Christine Hamori, MD - Plastic Surgeon in Duxbury, Massachusetts

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's 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 Meet the Doctor. My guest today is Christine Hamori. Tell us about yourself, Dr. Hamori. Where, where do you live and where do you work?

Dr. Hamori (00:41):
I live and work in the same town in Duxbury, Massachusetts, which is a seaside community about halfway between Boston and Cape Cod, and I've been there for about 25 years.

Eva Sheie (00:53):
Is it considered Boston or is it

Dr. Hamori (00:55):
It's considered a suburb of Boston. Yeah.

Eva Sheie (00:57):
Yeah. What is the town like? Is it kind of beachy, do people go there on vacation or?

Dr. Hamori (01:03):
It used to be, um, more of a summer destination, kind of like Nantucket or Cape Cod. So yes, it's on the ocean or the Duxbury Bay. It's a big boating community. There's a lot of rowing. My sons are rowers that they did in high school and it is very beachy and now more people realize it's a pretty easy commute to Boston. 

(01:23)
Oh no. 

(01:23)
So it's maybe like a 30 minute commute. So now everyone's moving there <laugh> and tearing down nice little beach home's, making big McMansions. But it is, it's still a lovely community with a really good high school and it's, it's fun. 

Eva Sheie (01:34):
Did you grow grow up in Boston too?

Dr. Hamori (01:36):
Nope. I grew up in New Orleans in Louisiana.

Eva Sheie (01:39):
<laugh>. Okay. Those two towns could not be more different.

Dr. Hamori (01:42):
Very different. Very different.

Eva Sheie (01:45):
Give us, uh, maybe the short version of going from New Orleans to Boston and, and I'm sure your training and your education was in there somewhere.

Dr. Hamori (01:52):
Yeah, so my parents moved to New Orleans probably when I was like seven years old from the Philadelphia area and I ended up going to high school there and I, my dad's a very good fencer, was an Olympic fencer and I too fenced in in college and went to Cornell for undergrad. Kind of got away from Louisiana and I kind of liked the, the weather, the seasons, even though it was a bit cold in Ithaca. So then I went back to medical school at Tulane for four years and I still enjoy Mardi Gras and Jazz fest and everything, the food and the crawfish, everything about New Orleans. And then I ended up doing general surgery in Boston at BU and I really fell in love with the city and proximity of the city to the ocean and the cape and you could go skiing and I, I just never left really after I went there for general surgery. I ended up, went to two years to Philadelphia to go to Penn for my uh, plastic surgery fellowship. But I like the northeast now.

Eva Sheie (02:45):
And then how did you fit having kids into this whole situation?

Dr. Hamori (02:48):
Good question. It was complicated. I'm one of the ones that had them after the training. So I had my children relatively old at 39 and 41, 2 sons, but I had them just when I started building out my office in Duxbury, my first office there with an operating room and went into solo practice after being in academics for about five years at BU in Boston.

Eva Sheie (03:09):
Did you have a particular academic focus while you were there at BU?

Dr. Hamori (03:13):
I did a lot of breast reconstruction and a lot of breast reductions. There were a lot of women with extremely large breasts. Um, it's in a poor community, Boston City Hospital and we just did a lot of those breast reductions and also breast cancer reconstruction.

Eva Sheie (03:27):
And is that still part of your practice today?

Dr. Hamori (03:29):
Nope. I stopped taking insurance probably about 22 years ago. I'm focused purely on aesthetics now. I have a med spa, I'm doing a lot of, you know, I still do breast reductions, which I love those surgeries, but um, now insurance isn't covering a lot of breast reductions for people, so I'm able to do those people very easily.

Eva Sheie (03:49):
How did that early experience with both poor patients but also you know, the technical experience of doing reconstruction and reduction, how did that kind of inform your aesthetic approach?

