Debra Steele: Illinois Valley Center for Plastic Surgery
Like many health care administrators, Debra Steele began her career at the bedside. A native of Industry, a small town south of Macomb, Steele earned a diploma in nursing from Blessing Hospital School of Nursing in Quincy, a bachelor of science in nursing from St. Francis College of Nursing in Peoria, and a master’s degree in health administration from the College of St. Francis.
After working as a nurse on the neurology floor at OSF and as an office nurse in the St. Francis Family Practice Residency Program, she moved into management, maintaining roles both as nurse and manager. "Since then, I’ve managed two other Family Practice/Internal Medicine practices. I currently manage the Illinois Valley Center for Plastic Surgery, as well as Heart of Illinois Rehabilitation," she said.
As manager, Steele is responsible for all financial, human resource, marketing, and day-to-day operations of the offices. "I also work as a nurse in the office, complete patient surgery scheduling, and provide patient education. I really enjoy the various aspects of my job and find this opportunity very unique," she said.
Illinois Valley Center for Plastic Surgery provides all types of cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, Steele said. "This involves cosmetic surgery such as breast reduction, breast augmentation, and breast lift procedures. We also perform body-contouring surgeries such as liposuction and abdominoplasty. Other cosmetic surgeries include rhinoplasty, otoplasty, facelifts, brow lifts, and blepharoplasty. We also perform reconstructive surgeries such as breast reconstruction, skin cancer care, and burn care."
Other services-like laser vein therapy, laser hair reduction, and peels-are less invasive. "Our staff perform a variety of facial peels such as glycolic peels, blue peels, and skin medical peels. We also do microdermabrasion. The most recent breakthrough in skin care is the use of growth factors to enhance collagen growth and reduce the signs of aging. We carry four lines of facial products that specialize in problems such as fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne, and acne scarring. Each patient is given a skin evaluation and placed on the product from which they’ll benefit the most. We feel skin health is very important in that it decreases the incidence of skin cancers and maintains youthful looking skin," she said.
Not surprisingly, Steele said about 95 percent of Illinois Valley’s cosmetic plastic surgery patients are women; however, she’s seen an increase over the past few years in the number of men requesting these services. What they all have in common, she said, is a desire to change what they see when they look in the mirror. "I often hear patients say, ’I always wanted to do this, but I was too busy.’ Or they had other priorities. Today, people are very aware of their appearance, and ’aging gracefully’ is very important. Everyone wants cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance, but what’s important to one person may not be important to someone else. Many women consider cosmetic surgery to turn back the clock, so to speak. For example, they may have experienced changes during the childbearing years and wish to have body contouring surgery."
Other people opt for plastic surgery due to disfiguring diseases such as skin or breast cancer, Steele said. "Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are referred to us for a consultation on breast reconstruction. This wasn’t an option for women until a few years ago. Education of physicians and the public through the Susan G. Komen Breast Center has increased public awareness. We, as professionals, realize women facing breast cancer surgery need essential education about the various options for breast reconstruction, depending on their prescribed treatment. For some, reconstruction may be possible at the same time as the breast surgery or mastectomy. In other situations, reconstruction may have to wait until other treatments are discontinued."
As in other industries, the cosmetic surgery field is subject to trends. "Four years ago, the American Society of Plastic Surgery predicted an increase in liposuction over other cosmetic procedures. We were skeptical of this information, especially being located in the Midwest. It turned out that they were right, though. The most common cosmetic procedures done today are breast augmentation, liposuction, and abdominoplasty. Though not really considered cosmetic, breast reduction surgery is becoming a popular procedure. This, I believe, is due to patient education by physicians, general education seminars, and medical news journals as well as television. Women who were faced with neck pain, back pain, shoulder grooving, and skin infections are finding relief with breast reduction surgery. I foresee these same procedures being popular within the next few years," Steele said.
In the past, cosmetic surgery was thought to be for the rich and famous. Today, however, people with more conservative incomes are having cosmetic plastic surgery, and, for the most part, the stigma has been removed. "I know many people may be skeptical of certain cosmetic procedures. Reconstructive plastic surgery has been done for years, though, and many people don’t recognize it as plastic surgery. These patients undergo reconstructive surgery to reclaim their facial features. In a way, plastic surgery is an art. The physician actually has to visualize the surgical outcome as he cares for the patient," she said.
Because it’s mostly elective surgery, some patients are hesitant to think seriously about cosmetic surgery, and Steele said some types of media coverage doesn’t help. "The medical profession abides by certain legal and ethical guidelines. In recent months, we’ve all enjoyed watching television programs involving plastic surgery. I’ve found these shows to be very interesting, but caution viewers as to the authenticity of the content."
