a lift. So it’s usually for women that are under 55. That’s a very common age to get that done, before there’s extensive sagging. So with a thread lift, they can go in various parts of the face and tighten it. It’s very simple. They’ll do it under local anesthesia, and they’ll put sutures under your skin. There’s like two different kinds of sutures—we won’t get into that, but there’s two different kinds. And one will create an extreme lift, where others, their goal is to basically stimulate collagen in the body. So it’ll lift it. So what’s nice about both of these kinds of lifts is that they don’t last forever. And so some of them will last six months, and others I’ve heard can be 18 months and maybe even up to three years. But it’s a fairly quick procedure. You would go under local anesthetic, so they could do a topical, lidocaine, or do some lidocaine injections, and most of the procedures would probably take about an average of about 45 minutes. And what’s really nice is that there’s minimal downtime. Women could actually go back to work that day. There’s no need for extensive painkillers.
Maryann: Wow. A day later.
Kirsten: Yeah. There might be a little bit of bruising, maybe a little bit of redness, but nothing significant, and they should see results fairly quickly. And then over time, the collagen will be stimulated, so they’ll even look better.
Maryann: I also read that this procedure can be done on the breast. Is that true?
Kirsten: On the breast? I know there’s different places for it being done. I’ve even seen nasal threads and all different…Myself, I would probably look into somewhere around the eyes to have like a little bit of an eye lift rather than going under the knife for that. So you can get some nice lifts without having the scarring and the extreme downtime and all the other risks that go on with having to go under the knife.
Maryann: Cool. That seems like a really good option, especially if you’re not ready to go under the knife. OK, fat grafting. What is that?
Kirsten: Well, lots of times, they harvest the fat, and they take it. Oh, like, OK, I have this fat on my booty and I want to transfer it and put it into my cheek. So that’s a possibility.
Maryann: Does that work better than the synthetic fillers?
Kirsten: No, but people like it because it’s just more of a natural thing.
Maryann: And it’s recycling, and we’re all about that. [Laughs]
Kirsten: [Laughs] Exactly.
Maryann: OK, what about lasers? There’s so many lasers, too.
Kirsten: Yeah, it’s kind of overwhelming for lasers. But I think the good candidates for lasers are those people that have been out in the sun and they’re just hyperpigmentation everywhere, and they just want to get rid of that. Like, I have a lot of friends in Southern California that are surfers, and a lot of them have had that done because they grew up in Southern California on the water all the time. They just have a lot of freckles and…
Maryann: Sunspots, broken capillaries?
Kirsten: Sunspots all over. Yeah, and the different lasers, some come with a lot of downtime and some don’t.
Maryann: What are some of the most popular lasers? I know there’s IPL, Intense Pulsed Light, right?
Kirsten: Right. The IPL is probably one of the most known.
Maryann: Right, and what is that? Is that more of just a surface treatment?
Kirsten: Right, right. But like I said, some of them will have extreme peeling and downtime with them, and other ones will just be some mild redness. And you’re not quite sure how everyone’s going to react.
Maryann: So if you know you want to change the texture of your skin and remove some of those spots, how would your doctor decide which of the lasers to use?
Kirsten: Just basically how much sun damage there is and also how much time you have for downtime as well. Because like I said, some could be pretty bad in terms of peeling and redness and could actually be a little uncomfortable afterwards.
Maryann: I really want to try IPL, but I have friends that say it hurts so bad. Others say, no, it’s like a little rubber band just snapping at your face. There’s no way to tell how you’re going to tolerate it exactly.
Kirsten: I know for myself, I would like it on my forearms, because I have so much sun damage on my forearms.
Maryann: You try it and you let me know. [Laughs] OK, what’s radiofrequency treatments?
Kirsten: They basically target your skin to produce more collagen. And that’s also often combined with micro needling. And so the micro needling causes like these little micro injuries to your skin, like little holes in your skin, and then the radiofrequency can get in there and stimulate collagen production.
Maryann: Does the first one build collagen in itself, or do you need the two procedures together?
