Radiant Looks
Experience and expertise add up to beautiful results
By Cassandra Wentworth

The practice of plastic surgery has come a long way. As societal norms have shaped public opinion, aesthetic operations have shed their negative stigmas and become a sought-after luxury.

At Radiance Plastic Surgery, patients can undergo nearly any plastic procedure in a private, outpatient facility surrounded by specialists who pride themselves on their ability to enhance a client’s sense of self.

“If you can give someone an appealing self-image, it really changes how people feel about themselves and how they conduct their lives,” says Dr. Lori Cherup, plastic surgeon and Radiance president. “They treat themselves better. They do things to take care of the valuable thing they have.”

Cherup has been in practice at six major hospitals and her own center since 1989. Her services include breast augmentation, reduction, lift and reconstruction; gynecomastia; liposuction; tummy tucks; lower body lifts; facelifts; browlifts; blepharoplasty; rhinoplasty; Botox; and laser resurfacing.

While Radiance was built with a plastic surgery focus in mind, it has expanded to include orthopedic surgeries, podiatry and pain management procedures. “We’re in the forefront of where medicine is going,” Cherup says. “There is a shift from people going to hospitals to have surgery to people going to where they know they’re going to get the best surgical care.”

The advantages to outpatient surgery at a private facility include decreased risk of infection, limited paperwork and an easy-to-navigate environment. Cherup, however, says the most important benefit is the exclusive knowledge of the staff.

“The entire focus is on the specialty,” she says. “I have a routine that my staff knows. Surgery is like dancing, and this makes it so much more efficient.”

Cherup typically consults with clients twice prior to any surgery, when she learns their motivations and expectations for the procedure. Cherup has one requirement of her patients: no smokers allowed. Because they are motivated to better themselves, Cherup has helped countless smokers kick the habit, sometimes with the help of the smoking cessation drug, Chantix.

“Plastic surgery and smoking don’t go together,” she says. “Everything heals better if you don't smoke.”

Another benefit of the outpatient design is short recovery times.

Cherup says most surgeries last from one to four hours, and the majority of patients are on their way home within two hours. After some procedures, such as tummy tucks and liposuction, a Radiance nurse accompanies the patient home to ensure their pain is managed.

Cherup says most patients are back to their normal routines in about 10 days, ready to enjoy the results of their procedure.

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