Danielle Dumestre, MD - Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon in Austin, Texas

Eva Sheie (00:03):
The purpose of this podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person because you're making a life-changing decision, and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be. There is no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close. I'm your host, Eva Sheie, and you're listening to Meet the Doctor. Welcome to the 150th episode of Meet the Doctor. I'm so honored today to have Dr. Danielle Dumestre. She's a board certified plastic surgeon in Austin, Texas, right down the street from me, and I just told her before we started that I get my hair done right next to her office about every six weeks. Welcome to the podcast, Dr. Dumestre.

Dr. Dumestre (00:51):
Thank you. Well, thank you for having me. Excited to be here and yeah, participate in this.

Eva Sheie (00:57):
You have had an interesting path to get to Austin, Texas, and I want to start there. So why don't you just give us the roadmap of your life.

Dr. Dumestre (01:07):
Yeah, sounds good. I am Canadian, born in Calgary, Alberta. Often people know it by being next to Banff and did all of my training there, med school, my plastic surgery residency, and then I first got introduced to the US and particularly Texas doing my fellowship in Dallas. I did a breast microsurgery subspecialty fellowship there for a year at UT Southwestern. I really fell in love with living in the heat and in a fun major city, but I did always have intentions of going back home to practice. So after that year, I went back to my home province and started an academic position in Edmonton, Alberta. My focus there was grossly the same. It's still breast reconstruction focus, but give it as an academic position. I did all the trauma, hand trauma, face trauma, that kind of thing as well. So I stayed there for a few years, but I really missed the sunshine, living in a spot where you can be comfortably outdoors year round and active.

(02:14):
So during Covid when we couldn't travel for a couple of years, it really just kind of instigated that need even further, and so my husband and I just started exploring options in the US really. We were looking to go anywhere that was south and I could have a combined reconstructive and aesthetic practice. I didn't want to give up the reconstruction side. All of my opportunities led me to Austin. It was so interesting. The three most viable opportunities were all in Austin, so it really seemed meant to be and ultimately found practice with Dr. Fisher, and it just seemed like a really good fit, very similar values, exactly what I was looking for as far as reconstruction and some cosmetics and yeah, it's been really great.

Eva Sheie (03:02):
And that practice that you landed in is very unique. How is it special?

Dr. Dumestre (03:06):
It's really special because it's private practice with a focus on breast reconstruction, and it's really a significant focus on that. So I really found as I was exploring options, it was super rare to find a boutique practice that is not solely focused on aesthetics, but where actually the practice focus to me was advertised as heavy breast reconstruction and subspecialized breast reconstruction. And then also we're all woman team, which I love. I really love the values of the clinic when I was looking at kindness, empathy, and that really resonated with what I was looking for.

Eva Sheie (03:47):
Are there any other plastic surgery practices with four female surgeons? I don't think, don't I've ever run into one?

Dr. Dumestre (03:56):
Yeah, not that I know of. I mean, certainly not in Texas that I have seen. So it's been a really fun experience.

Eva Sheie (04:04):
And so when you're taking care of breast cancer patients, how do they find you or are they referred to you? What does it look like before someone lands in your office? Where are they coming from?

Dr. Dumestre (04:19):
Yeah, I'd say it's a variety. Certainly referrals are, from the breast surgeons are a big portion of the patients that I receive. So whether or not they've heard of me before, the breast surgeon that they're working with sends them my way. They may or may not have any knowledge of reconstruction or what exactly they're looking for. Then I've got a pretty healthy subset that find me on social media. Surprisingly, to my surprise anyways, TikTok has been a big platform for people to find me and to seek out resources on breast reconstruction. I do a lot of Q and A and provide a lot of info. So that's been a pretty interesting subset because they come in very well researched and often they've heard a lot of my spiels already and they're kind of coming in more with a purpose or with a little bit more guidance on what they're looking for. And then just word of mouth would be the third way.

Eva Sheie (05:16):
So when they're finding you on TikTok, they already have a diagnosis, like they're somewhere in the breast cancer treatment journey. And they may have not been referred to you, are they actually going back to their regular or to their primary doctor who's taking care of them through breast cancer and saying, no, I want you to refer me over to Dr. Dumestre?

