Nicole Returns: Eyelid Surgery, Neck Liposuction and Fat Grafting at 47

Kerry: Hello. Welcome to Once Upon a Surgery. This is the season 2 finale. I’m the host Kerry Berlet with a world renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Berlet. And today I am so excited to welcome back Nicole who was our very first guest on Once Upon a Surgery. She is the one who believed in my idea before it existed. It was just a concept and she came on and we laughed. We talked about your cucumber breasts.

Nicole: But we went from cucumber to orange.

Kerry: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So cheers. Welcome back.

Nicole: Cheers. Thank you. I’m so happy to be back.

Kerry: All right. And so the last episode we talked all about it was your body basically. You had done a breast reduction, a lift and a tummy tuck.

Nicole: Right.

Kerry: Right? And then but we didn’t talk about you had only done one thing on your face, right? Like a mole removal.

Nicole: Oh yeah. I got rid of my little mole. My best friend had the same one. And she’s very upset right now.

Kerry: Really?

Nicole: But now she wants her mole removed.

Kerry: Oh really? Okay. All right. So you’ll be twinning again.

Nicole: That’s That’s exactly right.

Kerry: Yes. Okay. But so that was the one minor thing. But now recently, right? And you’re fresh out of surgery. We have the whole thing recorded. but you did so blepharoplasty

Nicole: Yep.

Kerry: and then a minor canthopexy, right?

Nicole: And underneath.

Kerry: So and what’s that?

Nicole: The canthopexy is They like pinch up a little bit here of the lower the lower lid.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: You start to droop down a little bit. It starts to sag. Pinch it up a little.

Kerry: Okay. And then also neck liposuction?

Nicole: The lipo in my neck cuz I had that well So my dad This is This is where this started.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: I look at my dad and I say, “Well, I look just like you now, so I’m going to look just like you later.” And he had the hood eye and he needs a blepharoplasty.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: And he has the neck that goes chin to chest, and you know.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: And I don’t want that.

Kerry: Yeah. Started. Really?

Nicole: I would see myself from the side and I said, “Oh my god, I have to fix this.” So, I went straight to Dr. Berlet and said, “What do we got to do?”

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: So, he did some lipo down here.

Kerry: Okay. And then And you did some fat grafting, too.

Nicole: Did some fat grafting. He took it out of my inner thigh.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: He kept taking it out.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: And just, you know, kind of put it in, went up a little.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: Kind of gave me that My cheeks, as I guess as everybody gets older, they start to drop.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: They start to sit here instead of here. So, you fill them up a little so that they give you a more youthful

Kerry: Right, right. You know. And we’ll have to ask him why you couldn’t take the fat from the neck liposuction and put it here. Cuz it’s like a different

Nicole: He likes it from the inner thigh.

Kerry: Right. It’s the good fat.

Nicole: That’s the better fat.

Kerry: There’s good fat, right? So, we’ll have to figure that out. And your eyes look amazing, and this is only 6 weeks after.

Nicole: 6 weeks after.

Kerry: Right? And so, and what was it that made you decide that you needed to, you know, do your eyes? You’re only You’re 47?

Nicole: 47.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: I just noticed how heavy and droopy and saggy they were. They almost would start to hang over the lid line and into the lash. just figured the older I got, the worse it would get. I love doing my makeup. I love part of my daily routine and putting on my eye shadow. I would spend a lot of time doing this. You know, you lift your eye, you put it on, you lift the lid down, and it’s just

Kerry: Yeah, it’s like saggy and

Nicole: It’s tucked into the crease, and then that fat or whatever it is, extra skin is laying over. So, I said, you know, how great would it be if I didn’t have this skin?

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: And so, again, what do I do? And this is a blepharoplasty.

Kerry: Okay. And did he did ptosis repair, too, right?

Nicole: I don’t know, he did not.

Kerry: No, okay.

Nicole: That was my mom.

Kerry: Okay. All right, right. Yes, and with the mom, right? You talked about how your mom you used to think she was crazy, right?

Nicole: To think I was crazy. Age gracefully. What’s the wrong with you?

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: You’re supposed to have these things.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: At this age.

Kerry: Right. Yeah. Apparently, no, it doesn’t have to be that way. Yeah, yeah. I know. And we’ll have your mom on, hopefully, at another point, because I mean, that was crazy. She went to some, you know, very well-known plastic surgeon in New York, and like had nerve damage.

