To Infinity and Beyond
Looking your best isn’t just about quick fixes—it’s about a plan that lasts, not just one round of correction but a sequence of just the right things.
Dr. Bass shares his “infinity plan,” starting with the essentials: fundamental products like sunscreen and skincare, and universally effective treatments such as neuromodulators and fillers.
He also spotlights the long-lasting game changers, from eyelid surgery to tummy tucks.
The right mix of consistent care and durable procedures keeps you looking your best at every age… to infinity and beyond.
About Dr. Lawrence Bass
Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond.
To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc
Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.
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Welcome to Park Avenue
Plastic Surgery Class,
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the podcast where we explore controversies
and breaking issues in plastic
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surgery. I'm your co-host, Summer Hardy,
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a clinical assistant at Bass
Plastic Surgery in New York City.
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I'm excited to be here with Dr. Lawrence
Bass Park Avenue plastic surgeon,
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educator and technology innovator.
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The title of today's episode
is To Infinity & Beyond.
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Of course, I've heard that phrase before,
but what does it mean in this context,
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Dr. Bass?
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I'm talking about a
few things here. First,
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things that are part of the
beauty plan for infinity.
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That is always, regardless of age. Also,
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I'm talking about things that are going
to be potentially part of everyone's
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beauty plan. They're universal. Next,
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there are things that will help you look
good for the long term. They're really,
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really durable things,
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or the most worthwhile or
necessary options to the
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extent that anything in aesthetic
plastic surgery is necessary
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to keep you looking your best
to infin to the end beyond.
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And finally, a little bit
about thinking the other way.
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Nothing will last forever.
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Since we never get to infinity
and there is no beyond,
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we have to have a little reality
check because we'll always
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keep aging because of that.
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We always need some
maintenance prevention and
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restoration.
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Thanks for breaking that down.
So let's hit these one at a time.
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What are some examples of
things that are always needed?
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So there are a bunch of things that are
always needed, even when you're young,
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even when you haven't aged yet,
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and these are just good care that help
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you always look better,
help you slow aging.
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Sunscreen is a big thing,
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and the two biggest things for beauty
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preventable causes of
aging are sun and smoking.
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So those are huge.
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And some basic skincare with
a basic skin enhancing product
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is probably a good idea regardless
of whether you're young or older,
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what your skin is like.
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It could always use with a little
bit of protection and a little bit of
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enhancement.
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That makes sense.
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And what are some medical treatments
that are always part of the plan?
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The big medical treatments, in my opinion,
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are neuromodulators and fillers.
They're definitely part of this.
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Some kind of exfoliation or
skin blending treatments,
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both for texture and pigment
are an important part of the
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plan. These are basic and
tend to benefit in all stages.
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When you're young, they clean
out oily, blocked pores.
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When you're older, they
help eliminate built up skin
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debris. So things like
these kind of treatments
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or chemical peels that are superficial or
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epidermal, microdermabrasion,
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and a variety of laser
light-based and energy-based
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treatments.
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Some individuals may benefit more
from one option than another,
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depending on exactly what's
manifesting on their skin.
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But something in this category is part
of the plan pretty much for everyone.
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Got it. Okay. Now what about things
that are long-term solutions?
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So these are mostly
surgical things or recovery
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based things. So there's a little
more commitment and investment,
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but there's also more return.
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One of the most durable things
in aesthetic plastic surgery is
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the eyelid plasty procedure.
Some patients are lucky,
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they never need a repeat.
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Some patients may create
a little bit of new
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skin or a little bit
of new bulging fat and
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need a secondary procedure after typically
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20 or more years. Sometimes that's less,
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but that's a very long period
of time for a procedure to last.
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There are also very durable
changes with procedures like
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facelifts and neck lifts, liposuction,
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which permanently removes
fat cells from the body.
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Tummy tuck,
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which is the big reset for the tummy
after having children or just with
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aging changes or sometimes
after big weight changes.
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And laser resurfacing again,
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can really make a dramatic
long lasting change in the
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character of skin if it's
become aged looking and
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full of wrinkles and that can
iron things out for years and
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years.
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So these are the procedures that make
the biggest changes and the longest
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lasting changes so that you
don't have to circle back and
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be on the constant merry-go-round there.
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Almost everything we do for
body maintenance, whether
it's beauty or health,
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is a constant merry-go-round
maintenance. But on the big items,
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we don't want to have to do that
frequently. And so for these procedures,
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we get tremendous durability
and tremendous degree of
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improvement that really gives
us the longevity to put it as
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part of our infinity plan.
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Okay, and just to clarify,
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the durability is when
the procedure wears off?
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Well,
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everything is going to fade as we
continue to age or to put that more
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properly and precisely the
features that we've addressed are
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going to slowly recur and
become more and more pronounced.
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However,
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having done the procedures we
just talked about in the last
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question,
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we're never going to look as
bad as if we'd done nothing.
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So we've permanently changed
our appearance for the better
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compared to if we had decided
not to have the procedure.
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Okay. Thank you for clarifying.
So after laying all this out,
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what takeaways would you like to
share with our listeners, Dr. Bass?
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So most of all,
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this idea is just another way
of thinking about your beauty
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planning. Why do we make a plan?
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So that at any stage of life we look our
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best, project the image we want,
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and show aging changes as slowly as
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possible. Separate from what
we do in plastic surgery that
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changes who we look like or what we look
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like, these anti-aging
and rejuvenation items are
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about helping us look our
best for the long term and
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judicious use of at least
some items really make a
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big difference to help us look better.
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Put in the always items,
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at least in some measure,
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and don't overlook the large
benefit of the long-term items
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because they go a long way to
get you to infinity and beyond.
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Time is always working its changes on us,
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but we have more and more great
options to help us look our
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best as we age.
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Thank you,
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Dr. Bass for sharing your perspective on
beauty planning and how we can look our
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best for infinity and beyond.
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Thank you for listening to the Park
Avenue Plastic Surgery Class podcast.
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Follow us on Apple Podcasts,
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write a review and share
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missing all the great content that is
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coming your way. If you want to
contact us with comments or questions,
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we'd love to hear from you.
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Send us an email at
podcast@drbass.net or DM us
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@drbassnyc.