This past weekend, our Orange County Plastic Surgery family gathered for one of our favorite traditions of the year: our Holiday Party. We were fortunate to celebrate in our beautiful Corona del Mar office lobby, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking one of Newport Beach’s most iconic events—the annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. It was a magical setting and a perfect way to pause, reflect, and say thank you.

Holiday parties are especially meaningful to us because they give us the opportunity to express our deep appreciation for our staff. What they do extends far beyond job descriptions or office hours. Each and every day, all year long, they are the heart of our practice.

Our staff keeps our existing patients happy and well cared for, which is why so many of them refer their friends, family members, and acquaintances to our practice. They play a vital role in our marketing efforts, helping new patients find their way to us and feel confident even before their first visit. From the moment a patient contacts our office, our team guides them through their entire journey—welcoming them, answering questions, easing anxieties, and making them feel truly at home.

They assist with in-office procedures, prepare patients for surgery in the operating room just a floor below our office, and provide attentive postoperative care. It is always remarkable to us how comfortable our patients are with our staff, often sharing concerns, hopes, and personal details that help us provide better, more compassionate care. Over time, many of our patients become friends, returning year after year, greeted by familiar faces they trust.

This year’s gathering felt particularly special because, as we celebrated together, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade unfolded just outside our windows. Dating back to 1908, the parade began with just a single gondola decorated with lights. Today, it has grown into a five-night spectacle featuring hundreds of elaborately decorated yachts, sailboats, and kayaks, drawing over a million spectators annually. It is a tradition that embodies community, creativity, and holiday spirit—values we deeply admire.

As we look back on a wonderful year at Orange County Plastic Surgery, we feel immense gratitude for our extraordinary team. With them by our side, we are confident that the year ahead will be even better. To our staff: thank you for your dedication, warmth, and professionalism. You make everything we do possible.

My three bosses at our gift exchange, Gina Dearcos (who runs the front desk and makes sure the schedule works for everyone), Jo Cattell (our long term office manager, my confidant and my “work boss”), and Dr. Deborah Ekstrom (my other “boss”)

Staff hamming it up in front of our Hanukah wall!

The beauty and spectacle of the Newport Boat Parade.

QUIZ OF THE DAY:
When we talk about facial aging, which of the following plays the largest role in determining how you age?

A. How expressive your face is
B. Your skincare products alone
C. Your genetics combined with lifestyle choices
D. How early you start cosmetic treatments
E. The number of birthdays you celebrate

Correct answer: C. Aging is shaped by both heredity and lifestyle—and understanding this helps us choose the right solutions.

We think of aging as a two-prong process.

Prong One: Things That You Can Control

The good news is that a significant portion of how we age is influenced by daily choices. Sun exposure is the single biggest external factor in skin aging. Ultraviolet light breaks down collagen and elastin, leading to wrinkles, pigmentation, and loss of skin quality. Consistent sun protection—hats, sunscreen, and smart exposure—pays enormous dividends over time.

Weight fluctuations also matter. Repeated weight gain and loss stretches facial skin and can accelerate sagging. Maintaining a stable, healthy weight helps preserve facial structure.

Nutrition is equally important. Skin is our body’s largest organ, and poor nutrition shows itself quickly—dullness, thinning, delayed healing, and loss of elasticity. Adequate protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and hydration are essential for skin health and recovery from any procedure.

Other controllable factors include smoking (which dramatically accelerates aging), sleep quality, stress management, and adherence to a thoughtful skincare routine. Medical-grade skincare, neuromodulators like Botox, and energy-based treatments can further slow visible aging when used appropriately.

Prong Two: Things You Cannot Control – What Is Inherited

The second prong of aging is entirely genetic. This includes how and where tissues sag, whether eye bags develop, the strength of your jawline or chin, neck anatomy, and how your face loses volume over time. No amount of sunscreen can change these structural tendencies—but modern facial rejuvenation can.

This is where surgery and fat grafting shine. Facelift surgery repositions descended tissues, restoring a natural, refreshed contour rather than a “pulled” look. Microfat grafting—one of Dr. Ekstrom’s specialties—restores lost volume using your own fat, improving facial shape and skin quality simultaneously. Because fat contains stem cells, it can also enhance skin texture and vitality.

The most natural, long-lasting rejuvenation comes from addressing both prongs: protecting and optimizing what you can control, while thoughtfully correcting what genetics has handed you. A customized plan—based on anatomy, goals, and timing—is the key to aging well and confidently.

Normal aging, shown here in three generations of fair-skinned males. In youth, our faces are fullest over the cheeks, the so called V shape that I refer to in my lectures. With age, the face becomes pear shaped, as the SMAS and platysma muscles loosen and descend, the so called A shape. The young man on the left, in his early 20’s, shows cheek fullness, fair skin and a tight neck. His father, in the center, in his 50’s, shows some signs of sun damage, more fullness over the jowls and neck than the cheeks; and the grandfather in his 80’s with severe sun damage (and early skin cancers), and a complete descent of the SMAS and platysma muscle, leaving him with jowls and neck laxity.

Clear example of a face going from an A shape to a V shape following an A to V Natural Face Lift by Dr. Bunkis. In the before photo, she has vertical bands in her neck and more fullness in the jowl area than over the cheeks, the so called A shaped face. In the after photo, her V shape has been restored and she has a tight neck and more fullness over her cheeks than over her jaw line. Note that in the before photo, she also had prominent “elevens” between her brows and her lashed were touching her eyelashes. I also did an endoscopic brow lift with screw fixation, but only raised her brows a few mm (because her brows had never been higher in her youth). (Actual patient of Dr. Juris Bunkis, facelift surgeon and Orange County Plastic Surgery).

This is the same patient with a V shaped face in her youth, at age 23 and the same face ten years after her facelift and brow lift. Note that the space between her lashes and brows is similar to what she had in her youth, and at age 60, she still have a V shaped face with more fullness over her cheeks than over her jaw line – and the neck remains acceptable. The goal with our Natural A to V facelift is to turn the clock back, not to make someone look like they have never been! (Actual patient of Dr. Juris Bunkis of Orange County Plastic Surgery.)

Orange County Plastic Surgery at CosmetiCare
1101 Bayside Drive, Suite 200
Corona del Mar, CA 92625

Take the elevator to the second floor (Suite 200) and check in with the front desk for your consultation or follow-up.
Free Parking Available.