Dr. Dumestre (05:37):
Yeah, some of them. So the active cancer patients that I've been seeing, some of them have been either from places where they're maybe not doing as much breast reconstruction or they maybe just haven't had as good of a connection with their care team then. So if they're from out of the Austin city, then they'll come to me first and then I'll send them to one of the breast surgeons and we'll coordinate their care that way. Or they basically just tell their primary care person who they want to go see, or they could also reach out to us directly. So a lot of them just email Courtney who's our coordinator and go from there.

Eva Sheie (06:09):
Did you say they're finding you from outside of Austin too?

Dr. Dumestre (06:14):
Yeah, particularly for delayed breast reconstruction cases. So I've had, for example, a patient from Alaska who had complicated radiated implant reconstruction. Didn't really have anyone there that she found could offer her the DIEP flap surgery. But yeah, I've had patient from Colorado, from New York, from a lot from San Antonio, a couple from Dallas. So they really come from all over, most recently Nebraska and Arkansas.

Eva Sheie (06:42):
So there's a couple different scenarios. I think some people have reconstruction at the same time as a mastectomy. Others have a mastectomy and then they come back later and have a reconstruction, which is usually not just one and done. There's several stages along the way, right?

Dr. Dumestre (07:01):
Yes.

Eva Sheie (07:01):
Radiation can cause a bunch of difficulty through this too. So radiation is a factor. I think the question I want to ask is take us through each of those scenarios and how you kind of approach each one differently.

Dr. Dumestre (07:16):
Yeah. So there's a patient who currently has an active cancer diagnosis. They're seeking immediate reconstruction, and they're seeking to have all of their care done here. So in that case, we're coordinating with one of the breast surgeons in town to do a mastectomy and some form of immediate reconstruction. What they're candidates for and what I'm going to offer them is highly varied based on their individual scenario. So are they freshly off of chemo? Do they need radiation afterwards? What type of cancer is it? And then also then going into their personal preferences as far as implant-based versus using their own natural tissue. And there's a bunch more factors to delve into there. Almost all patients, I'm counseling them that they're looking at typically a two stage reconstruction to get through their most aesthetic results. So although one and done sounds very appealing, I'd say probably 90 plus percent of my patients still want that second aesthetic fine tuning surgery to get them all the way.

(08:23):
So things will look really good after the first stage, even if you're doing a direct to implant or an immediate DIEP, but there's usually certain aspects that they're going to want addressed to get them closer to the most aesthetic look. So that would be the immediate type scenario. Second one would be that they have had their mastectomy done and they've had some sort of reconstruction placed. So whether that be tissue expanders or they have temporizing implants. And in this case, they're looking for either an alteration to that, like say they've had implants placed under the muscle, they're unhappy with animation or they've always intended to do a DIEP flap. They're just either looking for somewhere that has a little bit more specialization in that, and then they'll come to me after that first stage of the reconstruction is done. So in that case, depending on the scenario, it may just be a one surgery type thing, but typically it's still going to be a two stage, especially if they're about to get their DIEP flap to do all of that contouring.

(09:23):
And then the third scenario would be that they have had their mastectomy done elsewhere. They went flat, and now they're seeking to get reconstruction from that starting baseline, in which case it's now a discussion on staging and just going through different aesthetic goals that come at the compromise of more or less surgery. So for example, if you're fully flat, you want to DIEP flap reconstruction and you don't want to have a big patch of belly skin to resurface the breast to give it that volume, then you're now committed to a three stage surgery, where first we stretch the skin, wait, fill it with the DIEP flap, wait, do the final contouring, whereas some patients may opt, I'm not as concerned about the skin patch. I want a shorter course, and then we can do a delayed DIEP flap right away, use the belly skin to give that breast shape and then do the final contouring surgery. Lots of options.

Eva Sheie (10:26):
There's a lot going on. Yes.

Dr. Dumestre (10:28):
Yeah.

Eva Sheie (10:29):
One thing I wondered while you were walking us through that very complex menu very is that does going flat have a trend? Do people all of a sudden realize they can go flat and want to go flat and decide, I'm going to go flat and then later on maybe come back and say, I don't want to be flat anymore. What can we do? And then does it also happen in reverse where they have implants that were part of a reconstruction and they want to go flat after that?

