Plastic Surgeon Dr. Omodele Ayeni Shares Healthy Living Tips
Meet Dr. Omodele Ayeni, a Canadian plastic surgeon who shares in a Q&A how he balances his work as a professional doctor and keeping healthy and fit.
Q. As a busy professional doctor, how do you maintain a healthy lifestyle?
A: I think the most important thing is to never lose perspective on the importance of balance. Keeping a strong mental health landscape translates to strong physical health. I try to prioritize my time with my family above all else while maintaining healthy relationships outside of work. This is all part of keeping a healthy lifestyle. Besides watching what I eat regularly, I think the key to maintaining this lifestyle is planning. Plan for the week ahead with premade meals, plan for weekends away (pack work out hear for conferences etc).
Q: Do you have any healthy tips for traveling when it comes to making food choices and working out?
A: Again, I think planning is key. It starts with bringing along workout gear and taking a few minutes to check out the destination hotel. Do they have a gym, a pool, yoga? Going on the trip and having your own gear handy is half of the battle. When it comes to food choices, I think we all want to splurge when we’re out of the house and especially on vacation. My approach is to start with something healthier in the morning and for lunch – try to have a snack at some point so it’s not a binge when dinner time hits. Save the “cheat meal” for the end of the day. It’s always a nice idea to pack a few protein bars with you to avoid snacking or cravings when you’re on the run or killing time at the airport.
Q: With the work, you do as a plastic surgeon, does it help your patients to follow an active lifestyle and what are some healthy choices they can make to have healthy skin, drink lots of water, good skin health?
A: This is a great question and a very important point. The optimal patient in my line of work is a healthy patient who takes care of themselves. This not only ensures they have a safe surgical experience but allows me to better predict what they can expect as their outcome. Elective plastic surgery is in high demand, but I always strive to select a patient who I think is best suited for the procedure and will be have an excellent outcome. Living a healthy lifestyle, refraining from smoking, good sun protective strategies year-round are all simple measures that I advocate to all of my patients. The last point is an especially important one. As we age, the effect of the sun on our skin and skin quality is immense. We see that in the rise in the incidence of skin cancers.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
A: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is one of the most rewarding specialties in medicine. I’ve been afforded the privilege of positively impacting people’s lives in a manner that few other specialties in medicine can. Whether it’s a massive weight loss patient looking for guidance on managing excess skin issues, a retiring mother with debilitating arthritis of her hands looking to transition into her new life stage pain free or struggling with the common body changes after childbirth, my specialty is able to impact each one of these types of patients in a positive and life-altering way.
Q: Tell us more about non-surgical procedures?
A: Non-surgical treatments are an exciting part of my practice. These range from drop-in treatments such as injectable neuromodulators (i.e. Botox) to Hyaluronic Acid (aka Fillers injections aimed at restoring volume to the face, treating deep wrinkles or simply plumping up the lips. They are both very safe and popular treatments that make up a large portion of my practice. Our new Emsculpt system is an exciting non-surgical treatment that helps address body toning and contouring in a way that’s never really been done before using electromagnetic energy to target specific muscle groups. Non-surgical procedures are the perfect option for someone looking for a new year “refresh” that is affordable with excellent results without the recovery of a surgical procedure.
Q: Are you seeing more men looking to enhance their facial features or become younger?
A: Men make up a smaller proportion of the patient demographics for most plastic surgeons. In my experience, men tend to inquire about specific procedures or surgeries after a pretty thorough search. Similar to women, they want to look refreshed and don’t want a dramatic change to their appearance. This usually leads them to treatments like Botox and Hyaluronic (HA) fillers.
Q: What is next for you?
A: In an always evolving specialty like plastic surgery, I feel it is important to stay current and leading in edge in terms of what I can offer my patients. This year, I’m very excited about the new technology we are now offering at the Ayeni Plastic Surgery Institute. Emsculpt and Emsella are two technologies that I’m really excited about. Emsculpt is a revolutionary machine that allows for non-surgical body contouring of the abdomen, buttocks, and arms. Emsella is really changing my practice; this non-invasive chair allows women to treat urinary incontinence after only 4 short treatment visits. We are really excited about both of these treatments.