Nicole: He hit a nerve, and it ultimately it ruined it paralyzed her lip, and it was crooked and indented. So,

Kerry: Wow. Dr. Berlet fixed it. That’s amazing. I mean, and like he just fixed it recently, right? Right? So, for years she had this like crooked face after like wow. And this is like if you knew the name, it’s really wow.

Nicole: Surgeon, too. You know, my mom had her blepharoplasty and facelift in October. So, she was telling me stories people were, “Oh, your Halloween makeup looks so good.” And instead of her being like, “Oh, thank you.” SHE’S LIKE, “NO, I HAD A FACELIFT.”

Kerry: RIGHT. NO, it’s good. I mean, like certain people like she’s comfortable being open about it. It’s good, you know? So, crazy. I know.

Kerry: But, and as far as like what do you think had the biggest impact? I mean, like having done it all at once, right? Between the fat grafting, the neck liposuction, and your eyes.

Nicole: To do it all at once. It’s It was it’s easy to do them all at once. It’s

Kerry: It’s easy.

Nicole: Sense. To me it made sense. How many times am I going to take off of work and, you know, and do this? I just wanted one shot. And it was doable. It wasn’t something that should have been done separately. This was, yeah, no problem. We’ll do the eyes, we’ll do the fat grafting, we’ll do the You take 2 weeks off of work and you’re set.

Kerry: Wow. I know, and I was there filming and you like it didn’t look like any of it hurt. Like what do you think hurt the most?

Nicole: Awake, so you know, I did get numbed, obviously. I didn’t I wouldn’t say hurt. Nothing hurt. There was no pain. It was an experience like being you’re numb. What are you What are you doing? Oh, now you’re shoving this in. Okay, well, I feel it going, but it doesn’t hurt, but I know you’re doing something, you know. Nothing hurt during. I didn’t feel anything.

Kerry: Really?

Nicole: I could just tell that you were doing something.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: You know, afterwards, I was swollen, I was bruised. You would look at me and be like, “Oh my god, that must hurt.” And again, it was just maybe discomfort.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: You know, I really didn’t take my pain pills for very long. You know, I had the Arnica cream and I had all the get ready with the AM formula, the PM formula. He set me up with all my vitamins and all my supplements to get me, you know, keep me hydrated, keep my skin healthy. I didn’t put any toxins in my body. I followed directions, no alcohol. I drank my water for I did it for longer than 2 weeks. I did 2 months just to be safe.

Kerry: Wow, good for you.

Nicole: It’s your face, you know. I always get fixated on one thing that’s my most important like if we’re going to do this, this has to be this way. If you remember my belly button when I did my tummy tuck, which started the whole Berlet belly button, and I said, “I don’t want I said, “Tony, I need I mean Dr. Berlet. I need my belly button to be perfect.” And he assured me it would be. Now, this time I needed my both eyes to look the same.

Kerry: Yeah.

Nicole: I have this really bad problem with symmetry.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: Needed to be the same. And I’m like, if you can’t do that, we don’t have to do this.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: And look, I’m the same.

Kerry: Yeah. No, amazing. Great. So good.

Nicole: But that was it. Every day, oh, that’s the only thing I’m worried about. The only thing I’m worried about. Everything else

Kerry: Yeah.

Nicole: I was like, let’s do it. If there’s somebody in the world that knows how to do this perfectly, I might as well let them do it.

Kerry: Right. Right. Right. It’s perfect.

Nicole: But I mean, you asked me why I really wanted to do this. And yes, the eyeshadow was a big reason, but the bigger reason I feel is, you know, I say this to everybody when they ask me, “Why do you want to do this? You don’t need this.

Kerry: It’s Right.

Nicole: I you I know what I need.

Kerry: Yeah.

Nicole: And you know, you’re young in your 20s and 30s, and you’re beautiful, and you’re tight, and you’re hydrated, and everything. You know, you just

Kerry: To judge the older people, right?

Nicole: Just you’re you’re going to be the most beautiful physically that you’re ever going to be cuz once you hit a certain age, then you start to notice this is coming down, this is drooping, I got extra this, whatever. So another thing in your 40s that happens is you find yourself. You find your purpose. You find your why. You’re mentally grown. You know, you have your mind is mature.

Kerry: Mhm.