Dr. Dumestre (11:04):
Yeah, I would say both. As far as the trend goes, I would say I'm less familiar with it because often the flat cases, the breast surgeons will do those primarily. Sometimes if it's a patient who maybe is a little bit more complex, has a lot of skin or tissue on the sides, then they'll refer and we'll still do a joint case for an aesthetic flat closure. I would say that typically women who choose to go flat are usually quite happy with their decision, unless sometimes a decision to go flat is, I've got all of this cancer stuff happening right now. I've got so much going on. The thought of embarking on this reconstruction journey, making these types of decisions right now, being committed to all these surgeries is just way too much. And they're typically the ones that I'll see back. Whereas some women have a lot of peace, right away with their going flat decision, and those ones don't necessarily tend to come back to get reconstruction at a later date. That is an included part of my revision practice. So I've seen a few patients who come to me with a flat closure who then want it contoured a little bit better. So they may be left with some folds, some side extra kind of fat and skin there. And so in those cases, I'll just do an aesthetic flat closure revision, make it nice and smooth so that their contour is completely smooth without those ruffles and folds.

Eva Sheie (12:23):
I think you hit on something important there. If anyone has made it this far into our conversation, either know exactly what we're talking about or are totally overwhelmed like I am, but what's challenging about all of it is making the right decision, and I'd love to know how you help your patients get to the right decision?

Dr. Dumestre (12:44):
Yeah, I think a lot of it is through information and education. So usually when patients are coming for the first consults, I'll tell them, this is not a decision making day. This is the information download day. So I'm going to go through all of these different options, write out these different scenarios, different timelines that suit your needs. Because seeing each patient, it sounds really overwhelming when we're just talking about the hypothetical patient, but when I have the actual individual with whatever they may have, it's easier to kind of narrow down which potential pathways they can go down. And then usually after that, then I encourage them to go home, mull over the information, either for a few days if they're an active cancer patient, or sit with it if they're seeking preventative or they're not in as much of a rush, and then we circle back with a follow-up call to then go through those options a little bit further. There's a lot of pros and cons to each. So usually I find patients feel pretty good with their decision one way or the other, but there's a lot of decision making points. Sometimes they'll come to me debating lumpectomy or mastectomy. If it's mastectomy, single or double, and then reconstruction if they're doing implant, DIEP or hybrid

Eva Sheie (14:01):
While going through cancer treatment.

Dr. Dumestre (14:03):
While going through cancer treatment and dealing with all of that. So it's a lot, I would say their emotional visits. I'd say people often feel quite overwhelmed, but I just try to provide as much information as possible so that people really know what they're getting into. What are the big factors and key considerations?

Eva Sheie (14:23):
Who else is on your team there that helps with those kinds of conversations?

Dr. Dumestre (14:29):
We have a really, really amazing team. So it all starts with Courtney. She is our patient care coordinator. She went through the breast cancer journey herself. She just had her 10 year cancer-free graduation, and she was actually one of the patients of Dr. Fisher. And then after going through it all, she ended up joining our team few years ago, and she is the first point of contact for the patients. So right away, she's the one who is taking the referrals, reaching out to them, getting their story, and I've had so much positive feedback from my patients just saying that she's the initial one that gives them hope, shares her story, shares the light at the end of the tunnel, goes through some of the initial options with them. So they already have that before they've come in. I've got my full-time physician assistant Santina, who works with me every single day, so she's a big resource for the patients as well. And then we have our full care team with Nurse, MAs. So everyone is very much on the same mission and they see all of these breast cancer patients. So I'd say they all play a role, whether it's one of our medical assistants pulling a drain and hearing a patient's story, hearing how they do that day. So I feel like everyone really is involved.

Eva Sheie (15:48):
Another thing I would love for you to talk about is the environment, and if I think about what breast cancer patients have to go through, perhaps the other places that they have to go for things like radiation or in and out of hospitals or in and out of more clinical places, I think that, having been to your office myself, it's a little bit like going to a hotel.

Dr. Dumestre (16:12):
Yes. That's one of the things that struck me when I first came to tour the clinic when I was meeting Dr. Fisher and her team, was just how beautiful the space is and her goal is to provide a spa-like experience. It smells good. It's beautiful, beautiful finishings. So even though, yeah, you are mostly going to hospitals, very industrial type settings, we hope that at least here it can feel a little bit less clinical and a little bit more loving.

Eva Sheie (16:47):
Okay, so let's pivot to the other side of the practice, which is the aesthetics. How does your experience with breast reconstruction play into the way that you do aesthetics?

Dr. Dumestre (17:00):
Yeah, I mean, I feel like I got into aesthetics through breast reconstruction. Breast reconstruction now does have, or should have, such a strong aesthetic focus given it's such a curable, fortunately, disease, and patients then want to feel and look as beautiful as possible, that it kind of led me more to an interest in the pure aesthetic side of things. And it's also, they're just really helpful. I feel like aesthetic principles help with the reconstructive principles and vice versa.

