Nowadays, Bedonna Maiberger enjoys catching a glimpse of herself in a restaurant or store mirror.

But there were times when she didn't -- times before her plastic surgery.

I just looked so tired all the time,' said Maiberger, 55, a nurse and mom of two from Clarkston. "People would say, are you tired? You look exhausted."

Last year. Dr. Michael Freedland, MD., a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with practice in Troy, performed a lower face and neck lift and an upper and lower eyelid lift on Maiberger.

"Now I just think, that's the way I should look, because that's the way I feel," she said of seeing her reflection. "Friends tell me I look wonderful, rested. It's like being refreshed, really. I feel better about myself now."

"I think he's excellent," she said of Freedland, who was recommended to her by other clients of his. "I would recommend him, absolutely."

A Growing Practice

Freedland said plastic surgery is growing in popularity with patients such as Maiberger. One reason is that aging baby boomers want to retain a youthful look," he said. "I tell everyone, gravity is my friend. not yours," he quips.

Also, plastic surgery techniques are evolving.

"Technology is advancing, and if there is something that bothers you, why feel bad if you don't have to?" he said.

Freedland himself is constantly updating procedures. One example is that unlike most doctors, when he does a face lift, he lifts he skin to the top of the head, rather than towards the ears.

"No one says I want a face pull." he says, demonstrating by pulling the skin on his cheeks towards his ears. "Everything goes from north to south, gravitational pull. The old style face lift pulls the skin west. I say it makes more sense to pull it from whence it came."

Also, he leaves no telltale scars along the hairline. He buries the incision just inside the hairline. Excess skin is removed.

If I can do a face lift, and no one they have had one, instead they look rejuvenated, that's the magic, he said.

His most-requested procedure, however, is for breast implants. He does both saline-filled and gel implants.

He also performs brow lifts, chemical peels, facial sanding, chin enlargement, nose reshaping, fat suction, laser skin resurfacing, cheekbone enhancement, lip enhancement, and earlobe reduction.

Education Important

Informing patients is a high priority in Freedland's office, with information available ranging from information packets to his Web site.

He encourages questions when patients come in for a personal consultation. That's when Freedland also makes an assessment, which may differ from the patient's.

Maiberger, for instance, believed that droopy eyelids were her most aging aspect, but Freedland suggested her neck was her most aging aspect. She decided to have a neck and eyelid lift.

"The patient doesn't always know that you can do two things at once," said Freedland. "It is usually less expensive to do two at the same time."

Medical insurance does not cover cosmetic surgery. Freedland cited the following estimated costs: Face lift $6,500; facelift, brows, upper lids, lower lids, face and neck, $14,000: nose reshaping, $4,700.

How To Find A Surgeon

When looking for a plastic surgeon. Freedland gives these tips:

• Look for plastic surgery certification, and ask about a surgeon's specialty and experience.

Freedland is a University of Michigan Medical School graduate. He completed residencies in general surgery at Wayne State University and plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Michigan. He went on to specialize in craniofacial surgery. He is board-certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

• It's preferable to have surgery performed in a hospital, not an office.

"It's just my personal theory. I think the worst hospital is better than the best office. Major complications are unusual, but all surgical procedures have some degree of risk."

Most of Freedland's surgeries are performed at Beaumont Hospital's Suite 200. a private outpatient surgery center built just for cosmetic surgery cases. He has courtesy operating privileges at St. Mary's Hospital in Livonia and Straith Hospital in Southfield.

• Look at before-and-after photographs of the doctor's surgery patients.

"Does the end result appear natural, or is it too exaggerated a change?" Freedland has before and after pictures on his Web site, and also has files in his office for patients to look at.

• Learn about the procedure and options.

The best patient is an educated patient, Freedland believes. Resources available to his patients to get questions answered, in addition to personal consultation, include patient counselors, videos, and information packets.

• Get a second opinion.

A Successful Experience

For Maiberger, the whole experience was a good one.

The manager at North Oakland Medical Center in Pontiac took three weeks off from work for the operation and recovery.

Beaumont has a "special plastic surgery unit, you get the royal treatment," she said. She was admitted early in the morning, and discharged the next day.

"His assistant said I wouldn't really be in pain, I just would be uncomfortable. As hard as it is to believe, it was true," she said.

All she needed was Tylenol and an ice pack for the swelling, she said. Stitches were taken out during follow-up visits, as skin healed.

Maiberger noticed the difference in about two weeks, and was "amazed," as were her husband, Bob, and two sons, and friends.

"The skin on your face heals really fast," she said. "By the time I went back to work, I had no stitches, and very little bruising or swelling."

Her procedure cost around $12,000, the only drawback. "It is expensive," she said.

Nevertheless, she is already considering "maybe a forehead lift" in the future, But she doesn't want to overdo it.

"When I'm 70, I don't want my face to look 55 and my hands to look 70," she said. "I want to grow old gracefully - kinda."

Working alongside of Freedland on his staff is his wife, Linda. They are graduates of Southfield Lathrup High School. Now Bloomfield Hills residents, they are the parents of two young daughters.

Freedland also helps those with facial deformities and accident victims. He is also an Operation Smile volunteer, going to third world countries to perform surgeries on children with facial deformities.

Freedland's phone number is (248)816-6330. His Web site is www.freedlandmd.com.

Dr. Michael Freedland's 5 most requested procedures are:

1. breast implants
2. facelift (face, brow, eyes, neck)
3. nose reshaping
4. liposuction
5. tummy tuck

Holistic: New location to be home to medical practice and spa

Dr. Michael Freedland's new office in Bloomfield Township will be the kind of place where you can have a massage in the morning and liposuction in the afternoon.

After five years in an office on Big Beaver in Troy, Freedland plans a fall move to a building he is remodeling in Bloomfield Township. The former St. Joseph's Medical Center on Woodward just south of Big Beaver will be home to his medical practice, and to a health and beauty spa.

While each will be a separate entity, they will work hand in hand, too. Freedland, who encourages his patients to take advantage of holistic approaches such as deep relaxation and massage, said the spa will help them to do so.

"I think my spa and practice will work well together," he said. "Preoperative and postoperative care is enhanced with skin and body treatments."

The concept is not a new one. "They already do this in California," he said. But, it will be new to this area.

Among spa offerings will be hot rock treatments, seaweed wraps, pedicures, manicures and facials. There will be a juice bar, and a VIP suite for men. Over 40 cosmetic brands will be sold, including fragrance-free products.

The spa will also offer a hyperbaric chamber, which increases oxygen in the body and seems to decrease swelling after surgery, said Freedland.

Classes on deep relaxation, something which has been known to help in the operating room, as well as nutrition and exercise classes, are also planned. So is an on-site day-care center and valet parking.

"What I'm trying to do eventually is get into the wellness concept," he said. "I just think there is a need for this."

Architect Michael Eiffler of Seattle is aiming for an unobtrusive, relaxing kind of beauty, said Freedland. The design will keep holistic -- mind, body, spirit -- elements in mind. Walls will be curved, and water elements will include a fountain. Instead of fluorescent lighting, there will be incandescent lighting, known to be more relaxing.

Susan Steinmueller
Observer & Eccentric