WORLD-CLASS PLASTIC SURGERY in an intimate setting
09/18/2024 01:17PM ● By MERYL SIEGMAN
If you’ve tried noninvasive face or body treatments over the years but haven’t gotten the results you are looking for, it’s time to consider Mountain Lake Plastic Surgery (MLPS) in Colchester. The only private plastic surgery practice in Vermont, MLPS offers high-quality, individualized care in a friendly, nurturing environment.
Susan MacLennan, MD, and Alexandra Schmidt, MD, both American Board of Plastic Surgery-certified plastic surgeons, have extensive training and experience and share a passion for providing their patients with beautiful, natural-looking results.
A BROAD SPECTRUM OF EXPERIENCE
Both doctors bring years of training and experience in plastic surgery to the practice. Dr. MacLennan grew up in Nova Scotia and relocated to the US to attend undergraduate and medical school at Dartmouth College. After doing her residency at the University of Cincinnati, she spent fifteen years on the faculty of the UVM College of Medicine, where she became deeply involved in the care of breast cancer patients and extended that experience to bring innovative aesthetic surgery to Vermont. Mountain Lake Plastic Surgery reflects her vision for an intimate, patient-focused practice catering to the local community. She continues to focus on cutting-edge breast and body surgery and also serves as an examiner for the American Board of Plastic Surgeons.
A native of Norwich, VT, and graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Dr. Schmidt completed her residency at Washington University and a prestigious fellowship in North Carolina focusing on aesthetic surgery. Eager to return to Vermont, she joined Dr. MacLennan at Mountain Lake Plastic Surgery in 2021. Dr. Schmidt performs a full range of cosmetic surgery on the breast, body, and face.
Dr. MacLennan and Killian, RN, discuss patient care. Mountain Lake Plastic Surgery's office in Colchester is bright, modern, and private.
Dr. Maclennan notes, “Although our training and expertise overlap, Dr. Schmidt is particularly interested in facial surgery. As a result, we offer a broad spectrum of plastic surgery that is innovative and advanced, somewhat unusual for a small city in Vermont.”
PARTNERING WITH A LOCAL SURGERY CENTER
At the same time that Dr. MacLennan was establishing her practice, the Green Mountain Care Board granted permission to a group of doctors to build a multi-specialty surgery center in Colchester. This led to the opening of the Green Mountain Surgery Center (GMSC) in 2019, the first multi-specialty outpatient surgery center in Vermont. She explains, “A great part of what we can offer to patients is the excellent care at GMSC, which is small, efficient, collaborative, and patient-focused. It’s one of the best things to happen in health care in the state, and it provides us with a wonderful venue for our surgical procedures. Patients from Vermont no longer need to feel they have to travel to larger cities to access experienced aesthetic surgery care.”
Mountain Lake Plastic Surgery's office in Colchester is bright, modern, and private.
PLASTIC SURGERY EXPLAINED
Acknowledging that not everyone understands
exactly what plastic surgery is or how it
differs from cosmetic surgery, Dr. MacLennan
explains, “The term ‘plastic’ stems from the
Greek word plastikos, which means to mold or shape.” The discipline of plastic surgery
focuses on the techniques used to surgically
repair and restore the appearance and function
of damaged or abnormal body parts.” She
continues, “While the certificate that plastic
surgeons earn from the American Board of
Plastic Surgery reads ‘Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery,’ plastic surgery is the name
given to our specialty.” She notes that the
specialty requires a minimum of six years of
surgical training after medical school and even
more time to earn board certification.
However, she adds, “Many of the procedures we offer are cosmetic, which means they focus on changing the appearance of the breasts, body, or face. Unfortunately, any doctor can hang up a shingle that claims they’re a ‘cosmetic’ surgeon without having the training and board certification that plastic surgeons do. We’re the real deal, with years of training and continuing education to back it up.”
CURRENT TRENDS IN THE FIELD
Dr. MacLennan is best known for breast and body surgery. She notes that a recent trend in the field is a natural, athletic look that some patients call the “ballerina body.” She says, “Vermonters, in general, seem to prefer that natural look, not the large implants and unnatural contours we have seen in the past.” Because she also performs breast reduction, she notes that many reduction patients also seek smaller breasts that fit their active, athletic lifestyle.
Drs. MacLennan and Schmidt often collaborate to bring patients comprehensive care.
LESS INVASIVE TREATMENTS
While both surgeons have busy surgical practices, they also offer office-based, less invasive procedures such as Botox, fillers, and chemical peels. Dr. MacLennan explains, “We’re uniquely qualified to treat patients with injectables because we have a surgical understanding of anatomy from our years of experience with surgical repair of facial trauma as well as aesthetic facial surgery.”
She acknowledges that many less invasive treatments have surfaced in recent years, some more effective than others, but adds, “When the patient needs more than what injectables or other noninvasive treatments can address, we have the experience to treat them with surgery. Nonsurgical options have their place, but our ability to offer both surgical and nonsurgical alternatives is what sets us apart.”
PHOTOS BY KRISTY DOOLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
Mountain Lake Plastic Surgery, PLC
105 Westview Road, Suite 120
Colchester, VT