Eva Sheie (17:33):
If I came for a cosmetic consultation, what would that experience be like?

Dr. Dumestre (17:38):
So overall, very similar. My goal is always to provide, first of all, judgement free space. I think people come in feeling very self-conscious about certain of their body, potentially not everyone. And I also have a strong focus on identifying what exactly it is that you're seeking. People come in with very different desires, expectations, and so the consult experience is similarly to our reconstructive patients, supposed to be a calm, happy experience overall. For me, I really focus on the information gathering and providing a lot of information. I'd say most common feedback I get is that I'm very thorough, but I just think that cosmetic surgery often gets a little bit misrepresented as being like, oh, I'm just going in for a breast aug, or I'm just going in for a breast reduction, but it's very much a surgery, so I want to make sure that we're on the same page, that you know what you're getting into, that our goals are aligned, particularly when it comes to size and final appearance. And so a lot of it is just sussing that out. Even someone coming in for a breast aug, someone might want the really high, high and tight, big cleavage type look. Other people are really just looking for a little bit of volume restoration, looking for more natural appearance, and there's so many considerations that play into that. So yeah, a lot of the consult is just discussion, making sure that we are on the same page and that I'm providing clear expectations on what the final results can be.

Eva Sheie (19:16):
Do you have a way of doing breast augmentation without using implants?

Dr. Dumestre (19:20):
I would say there's a couple different ways. If you're truly looking to augment volume, then really the only way other than using implants would be with fat transfer. It's a pretty specific scenario where that's going to meet patient's expectations, and it's just a discussion of what overall look of breast are you looking for. So as long as you're not looking for that implant roundness, then you're just looking for a modest size increase, then fat transfer can be a great option for that. Just setting realistic expectations of how much can be augmented with each surgery and how many surgeries you would need to reach your final goal. Then there's also ways of providing a augment where you're not really doing a volume augment, but you're taking and repositioning the tissue. So more of a lift with an auto augment, where you're getting the appearance of everything being fuller, higher on the chest wall, but if you're just to squish it all into a bra, the ultimate size would be the same. So I like a lot of those surgeries are very satisfying.

Eva Sheie (20:20):
Sounds really similar to breast reconstruction.

Dr. Dumestre (20:21):
Very similar in lots of ways. I feel like there's so much crossover and it really is why I, I love the breast asymmetry cases, the tuberous breast cosmetic cases, because you're pulling so many concepts from both

Eva Sheie (20:37):
Asymmetry, probably more common than tuberous breasts. Yes?

Dr. Dumestre (20:40):
Yes, for sure.

Eva Sheie (20:41):
Everyone has a little bit, right?

Dr. Dumestre (20:42):
Exactly.

Eva Sheie (20:44):
Sort of like your feet are slightly different sizes too.

Dr. Dumestre (20:47):
Yeah.

Eva Sheie (20:48):
What are all the different ways that you can resolve asymmetry?

Dr. Dumestre (20:52):
Starting with the most simple is doing a lift and or reduction to balance the two breasts. Sometimes you're looking at using implants for that. So if you have one that is actually constricted, the other one that sits a little bit less so than you may need the actual structural support of an implant, it's pretty rare to have a scenario where you're just putting an implant into one side and nothing into the other. So even if you have a bigger breast on the one side and a small breast on the other, and you want to match that smaller breast to meet the bigger breast, that bigger breast is often still going to need a reduction to first get the tissue the same, to get the shape the same, and then an implant so that you get that same roundness with both. It's very hard to match implant on one side to no implant on the other. And then fat transfer, huge adjunct. I'd say fat transfer is something that I use in a ton of my breast cases, both cosmetic and reconstructive, and it's kind of like the last touch. It provides all of those little areas of contour, and it's used more for contouring than for volume. So enhancing the cleavage area, bringing the illusion of the implant, sitting a little bit closer together, helping to shape certain areas. In the tuberous breast, you're often deficient in volume at the bottom, so just doing all of the fluffing.

Eva Sheie (22:11):
What causes a tuberous breast? Is it just genetic?

Dr. Dumestre (22:15):
Yeah, it's just a developmental thing, condition of the breast where you have weak structural support in certain areas of the breast, a constricting band in other areas of the breast, and then herniation through the areola. So it's just a developmental thing. It's not typically genetic just, but they have certain characteristics that they all share.

