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3700 Joseph Siewick Dr., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22033 (703) 620-4300 • www.eyeplasticmd.com
NOVEMBER 2021
The Scott Family’s Thanksgiving Table MEALS AND MEMORIES
I grew up with a family of eight — my parents, three brothers, two sisters, and me. The earliest memories I have of our family’s Thanksgiving celebrations take place in White Plains, New York. We didn’t have a table big enough to fit all of us. So, for Thanksgiving, my dad would make one by taking an old door from the basement, adding a tablecloth, then laying it on top of one of our playpens. After we added some mismatched chairs, we were in business. Despite our makeshift surroundings, we loved being together and sharing the meal. My parents never had extra money when I was growing up, but one year, they got a $500 tax refund check. That was unusual, and my mom thought the best use would be to get some matching chairs to go around our “table.” She’d heard about an estate sale where 12 chairs were being sold. The sale happened to be in Scarsdale, N.Y. — a real ritzy area. When my mom pulled up to the house, it had a wrought-iron gate, and a butler met her at the door. She knew right then she was out of her league.
The seller didn’t just have chairs, but a whole dining set — an enormous oak table, 12 leather chairs, and two matching credenzas. The seller explained that her husband had been transferred to Europe, so they had to sell everything right away. They’d tried to sell the dining set to several furniture stores, but it was so big that no one wanted it taking up all of their showroom space. My mom apologized for wasting the woman’s time, explaining “I only have this $500 tax refund check.” Of course, that was far too little for this amazing set and she saw herself out. To her surprise, the woman called her back a few days later, offering the dining set for $1,500 on an installment plan. The $500 my mom already had could be the down payment. My mother had to refuse, explaining that she was on a fixed income and could not spend more than $500. A day or two later, the woman called back again, now sounding very frustrated, and offered my mother the table and chairs for $500. It was a great deal, but my mom demurred. “I don’t know,” she said. “If I’m going to have that huge table, I think I’m going to need the credenzas to store all of my dishes in. I just don’t see a use for the table without them.” With steam probably shooting from her ears, the seller explained that the credenzas alone were worth at least $500 a piece — but she relented. The only condition was that the table, chairs, and the credenzas had to be picked up that day!
My dad did just that, but when he got it home there was a big problem — the table wouldn’t fit through the front door! My mom thought she had just bought the most expensive picnic table in history. Thankfully, my dad figured out how to disassemble the table, get it inside, and put it back together, but that was a stressful moment! It became our Thanksgiving table. For 25 years, throughout childhood, college, and adulthood, it was where we shared all of our holiday meals. My brothers, sisters, and I all agree that this enormous, special table was Thanksgiving to us. And it always felt right to give thanks while sitting at such a wonderful and treasured purchase. A few years ago, my mom moved and had to sell the table. (It was still in great shape.) We all feel truly blessed to have had something that followed us for more than 25 years and is featured in so many amazing memories. It just goes to show you that sometimes things come out of the blue, and they work out just the way they’re meant. Whether you’ll be spending this Thanksgiving eating off of an enormous table, an old door, or even your lap, the thing that matters most is the
memories you’ll make. Take this opportunity to break bread and share safely with one another as we come out of this pandemic. Happy Thanksgiving!
—Dr. Kevin Scott
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Almost everyone at some point has encountered a task that is seemingly simple, but no matter what they do, they can’t complete it. These tasks can be as straightforward as making the bed or something bigger, like cleaning an entire room. For many, this is an obstacle that they may want to do but can’t, which weighs heavily on them and becomes detrimental to their mental health. It’s important to understand that the impossible task is not a sign of laziness; depression and anxiety can make any task feel much bigger and more difficult than it actually is. If you find yourself unable to do the things you need or want to do, try these techniques to help overcome your obstacles. BREAK UP THE TASK. When the overarching task feels daunting, breaking it up into smaller segments can help you manage it. If you’re cleaning the kitchen, clean for only a few minutes at a time before taking a break. It might take longer, but the space will be clean at the end of the day. MAKE THE TASK MORE ENJOYABLE. Play music or involve your pet in some way to make the task fun or create a reward system for yourself. For example, tidying a specific area of the house or Improving Your Mental Health One Step at a Time OVERCOMING THE IMPOSSIBLE TASK
folding a basket of laundry may earn you time to play video games or watch TV. Alternating tasks and rewards is a great way to overcome any task, big or small.
It can help to consider why the task feels so impossible, especially if you used to enjoy it. Try to remember what made it enjoyable and see if you can return to that state of mind. If the objective is not so urgent, determine its importance and if the task can be saved for another day. When all else fails, you can always ask someone for support or even pay someone else to do the task for you. No matter what you decide, there are ways to defeat the impossible task.
Back to Normal
Jonathan Shares His Experience With Dr. Scott Jonathan has a genetic condition that predisposes him to basal cell carcinoma (BCC), so he regularly sees a dermatologist. When his doctor had been prepared for that possibility but was thankful Dr. Scott completed the surgery with the eyelid’s existing skin.
After his surgery this summer, “I had to wear an eye patch for about a week,” Jonathan remembers. “It was relatively painless. With the stitching from the reconstruction, it was more annoying and itchy, and there was a temptation to scratch it.” But with the help of time, eye drops, and some ointments, he made it through and is enjoying his new cancer-free eyelid. Jonathan graduated from Virginia Tech in May with a degree in theater. He has just finished an IT internship at his father’s engineering company, and he’s looking forward to starting his career as an actor. “I also do a little bit of screenwriting and filmmaking,” he notes. In his downtime, he’s been a big roller coaster enthusiast for over a decade, and he says his favorite is probably Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point in Sandusky. “I’m definitely happy with the work Dr. Scott did,” Jonathan says. Prior to the surgery, he was warned that his eyelid might not work the same as it had before. “It was a major concern,” he says, “but my eyelid works perfectly.” Having regained full eye functionality, Jonathan is now looking forward to his post-college life, along with a new career on stage and screen.
found a new BCC on his upper eyelid, he recommended Dr. Scott at Eye Plastic Associates to help confirm of the diagnosis and then subsequently perform the required eyelid reconstruction once the full tumor was removed by a Mohs surgeon.