Nicole: But your skin is aged.

Kerry: Yeah.

Nicole: And then you sit there and you’re pulling in the mirror and you’re looking, oh, I used to have it like this. And you say, well, if I could have my mature brain and my young skin at the same time

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: Like, oh, my life would be better.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: You know, my love life will be better. You know, I’ve I look in the mirror, I’ll my self-esteem every day will be better. So, that was my biggest reason.

Kerry: Mhm.

Nicole: And then the makeup.

Kerry: Right. Right. Okay. And it’s funny. I mean, and so now, I mean, I know you have a new love interest, but so, you weren’t together that long before you’re doing this.

Nicole: Right. And I had to say, “Oh, by the way.”

Kerry: So, yeah, so, you’re just like literally like, you know, you’re what at what at that point? What, 6 weeks in or something? And then, you’re like, “Okay, and now I’m going to look like a freak for a few years.”

Nicole: Yeah, like literally, this is what I did. Cuz you know, you want to make it comical. You want to put some humor in it. You want to make it You want to make it comfortable for both of you.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: You know, I had these two black eyes. And so, I did a side-by-side with Uncle Fester. And I sent it to everybody. They’re like, “Oh, how do you How’s your face?” so, I did Uncle Fester and me at the same time. And it was it was funny. I looked a little better than Uncle Fester.

Kerry: Right, right. But, had he ever like dated anyone who had done any plastic surgery before? So, but like so, he But, so, that’s good. Like, you know, we got through it. And I’m sure And does he appreciate, you know, that you

Nicole: Yeah, he was so on board. Yeah. Yeah.

Kerry: the outcome?

Nicole: Right. Like, “Do you think I’m crazy?” And he’s like, “No, I think you should do it.” And I was like, “Really?” Like, “You think I should do it because you support my decision? You think you should do it cuz you I have some audacity talking to you with these eyelids? Like, what is it, you know?” And he said all of those things.

Kerry: Really?

Nicole: You know, you got some audacity, and you know, you should I support your decision.

Kerry: Right. Oh, that’s great.

Nicole: “I’m not going to look different. I’m going to look like I did a little bit ago.”

Kerry: Right. Yeah.

Nicole: You know, maintain my youth.

Kerry: Exactly. But, yeah, and I remember actually after the first time you filmed here, then we did like kind of a little consult here, and Tony was like, “Your eyes are probably like your best feature, right?” And like this, I do think brings them out. Like, they look way brighter. Like, they’re such a nice color. And like again, like the book like it doesn’t it’s not so drastic that you’re not recognizable, but then when you put that before next to the after, I mean, it is like it’s a huge difference.

Nicole: People do notice.

Kerry: Really? People that know me, work with me every day. They probably like if they don’t know you had the surgery. Well, they might have seen the like the bruising progression. But now that you’re they might just like notice something looks different. Like did you have a new eye or something?

Nicole: Is so you look so bright. You look like you’re glowing.

Kerry: Mhm.

Nicole: What did you do?

Kerry: Right. You know? That’s good. Okay, so even me so looking at you from the side, I can see the drastic difference, right? And so and they say that like you know, especially as a woman like your face is like your business card, right? And so like really and even with what you do your but between like realtor working at a restaurant like there’s just is that like interaction and like do you think I mean like the side profile isn’t a huge part of it, but do you think that just plays into your confidence?

Nicole: I mean I think the side profile is actually huge because you know, I shoot content for my real estate, you know, and I’m doing videos. So I’m turning I’m I’m on the side and all I see when I see those videos is this neck that’s here to here and I won’t use those. I’ll redo them. I’ll try to pull it up. It’s like ridiculous. I don’t WANT TO HAVE TO DO ANY OF THAT. So now my confidence is yes, it’s you know, now I don’t worry about it. I’m not it’s not constantly on my mind thinking oh I got to and then you know, I take the picture and I forget for a minute and then I turn and I’m talking and it’s shaking and I’m just So yes, it was a very important thing for me to do and it changed it’s a little thing that made the world of a difference.

Kerry: And I think that area for the people that do like gain like have this neck that happens. I think it does it makes you look thinner. And it’s just like literally it’s amazing that with just like the whole thing it was maybe like two hours, right? All of it in a row.

Nicole: Yeah. Yeah, two and a half hours.