Eva Sheie (22:35):
When does that show up? When you're a teenager?

Dr. Dumestre (22:39):
Typically, as soon as the breasts develop, it's more of a tubular shape where it comes from. So it's a more elongated, tight breast, tight at the base with puffy areola. And asymmetry is also a big consideration with the tuberous breast.

Eva Sheie (22:55):
What age do you have to be to actually have surgery on that?

Dr. Dumestre (22:58):
So if you're looking to have a silicone implant, then you need to be over 21. So if you're looking for implant correction with that, but you can have breast surgery as a teenager, assuming that there's, you've deemed it, there's enough of a disruption to quality of life. I mean, some teenagers really have significant asymmetry. Maybe one breast is huge. They're suffering at school psychologically. Typically, we like to wait until development is complete, because in those cases, your breasts may continue to change, and so you may end up needing premature surgery down the line, but. So sometimes there's cases where you'll do it before 18. A lot of the time they're going to be over 18 for their breast reconstruction.

Eva Sheie (23:41):
Yeah. I feel like I knew someone around college who had a breast reduction and then lost a bunch of weight and then she had nothing left.

Dr. Dumestre (23:52):
Yes, and that's a huge thing that I say in my younger patients, because the hormonal changes can be so huge, and breasts are so unpredictable, that if you're looking to have a breast reduction done, you really should wait until you're in your early mid twenties because there can be so much change with them. But then breasts are weird. Some of them will continue to grow and just get more and more huge. Some of them shrink. Some of 'em after pregnancy stay big. Some of them shrink away completely. Some of them grow after menopause, some of them don't. It's just so it's so unpredictable what they're going to do,

Eva Sheie (24:26):
What could happen if you have any kind of breast surgery before you have children.

Dr. Dumestre (24:32):
So again, you've just got to expect some changes. And I'd say most breasts are going to undergo some type of permanent change to their aesthetic. Look, if you get your aesthetic surgery before kids, there's certain exceptions to that. Like say you've got a very small breast, you get a moderately sized implant, you don't get a ton of breast growth or breast changed during pregnancy. I've seen a lot of women where they still look amazing after. You can barely tell the difference. With a breast lift, if you get a lot of distension throughout pregnancy, you're just going to lose some of that pop. You don't destroy the entire results. It's not as if the entire thing goes right back to where it was before surgery, but most likely you're going to have a little bit of deflation, particularly to the top of the breast. Things are going to sit a little bit looser and a little bit lower. And with implants, you might get some waterfall. So the implant stays exactly where it's going to be, and the breast tissue, with going through all of those changes on top of it, kind of falls off the implant and sits a bit lower.

Eva Sheie (25:30):
That doesn't sound fun.

Dr. Dumestre (25:32):
No.

Eva Sheie (25:33):
But I've never heard that before. The implant doesn't move at all.

Dr. Dumestre (25:37):
Yeah.

Eva Sheie (25:38):
The breast just changes around the implant?

Dr. Dumestre (25:40):
Exactly. The implant doesn't, often the implant stays more in position than the breast gland around it.

Eva Sheie (25:46):
Does the placement of the implant matter in that scenario?

Dr. Dumestre (25:50):
Definitely. I would say the under muscle implants maintain that higher position throughout those breast changes than if you have an over the muscle implant, it's more likely going to fall with the breast.

Eva Sheie (26:03):
Do you have a preferred approach for placement that you like to use?

Dr. Dumestre (26:08):
I think both are good depending on the scenario, but I would say my practice has been airing more and more towards the subfascial or just above the muscle approach. I just think from an anatomy perspective, it's more anatomic. You're not disrupting one of your major muscles. You don't get the animation or the flexion every time you're doing exercise pushups, et cetera. And it's just in general, a bit of a less painful recovery. So I'd say more and more, especially for a smaller implants, more natural looking results, I've been liking the subfascial approach.

Eva Sheie (26:44):
And there was big news in the breast implant universe just in the last few months that the Motiva breast implants were approved for use in the United States after, I don't know, way too long In Europe.