Dr. Hamori (04:01):
We're still worried, I think as a plastic surgeon, we're always focused on the aesthetic and it's more challenging actually with a recon patient or even a very large breast reduction to get that to, to look really good. And I think that I kind of broke my teeth doing that and to get those people to look really great. Now when I have an easier, less tonic, less large breast reduction to make look beautiful, I feel that I can do it. It's a little easier cuz I really learned the hard way. So it did help, it definitely shaped my aesthetic and I still feel like I'm really helping people be happier about how they feel about themselves and be more athletic and happier with their shape.

Eva Sheie (04:42):
So 22 years ago you went into aesthetic practice by yourself and this was during the time that breast implants were off the market, wasn't it? 

Dr. Hamori (04:54):
Corect. Yes. It was just in the moratorium was just about to be lifted. Yes, when they had to, for 10 years we couldn't use gel implants and I was only used to doing saline implants. Even in residency we were mostly doing saline implants. So that was a little bit of a shift, some positive because now the, those gel implants are more pliable, they're more natural looking, they don't ripple as much. So that with the positives, the negatives is having to educate patients on how they're not as easy to manage on the long term as a, as a C implant. Cuz you need to have studies, ultrasound or or MRI to figure out if they're intact and monitor the implants. So it took some time and I had to, when I started switching over to gel, it was strange for me because I was so used to just doing one type of implant saline and I always tell my, my patients that it might be interested in saline now that I, I did a lot of saline breast augmentations and very few came back to switch to jail. So they were happy with what they had. So I, I, especially my younger patients, I still encourage to do saline if they're in their early twenties because who wants to be tethered getting MRI or ultrasounds in these young years? Let 'em have saline for a couple years and if it's really important later on in life when they switch out at 15 years they can go to a gel

Eva Sheie (06:06):
So the, that shift from the early silicone to saline and then back to silicone, I think was really challenging for consumers but also challenging for solo practices. And then it was kind of quiet for a while, but now there's another shift happening,

Dr. Hamori (06:24):
Right, with this breast implant illness and what we know about A L C L. So yes, we're feeling like we have to go back and prove to our patients again that these are safe devices. And I really do think the, the data, at least in breast implant illness is pointing in the correct direction that there's no physical ailment they're causing, but we are finding that people that want their implants removed feel better after they're removed. So there is, whether it's a psychological component or if they have very particular biology that tends that we don't even know how things are affecting their body, those particular implants and they're getting better. I'm all for removing them. And as I age, my practice ages with me and a lot of women in their fifties and sixties want the implants out anyway. They're done with them, you know, they've gained a little weight, they have menopausal fat on their tummies and they feel like they don't need to have the big implants anymore. So you remove them, you do a little breast lift and they're perfectly happy.

Eva Sheie (07:14):
Is there a style that you see a lot in the northeast?

Dr. Hamori (07:18):
Smaller breast implants for sure. Maybe 200, 2 50, sometimes maybe a 2 75, 300. But definitely not what you hear about in like Texas and LA or 450. I mean very rarely do we put in something

Eva Sheie (07:31):
Walk outside and look on the streets.

Dr. Hamori (07:33):
Here is a different story here. It's crazy. Yeah,

Eva Sheie (07:36):
I've seen some interesting things. Yes, <laugh>, it's hard not to look right.

Dr. Hamori (07:43):
They're not wearing anything really to cover them <laugh>.

Eva Sheie (07:44):
No they're not. And if you're reacting then I don't feel so bad for reacting. <laugh>

Dr. Hamori (07:50):
No, I do too. They have like some sheer like fish net on, I'm like, is there a top under there? Like you're just like, okay, I'm here with my 17 year old son. I'm like don't stare <laugh>.

Eva Sheie (08:00):
Yeah. A friend of mine went to Macy's yesterday for a bra. Yeah. And she said they have tons of bras and I said, well yeah, no one's buying 'em out here. <laugh>, they're not wearing them. <laugh>

Dr. Hamori (08:10):
I love it <laugh>.