Kerry: Yeah, then you can just change it that quickly. Like you don’t have even have to lose it, but it’s just even just having that kind of the profile, right?

Nicole: No, it’s it’s amazing.

Kerry: Is there a scar?

Nicole: Yeah, there’s a scar. It’ll go away.

Kerry: See a scar. So there was no incision? Yeah, where would the scar be? Cuz they just kind of tug and suck the fat out.

Nicole: What he did was he stitched it.

Kerry: Oh, that’s right.

Nicole: The swelling up.

Kerry: Right, right, right.

Nicole: You know, you get a lot of swelling. And also I was worried. I said, you know

Kerry: Because you’re like 47, right? So you’re worried that

Nicole: I was worried that he would take the fat out and the skin and I was thinking of like a chicken, rooster, whatever. I was thinking like, oh, now I’m just going to have this empty you know, And he said, “No, that’s not going to happen.” I said, “How do you know?”

Kerry: Right, right, right.

Nicole: It’s not going to happen. Everybody’s different.

Kerry: Yeah. So he wasn’t going to take any chances. So he Because I wondered and we all have to ask him because so you say your dad has this issue, right? So and he’s older. So I wonder if he did do that on a much older person, then would he have that would he have that chicken wattle, right? Or is it because you probably have a limited amount of time when that is the effective thing, too.

Nicole: Point, my dad’s 20 years older than me.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: You know, he just turned 40s 67.

Kerry: Okay.

Nicole: You know, he would just get a face lift.

Kerry: Right.

Nicole: He would just need a face lift. He wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

Kerry: I know cuz it’s funny because I have now have been on this like, wow, the yeah, all you just need this like lipo when I see people with that chin, but like Tony’s always like and when they’re older it’s like, “No, that’s a face lift. That’s a face lift.” And I’m like, “Okay.” But I’m like, “Oh, but it’s so easy. You can just, you know, but at that point, yeah. Just go for it.”

Nicole: Berlet took a big skin tag looking thing off my dad’s eye.

Kerry: Oh, really?

Nicole: you know, he needs a blepharoplasty, my dad, and a face lift. But you know, he doesn’t care.

Kerry: Yeah, he doesn’t. Yeah.

Nicole: He’s not looking to maintain his youth. He’s like, “Let me go. I’m good.”

Kerry: No, I mean, it’s all it’s personal choice, right? We can all say they Like it’s funny cuz we say they need it, right? People will say we don’t need this. They we it just in our mind like it makes a huge difference for us and like it is. And especially like once something’s in your head that you need a procedure, then it’s just like you can’t think of anything else, right? The whole time you’re thinking about It’s like, okay, how would when can I get this? I need to get it now, right? It’s like once you make that decision. so interesting. Well, it’s just and I like I just want to say thank you. Like I appreciate so much. Like you’re such a believer obviously in like my husband’s practice, but also in all the craziness we’ve done. Like you’ve been here since we had the first opening party for the New York office. And then you were the first guest and you were part of the plastic surgery is our fashion show, which hopefully we’ll bring back again.

Nicole: Yeah. That was the best. Right? If I could do I now that it’s over, I’m like I wish we could do this again cuz I would do couple of things different.

Kerry: Well, we’re going to do it again.

Nicole: I wouldn’t have swung my arms so much. I did that weird so fast. And now I’m watching it like I’m like still look good, but I could have fixed it. I could have did it way better.

Kerry: Well, I think there will be another one.

Nicole: Yeah, I’m still practicing.

Kerry: Okay, good.

Nicole: Everything the catwalk, right? And my superintendent of the building text me, he goes, “Why are you modeling all over the building?” Cuz he watches the cameras all the time. And I’m like, “Practicing for my next fashion show.”

Kerry: So I love it. So good.

Nicole: So it’s just what’s good is that he sees me doing this and I and I’m probably like, you know, ooh and you know, doing all kinds of

Kerry: Right, right, right. That was good. Well, now you have I mean new like new face this year, you know? Yeah. All good. All right. Well, so I want to bring Dr. Berlet on to talk about some of these questions that I brought up. Why the fat from there and you know, again, like all the all the different things, right? So, let’s bring him in and get some of our questions answered.

Kerry: All right. So, we have brought on Dr. Berlet. We have questions for you.

Dr. Berlet: Mhm.