Kirsten: Just together, it’s just like an extra boost. [Laughs]
Maryann: OK, great, that’s good to know. And what’s microblading?
Kirsten: Microblading is actually a form of exfoliation. But a lot of women like it because it takes off all the peach fuzz. So exfoliating just those top layers of your skin with the removal of the hair.
Maryann: Does it have other benefits besides hair removal? Is it just exfoliation?
Kirsten: Just exfoliation. It’s really important to exfoliate your skin so that the products can get in and work.
Maryann: See, I know a lot of us use Retin-A. I use it occasionally and I love it. If you’re using Retin-A, can you do microblading as well?
Kirsten: That might be a little bit too aggressive depending on your skin type.
Maryann: OK. So, Retin-A is exfoliation in itself, right?
Kirsten: Right.
Maryann: OK, all right. So those are all really nice options. Would you recommend trying one or more of those first before, you know, heading to the plastic surgeon’s office?
Kirsten: Definitely, because with the plastic surgeon, you know, you might not get the results that you want. And I think if you can do little by little…maybe a little Botox here, a little filler here, a little bit of anything to stimulate collagen, you’re kind of better off.
Maryann: Can you think of a happy story about somebody? Like, it changed their life to get something done?
Kirsten: Well, when I worked at the plastic surgeon’s office, what I’d ask the patients would be like—these were like women that had a facelift—what did your friends say? They’re like, oh, they can’t figure it out. I just look so much more relaxed and rested. I’m like, that’s perfect.
Maryann: That’s a good facelift.
Kirsten: You don’t want to look like where someone’s just gonna say, oh my gosh, where did you have your work done?
Maryann: Right, right, that would be bad. What about a bad story?
Kirsten: I remember there was this one woman, and she was a frequent flyer. Like, we would see her all the time. And she was very insistent. And this plastic surgeon was fabulous, and like I said, she did such nice work. And there was one woman that came in who wanted to have Botox in her marionette lines, which are like the lines around your cheeks. Because she thought if she froze them, it would take that off. And the doctor was like, no, no, I don’t wanna do that. And she insisted. So she put a tiny bit in, and it froze, and she got all upset. We were like, well, we told you this is what was going to happen, but you insisted.
Maryann: So she was upset because she couldn’t move her mouth?
Kirsten: Yeah, yeah.
Maryann: How did it look?
Kirsten: It looked awful. [Laughs]
Maryann: I can’t even imagine that, yeah. I don’t think it was designed for that area, was it?
Kirsten: No, not at all. It was completely off-label use.
Maryann: What makes a doctor give in, to cave to somebody like that?
Kirsten: She was very persistent and brought in a lot of money and clients. But that was extremely rare for her to do that. It was just like this one person.
Maryann: Who in Hollywood would you say is doing something…Like, is doing stuff, but it’s so good that you’re not really sure?
Kirsten: Yeah, well, that was what I was trying to think about the other day. You know, the goal is to age gracefully, right? And I said, well, my goal is just to look like Christie Brinkley, right?
Maryann: Oh, Christie Brinkley is a unicorn. She’s amazing.
Kirsten: Yeah, because you know she’s had some stuff done, but it’s just the right amount.
Maryann: Of course. Well, it’s funny, I saw her on some social media the other day and she was using some kind of wand, some kind of cosmetic device, and saying, this is why I have such young skin. And I was like, that is not the only reason. [Laughs]
Kirsten: Yeah. Yeah, those wands, I have a friend who has one. She has a jade roller and rather than the micro needling or the roll, this one you just roll on top of the skin. There’s no micro injuries.
Maryann: I have a jade roller, and I use it to get the oils and the stuff in deeper. But this was not a jade roller. It was something else, but I can’t remember what it was. Maybe it was one of those blades or something. It was some product that was like $29.99. I’m sure that’s not why she looks like she’s 35.
Kirsten: Right. Probably something that’s trying to stimulate the collagen and get those muscles working.
Maryann: Right, right. So yeah, definitely Christie Brinkley. Absolutely.
Kirsten: Like Michelle Pfeiffer, you know, those older women that are just still so beautiful.
