Hello, hello!
Is that March I see up ahead? How?
Apologies for my prolonged absence. In addition to navigating multiple deadlines, I’ve been busy brainstorming ways to make Aesthetics, Unfiltered more… engaging. Since launching this newsletter in 2022, the posts I’ve published have been well received (I think), but they haven’t sparked meaningful conversation, as I’d hoped, or fostered a real sense of community among subscribers. And maybe that’s because my standard recipe of industry news, expert Q&As, and musings on trending topics has been missing a vital ingredient: You.
While I always aim for authenticity and relatability in my writing, I feel like I’m failing to connect with you, my fellow aesthetes, on this platform. It’s funny, people seem far more comfortable commenting on my Instagram and seeking my advice via social media than they do here. Why is that? I do not know. But I’m hoping to change it by making this a more inviting, collaborative space.
To quote my freshly updated “About” page (lol), “I want Aesthetics, Unfiltered to be a place where we can exchange ideas, spitball theories, ask questions, share recommendations/referrals, and keep each other safe and informed. So, please, engage in the comments! Introduce me to new people and procedures! Tell me if you've had a bad experience with a specific provider, product, or treatment! Ask me if Daxxify is worth the extra hundred or if Sculptra will sabotage your future facelift! Odds are, I’m wondering the same.”
Going forward, my posts will feature a reader question (or questions, plural, if enough of you are interested in a particular topic). I’m starting with Sculptra, because I’ve gotten loads of DMs lately about this injectable. I posted an AMA in my Stories and the questions rolled in — really smart, thoughtful questions about safety, best uses, cost, potential facelift implications, autoimmune concerns, and more. I’ll be taking those Qs to a crackerjack team of experts (selected by my followers), and will report back soon, likely in a series of posts, so I can thoroughly address every question.
In the coming weeks, I’m also going to turn on paid subscriptions, because a) I do believe my content is worth a few bucks a month and b) journalism is dying a slow and painful death (yes, still). With each new year comes a fresh wave of budget cuts and layoffs. Even the gigs we manage to keep are paying less and less. In 2024, I’m feeling this personally. It’s wild to think that 20 years ago — as a relatively inexperienced writer without a clear POV, strong voice, or ounce of skepticism — I was earning twice what I am today. But that’s the reality and I hope you understand my position. (Thank you to everyone who’s pledged a subscription. Your support means so much.)
On a lighter note, I wanted to share this funny story from Detroit plastic surgeon and social media superstar Dr. Tony Youn. I interviewed him a while back but this anecdote didn’t make the final piece. (My hope is to serve more of these insider-y morsels on a regular basis.) Here, I asked Dr. Youn about his viral mock feud with Philly plastic surgeon Dr. Christian Subbio, who is similarly beloved by the social-media masses, and he revealed this, their origin story...
“Years ago, I was at an Aesthetic Society meeting talking to Dr. Jennifer Walden, and she was telling me about this guy on social media named Subbio, who’s hilarious and really artistic. So, I go on Instagram and I don't see him anywhere. Dr. Walden looks at my phone, and she's like, Yeah, he’s not showing up. So I find out, like… he's blocked me! A year later, I run into him at a meeting. I think Dr. Matt Schulman introduced me to him. And I'm like, “Yeah, you know, you blocked me.” And he's like, “I did?” He goes on Instagram, and he's like, “I did block you!” I'm like, “Dude, why are you blocking me? I don’t even know you!” He's like, “I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened.”
So that's kind of how it started. And then one day, I posted about how, as a plastic surgeon, I stand on the shoulders of all these plastic surgery giants who came before me, like Dr. Rod Rohrich, Dr. Steven Ringler, and my old mentor, Dr. Richard Ellenbogan. And then Subbio posted making fun of me for this! I was in the operating room all day, so I didn’t see it right away. When I finished surgery, my phone had blown up with literally like a dozen texts from Subbio. The first one was, “Hey, I just posted about you. It’s a joke. I hope you take it in stride — no big deal.” Then, an hour later: “Hey, just want to make sure you saw that and you're good with it, because people are seeing the post.” And then after that: “Hey, I haven't heard from you. Are you okay? Are you pissed? I bet you're pissed. I'm real sorry. Should I take it down?” And then the next one's like, “Dude, man, I'm really, really sorry if I offended you, like, I didn't mean to. I'm such an idiot.” And finally I was like, “I'm so sorry! I was in the OR and didn’t see any of these, but it’s totally cool. I'm totally fine with it.” [laughing, laughing, laughing]
Initially, Dr. Ricky Brown, you know, he made it big on TikTok around the same time I did. And we kind of developed this fake feud, poking fun at each other. And so after Subbio did that to me, I'm like, Oh, let me bring Subbio into this.
I've still only met him in person that one time, but we interact all the time on social. At one point, I posted about him on TikTok — a repost of one of his videos I thought was really good. A week later, I got this huge package in the mail with all of these delights from Philadelphia and a note of appreciation. And I was like, Oh my gosh. He's such a good guy.
I enjoy ragging on him, though, just because sometimes it's so easy. I tell you: It is so easy. [laughs] But Subbio is somebody who I really admire. I mean, if you were to ask me who's the most creative plastic surgeon on social media, I would say, It's Subbio; it's definitely not me. I think that I'm prolific — I make a lot of content. But his content is damn good.
Alas, a bromance was born. And I, for one, appreciate the levity it brings to my feed. (Also: Hi, Subbio, text me if you wanna share your side of the story.)
Please take to the comments and tell me what (or who!) you’d like to learn more about in the months ahead. I’m open to any and all suggestions and excited to build this community with you. xx
I might not be the only one (I hope I’m not!) but FWIW - even though I feel currently (constantly? Always? Hopefully not forever!) - generally too busy to post or reply, your newsletters, insta posts and other writings are FANTASTIC. I read them ‘cover to cover’ whenever they come out, as you write a beautifully nuanced, scientific (but easy to read) article on highly relevant material.
As a clinician but also as someone highly invested in the psychological/emotional impact behind aesthetics/plastic surgery procedures, I value your take - it’s informative, educational, balanced and absolutley top quality. I especially appreciate the angling of it towards a ‘healthy approach’ to aesthetics (if I can use that term).
Please keep writing - don’t let the ‘silence’ discourage you. Social media filtering and all that jazz probably does mean some people don’t see what you post, but I definitely do, and I look forward to it (and go looking if I haven’t seen anything for awhile!)
Your newsletter made me ponder my habits of engagement. I think there might be someone out there who could probably explain some psychological significance behind this better than I, but here goes... I think I personally tend to engage (comment, like, even click links to read in some cases) much more freely and frequently via social media because it feels more casual and personal and less 'work-related'. Although oftentimes the content I share and engage with on social is definitely work or work-adjacent, I still feel like I'm enjoying it on my time. And, if I comment, I'm saying what I want to say personally, spitballing. Delivered to my work inbox, all of my substack subscriptions and the platform overall feel to me like the professional realm - it's here that I have to censor or filter my 'professional response', even if that's sometimes done subconsciously. Does that make any sense?