Dr. Dumestre (26:57):
Yeah. Yeah. I think they were there for at least 10 years in Europe before making their way here. So that has also allowed more of a shift to the over the muscle approach, given it is a more biocompatible implant, it's less likely to produce capsular contracture or thickening of the envelope around the implant. And that's been one of the big reasons to place the implant under the muscle versus over. And then it just has a slightly different structure. So in thinner women, it's allowed them to go over the muscle, because again, one of the big reasons for placing implants under the muscle was a bit less implant show where the muscle would kind of press the implant down so you're not getting that chest wall and then round implant. So that's been kind of a big shift. There's been a lot about Motiva in the market.

Eva Sheie (27:47):
Yeah. So have you been using them a lot since they came out?

Dr. Dumestre (27:51):
Yeah. I actually just did a case this morning, which was implant exchange. You put in, she had old saline implants are actually over 30 years old, bad capsular contracture on the one side, and she had the water falling. The breast had kind of, actually hers looked, I mean, for 32 years old, they looked pretty darn good, but definitely needed a little bit of a lift to get everything in that perky position. And I put the Motiva implants in for her.

Eva Sheie (28:19):
So there's two shapes. There's a round, and the ergo, which one did you use for her?

Dr. Dumestre (28:23):
I went with her, ergo for her, she was looking for a softer, sloped approach. She didn't want anything sitting super high and round. So I feel like the ergo is for most of my patients. Round, certainly has its role. There's a lot of patients seeking that look, but she wanted a more natural overall appearance to her breasts.

Eva Sheie (28:44):
You don't have one there, do you?

Dr. Dumestre (28:48):
I Don't.

Eva Sheie (28:49):
I was talking to somebody the other day and for the first time, they held it up and showed me what happens to it when you're holding it up and then rotate it, and how just nicely shaped, it looks like a breast, no matter where it is in the rotation, if that makes sense.

Dr. Dumestre (29:05):
Yeah, exactly.

Eva Sheie (29:05):
I was like ah-ha. I get it now. I get it. They're really pretty. I said, that looks like my boob in high school.

Dr. Dumestre (29:13):
Yes. That's I feel like everyone's goal. You're like, just get me looking like I have my 20-year-old breasts.

Eva Sheie (29:20):
Yeah, we all remember what they used to look like, but if we don't get to see them very often.

Dr. Dumestre (29:28):
Yeah.

Eva Sheie (29:30):
Oh yes. Okay. Old lady jokes. Yeah, they're really exciting. And it's nice having been on this side of, well, which implants do you prefer and why? Asking that question for so long, it's really refreshing to have something new to talk about that actually is different.

Dr. Dumestre (29:50):
Yeah, exactly. Because at the end of the day, I mean the implant market at this point, people are like, I want the gummy bears, and they're all gummy bear. You're getting a silicone implant nowadays. You're getting that form stable gel.

Eva Sheie (30:03):
And are you using Motiva in reconstruction too?

Dr. Dumestre (30:06):
No, not in reconstruction. It hasn't been approved in the hospitals that we've been using. I mean, to be fair, the other implants are still very high quality, extensively researched and give really beautiful results, and I've been using those. So I usually typically either use a Mentor boost implant for my patients who are looking for a bit more of a popped look, and then I use the Allergan implants for my patients seeking a more natural type reconstruction kind of closer to what their breasts looked like before. So they both have their scenarios and can give really nice looking results.

Eva Sheie (30:43):
They're all still good implants, and there are really no bad choices right?

Dr. Dumestre (30:47):
There, really aren't. I mean, these ones are new. I think they've got a nice role, especially in the setting of the subfascial or above the muscle cosmetic implant placement. But by no means are the other implants a bad choice. Lots of people are very happy with their results, and we've used them a ton in the past and still do.

Eva Sheie (31:08):
Millions of times, I think.

Dr. Dumestre (31:09):
Yes.

Eva Sheie (31:11):
Collectively speaking. Yeah. Well, tell me a little bit about what you like to do when you're not at work. I can tell that you're extremely passionate about your work and also extremely knowledgeable, but there's got to be another side to you.

Dr. Dumestre (31:26):
Yeah, I love my life outside of work. Lifestyle in general is very important to me. I absolutely loved my job in Canada, but I felt like it wasn't enough without the beautiful weather. I love being outside and being super active. My husband and I go on walks almost daily down the river path. We've got the standup paddling, the boating activity is, I love yoga. That's one of my main forms of zen and exercise. And just fitness in general. I like to be outside and active. So that's probably my one thing, and then the other thing that I love about Austin is I'm just super passionate about music and live music. I find so rejuvenating and just, it's such a good way of taking your mind elsewhere and not being a hundred percent focused on work. So I do go to a lot of concerts and shows, and Austin has a never ending supply of that. So I feel like that's how I spend all my time in Austin. Either I'm outside doing something active or I'm at some sort of music event or relaxing.

