Corona virus – Opening back up!

Posted on May 14, 2020

By: Dr. Asaf Yalif

Hello to everyone. As we navigate the new realities of the pandemic era many of our patients want to know when are we getting back to normal. Our answer is a resounding, “We ARE open!” This blog is intended to help you as think about options for plastic surgery today and going forward and to let you know how we are trying to protect you, and us, from getting the novel corona virus.

First and foremost we require wearing masks when coming to the office. This is not a political thing, merely a protection thing. The CDC recommends it and we require it if you are coming to see us in person. It is intended to protect you from us and us from you. It is for the protection of the population and to help us to provide a safe and healthy environment for all our patients so please wear one. Otherwise we will not be able to see you in the office.

If you are totally anti-mask or don’t feel comfortable to go out in public we can see you via a Zoom meeting. We have been doing them for international and out of state patients for years and now are using them for local patients too.

Hand sanitizer is available throughout the office as are sinks for hand washing. We routinely sanitize or hand wash before and after each patient encounter.

We do also practice social distancing – as best we can in the office setting. You’ll notice that our office is emptier than it used to be. Less people present in the office and fewer patients in the waiting area. We have done this in an effort to create distance physically and temporally between patients. So when you do come in there is no waiting, we will immediately take you back to a room to do paperwork, rather than remaining in the waiting area with other patients. Furthermore we are taking everyone’s temperature when you get to the office. If for any reason you have an elevated temperature we won’t be able to see. When scheduling your appointment we are also asking a series of questions to delineate your potential risk. If you do have any recent sick contacts or possible exposure we will ask to see via Zoom. Of note, all rooms are fully disinfected bin between patients. This is not a new practice, we have always done this but we are more vocal about letting you know that we are doing our best to minimize everyone’s’ risk.

We do not allow children in the office at this time. We know many of you don’t have childcare but we want to protect them and you. If you do need to bring someone please only bring one person. Additional people will be asked to wait in their vehicle. And please show up on time – not 15 minutes before or after. As noted above we are spacing patients out to give time to clean properly. Showing up on time helps insure that your risk is lowest.

As we continue to ramp back up we are providing Botox and filler injections again, spaced out over time and after checking your temperature and asking some questions about sick contacts. All of these efforts are for your and our safety. We can usually perform Botox with your mask on, but may need to remove it briefly during the injection. The same is true for the fillers, especially if we are injecting near your mouth/lips.

We are also scheduling elective surgeries as able at certified centers. All of them now require a Covid test within 72 hours of the procedure and we have several labs that we refer to for this. They are all allowing surgery but are filling up quickly as demand is high. As a reminder we only operate at fully certified centers with board certified anesthesia providers. We want to perform your procedure in a safe environment with the lowest risk possible.

Aesthetician services are slower to return as most of the facials and peels are done without a mask and we are still figuring out the best way to move forward for that and will let you know. We do still have the ability to perform some lasers and are still selling Environ products and can mail them to you rather than coming in for pick up.

We also are resuming minor procedures in the office – including cosmetic blepharoplasty, moh’s reconstructions, skin cancer excisions, etc. Please call to discuss if this would be reasonable for you.

In short, we are open for business but are very concerned about your health and wellbeing and will do everything in our power to protect you and us from Covid. We greatly look forward to seeing you, via Zoom or in person! Please be respectful and wear your mask, as we will too. In the end we are trying our best to make sure everyone can get through this time safely while still having access to their much need neurotoxins, fillers, and cosmetic procedures!

Please be safe! If you have any questions, concerns or issues please contact us!

Current CDC guidelines are here.