Eva Sheie (08:12):
They're just trying to move 'em. So yeah, those, those trends are really interesting. Are there other trends that you're seeing, especially since your patients are probably people who've come back again now, you know, 10 or 15 or 20 years later after they saw you the first.

Dr. Hamori (08:29):
More, now they're transitioning to different body parts. Definitely more facial things, more people interested in face lifts, you know, and I've always seen my mentors, older plastic surgeons above me, kind of going toward more above the shoulder type procedures. And that's happening to me now. I'm like surprised to see patients in their sixties and seventies and fifties even coming in asking for their eyes done or their facelift. And it's lovely that they're coming back and I get to follow up on my other results that I haven't seen in 20 years. And then, a lot of time we talk still, I think women in their fifties and sixties are interested in looking really toned and fit now. Like they did when they were 40. They're not gonna tolerate a muffin top. They're not gonna tolerate, you know, not, not feeling their best in their body. So I still see a steady stream of patients even though we're all getting older.

Eva Sheie (09:15):
And do you have a team around you that's doing other things like nonsurgical?

Dr. Hamori (09:18):
Yes, I have a, I do my own injectables, but I do have a, a team of aestheticians and I do have a, a partner Dr. DiEduardo, who also, um, is on RealSelf and she does some other different kinds of surgery in my practice. But yes, it, we, it's a big team. We have probably 12 people in the office, um, including our OR staff, but we blend well together with the med spa. We do a lot of facial rejuvenation there. Body tightening, we do a lot. I have a whole women's center so we do a lot of vaginal procedures for women in menopause, for people that have stress incontinence with leaking urine, things like that.

Eva Sheie (09:54):
Those are some of the most gratifying life-changing things that we can do. And I Can you tell us more about that?

Dr. Hamori (10:01):
Yes. Uh, it's very many women come in in general complaining that they have issues with their, you know, at the gym or they're coming maybe for a tummy tuck and they're, you know, we have like questionnaires to kind of screen other kind of symptoms and it turns out yes, I have to wear a pad every day when I go to the gym because when I, you know, jump, we're getting on a trampoline with my kids, it I leak. And these are things that now we have some very good non-invasive options to help things just like Sela, which is the electromagnetic pulse therapy that does 20,000 kegs in 30 minutes. Or we also have some wands that do microneedling, Morpheus8 V, inside the vagina that helps improve collagen and blood flow and helps a lot of women with vaginal dryness, which is really crippling for your perimenopausal patients. Um, they really suffer and feel like they have to use lubricant and maybe go estrogen intravaginally for these issues that are happening. And now we have some new devices that are really helping.

Eva Sheie (10:51):
Are you doing anything um, like hormone replacement with the, with these patients too?

Dr. Hamori (10:55):
I don't do hormone replacement. I refer, I have a person that I refer to, I thought about doing it, I'm a very big proponent hormone replacement, but right now I don't offer it at my office. I send them to a wellness clinic.

Eva Sheie (11:08):
It sounds like it's a bit of a small town too, so. 

Dr. Hamori (11:11):
Right, Exactly.

Eva Sheie (11:12):
Yeah. Do you have other people who you refer to in the neighborhood? 

Dr. Hamori (11:17):
Yes. Definitely. That helps.

Eva Sheie (11:19):
How many plastic surgeons are there in Seaside?

Dr. Hamori (11:21):
In my town there are three, but only two of us have an office in the town. The other two are male and they have their offices in the hospitals.

Eva Sheie (11:31):
Ah, so you're the only non-hospital one.

Dr. Hamori (11:34):
That's right.

Eva Sheie (11:36):
Female plastic surgeons have some significant advantages that I think women respond to really well. And I wonder if you have seen that over the course of your career at all?

