Welcome And Tyler’s Role

Speaker 2 0:30

my name is Tyler Chavez. I'm a physician assistant and I have been working with the Center for Plastic Surgery and I'm the director of our Metabolic Aesthetics program.

Personal Journey Into Medicine

Speaker 0:41

Wonderful. I can't wait to learn more about just everything you do. So Tyler, for listeners learning about the Center for Plastic Surgery and Metabolic Aesthetics Clinic for the first time, can you share a little bit about your background and what led you into medicine?

Speaker 2 0:56

Sure. So I've been a physician assistant for. About 14 years, which that sounds crazy to me to say out loud. But time flies I guess. I've always worked kind of in the realm of surgery and I've been with the Center for Plastic Surgery for the last five years now. And when I got this opportunity to kind of learn more about the cellular medicine and the longevity aspect and different peptides and hormone replacement. We kind of decided it would be a great addition to the practice, just to overall like help people make them feel better no matter what, stage of life they're in or what troubles they may be having. Um, it was just kind of an easy segue for our practice just to kind of broaden the available things we can do to make our patients feel better. And I probably. Probably got into medicine because at an early age I was diagnosed with leukemia and kind of lived in the hospital setting for quite a few years. But you know, when that was all over, I just kind of thought, what a great way to like, give back to people and it's, you know, always been kind of a ongoing journey and I think everybody's health is a lot different. So just knowing that there's options out there that can really help people. Again, like I said, in any. Faceted or any stage or any, you know, area of wellness that they need, I think it's a good opportunity.

Speaker 2:26

Yeah, absolutely. And going into that, like you said, you know, your path into healthcare was shaped in part by your own experience with serious illness at a young age. How did that journey kind of influence the way you view medicine and patient care today?

Speaker 2 2:43

I would say. Probably the biggest way is, you know, being able to look at it from a couple different perspectives. You know, knowing the medicine side of it, but then also knowing how patients respond to different ways that providers kind of approach the individual patient or that area of medicine that they work in. So for me, you know, I've also had health issues with a heart transplant, which I had. Three years ago, almost now. And so I have kind of this very different perspective where I've also, I've been the provider for a long time. I've learned the medicine side of it, but I've also been, you know, in a very serious patient role. So anytime someone's a patient, whether they're just coming into clinic to see you for the first time, or maybe they've been dealing with chronic illness, disease, cancer, whatever it may be. Having that other perspective gives you a little more empathy. It gives you a little more insight to how best approach each patient and each situation. So I think that's definitely shaped who I am as a provider. And just focusing more on, each individual person.

Speaker 3:53

Absolutely. I can definitely see how it kind of adds that depth and just like another layer, um, you know, then it shows patients you truly understand'cause you've been on their side as well.

Speaker 2 4:02

Yeah.

Building Metabolic Aesthetics Programs

Speaker 4:03

Wonderful. And you know, you've now been a physician assistant for many years and have built a career that blends surgery with this growing area of metabolic and longevity focused care. How did that evolution happen for you professionally?

Speaker 2 4:20

Professionally, I think. Anytime in medicine, if you get an opportunity or something kind of falls into your lap and it's something that's a little different from your normal, um, it was very natural for me to be a little skeptical of it because all these things we've been hearing about peptides or, hormone replacement or you know, the longevity aspect, how much of that is really just rebranded. Information or rebranded techniques. But you know, getting to learn more about it was a great opportunity and I saw just a whole role within our own practice. So I liked kind of being able to learn something new. And that was probably the best, like, segue for me into it. Just getting to kind of like, try something different and become my own like expert in this new evolving field.

Speaker 5:09

Absolutely. How cool. And, you know, you focus much of your work on metabolic health recovery and longevity. How would you describe the mission of the Center for Plastic Surgery and Metabolic Aesthetics Clinic and the kind of care you aim to provide?

