Monique Ramsey (00:02):
Welcome everyone to The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast. I'm your hostess, Monique Ramsey, and today I'm super excited for everybody to see who's in our studio. We've got the beautiful and fabulous Laura Cain from the Laura Cain After Dark podcast. Hi Laura.

Laura Cain (00:20):
Hi Monique. How are you doing? So glad to be here.

Monique Ramsey (00:23):
Oh my gosh. I just love this. So we are going to kind of wrap back around to two, it's been two years since you had your surgery with Dr. Swistun, and so it's been a while since we've had you on the podcast. And how's your podcast been going? Laura Cain After Dark.

Laura Cain (00:41):
Okay. First of all, I can't believe it's been two years already. Second of all, the podcast is going great. You've been on the podcast several times and we always love it when you come on because you tell us about the latest and greatest things in cosmetic surgery and we always get super excited about it and we want to get everything done. But two years later, I've got to say that my life has changed for the better because of the surgery that Dr. Swistun performed on me, which was breast augmentation. And sometimes I just, okay, things happen for a reason, but I kick myself because I go, why did I wait so long to have breast augmentation? I know I always wanted it. As a matter of fact, when I was in high school, I was flat and I always have been small breasted and I used, my mom used to sew padded bras into my bathing suits before they even made those kind of bathing suits because I was super shy and embarrassed that I didn't develop like my friends had and everything, and living with pads and the cutlets and the this and the that for years and years, and I've always wanted it, but I guess it's divine intervention.

(01:53):
You guys came into my life and then Dr. Swistun and it all came together and it's just been fantastic. Literally, I want to say two days after surgery, which this is probably not advised, but I went out with my girlfriends and people ask me a lot of times, did it hurt? What was the recovery? I'm like, you know what? I really, I don't remember any pain. I don't remember taking anything serious like major pills. I remember taking Ibuprofen 800 maybe or Tylenol, whatever the highest Tylenol is, but it was just seamless. There was not even one downside of it at all. I can think of, my scars are not even visible. They look so natural. In fact, my mom, I was just at my mom's house for Easter and she's like, you just look so good. You just look so incredibly natural. And that's exactly what I wanted.

Monique Ramsey (03:04):
Yeah, exactly. And you are a tall lady, and so it's like you want the size to fit your frame and feel natural. And I think probably going your whole life up until two years ago, not having a big chest and you still don't have a big chest, I feel like it just fits you. It just seems like they were always there at that size. I mean, they were always there, but at that size, truly. How long do you think did it take for your brain to wrap around that you have them and then to just sort of forget that they're just a part of you?

Laura Cain (03:44):
Okay. I don't feel like anything is in there. I don't feel like they feel so incredibly soft and so real. My brain doesn't comprehend that I even have something foreign in my body at all. It doesn't feel that way. It's really great.

Monique Ramsey (04:07):
Yeah. Right, because at the beginning, you kind of feel like, okay, they're there and you're sort of fixated on this new sensation, and then at some point it's just integrated, I guess.

Laura Cain (04:17):
It becomes completely natural. And there's no scar tissue has formed in in any way, shape or form two years later. I think they've settled in perfectly. They're perfectly sized. They're the same exact size. They point in the right direction. Dr. Swistun is a master.

Monique Ramsey (04:37):
It's the little, just the little things, right?

Laura Cain (04:40):
I mean, sometimes women have those problems where one point's one way, one point's the other way. One is bigger, one is smaller, one hangs lower, one is higher.

Monique Ramsey (04:48):
Well yeah, and you bring up a really good point. Most women's breasts are asymmetrical. They're not perfectly exactly matching. And so sometimes when you have a breast surgery, that's something that can be corrected. They can maybe use one size slightly different in one side than the other. I was talking to, we did some episodes recently with a few patients of ours talking about the size that they got and think one was maybe a 265 on one side and a 295 on the other. And it's totally, that's how,

Laura Cain (05:22):
That is exactly what happened with me. And he needed to do a lift on one side because one of my nipples was a little bit lower than the other one. So he did a lift on one side and one was a little less ccs than the other one. So he really tailored it to match it perfectly, and it worked perfectly. And I love the fact that you have, when you go in for your consultation and you have the sizers, and so you can put 'em in the bra, you even have little t-shirts that say cosmetic surgery center on your little logo. It's so cute and they're tight. So you can see what it looks like with a tight T-shirt. And if you want to go bigger or smaller, that was really helpful. And I was, some women want to go big and there's nothing wrong with that. Some people would rather be on the more natural side, which was what I wanted. So people don't think that I even have ever had anything done. These are just my natural boobs.