Upon meeting Dr. Scott, Jonathan remembers him as being “short, sweet, and straight to the point. He was nice, and he was also kind of funny.” After taking a biopsy of the BCC, Jonathan says Dr. Scott explained in detail how the procedure would work. “He was very precise and very good at explaining what he was going to do,” Jonathan says. Dr. Scott was initially concerned that Jonathan’s upper eyelid might not have enough elasticity for the reconstruction, and he thought he might have to take a piece of skin or muscle from elsewhere on Jonathan’s body. Jonathan
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Ways to Turn Back the Clock Do Your Eyes Look Tired?
The day is likely to come for all of us eventually: You look in the mirror and notice your eyes are starting to appear tired. Maybe your upper lid has a fold, or your lower lid has some puffiness or bulging. You might also have fluid pockets forming in your cheeks, or you start to notice your crow’s feet are getting more pronounced. If your eyes are starting to look older than you want, it’s natural to wonder what your options might be. When considering cosmetic eyelid procedures, many patients are concerned that it will appear obvious they’ve had work done. We get it — you don’t want to look like someone tightened a screw on the back of your head. Our goal is to refresh your eyes without making radical changes. Our procedures lessen the risk of giving you that “plastic” look and just help dial back the clock about 10 years.
Fillers are the most popular non-surgical option, and they can make a world of difference. Fillers can help build up the lateral brow to lift the tissue on your upper eyelids, and deep shadows on the lower eyelids can be filled to reduce the appearance of being tired. Our skin loses volume as we age, so these tactics result in more supple, younger-looking skin. Fractional laser resurfacing can help to lessen wrinkles and crow’s feet as well as diminish the appearance of dark circles and uneven skin tone. The treatment delivers tightly spaced beams of light to your skin; with about 65% of your skin receiving treatment, the untreated 35% fills in under the lasered dots to deliver tighter and smoother-looking skin.
For sagging lids, both upper and lower lid blepharoplasty is available. In these procedures, excess skin and fat are removed from discrete locations to lift and refresh the appearance of your eyes. After treatment, eyes will look less puffy and more youthful. We’re lucky to have a plethora of approaches available to gently rejuvenate tired-looking eyes. The right treatment will depend on each person’s needs, so if you or someone you know is interested, set up a consultation with Dr. Scott to learn more. Our website is also full of before and after pictures to help you understand what it looks like to use cosmetic surgery to turn back time.
Impress your Thanksgiving guests with this perfectly roasted — and easy — turkey! Inspired by TheKitchn.com Roasted Turkey
A referral is the highest compliment our patients can give! Welcome to our new patients, and thank you for the 10 referrals this month! Do you know someone who might need Dr. Scott’s care? Pass this newsletter along to them!
INGREDIENTS
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1 whole turkey, thawed
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
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Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 450 F. 2. Remove packaging and giblets from inside of the turkey. Place the turkey in a broiling pan breast-side up and rub it with salt and pepper. Pour the broth around the turkey. 4. Place the pan in the oven and turn the temperature down 3.
to 350 F. Turkey should cook for 12–15 minutes per pound, typically 3–4 hours. 5. Remove the turkey from the oven every 45 minutes and baste it with the broth. 6. Once finished, let the turkey rest for 15–20 minutes before carving and serving.
“What if today, we were just grateful for everything?” –Charlie Brown
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3700 Joseph Siewick Dr., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22033 (703) 620-4300 • www.eyeplasticmd.com
Inside This Issue
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The Scott Family’s Thanksgiving Table
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Overcoming the Impossible Task
A Patient Shares His Surgery Experience
Turn Back Time on Tired Eyes
Roasted Turkey
The First Thanksgiving Menu
THE FIRST THANKSGIVING
What Was on the Menu?
yams, green bean casserole, turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. However, if we wanted to be historically accurate, we would need to change up that dinner spread a bit. Historians know of a few foods on the table that Pilgrims and Wampanoags shared at Plymouth Colony in 1621. Wildfowl, corn (in grain form for porridge), and venison were sure to be served at the first Thanksgiving. Wild turkey was also a common and abundant food source but wasn’t likely the main course as it is today. A few days before the first Thanksgiving, the colony’s governor put four men in charge of hunting for birds for the feast, and they very likely returned with some turkey.
Wampanoag had no idea what a potato was. They weren’t cultivated in North America until the 1700s. Likewise, cranberries were still very new to the Pilgrims, and they didn’t yet use them for food — instead, they used them to make dyes for fabrics! For dessert, pumpkin pie was not yet a thing either. Although the Pilgrims liked pumpkins, they didn’t have the butter and wheat flour needed to make pie crust. Instead, they hollowed out the pumpkins (just like Halloween!) and filled them with milk and honey to make a custard and then roasted them. Although our Thanksgiving meals have changed over the years, it still is a fantastic time to get together and celebrate. In the spirit of evolving traditions, don’t be afraid to innovate to add your own personal traditional twist to the holiday as well!
Every Thanksgiving, we gather with our families and friends and pig out. Turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing, oh my! But did the Pilgrims actually eat all the same foods we do today?
When we sit down at the Thanksgiving table, we are blessed with mashed potatoes, candied
However, as far as mashed potatoes are concerned, in the early 1600s, most Europeans and the
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