DR. RENATO SALTZ
Plastic Surgery
By Tamara S. Wolfe | Photo courtesy of Dr. Renato Saltz
“I DID NOT RECOGNIZE MYSELF IN THE MIRROR.”
Bernadette Gireaud-Hamer is a wife, mother, and medical sales professional in her late 40s. She will tell you that she has the spirit of a 20-year-old. That she sees the light and humor and lessons in even the most trying times. That counting the good things in life remains central in her world.
Yet she found herself in an unfamiliar place, in an emotional struggle with aging.
“My face looked so tired. My brows and eyelids felt heavy. They bothered me at night.”
Deep inside, her Latin American roots still tugged.
Bernadette spent much of her childhood in Puerto La Cruz, a picturesque port city along Venezuela’s eastern coast. The birthplace of her parents, it’s a land where honoring a person’s beauty is part of daily life.
“Beauty is celebrated,” she says. “It’s surrounded by pageantry. It’s in my DNA.”
“I know aging is a privilege,” she says. “But inside my confidence was slipping. I told my husband that I wanted to have my brows lifted. He was supportive, yet concerned I might lose the face he loved.”
Yet she knew she needed to go forward.
“If I can take advantage of technology and modern science to delay aging and correct an issue that is troubling me, why wouldn’t I?”
But Bernadette wanted the change to be subtle. And at 47, she felt that addressing it now could avoid a more dramatic transformation later.
“By way of another surgeon, I was told, ‘You must see Dr. Saltz,’” she says.
Dr. Renato Saltz, founder of Saltz Plastic Surgery & Spa Vitoria, grew up in South Brazil, where beauty is woven into the culture as deeply as it is in Venezuela.
In their first meeting, Bernadette found her native Spanish in his warm, reassuring voice.
“Dr. Saltz was so kind and patient with me,” Bernadette says. “I wanted to know the why and the how behind the procedure. I wanted to understand what would happen beneath the skin. He educated me on every aspect and made me feel so comfortable.”
Dr. Saltz suggested that since she would already be under anesthesia for an endoscopic brow lift, they could combine it with an endoscopic mid-facial lift to create a more balanced rejuvenation.
Bernadette booked the surgery.
Dr. Saltz was one of the early champions of endoscopy, developing what he calls the endo deep plane lift, a powerful, precise facial rejuvenation technique that has revolutionized aesthetic plastic surgery worldwide.
“With the endo deep plane facelift, we lift from the foundation, not just the skin, using advanced tools that minimize trauma, maximize longevity, reduce recovery time, and return a person’s natural beauty,” Dr. Saltz explains.
On the day of surgery, Bernadette’s husband was understandably nervous. Bernadette, however, leaned into her Venezuelan humor, filming and sharing the experience on her social channels. It was the beginning of letting people watch her heal.
“At first, the swelling in my forehead felt spongy,” Bernadette says. “My brow area and the pooling around my eyes caused my eyes to look narrow. My smile felt tight. And my daughter worried, but I told her healing takes time.”
Dr. Saltz had prepared Bernadette for the recovery process. He explained to her that when you perform a lift, you must overcorrect because the tissues will settle.
And he has built his practice around what he calls the Complete Aesthetic Package, an approach that combines surgical and nonsurgical care with medical spa treatments to support patients before, during, and after their procedures.
Patty McIntosh, a Licensed Medical Esthetician and Master Aesthetician who has worked alongside Dr. Saltz for 19 years, is at the heart of the aftercare, along with registered surgical nurse Tara Thompson.
“Our aftercare is truly unique,” Patty says. “Patients meet with Tara to ensure everything is going smoothly. Then they come to me for lymphatic drainage treatments which help reduce bruising and inflammation, improve well-being and aid in recovery.”
As Bernadette healed, the swelling disappeared. Her eyes opened up. Her smile returned. And so did her daughter’s.
Soon, Bernadette stood in front of that same mirror and saw herself again.
A year later, she went back to Dr. Saltz for one more lift. Her neck.
“After losing 30 pounds four years ago, my neck had a lot of sagging skin. I wanted it to match my refreshed face,” she says. “It’s now been a few weeks out, and while there’s still some swelling, I feel great.”
Her social posts began attracting attention, and people reached out to Dr. Saltz about the procedures she had undergone. Her personal decision became a way for others to see what endoscopic aesthetic surgery looks like through the eyes of a patient.
And through it all, she learned patience, but even more, she never forgot to count the good things.
Her husband. Her daughter. Her career. A community of family and friends. The lives she now touches through her social reach.
And Dr. Renato Saltz and the team who helped her make the change she had wanted, without taking away the face that had always been there.
“I hit the reset button on my face,” Bernadette says. “I still look like myself, but less tired, more refreshed.”
“I feel like myself again.”
“I feel bonita!”