Eva Sheie (32:30):
Yep. You're officially here.

Dr. Dumestre (32:32):
Yes.

Eva Sheie (32:34):
You don't even sound Canadian anymore.

Dr. Dumestre (32:37):
Until I say about.

Eva Sheie (32:38):
Until you say about.

Dr. Dumestre (32:39):
That's when they can hear it.

Eva Sheie (32:41):
Yep. And do you like hockey? I mean, I grew up in Minnesota and I hate hockey.

Dr. Dumestre (32:49):
I mean, if I have to pick a sport to be behind, I would say hockey, but I'm just not super into, I like playing the sports I'm not super into, I don't really follow anything. But yeah, if I pick something, I mean, hockey is just what I'm most familiar with, so it's what I'm able to get the most into.

Eva Sheie (33:10):
That's good. But no animals, no children? Not yet.

Dr. Dumestre (33:13):
I've got a big in the belly.

Eva Sheie (33:15):
Oh, you do?

Dr. Dumestre (33:16):
I do. Due in July. So very excited for that.

Eva Sheie (33:22):
Wonderful.

Dr. Dumestre (33:23):
Yeah. It's been my partner and I for 13 years, and we haven't had any or not, we haven't had pets or anything, so we're excited to have this next chapter, a little one.

Eva Sheie (33:34):
That's great.

Dr. Dumestre (33:36):
Yeah.

Eva Sheie (33:38):
Oh, I'm so excited for you. It's the best thing ever.

Dr. Dumestre (33:41):
Me too. It's fun. So I mean, still early days, I think I'm about almost five months in, but still about five months to go.

Eva Sheie (33:50):
Yeah. It's funny how they say it's nine months, but it's really 10.

Dr. Dumestre (33:53):
It's really 10. That was disappointing to realize. I know.

Eva Sheie (33:57):
It's like a whole school year. I just said that to my daughter the other day. She was asking me, they're always asking me questions about babies in your belly. How long was I in your belly? A whole school year. Can you believe that? It took forever.

Dr. Dumestre (34:11):
It's a long time. I was over at Dr. Fisher's house for the Super Bowl, and she was pulling out her ultrasound and looking at it and

Eva Sheie (34:19):
Oh, at her house. She just checked the baby. Fantastic.

Dr. Dumestre (34:25):
Yeah, it was pretty great.

Eva Sheie (34:30):
Yeah. These are in-office perks in your office.

Dr. Dumestre (34:33):
Exactly.

Eva Sheie (34:35):
Good stuff.

Dr. Dumestre (34:35):
Sneak peek.

Eva Sheie (34:36):
Well, if someone's listening today and they've made it all the way to the end, they probably feel like they know you a little better. How can someone reach out, schedule a consultation, or get in touch with your office?

Dr. Dumestre (34:49):
Through the regular channels of our office, we're listed online. Austin Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, phone number, but email is actually probably the best way to reach our coordinators. So if we're looking for a reconstructive consult, courtney@austinprs.com, and then for cosmetic consults, amanda.c@austinprs.com. Otherwise, I also have patients reach out to me directly on social media, either Instagram or TikTok, and leave me their contact, and I'll have one of our coordinators reach out to get them all settled. So dumestre_plasticsurgery everywhere.

Eva Sheie (35:27):
I'll make sure that's in the show notes. Do you do virtual consults if someone's not in town?

Dr. Dumestre (35:32):
I do. Yeah. Yeah. Virtual consults are, I mean, they've been great for the out of town patients.

Eva Sheie (35:39):
Yeah. Total game changer.

Dr. Dumestre (35:41):
Yeah, a hundred percent.

Eva Sheie (35:43):
Well, thank you so much for all your wonderful wisdom and for letting us hear a little bit more about you today. I really appreciate it.

Dr. Dumestre (35:51):
Thank you for having me. This has been fun.

Eva Sheie (35:56):
If you are considering making an appointment or are on your way to meet this doctor, be sure to let them know you heard them on the Meet the Doctor podcast. Check the show notes for links, including the doctor's website and Instagram to learn more. Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who'd like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book your free recording session at MeettheDoctorpodcast.com. Meet the Doctor is made with love in Austin, Texas and is a production of The Axis, theaxis.io.