Dr. Hamori (11:48):
Definitely. I mean I definitely, there's like a sisterhood I think a little bit amongst the plastic surgeons ourselves, but also with in relationship with the patients because especially when it comes to the vaginal below belt stuff for sure. They don't feel like they can confide as well in men. But I think just the aesthetic, a lot of people come, I came to a woman cuz I know you understand breast better or you understand you aesthetic of the abdomen better and recovery and kids you, we just kind of get it a little bit better. I'm not saying there aren't wonderful male plastic surgeons, but a lot of women now just feel more comfortable coming to a woman. Same thing in gynecology. I mean, I don't know if a lot of people don't go to male gynecologist anymore.

Eva Sheie (12:24):
No. I don't even know if they

Dr. Hamori (12:27):
<laugh> they exist but yeah. 

(12:28)
Do they? 

(12:29)
Well just like urologists, a lot of urologists that see male or men, it's just, you know, they're not uncomfortable.

Eva Sheie (12:35):
Yeah. Well it makes sense. So you mentioned at the beginning that you have two sons and that they were rowers. 

Dr. Hamori (12:43):
Mm-hmmm <affirmative> One is a freshman at Trinity College in Hartford, Jackson and he's on the, the varsity rowing team. He's very excited there and it's good, it's about two hours from our house so he can come home. That's so close sometimes too far. Yeah. So that works out very well with him. And I have another son, Spencer, who's a junior in high school and he's my football player, loves football and working out and lifting and cooking. So it's nice to have still a side home, which is great.

Eva Sheie (13:10):
Did they ever want you to talk about work? Were they interested in what you did at all?

Dr. Hamori (13:15):
They are they, yeah, they definitely, my older son is more interested I think, in what kind of happens at work and procedures that I do. And the younger one's a little more skittish of, of blood and it just doesn't have quite as much interest in it even though they both love biology and now that they're starting to learn more about like biochem and organic chemistry, they're realizing that that's weaved a little bit into medicine and I think that that's kind of interest them a bit. But we all want our kids to be doctors. Rarely do they become doctors.

Eva Sheie (13:44):
When you're patients are women and you're a woman. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I expect that the topic of kids comes up a lot every day. So you probably get to talk about them frequently.

Dr. Hamori (13:53):
Definitely. Yep. And I learn a lot from my moms about how they're taking care of their teenagers and our frustrations and taking care of our elder parents. So really when we see patients in the office, it's lovely. It's, it's just, you get to know, it's like a lot of friends that keep coming back to see you and it's just really fun.

Eva Sheie (14:10):
If someone's coming to you for the first time and has never been to see you before, what, what should they expect?

Dr. Hamori (14:18):
They should expect to have a very beautiful, welcoming facility with nice staff chocolates available and tea. And it's a very cozy environment and my staff is very polite and we have, my medical assistants will bring patients in, talk to them. I'll come in later and I just, I love sitting down and talking to people so I can basically, I feel like I can make people feel pretty comfortable naturally right away and tease out what they're there for, which I think is difficult sometimes. Um, as the doctor-patient relationship to try to figure out exactly what they want and what their expectations are and then basically teach them. I, I'm using a lot of prompts in the, in the examination room or consult room just to show them before and after pictures and show them diagrams of how we do things. Cuz I think now with the patient's ability to go to the internet and look things up, you really have to educate them well on what actually happens and what are safe procedures that we do. And not so much hearsay. They're reading on the internet and I basically am pretty succinct with them. I'll examine them, I'll tell them honestly what I think I can do for them and what I can't do. And I think it's a good experience for patients, it's efficient and I think people feel well educated and it works for me.

Eva Sheie (15:38):
If someone was to reach out and possibly come see you mm-hmm. <affirmative>, where can they find more information about you?

Dr. Hamori (15:45):
They can find more information on my website, which is christine hamori.com. They can call 7 8 1 9 3 4 2200. Also on, um, social media at Christine Hamori is another way.

Eva Sheie (15:58):
Thank you for sharing so much of yourself. We really appreciate it. 

Dr. Hamori (16:01):
You're welcome.

Eva Sheie (16:07):
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