September 3, 2002
Dear Friend,
Well, this is the very first issue of my ezine. No use lying and saying I’ve been writing this for 30 years. Believe it or not, this first issue is going out to 214 people. Not bad considering I only posted the subscription 10 days before this went out. I’m sure this will grow by leaps and bounds. I again thank everyone for their interest and ideas.
I want everyone to know I’m really doing this for you. I want everyone to become a well-informed consumer. That’s the goal of this ezine. Simple as that! I also want it to be easy and fun to read. I want you to look forward to getting it. I want you to tell all your friends about it. Yes, I want you to become addicted to it!
Plastic surgery is all over the place. You hear about it constantly. On TV. On the Radio. In the paper. The truth - everyone is either doing it or trying to do it!
This business has been good to me. But, I became a doctor before I did my surgical residency, which was before I did my plastic surgery fellowship. Bottom line is I’m still a doctor. Operating on someone is a privilege. I always worry about complications and am always a perfectionist. I always worry about my patients! Plastic surgery has been good to me but I want to give something back – to you! I will try to teach you – the things I think you should know…
My career choice isn't always easy. But it's a good industry. I have customers in nearly every country of the world. I have been able to speak in many of the great cities of the U.S. I have given many lectures and seminars in the Chicagoland area – to students, residents, fellows, attendings, every type of doctor you can think of, every type of consumer you can think of… I relate well to people. I speak in their language. I communicate effectively because I never try to act like I know everything. Funny as it seems, and trust me – many surgeons do not understand how to do that (ie. not act like they know everything!).
I wake up early -- almost every day. I go to bed late. I help my wife out with our 2 kids. I work out 2-4 times a week. I love pizza, cookies and ice cream. I love anything to do with Disney. I love computers and gadjets (cameras, camcorders etc.). I am always reading up on the cutting edge stuff – medical and otherwise.
But you know what? I love the field of plastic surgery. I love this field. I have a passion for it. I got so bored doing general surgery because it was the same operation all the time. There are not all that many different ways to take out an appendix. However, each plastic surgery case is always a little different. Plastic surgeons are either all creative or all technical (you have to have great hands to do this, especially microsurgery). But, I think you gotta be both! And again, not too much GOD complex, ok?
This is a good field - the field of plastic surgery. No matter what product or service you crave, by learning about the field and the people in it, you give yourself the edge. The edge to be a little better than that other consumer who commits one of the mistakes we will learn about. The edge to be that much closer to what you want out of life.
No other plastic surgeon I know has ever had an ezine. They don't know how to tell others about what they do, what they should ask other surgeons etc. Some have a boring stuffy newsletter that is preprinted and they just add their name or something.
Why? Because they don't fully know what to tell you or how to say it. How do you really communicate with people? What do they want to know? Many plastic surgeons think they know what you want. They pretend to ask. They pretend to care.
But this is my life. My experiences. A lot of me is in this ezine. I am a normal hard-working person. I really am not doing this for the money. Sure, it’s nice to get paid for what you do. It’d be nice to finally pay off those massive student loans of mine. I’ve got to pay the bills at the office. But the bottom line is – I love waking up every morning and coming to work. I really do. I love my patients. I love my job. I love making a difference in people’s lives. Maybe I don’t save people’s lives anymore, but I know I definitely help people. Each and every day.
People from all over the world have written to tell me how much my services and products have helped them.
And in a way I guess that's why I'm in this business. On a bad day, when someone copies a procedure, steals an ad, takes away a patient because they offered a cheaper price (even though they’re not a real plastic surgeon!) -- on a bad day I wonder why I'm in this business.
But then I get an email. An email from someone I helped. Helped to take away their pain. Helped to make them feel better about themselves. Helped them get the look they’ve always dreamed about. That makes this business worthwhile.
Email me – ask whatever you want. You are the ones that will help make this ezine fun and exciting. What do you want to know?? Ask anything! Ask away…
Best regards,
Dr. Sam Speron
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon
P.S. I promise next time, I will not ramble on. I will actually talk about plastic surgery. I have already gotten some great emails. Keep them coming. I just wanted to give you my background first - my story. So stick around. We’re gonna have some fun…