Kerry: Many questions. And the first one is so you did the liposuction on her neck. Why wouldn’t you just take that fat and inject it in her face rather than you had to take fat from her inner thighs?

Dr. Berlet: It’s just difficult to get the quantity of fat that you need cuz you have to do a lot of processing on the fat.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: The time you took the fat out of the neck and you did whatever you had to do, you wouldn’t have enough.

Kerry: Oh, So, it’s just really

Nicole: No, no. You could have taken more, you know. Do it right on out.

Kerry: Right. and then the other question. So, because so she’s still young enough that the neck liposuction made sense, right? Cuz she talks about how she has her dad has the same like neck that she has. And so he, you know, she’s 47, he’s 67. So, he at that point, is that too old to do the neck liposuction? Like then it’s just facelift, right?

Nicole: About how the skin would Remember how I was kept saying maybe the skin will dangle and just be empty with no fat, but still have a jiggle. Would that happen to my dad if he did lipo?

Dr. Berlet: probably. Yeah. I mean,

Nicole: Well, I said we just get a facelift.

Dr. Berlet: It’s dependent I mean, obviously age is some of it, but it’s really the quality of the skin that you have.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: You can kind of see whether it has elasticity to it.

Kerry: Okay. So, mid-40s is kind of your limit. The threshold for when you can So, people like 20s to 40s, if you have this, you know, this chin like that, you’re a candidate potentially for the neck liposuction.

Dr. Berlet: Yeah, I mean I she got away with it a little bit longer than the average bear.

Kerry: Right. Right. Right.

Dr. Berlet: Typically, I’d say, you know, 40’s kind of the limit where you’re going to get a decent liposuction result, but you also

Kerry: Right. You also stitched it up and that was Yeah. For one reason? For swelling or was it also to try to keep that skin tight up?

Dr. Berlet: more B. The so we did something called a quilting stitch.

Kerry: Right.

Dr. Berlet: We sewed the skin to the deep muscle underneath we set the fat out, so repositions and shapes. Do the trick.

Nicole: My sister said it looks like you have a constellation.

Kerry: But I know cuz I was looking I don’t see like scars. I mean like what are those little dots?

Dr. Berlet: Dots where the stitches

Kerry: Like the stitches? And they go away.

Dr. Berlet: It takes a little time.

Nicole: Oh yes, they’re already

Dr. Berlet: Happened. Yeah. Probably about 7 weeks. Maybe 6 or 7 weeks.

Kerry: Yeah. 6 or 7 weeks.

Dr. Berlet: It’s not much. Not much. Figure the very end of January.

Kerry: Right. Right. And then and she had mentioned how she was very concerned about keeping her eyes even. And so but so she was even going into it, right? So it was that makes it easier, right?

Dr. Berlet: For sure. You look for brow position, eyelid position, shape of the eye whether the corner’s high or low. her corners were just beginning to get a little low. she had some you know extra skin and some fullness on the upper lids that we were able to take some of the inner fat out.

Kerry: Mhm.

Dr. Berlet: We leave the outer fat cuz we want that full and to stay rounded and then the lower lid we took some extra skin cuz she had a lot of skin sort of bulging at the edges. And then we did fat grafting around the whole eye, into the temple, into the upper lid, into the lower lid, into the cheeks, around the mouth.

Kerry: Right. Okay. Yeah. All right. And then that gets me to the next topic because she’s you’re on like blood thinner or something you said, right? So, that can also delay kind of the healing process. And I know this because I’m just focus on the blood thinners because newsflash, so I’m right now prepping for a facelift, and I’ve seen your whole and we’ll get into the whole prep process, but you talk a lot about various things thin your blood and how that like that can lead to more bruising. Like even like vitamin E and all of this stuff, right?

Dr. Berlet: Yeah.

Kerry: And so, but if you’re on blood thinners, that doesn’t mean you can do the surgery, it just means you’re going to have like you’ll be bruised, right?

Dr. Berlet: Well, that’s part of it, but we did prep through it cuz we wanted to keep her on blood thinners.

Kerry: I see.

Dr. Berlet: So, she was on a blood thinner that lasts about 3 or 4 days. So, we took her off that, and we put her on something that lasts 24 hours. So, take it off the right before.

Kerry: Very right.

Dr. Berlet: Cuz she is a Factor V deficient. Factor V. Yeah, so she gets clots very quickly in her legs.