Maryann: Michelle Pfeiffer looks exquisite. I’m in awe of Jennifer Lopez. I don’t know what she’s doing. She will not tell us.
Kirsten: I think a little bit of that is her…You know, a lot of it has to do with your family and your genetics.
Maryann: But she all of a sudden has appeared looking very different in the last six months. Her face looks really lifted and contoured. She’s done something, I’m just not sure what it is.
Kirsten: And she has a new boyfriend.
Maryann: That’s right. You think Ben Affleck is responsible for the glow?
Kirsten: For a little bit of a glow, I think so. [Laughs]
Maryann: [Laughs] Probably. I also think some of these older women like Sophia Loren. Or, you know, I’m trying to think of those French actresses. They just age so beautifully.
Kirsten: Like Catherine Deneuve.
Maryann: Yes. Incredible. And they look older, but they look beautiful.
Kirsten: I think it’s all the way they’ve learned to hold themselves too, right? Like, I am an older, wiser woman, and I’m still beautiful on the inside and still beautiful on the outside.
Maryann: Well, I don’t know. I’m still just intrigued by this whole idea of like, how do you know when it’s the right time to go do something? Or maybe we don’t care. Maybe we don’t want to do anything ever.
Kirsten: I think plastic surgery has to be a personal decision. It shouldn’t be because you got a divorce, you broke up with your boyfriend, and that sort of thing. It has to be something where you know it’s gonna make you feel better, it’s gonna bring a lot of joy to you if you just look in the mirror and see that little difference. So I think that’s really an important thing to realize. Because if you’re doing it for someone else, that’s not right.
Maryann: Right. We don’t want to do it for someone else. And it’s also not going to solve your emotional problems or anything deeper. You should probably visit a psychologist for that.
Kirsten: And if you’re doing it for self esteem reasons, making sure it’s the right reasons for self esteem. Just out of curiosity, what would you say to your daughter if you told her, like, mom’s gonna have some work done? Or would you not tell her?
Maryann: Well, I haven’t thought about it. Good question. I don’t know, I’m so scared of going under the knife. Like, I’m not there yet. I’m not ready. I don’t know, I would probably just say, hey, you know, mom needs a little pick me up. Maybe I’ll be 60 when I do it, but I’ll just be like, hopefully I’ll look exactly the same, but just a little more well rested, in a couple of weeks. Don’t be afraid.
Kirsten: There was this one woman that came into the plastic surgeon’s office and she was so funny. She was like, honey, I have to tell you. You’ve gotta take care of your face like you take care of your car. You have to bring it in for the annual maintenance and checks and do all this stuff to it.
Maryann: That’s actually a good way to put it.
Kirsten: After a certain amount of miles, you might need to get a new car.
Maryann: It’s funny you say that, because I actually do talk that way to my kids, but more about the health and diet and nutrition stuff. Like, they see me running every day, they see me doing my nighttime ritual with the face oil and the moisturizer and sometimes the Retin-A, and they see me just doing all the self care things. And I said, the more care you put into yourself now, the better you’re going to age. And the sunscreen, that’s huge. My daughter is only 18, but I’m like, wear the sunscreen now.
Kirsten: Exactly. I wish I would have started earlier. I was like 30 when I was like, OK, I’m going to start wearing the sunscreen now. Luckily, when we grew up, the ozone layer was much thicker, I feel, because we used to lie out with baby oil and that sort of thing.
Maryann: Those were crazy days, right? With the baby oil…
Kirsten: I don’t know how I’m not covered with freckles, but I think it was the environment. It’s changed.
Maryann: [Laughs] Yeah, I know. Everyone I know our age says they wish they had started putting on sunscreen earlier.
Kirsten: Right. Yeah, so I think the message for the younger generations is to start taking care of yourself younger, from the inside out, and doing those little healthy things.
Maryann: Oh, well, thank you. We learned a lot today. It was so nice to have you.
Kirsten: Thank you so much. It was my pleasure.
Maryann: Now let’s go eat our Mediterranean food.
Kirsten: [Laughs] Exactly.