Monique Ramsey (06:25):
I love that. I love that. Yeah, I love it. And it's not that you're embarrassed about it, obviously you're talking about it, but the fact that it isn't something that's screaming at you where people are like, oh.

Laura Cain (06:40):
But if you want that, some people do, and that's fine.

Monique Ramsey (06:42):
Right, right. And I think at different points in our lives, we have different needs or wants. And sometimes it's going to be something on the bigger side and then later you might choose smaller or vice versa. And that's kind of nice is that you have that time at the consultation with the surgeon to talk about size and what you're looking for and to try it on and with the little sizers. And then we also have the Vectra 3D imaging. And so when you did those kind of the sizing and what you ended up with, was that pretty dead on of what you were looking for?

Laura Cain (07:23):
Absolutely, 100%. And you know what? I was really impressed by the amount of time Dr. Swistun, the surgeon, the guy that was, he's busy and he spent a lot of time, a lot of time answering my questions thoroughly, more than I could ever imagine. And I was almost felt guilty taking so much of his time. But he is just so incredibly professional, and I know Dr. Salazar, I know all the doctors here are the same in their integrity and the way that they talk to patients and their time that they spend. I mean, he answered every question I had and then made me feel completely 100% comfortable. Even when I was going into though, actually you documented my whole journey.

Monique Ramsey (08:16):
We did.

Laura Cain (08:18):
And it's on, isn't it on YouTube?

Monique Ramsey (08:20):
Yeah, it's on YouTube. And we'll put that in the show notes because it was really fun to kind of follow you along. And we also did three episodes on the podcast two years ago before, immediately after, and then sort of maybe a few months later. But it's good to kind of come back and say, okay, after all this time, you mentioned your mom saying how great you looked. And would you say, I don't know if you had any issues with friends or family being supportive or not supportive? How has time changed any of those opinions?

Laura Cain (08:54):
Well, no. You know, our moms would say, you're beautiful the way you are. But then you say to your mom, mom, there are some things that I'm self-conscious about. And this mom, I've always been self-conscious about my breasts and this size and the way I'm a tall girl. I'm not. I'm big girl, but I'm big boned, and they just didn't fit my body. And then she was completely on board and 100%, the only thing she worried about as a mother, of course, is going into surgery and that whole thing. But I'm like, don't even worry. I'm in the best hands possible here. Don't even stress. So she was really, she's 1000% on board now after seeing how happy I am. How, I mean, I love the fact that I get to order bras that have no padding in 'em at all. In fact, I found some old pads, like the ones that come in bras or they come in those little bralettes, and I found some old ones in my drawer, and I was like, I'm tossing these things. I don't want these things anymore. I found my cutlets. And I'm like, Bye-Bye.

Monique Ramsey (10:09):
Bye. Exactly.

Laura Cain (10:11):
Later on.

Monique Ramsey (10:11):
Where else can I use these?

Laura Cain (10:13):
I know, right.

Monique Ramsey (10:14):
So how fun has it been in the last two years to sort of have your style, I shouldn't say change, but you have maybe some more options than you would have considered prior to surgery?

Laura Cain (10:28):
Sometimes when I do our podcast, I am like, I'm going to sex it up a little bit. So I do a little bit of a v-neck and I put my bra, or no, you know, lot of times I don't even wear a bra. I just wear these things that cover the nip area. So a lot of times it's just my natural breasts and with a shirt over it, obviously. But I just

Monique Ramsey (10:53):
Your podcast is after dark, but we're not that far after dark, dark.

Laura Cain (10:57):
No, we're not exactly. No, not after dark. But I like to show 'em off. I like to show I have a very nice cleavage now, I feel naturally, and I think it looks really good.

Monique Ramsey (11:08):
Yeah.

Laura Cain (11:08):
And it makes me feel good about myself.

Monique Ramsey (11:10):
As you should. I mean, you're such a feminine fun, I feel like your personality is so fun, but you're fun and girly still. And it's like you having those curves allows you to, you can show that off. And so one other question I was thinking about with your podcast is you're kind of a big deal on social media and here in San Diego you're like a legend because everybody knows you. You were on Jeff and Jer way back when, and then you're on iHeart and people hear your voice all the time. Then you've got your podcast following you. Were even on one of my favorite shows, 90 Day Fiance. You're on 90 Day fiance. I'm sitting there watching at home and I'm like, oh my God there's Laura.