Kerry: Oh, wow. Okay. Very interesting. Okay. Well, so now I want to go into the prep process cuz this is what I’m doing now cuz I have this upcoming facelift, which is I’m so excited about, and you just did some of this, right?

Nicole: I did some of this.

Kerry: Yes. And this is what kind of you’re known for. People think they feel and it actually does make you feel comfortable. It’s like you’re like prepping, you’re like training for your, you know, upcoming surgery, and like every day you wake up and it’s a reminder of like taking care of yourself so you have a faster recovery, right? And so, the first thing, you know, you get this folder, right? And you we go through this list, right? And so, there’s like the pre-op construction instructions, right? Like no drinking and smoking like 2 weeks beforehand. She did 2 months, by the way.

Dr. Berlet: Which is crazy. Her choice, bless you.

Kerry: Which like good for you, right? But so, I want to talk first, so these supplements and herbs, right? And so, you say and that was so there’s I don’t know, we can go through the list about like first things to avoid, right? So it’s like avoiding fish oils and flaxseed oils and you know, why is that?

Dr. Berlet: You they all thin the blood.

Kerry: Okay. So they all thin the blood.

Dr. Berlet: We do want to optimize you. So you know, optimizing means you know, getting all the proper vitamins on board, all the proper minerals and various other fatty things that you can’t take there because they do thin the blood.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: But I mean we want to optimize your protein, get that to good levels so you heal faster.

Kerry: Right. And then fruits?

Dr. Berlet: Fruits are good because they have a lot of various things that

Kerry: I’m just going to I need the berries.

Dr. Berlet: Yeah. Berries are great. They’re also good

Kerry: And the pineapple.

Dr. Berlet: Pineapple. Yes. They’re all anti-inflammatory.

Kerry: Right. So that they’re they’re

Dr. Berlet: Yes. ideal that way.

Kerry: And then you have essential amino acids. Yeah, that’s Why is that?

Dr. Berlet: That’s essentially you’re optimizing your protein.

Kerry: So I got these essential amino acids.

Dr. Berlet: Yeah. Yeah.

Kerry: Right? And so what is that? It’s just optimizing protein?

Dr. Berlet: Yeah. Cuz it’s hard to get the total amount of protein you need.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: I mean various foods have higher protein content. Eggs are probably the best thing that you get in terms of eating. But that’s far that’s 100% efficient whereas eggs you’re getting 45 50%.

Kerry: So is this something I mean why don’t we should just be doing this all the time really?

Dr. Berlet: Yeah. I do.

Kerry: I know. Okay. I do. Right. Okay. And then and then the next thing is then you have like so and Nicole you had this too right? There’s a morning there’s a morning and an evening. Oops, that’s the that’s the next thing. The morning and an evening vitamins.

Dr. Berlet: vitamins. It’s vitamins. A lot of B complex, vitamin A, C, D.

Kerry: I mean it’s a whole mix based like so what are they? Like what is the goal with this? Like this

Dr. Berlet: What’s again just you’re trying to optimize for surgery.

Kerry: Yeah. Okay.

Dr. Berlet: Just trying to optimize all your levels cuz typically most of the problems we have is cuz we have deficiencies.

Kerry: Right. But so it looks like so this the morning is more B complex supporting energy and stress and then the evening mineral complex promotes rest and relax. So what’s like what’s the difference really?

Dr. Berlet: This company I’ve been working with this company over 20 years. And they did you know they brought it down to all those things but they really want to get you into your you know A C D. They have all the all the B complex vitamins and a few other things. but between all of them it does it and they’ve taken out things like that will increase bleeding like vitamin E.

Kerry: I see. So it’s it’s optimized for surgery.

Dr. Berlet: Correct.

Kerry: Wow. That’s really nice to hear.

Dr. Berlet: To help you clot.

Kerry: And you said you have some aunt who’s like a Chinese medicine What’s

Nicole: My aunt is a doctor of holistic Chinese medicine.

Kerry: Okay. And what did she think?

Nicole: And I naturally send her everything that I’m on just to make sure you know they’re they’re healthy and clean enough and she was actually impressed. She said this is who that’s giving you this? I said this is Dr. Berlet he’s doing my surgery and she said I’m impressed. This is nice vitamins good clean vitamins. And the quercetin and the bromelain and

Kerry: Right. Arnica pills and Yeah. So this then this is afterwards that we take the bromelain with quercetin. So what is the quercetin and like so bromelain that’s for that’s what’s in

Dr. Berlet: Correct. It’s an anti-inflammatory.