Speaker 2 5:26

I would say, the words like longevity and wellness, they kind of flow around, but really it is about, you know, making patients. Get to their goals, whether that be, you know, with weight loss or, decreasing inflammation in their body, or just overall feeling better. There's so many aspects where, especially in today's type of medicine, where you kind of get put into a small box and you filter down to like where maybe your problem lies without looking at the overall general feeling. So within the practice. We're able to do everything from, you know, just cosmetics, but we're also able to do, breast reconstruction and there's no patient that wouldn't come in to see us for something else that wouldn't fit into a category where we could help them, even more, get to their goals or get to. Just overall feeling better.

Speaker 6:18

Yeah, absolutely. That's really great. Um, and especially to kind of diagnose their situation and, and to really pay attention to what their goals are, you know, long term and be able to kind of set them on that path to get there. I think that that's awesome.

Speaker 2 6:31

Yeah.

Peptides GLP-1 And Misinformation

Speaker 6:32

And you've also shared how quickly conversations around peptides and similar therapies have grown. What do you think people most often misunderstand about these treatments?

Speaker 2 6:44

I think the. Evolution of this idea of like peptide medicine and longevity medicine has really exploded, especially through like the social media the development and the advancement and the better understanding like of GLP one medications, for example. It's gone through quite a life cycle already and so, just really continuing to like. Be steady and stable with how we treat our patients and how we approach them. You know, we're still getting the best results that we did four years ago with all this new information. Patients come in. More educated, but at the same time, when something explodes like this on the scene, people feel like, oh, I can, you know, maybe find out more or get it somewhere or, take small shortcuts. And, you know, I hope for the wellness and the aspect of medicine that we really try to provide, which is more concierge style, that, patients will appreciate that aspect of it rather than, you know, listening to. Multiple, multiple sources online or within the, you know, social media, community, education and using what I would say is just skilled, educated, and professionals in the place of longevity medicine is gonna be your best bet and the safest option for people.

Speaker 8:12

Absolutely leave it to the professionals and do some good research before you make any, any fast decisions.

Speaker 2 8:19

Yes. Yes.

Education Safety And Simple Plans

Speaker 8:20

Wonderful. I think that's really great advice. And you know, as you were saying, you know, you approach a, your approach places a strong emphasis on education and safety. Why is that such an important part of the way you and your team approach this kind of work?

Speaker 2 8:37

I think probably. Being as educated as possible, as the providers within our team is always going to be the best answer for anyone in medicine. Um, but being able to also then educate your patients so that they're able to take that informed information into what they're doing, on a daily basis or what they're doing with the programs in our clinic. You know, that's where really patients will thrive. And also where again, you'll continue to have good results. Safety's a big thing because again, with all this kind of coming out, people are able to find quick fixes or they're able to find, something online and it might not exactly be as safe as possible. And so, you know, our goal is always in our, the only way that we've practiced is that safety comes first. Nothing in this, area of medicine. We treat it just like we would treat, our surgical patients or any other medical patients that we have. There's no point in doing something like this if there's gonna be any danger or any downside, because especially with this longevity and medicine or cellular medicine, you should only really be focused on safety and outcomes and really looking at the education or the research that's behind, or how you can find quality information about what you're providing to patients.

Speaker 9:58

Absolutely well said. Like you said, it's just good to be informed and know what you're getting into. Yeah. And like I said, speak to the pros. Don't go seeking.

Speaker 2 10:07

Yeah.

Speaker 10:08

Seeking it elsewhere. And you know, you've shared that patients often appreciate the level of attention and availability they receive from you and the other providers. Why do you believe that kind of communication and accessibility matters so much in medicine?

Speaker 2 10:26

I think that in this day and age, patients are so inundated with all the electronic side of it. So everyone has like a patient portal or they have a patient, education space they can use online or you know, they can be in a Facebook group. But really, you know, having that availability to your provider, and I know myself and the other providers who are in our practice, will be readily available to answer emails. But even before we get to the point where patients are gonna be at home asking questions about, oh, what did this mean? The education that you can do in the office is so important, and just breaking it down to a level and breaking it down in, possible information they can go home with is probably the best. Approach to medicine anyone can ever have. Because if people leave and they're so overwhelmed with what you were saying, or they didn't quite understand, or they don't feel like they can do this on their own, it doesn't matter what you give them or what they pay for, nothing will actually stick. And so, you know, we focus on keeping it very simple for the patients. We focus on it being doable or manageable because mistakes can be made and we wanna make it as foolproof as possible. Especially when you're going home and, using a medication that we want you to see and want you to want you to see a result. But also we want you to get the full benefit of that peptide or hormone therapy.