Laura Cain (11:55):
Did you die?

Monique Ramsey (11:56):
I died. I died. I missed the memo. And so I'm just sitting there watching as I do on a Monday night. There you were, and you just looked incredible. Incredible.

Laura Cain (12:08):
Oh my gosh. And that was one of the nights where I was wearing a dress that was low cut. I got to show off the girls because I knew I was going to be on national TV at some point, because I'm friends with one of the women who is a cast member on that show. And so we went out as friends to a La Jolla restaurant and, Manhattan, La Jolla.

Monique Ramsey (12:30):
Yeah.

Laura Cain (12:31):
The piano bar.

Monique Ramsey (12:31):
I live right down the street. I would've come crashed had I known. I know.

Laura Cain (12:36):
And so that was really great. I mean, I don't want to say that these breasts have propelled my career, but in a way I feel like it has definitely helped because of my confidence, because now I feel like I can do anything. And I know that might sound a little bit strange saying, oh my God, a breast implants make you feel like you can conquer the world. Well, I'm sorry. But yeah, I mean, I really feel like I am that much more confident about myself, my body, my posture being the age that I am. I feel younger having perky breasts. It just feels good and it's really making an impact in my life still.

Monique Ramsey (13:26):
And I think you're touching on something so critical is that, yeah, it doesn't mean this one thing is going to change your life forever, but in a lot of ways it does because of how you carry yourself, because of how that confidence. And so sometimes it's a new haircut and sometimes it's weight loss. And for me, I've lost 47 pounds over the last few years, and I feel like going into my closet, I pick something and I feel much happier. And then I'm carrying myself in a different way and I'm showing up in a different way. And I think surgery does the same thing. I think it just gives you that extra little edge inside that makes you maybe show up differently outside.

Laura Cain (14:09):
Perfectly said exactly what I was trying to say. Yes, it just makes you carry yourself differently and it carries through different aspects of your life, for sure.

Monique Ramsey (14:22):
And I can't remember, I feel like there might've been a few haters back at the time, but have there been any comments about your body over the last two years, or any comments about whether supportive or not supportive?

Laura Cain (14:40):
No, I don't. Because you know why? Because I'm so upfront about it and I'm so honest and I'm proud of it. I'm not hiding the fact that I had surgery. I never wanted to, always wanted to be upfront because I think any woman who feels like they want to change their lives or want this surgery should be able to do it and talk about it and not feel like it has to be a secret. And so therefore, I think I shot down any haters that wanted to do that. You know what I mean? I think I would've gotten more of what had I been more secretive about?

Monique Ramsey (15:13):
You weren't trying to pull one over on everybody.

Laura Cain (15:15):
Right.

Monique Ramsey (15:15):
Or something. And it doesn't really matter. Like we do what we want to do for ourselves and everybody else doesn't really matter, but it's a real thing. And especially with such a public persona that you have out there.

Laura Cain (15:28):
Oh I get hate in other ways, but not about my breast implants. No, I not, I don't remember hearing anything about that other than good things from other people, really good things.

Monique Ramsey (15:40):
Oh, that's nice.

Laura Cain (15:41):
Yes.

Monique Ramsey (15:41):
And have you had over, now it's two years behind us, have you had any, did you have at any point, any regrets or doubts about should I have done this or not done this?

Laura Cain (15:50):
Oh my God, no. The only thing that I regret, and again, I'm glad that I waited because of having it done here, is that I didn't do it sooner. I didn't do it when I was in my twenties, but it wasn't meant to be because it was meant to be here. And that is what I believe. So it was meant to happen. And I think I was meant to be a public figure talking about it openly so other women would feel more comfortable having it done and talking about it as well.

Monique Ramsey (16:28):
Now, and if there's anything you could say to yourself two years ago before you had the procedure, what would it be?

Laura Cain (16:35):
It would be get this done as soon as possible. It's going to be the best experience of your life and talk about it more, talk about it, write about it, write a blog about it. Help other women, because I know if I am somebody who has always wanted it, but was afraid of what people thought were going to think about me or afraid of the surgery part of it, which I wasn't ever afraid of that, but I was just afraid of what people would say. I'd be like, don't worry about it. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. I am so happy. And that's what shows, and that's up in my life and that's what matters. And so if you're thinking about it and you're thinking, oh God, I don't know what is my mom going to think or what is my sister? So judgmental going to think about? So who cares? It's you. It's your life. You want it done, do it. It'll be the best thing you've ever done. You'll be so freaking happy, whether it be breast augmentation, 360 lipo, lower facelift eyelids, do it. Do it and do it now. And I love the fact that you guys have a finance plan. So people like, oh, can't afford the whole thing up at once. Well that's solved. Solved.