She said those in the cosmetic and reconstructive surgery fields, as in other medical fields, face unique challenges. "We care for the physiological needs of our patients as well as their psychological needs. This is the most challenging part of our job. Patients and families need support as they go through various treatments or surgeries related to health problems." TPW
After working as a nurse on the neurology floor at OSF and as an office nurse in the St. Francis Family Practice Residency Program, she moved into management, maintaining roles both as nurse and manager. "Since then, I’ve managed two other Family Practice/Internal Medicine practices. I currently manage the Illinois Valley Center for Plastic Surgery, as well as Heart of Illinois Rehabilitation," she said.
As manager, Steele is responsible for all financial, human resource, marketing, and day-to-day operations of the offices. "I also work as a nurse in the office, complete patient surgery scheduling, and provide patient education. I really enjoy the various aspects of my job and find this opportunity very unique," she said.
Illinois Valley Center for Plastic Surgery provides all types of cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, Steele said. "This involves cosmetic surgery such as breast reduction, breast augmentation, and breast lift procedures. We also perform body-contouring surgeries such as liposuction and abdominoplasty. Other cosmetic surgeries include rhinoplasty, otoplasty, facelifts, brow lifts, and blepharoplasty. We also perform reconstructive surgeries such as breast reconstruction, skin cancer care, and burn care."
Other services-like laser vein therapy, laser hair reduction, and peels-are less invasive. "Our staff perform a variety of facial peels such as glycolic peels, blue peels, and skin medical peels. We also do microdermabrasion. The most recent breakthrough in skin care is the use of growth factors to enhance collagen growth and reduce the signs of aging. We carry four lines of facial products that specialize in problems such as fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne, and acne scarring. Each patient is given a skin evaluation and placed on the product from which they’ll benefit the most. We feel skin health is very important in that it decreases the incidence of skin cancers and maintains youthful looking skin," she said.
Not surprisingly, Steele said about 95 percent of Illinois Valley’s cosmetic plastic surgery patients are women; however, she’s seen an increase over the past few years in the number of men requesting these services. What they all have in common, she said, is a desire to change what they see when they look in the mirror. "I often hear patients say, ’I always wanted to do this, but I was too busy.’ Or they had other priorities. Today, people are very aware of their appearance, and ’aging gracefully’ is very important. Everyone wants cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance, but what’s important to one person may not be important to someone else. Many women consider cosmetic surgery to turn back the clock, so to speak. For example, they may have experienced changes during the childbearing years and wish to have body contouring surgery."
Other people opt for plastic surgery due to disfiguring diseases such as skin or breast cancer, Steele said. "Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer are referred to us for a consultation on breast reconstruction. This wasn’t an option for women until a few years ago. Education of physicians and the public through the Susan G. Komen Breast Center has increased public awareness. We, as professionals, realize women facing breast cancer surgery need essential education about the various options for breast reconstruction, depending on their prescribed treatment. For some, reconstruction may be possible at the same time as the breast surgery or mastectomy. In other situations, reconstruction may have to wait until other treatments are discontinued."
As in other industries, the cosmetic surgery field is subject to trends. "Four years ago, the American Society of Plastic Surgery predicted an increase in liposuction over other cosmetic procedures. We were skeptical of this information, especially being located in the Midwest. It turned out that they were right, though. The most common cosmetic procedures done today are breast augmentation, liposuction, and abdominoplasty. Though not really considered cosmetic, breast reduction surgery is becoming a popular procedure. This, I believe, is due to patient education by physicians, general education seminars, and medical news journals as well as television. Women who were faced with neck pain, back pain, shoulder grooving, and skin infections are finding relief with breast reduction surgery. I foresee these same procedures being popular within the next few years," Steele said.
In the past, cosmetic surgery was thought to be for the rich and famous. Today, however, people with more conservative incomes are having cosmetic plastic surgery, and, for the most part, the stigma has been removed. "I know many people may be skeptical of certain cosmetic procedures. Reconstructive plastic surgery has been done for years, though, and many people don’t recognize it as plastic surgery. These patients undergo reconstructive surgery to reclaim their facial features. In a way, plastic surgery is an art. The physician actually has to visualize the surgical outcome as he cares for the patient," she said.
Because it’s mostly elective surgery, some patients are hesitant to think seriously about cosmetic surgery, and Steele said some types of media coverage doesn’t help. "The medical profession abides by certain legal and ethical guidelines. In recent months, we’ve all enjoyed watching television programs involving plastic surgery. I’ve found these shows to be very interesting, but caution viewers as to the authenticity of the content."
She said those in the cosmetic and reconstructive surgery fields, as in other medical fields, face unique challenges. "We care for the physiological needs of our patients as well as their psychological needs. This is the most challenging part of our job. Patients and families need support as they go through various treatments or surgeries related to health problems." TPW