Men's Health Hormones And ED

Speaker 11:56

Yeah, absolutely. And I like how you mentioned about after they go home as well, um, kind of just giving them the information of what they can do to help maintain that health at home. What we do on the daily definitely affects us in ways we might not even know. Um, so I think that that's awesome. And you mentioned. Okay. One area of growing focus for the clinic is men's health, which can sometimes be overlooked in this space. What are some of the needs you're seeing there and why is that an important part of your work?

Speaker 2 12:26

I think the men's health side of it, especially, you know, being a plastic surgery office, there isn't as much information out there. Tend to gravitate more towards what women want to see because they're gonna be our largest demographic. But when we really take a step back, you know, everyone has questions about it or everyone has thoughts about it, everything from, you know, men's health, whether it be stuff we don't want to talk about, like erectile dysfunction. If you watch a football game, there's going to be 10 commercials within, you know, one quarter. Of a game about erectile dysfunction or, avenues that men can look up, hormone replacement therapy. We've also expanded into, penile enhancement with, the top of the line and the most specialized fillers that patients can get. That also don't only provide good results, but provide lasting results, um, with very minimal downside or very minimal side effects from it.

Optimizing Surgery Healing And Scars

Speaker 13:28

Okay. Awesome. Thank you for sharing that. And you know, your role bridges both surgery and metabolic or longevity focused care, helping people not only recover well, but also feel better long term. What do those two areas of medicine, or how do those two areas of medicine compliment each other in your day-to-day work?

Speaker 2 13:52

I would say the biggest compliment they have to each other is. Whenever someone has surgery, whether it's planned or it's a cosmetic procedure or something they're having done, say again, for breast cancer or any other, a knee replacement for example, there is no patient out there that wants to take longer to heal. Everyone wants to heal as best as they can, as quickly as they can and get back to normal life. So really the bridge there is when patients say, I want my. I scarring to be minimal. I want my downtime to be minimal. You know, minimize, swelling, bruising, pain, you know, all those things are things that can be very well complimented with, you know, a peptide program or you know, how can we get you optimized before your upcoming procedure? Um, and I think for me at least, and the other providers we have. Knowing kind of what goes into a plethora of different surgeries, whether it is a joint or breast reconstruction, or even cosmetic, knowing what goes into it. Both the approach surgically, but then also what's gonna be the requirements afterward. So having that kind of background, I'm able to tailor things better to say, you know, this will get you on your feet faster, but maybe this peptide source will help better with decreasing or minimize your scar formation or scar tissue or swelling.'cause all of those factors, because you know it could be any surgery, can really determine someone's outcome and the speed at which they get to that outcome.

Speaker 15:26

Yeah, I can definitely see you're able, see how you're able to kind of look at it. From a whole picture perspective. And I just think that's truly amazing how there's different avenues, little things you can do to kind of speed up that recovery, um, and make it as best as it can be for them.

Speaker 2 15:41

Yeah.

Speaker 15:43

And for someone who may be curious about peptides longevity medicine or metabolic care, but feels overwhelmed by all the information online, what would you want them to know before getting started?