Monique Ramsey (17:56):
And I think that when you're considering making a change, you want the support of those people in your life. And you're saying, well, I remember mean in my early twenties, I wanted liposuction. It was sort of new then. That's how old I am. But it was sort of new. And I was like, I just really want this because I'm only five one. And when I was carrying a lot of weight below my waist, and so I just felt like I had these thunder thighs, but even though I work in the industry, I was worried about what my mom would think. Exactly. And we do carry that around. And so I think one thing to do is if you have somebody in your life, well, you can just say it doesn't matter what they think, which is true, but you can also, maybe it's a spouse or partner, bring them with you for the consultation.

Laura Cain (18:48):
Exactly.

Monique Ramsey (18:49):
Because that helps get them feeling comfortable. It's not so much about do they approve of what you're doing, but do they approve of this whole thing? Because usually it's coming from a place of, is it safe? Are these good people that you're going to go through this experience with and chance?

Laura Cain (19:06):
Chances are these people don't know anything about the procedure you're talking about, and therefore they're immediately negative about it.

Monique Ramsey (19:14):
Yeah, they just saw it on YouTube or TikTok.

Laura Cain (19:16):
Right, or horror stories or something. It's like, no, no, no, no.

Monique Ramsey (19:21):
Right. And so I would encourage people to just think about that and have that person maybe come with you for your consultation or you have your own consultation and then maybe the place or the doctor that you choose that you have them come back for a quick recap consultation. People can do that. You can have one and you can come back again. We don't make you stay away. You can come back and sort of like, Hey, can I do that sizing again? Or I just want to make sure I haven't forgotten any questions. We are happy to have you come back if you have more questions. The key to being able to go forward with something is to feel comfortable and you don't feel comfortable until you trust what's the people around you and what's about to happen. So alright, one more question for you, Laura, is if you're thinking ever about having another thing done, yes or no, and what would it be?

Laura Cain (20:15):
The answer is yes. And I was talking to Dr. Salazar at a party and he was talking about this thing and you were talking about it on our podcast too.

Monique Ramsey (20:29):
Yes. Ellacor. Right.

Laura Cain (20:30):
And about how sometimes as we get a little older, we get the little gobbledygook that we're not liking as much. And maybe it's not so prominent that you need a full lower facelift, but you just want it a little tighter. That's what Ellacor is, and that is something that is not necessarily super lot of downtime. It doesn't sound like it sounds like it's something that is right up my alley.

Monique Ramsey (20:58):
I know. We have to make sure that we're cognizant of your filming schedule. Right?

Laura Cain (21:05):
I'll do it. Hey, I'll do it with the whatever. You know what? I don't care what I would do the whole process on camera again.

Monique Ramsey (21:14):
Well, oh, you're so nice.

Laura Cain (21:16):
I would.

Monique Ramsey (21:16):
Yeah. Ellacor is a very cool procedure and it really, it's like microneedling. So you can think about all those little needles that are going to go injure your skin, but it actually is extracting a core of skin. So it extracts up to 8% of skin in that area. So say you did around your lower face, neck mouth, then what happens is then your body heals up that wound and you think about all those little holes and they just sort of close up. It's helping to shrink the skin a little bit. And you do that procedure, usually they recommend three times, so you would maybe a month or six weeks apart depending on your schedule. And then that helps with that lower face and neck because it is sort of a, can be a tricky area to address, especially in older people.

(22:10):
So my Aunt Marie and she's been on our podcast and she just had her third Ellacor, so she did two last in the fall or summer and fall. And then she just had her third because she's about to be 80, 80 years old.

Laura Cain (22:26):
No, she's not.

Monique Ramsey (22:27):
Yes, she is. And she's had her face lifts and that's a plural, and she talks about it, but there's not always something that can address this area around your mouth and the lower face because a facelift, you don't want that really pulled to get to those wrinkles. You'd have to pull so far that this is sort of a nice little invention of targeting an area. And it can be used anywhere on the face or the body in theory. But we're one of only 50 practices that has the technology and so they want it only in the hands of plastic surgeons and surgeons that they trust. And so all of our surgeons are trained on it. And so they did another little session on her last week and yeah, it's already looking really good. So yeah, that's a fun thing. We'll stick that in the show notes as well. We have a few different episodes about Ellacor.