Kerry: Quercetin it’s just another one of those like antiviral anti everything. It’s just really anti-aging type of I’m not sure what it is but

Nicole: So good for your immune system too. It’s really good for your immune system. I know this because when COVID hit my aunt said I need you to do quercetin and zinc every day so you don’t get COVID.

Kerry: I remember you talking about that during COVID.

Nicole: Get COVID.

Kerry: Wow. You never had COVID.

Nicole: No.

Kerry: Wow.

Dr. Berlet: Just something called senolytics where basically you’re trying to get rid of cells that are dead.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: And quer- quercetin, fisetin and there’s other things that really optimize that senolytic protocol.

Kerry: But so why take this only after? It’s like is it again like a vitamin something like it’s more

Dr. Berlet: We used to take this 3 days before.

Kerry: -huh.

Dr. Berlet: But you know, it was given with arnica and everybody would take the arnica 3 days before and so we just leave it. So we’re because we’re stupid because people mix it up.

Kerry: Yeah, because they mix it up

Dr. Berlet: but if you know, there’s there’s basically out there so oh, you want you don’t want to stop bruising, take arnica but it’s it’s not it’s not

Kerry: But arnica’s after, yeah.

Dr. Berlet: Rid of the bruising but it doesn’t stop it. It actually increases it if you take it before, so.

Kerry: Right, right. So that gets to the arnica. So that’s why okay, so this is the after thing, right? So that’s after surgery. And this is like so you I got this for my upcoming facelift but so is this for all the surgery you like everyone gets this?

Dr. Berlet: when there’s big dissection, yes.

Kerry: Yeah. Okay.

Nicole: I actually liked those. They were kind of sweet.

Dr. Berlet: You put them under your tongue and let them dissolve cuz under your tongue it gets absorbed very quickly into your bloodstream so that’s where you put them.

Kerry: Oh, cool. All right. And then there’s not only arnica oops, wait. I is I had just got double. These are the same arnica. Okay. And then there’s an arnica cream.

Dr. Berlet: Mhm.

Kerry: Right? And so that’s just for like post surgery. Did you use this too?

Nicole: Using it.

Kerry: Okay. Yeah. And you like that?

Nicole: Nice for the bruising.

Kerry: It’s good for bruising. So what it has vitamin K in it and vitamin C and botanicals. So that’s all just like a good

Dr. Berlet: It does the arnica takes away the bruising by thinning the blood.

Kerry: Right, right, right. Okay.

Dr. Berlet: Superficially easy.

Kerry: Right, right, right. Okay. And then this is more what’s this?

Nicole: I think

Dr. Berlet: The same thing.

Nicole: That’s the same thing. It’s just one

Kerry: Oh yeah, this is just two I got two of them.

Dr. Berlet: Yeah, you

Kerry: Okay, perfect. So just to last me. Okay, and then can we get into like since my face is just going to be only under local and that’s same with yours, right? But right? So Like the main thing is Like The first thing, wait, they have funny names for them, right? But which is the one that’s basically valium, but I’m sure it’s called something.

Dr. Berlet: Diazepam.

Kerry: Okay, diazepam. Okay, and so how many of these am I going to take on the day of?

Dr. Berlet: A lot. Those are 5 mg pills and you’ll be taking anywhere from four to six.

Kerry: Mhm. Okay, and so then I’m going to then I’ll be awake but just kind of like loopy.

Dr. Berlet: Loopy.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: You’re just going to feel happy that this is happening.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: They take the they’re You’re not going to be nervous, right? Yeah, they’re anti-anxiety. They gets rid of the nerves.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: That’s pretty much more than anything else. It’s not It’s going to put you to sleep.

Nicole: Like I said, I was skipping down I was ready to go. I’m like, “Let’s do it.” Because of those.

Kerry: Okay. Yeah.

Dr. Berlet: I know, I think she’s going to get more plastic surgery just so she can get more of these.

Kerry: Right. Okay, and then

Dr. Berlet: They’re popular.

Kerry: Right, right, right. And so then what else? So there’s there’s I guess is this is the antibiotic just in case, right? So you just take that kind of preemptively.