Speaker 2 15:57

I would say before getting started, the best thing to do is seek out a group or a provider that you are very comfortable with, and then just sitting down and having a conversation. If that provider's not asking you like what your goals are or what things you could be doing, or what you want to improve, then they are probably just gonna give you a cookie cutter plan of something that will. Yeah, it will make you feel better, but it's not gonna be tailored to your exact goals or needs. Again, with a provider, you want somebody to be taking the utmost safety. And so we do really focus on, you know, where are you at, where is your health, your fitness, what does your blood work look like? What, where are your hormones at? How long have things been going on? So all that stuff that we take care of, and we really look at within your first visit. And then over long term, you need to have different ways to measure outcomes.'cause anytime someone's on a journey, they say, oh, you know, I don't, it's been two months. I don't know if this is really working. But when we're able to do like a body composition scan in the office that every visit we have those markers of composition where their body is changing, maybe their weight's not going down, but they're losing percent body fat and they're gaining muscle. Which is the best thing to do possibly, but they're sitting just with one number on their scale at home, and so they get discouraged. But having that reinforcement and having that ability as a provider to say things are really looking better and going better for you. I think that's where people should really focus on when they want to get started with someone or in this space. But you don't have to know anything about peptides. And I, I appreciate when patients do some of their own research or like what buzzwords or what certain peptides they like to hear about. Um, but really you don't have to have any idea. Just come with an open mind and really kind of trust the process and hope that you have someone who's gonna be well versed and takes your safety for number one.

Speaker 18:04

Absolutely. I know who I'm gonna recommend if anyone asks me.

Future Vision And How To Reach Us

Speaker 2 18:08

Well, thank you.

Speaker 18:10

And as you continue advancing your work in metabolic and long longevity focused care, what are your long-term goals for the clinic and the impact you hope to make for your patients?

Speaker 2 18:21

I would say I want to continue to be, the safest space possible. Have the most education around peptides and peptide medicine. I think going forward this is gonna be a big field. And I would hope that, you know, people would seek it out and continue to look for our type of clinic wherever they may be in the country or the world. But just know that my goal would be to really continue in this space and make it more accessible and make it more, understood in medicine that, you know, this is something people can seek out and they don't have to, think, oh, you know, what is another doctor? What is another provider gonna think about it? But really just so that it's so accessible and then just continue to learn.'cause there's hundreds of different things you can do or learn about or different peptides or combinations. So I think that's probably the biggest thing.

Speaker 19:20

Absolutely a lot of different options. I feel like there's something for everyone. And for listeners who want to learn more about the Center for Plastic Surgery and Metabolic Aesthetics Clinic, or how to become a patient, where can they find you and connect with your team?

Speaker 2 19:37

Um, probably the easiest thing is to go online, so our website is CCP s. S in for Center for plastic surgery and then DOCS like docs.com. So cps docs.com. You can also find us on, you know, Google is a great one'cause a lot of patients find us through Google just looking at peptides. You can always look on our social medias, um, with Instagram and Facebook. And hopefully, you know. They'll be able to get all this information from the podcast in the list of Joe.

Speaker 20:08

Absolutely Wonderful. A bunch of ways to reach out.

Speaker 2 20:11

Yeah.

Speaker 20:12

And as we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to add that I haven't touched on today?

Speaker 2 20:19

Not really. I mean, I just think this is an exciting field and as people start hearing the word peptide or they, you know, hear longevity medicine I hope that they do realize that there's people out there that, put a lot of education or a lot of time into their own education for something like this. And when you're looking for, the best option to feel better or in the peptide space, the quick fix is not always best. Um, and really kind of like, find someone you can trust and know that people are out there that will take the time and make sure that you get exactly what you're looking for. And probably my one thing, patients tell me, you know, after a six month program or after years, they just say I can't believe I didn't find this sooner. Like, where was it? It changed my life. So I think. Yeah. Having that, you know, is always kind of the goal for patients. Just to be happy is probably the best thing.

Speaker 21:15

I'm sure It's really, um, a full circle moment too, to see them come so far as well, and to reach back out to you and say something like that. I'm, I feel like there's no, no better compliment.

Speaker 2 21:25

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 21:26

Wonderful. I wanna thank you so much, Tyler for joining me on the podcast today and sharing your knowledge, passion, and just inspiring story with us. I wish you the very best in all that comes your way.

Speaker 2 21:38

Thank you so much.