Laura Cain (23:24):
Excellent.

Monique Ramsey (23:25):
And we'll throw those in there. And then, yeah, so thanks Laura.

Laura Cain (23:29):
Anything for you guys. I love La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center. You guys have been like, I feel like you're family and you have greatly enhanced my life and I can't thank you enough for just everything you've done and just being a part of my life. I feel like we will always be friends and will always be, I'll always be cheering on La Jolla Cosmetic, I will scream your name from the mountaintops because I believe in you so much. The best in town. We're so lucky to have you guys in our backyard and people from all over the California come down here for La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center because your reputation is so, so good.

Monique Ramsey (24:13):
Well, thank you. And that we work really hard on that and we're coming up to 36 years in San Diego in July will that will be celebrating our 36th year. So I've only been a part of it for 32, almost 33. My God. We do take it really seriously and we do, you know, having patients who come back, they have something at one point in their life and then they have kids or they move on to some other thing that they're doing and they come back for a little touch up on this or that. And so it's wonderful that we get to see that relationship with our patients over time. And just like you, here we are two years later. I can't believe it's been two years.

Laura Cain (24:57):
I know. So once you're with La Jolla Cosmetic, you'll stay with La Jolla Cosmetic no matter what it is.

Monique Ramsey (25:03):
And I think our surgeons are just so great with partnering with each other. Sometimes they might say, I'm not the right person for this procedure. See my colleague, and they'll refer to each other too. So that's a good thing. But before we leave, I want you to tell everybody how to follow you and your podcast.

Laura Cain (25:23):
Okay. It's super easy. My website is Laura Cain After Dark.com and we're also on YouTube, Laura Cain After Dark Instagram, Laura Cain After Dark, just Laura Caim After Dark everywhere. And you can find us on Spotify and iHeart just where you can find The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast. Anywhere you can find there, you can find Laura Cain After Dark as well.

Monique Ramsey (25:43):
And you guys are such, I don't want to say a kick in the pants because then it shows on 56, but it's so much fun.

Laura Cain (25:50):
We're crazy.

Monique Ramsey (25:51):
You guys are hilarious. And Eric, your sidekick, I'll call him just the sidekick, Eric Rimmer. He's so much,

Laura Cain (25:57):
No, he's the talent. We call him the talent because he just shows up five minutes before the show begins, sticks on the head. Guess who does all the work? Me.

Monique Ramsey (26:04):
Yeah. Well the talent. He's so fun. So you guys, he the best are, and he was thinking about getting his eyes done, so we'll have to follow up with him on that. And we had a funny conversation about Kenny Loggins that he didn't want. Wasn't it Kenny, or Kenny Rogers.

Laura Cain (26:18):
KennyRogers.

Monique Ramsey (26:19):
Kenny Rogers. He goes, I don't want to look like Kenny Rogers. I'm like, why would you, maybe that's the facial hair. I don't know.

Laura Cain (26:28):
He wants those bags gone. He has bags under his eyes. I'm like, just get rid of him. Dr. Riedler can do it. Anybody in the office can do this procedure and you're going to look refreshed. You're not going to look like Kenny Rogers. He had his whole face pushed back.

Monique Ramsey (26:43):
Like five times.

Laura Cain (26:45):
Right.

Monique Ramsey (26:47):
Yeah. That's a whole nother day.

Laura Cain (26:49):
That's a whole nother thing. But yes, we're going to get him in here for sure.

Monique Ramsey (26:52):
Yeah. Alright, well thanks again, Laura. It was really fun to speak with you and catch up with you.

Laura Cain (26:57):
Thank you.

Monique Ramsey (26:58):
I just can't wait to be seeing you again on my big screen in my living room.

Laura Cain (27:04):
Well, we'll see. There's some things in the pipeline I'll let you know about when I can.

Monique Ramsey (27:10):
Okay. That's right. Well we will catch up with you then. And everybody, thanks for listening and look in the show notes for a bunch of fun links and we will see you all on the next one. Thanks. Bye.

Announcer (27:21):
Take a screenshot of this podcast episode with your phone and show it at your consultation or appointment or mention the promo code PODCAST to receive $25 off any service or product of $50 or more at La Jolla Cosmetic. La Jolla Cosmetic is located just off the I five San Diego Freeway in the XiMed Building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus. To learn more, go to lj csc.com or follow the team on Instagram at lj csc. The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast is a production of The Axis, THE AXIS. io.