Dr. Berlet: Mhm.

Kerry: Okay, and so then obviously with the antibiotic I like you should also take a probiotic, right?

Dr. Berlet: Yeah. I’ve not about anything. To protect the gut.

Kerry: Okay, and then This is for the pain.

Dr. Berlet: Yeah. Yeah, in case there’s pain, all right?

Kerry: And then that’s just like an oxy and then what is the what’s gabapentin?

Dr. Berlet: Gabapentin is also for the pain. It’s the nerve works by nerve nerves. It reduces the nerve issue.

Nicole: Until I had surgery.

Dr. Berlet: It also makes you a little relaxed, too.

Kerry: Okay, and so that’s when do I take that?

Dr. Berlet: After. After.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: Like you could you could see that you take that or the Percocet, which is a narcotic.

Kerry: Okay.

Dr. Berlet: Narcotics, you know, never a freebie.

Kerry: I try it. I will see if I can deal with the pain without taking any of that. Okay. And then finally, oh wait, no, two things.

Nicole: Don’t even need them.

Kerry: Yeah, I don’t know what time I really Yeah, and then a steroid?

Dr. Berlet: Those are steroids, yeah.

Kerry: Okay. And so that’s You took those?

Nicole: Okay. He did like six and then five and then four each day.

Kerry: Right. Okay. Cuz you can’t just like stop a steroid, you

Nicole: I need to make a little pill pack, right? Like we should

Kerry: Yes.

Nicole: You.

Kerry: So like you know what of each, right?

Nicole: That’s what I thought, but I did five. I did five. I just set them all up.

Dr. Berlet: Well, you got to set it up.

Kerry: Wait, cuz this will you like you start with five and then six and then it goes down, it tapers down.

Dr. Berlet: You don’t take them till after, so. It’ll say like take two breakfast, two after lunch, two before you go to bed.

Kerry: Right. And then this was just anti-nausea, like a Zofran thing, right? So that’s just if I need it during the surgery, right? Cuz generally you’re not

Dr. Berlet: Or if the Percocets make you nauseous.

Kerry: Oh, yeah.

Dr. Berlet: That’s typically what it’s for.

Kerry: That’s true.

Dr. Berlet: It helps block the Percocet.

Nicole: But like I made a mistake and didn’t eat breakfast.

Kerry: Oh.

Nicole: And so I And it’s not a They said that you should eat breakfast. And so I did take one of those. Yeah, cuz you know, I think surgery, no breakfast, but that was wrong. I you know.

Kerry: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then finally, like what’s

Dr. Berlet: That’s one of the advantages of going under local, too. You get to eat.

Kerry: Yeah. Right. And finally, this? Yeah. You scared me a few times already with that thing. I should get one of those. What does this do?

Nicole: Scares me. I don’t It looks pink.

Kerry: Red light therapy. And so I’m big on the kitchens. And so what is this? This helps for bruising recovery?

Dr. Berlet: It’s a It’s It’s not cheating. No, it’s It’s just good for the skin.

Kerry: I guess red light therapy is getting a lot of

Dr. Berlet: Yeah.

Kerry: hype.

Dr. Berlet: It is. It is good for the skin. The collagen in your skin.

Kerry: Okay. All right. I think you are. I like I mean she And so how So and again like how long till I won’t be like look like a total freak in public afterwards? So I’m getting and then we’ll do the consult of everything I’m getting.

Dr. Berlet: Well, yeah, you’re you’re getting a brow lift, you’re getting a lip lift, and you’re getting a face lift.

Kerry: So I want to say cheers to Nicole. Thank you for being such a supporter and you look amazing.

Dr. Berlet: Congratulations and it only gets better.

Nicole: Yeah, I know.

Kerry: And this is still like right she still is recovering like you know only

Dr. Berlet: In 6 months to a year.

Kerry: Right. So it’s just going to keep getting better and better. So it’s exciting.

Nicole: I’m going to do my face lift next.

Kerry: I can’t keep up. Yeah. All right. And then cheers. And mine is of course alcohol-free, but you know, enjoy your champagne. Your post recovery. Yeah. Thank you. Cheers. And cheers to Dr. Berlet. I hope you enjoyed this grand finale of season 2 of Once Upon a Surgery. I see you next season with my new face. That will be the opening episode. don’t forget to subscribe, like, comment, let us know