Facelift from Dr. Paula Moynahan Welcomed Complement to Significant Weight Loss for Businesswoman

“The results are unbelievably wonderful!” Those are the glowing comments of Waterbury businesswoman Elizabeth Petruccione from a recent facelift performed by Dr. Paula Moynahan on Straits Turnpike in Middlebury, formerly with offices in Waterbury (http://paulamoynahanmd.com). “When you get plastic surgery that is so subtle, nothing over-the-top altering, it is perfect. You want people to see a difference but to still see you.”

Dr. Paula Moynahan, a Double Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, founder and director of the Institute of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery in Middlebury and at 800 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, has known Elizabeth Petruccione for several years. The women reconnected through facial rejuvenation treatments Ms. Petruccione was receiving from Dr. Moynahan’s in-office aesthetician associate in her Connecticut office, Anita Mir. “Through a self-monitored weight loss, Elizabeth had lost 93 pounds. She has maintained her weight over the past eight years and she is committed to continuous improvement in her appearance for her face and body.”

Author of the book, “Losing Weight With Elizabeth”, and host of a Facebook page with the same name and 1,500 fans, Elizabeth eats a healthy diet and exercises regularly. At age 64, she teaches classes at Planet Fitness four days each week, and tells her students, “Anything I can do, you can do too.” Elizabeth pointed out, “They keep me on track because I’m really leading the class to keep the weight off and to feel healthy and energetic.” On February 5, 2013, she brought that energy to Waterbury’s Skye Cable and launched a live talk and nutritional instruction program.

“Elizabeth writes blogs and books encouraging others to improve their lifestyles and in so doing, become healthier, physically more attractive, and undergo a psychological transformation in achieving a balance between mind and body,” commented Dr. Moynahan. “Enhanced confidence and an improved self esteem all occurred through the path Elizabeth chose.” With admiration, Dr. Moynahan continued, “As a life coach, the goals Elizabeth personally set for herself have been met, although I’m certain there are some day-to-day challenges, as it is for everyone. Far beyond focusing on herself, Elizabeth has taught and encouraged others to embark whole heartedly on a program of physical and mental balance. She advises, educates and encourages her clients, plus befriends them, which I believe makes her extraordinary and sets her apart from others who offer similar services. As Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, "The only true gift is a portion of thyself", and Elizabeth talks the talk and she lives those words.

In November 2012, Elizabeth spoke with Dr. Moynahan about facial cosmetic surgery and her personal goals to “look better, refreshed, not tired and haggard, somewhat younger but not different.” Dr. Moynahan commented, “Elizabeth was always pretty but aging and her significant weight loss resulted in sagging of the skin on her face and eyelids, loss of youthful contours and the flattering arcs of her face, plus a ‘turkey neck’. Wrinkles and dyschromias (age spots and broken capillaries) of the facial skin added to an ‘aged and tired’ appearance.”

Based on a physical exam, and documentation of her complaints based on a true assessment of how she looked, Dr. Moynahan advised facelift surgery. “Over the next several weeks, we met to carefully review everything concerned with undergoing this type of operation. Pre-operative photographs were taken, medical clearance was obtained from her primary care physician, routine lab studies performed and surgery scheduled for three weeks later.”

Dr. Moynahan recalled that, “Although Elizabeth was nervous when she underwent the surgery on December 7, she healed quickly and well. The improvements were immediate, although there was some bruising and swelling. Relatively quickly Elizabeth resumed her normal activities, including a busy work schedule. In March, we addressed wrinkles in her lower eyelids and face with a fractionated laser procedure. This was an in-office treatment under topical anesthesia that will result in the skin being significantly smoothed, tightened and lightened. Age spots and broken capillaries were also laser-treated, and minimal down time was needed after this treatment.”

The surgery was safely performed at the Naugatuck Valley Surgical Center (NVSC) in Waterbury under anesthesia. A board-certified anesthesiologist monitored Elizabeth’s care during and after the operation until discharge. Elizabeth reported she felt no pain and had no recollection of the surgical procedure. She arrived in the recovery room where she quickly was in control of all her faculties. She was then discharged in the care of a responsible adult. Both Dr. Moynahan and Elizabeth concur that, “The care and concern of the entire NVSC staff reflected the highest and most altruistic and virtuous values of the medical professional.”

At the time of discharge, a "head and neck" dressing was placed on Elizabeth to protect the operative site. The day after surgery, the dressing was removed in Dr. Moynahan’s office and Elizabeth said she felt fine and she looked good. Elizabeth commented, “About two hours after the eye surgery, my eyes never hurt again. It took longer to recover in my neck, but a few Tylenol quickly took the edge off the pain.” Dr. Moynahan concluded, “There were no adverse effects from the surgery. Elizabeth followed her post-op instructions carefully during the following days and weeks, and her recovery has been described as uneventful.

People usually heal quite quickly after cosmetic surgery. There are unique biological variables for each patient, plus the type of work they do, that influence the post operative course for each patient. Additional influencers are their professional and personal obligations and psychological overlay. As a general rule, recovery can take from one to two days to two to three weeks.”

Dr. Moynahan is a graduate of the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She completed her residency in General Surgery and Plastic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and serves as Attending Staff Member in Plastic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and St. Mary’s Hospital and Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut. She has professional memberships include the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the Connecticut Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. She is a past president of the New Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons. In addition to her extensive current surgical practices in both Manhattan and Connecticut, Dr. Moynahan serves on the Board of Trustees at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.

She is included in Castle Connolly “Top Doctors in America”, Guide to America’s Top Surgeons, America’s Registry of Outstanding Professions and Strathmore’s “Who’s Who”. She was an invited speaker at the 2008 International Masters Course on Aging Skin conference held in Paris, France. In 2005, she was named one of the Top Irish Americans of the Year, the Best and Brightest in America. In 2007, she received the Boys’ Town of Italy “Humanitarian of the Year Award”, and the Momentum Award from Ceslie: The Women’s Network.

Dr. Moynahan can be contacted at her 687 Straits Turnpike office in Middlebury, Connecticut at 203-754-4125, and her Manhattan office at 800 Fifth Avenue at 212-535-0800. More information can be obtained on her plastic surgery services at http://paulamoynahanmd.com.