“There is a brighter future ahead.”

Jeanne Eyde, D.O., board-certified ENT, Facial Plastic Surgeon practicing Aesthetic Medicine at Grand Pearl Spa, a division of Plastic Surgery Associates, and Medical & Wellness Director at Urban You – Beauty Bar, segued her surgical career into something that better fits her life.

How did you end up in West Michigan?
I moved here from the Detroit area for my internship and residency back in 1998. I got my board certification for Ear, Nose, Throat & Facial Plastic Surgery. I became a practicing ENT physician. When my husband passed away suddenly, I quit and eventually shifted my career to become a medical director at a local med spa. Then, I found myself enjoying the world of aesthetic medicine.

Did you realize what you’re doing now could be a career?
No. I knew plastic surgery could be a career. But just dealing with minimally invasive aesthetics, I didn’t think at all about ending up in this position. I absolutely love it because I don’t have the stress, as a single parent, of being on-call. While I’m always available to my patients, it’s not the surgical stress of being available.

How do you respond to social media pressures to find perfection in plastic surgery?
I treat my patients as a whole. Although they may be coming in to see me to enhance their outer beauty, I believe their inner beauty is just as important. The pressure of social media definitely concerns me. People are looking for injectables and neurotoxins at younger and younger ages. When they come in and say they want lips like Kylie Jenner, I just want them to hold on to their own youthful beauty as long as they can. We don’t love to follow trends; we just like to follow classic beauty that enhances your own unique look.

When your husband died, you became a single mom to three young children. How did you find balance?
I knew I needed to be a really good physician at what I was doing, but my kids are my priority. I had to find the job I could definitely be really good at, but at the same time didn’t demand my full time. This career allows me to work part-time and still be involved in the field of medicine. I’m still able to participate in discussions with the surgeons and such, but I’m also able to give my kids my full attention outside of work.

What do you want your children to learn from your life?
There is always a brighter day in the future. Those were some hard times. They’ve seen me sad. But then they’ve seen me get through it. I’ve seen them sad and I’ve helped them through it. No matter what, there is a brighter future ahead. You cannot give up and you always have to believe that things will get better even when they’re momentarily pretty difficult. And rely on the support of your community of family and friends.

You can’t do it by yourself when times are tough.

Dr. Jeanne Eyde is launching a Wellness vlog on the West Michigan Woman Facebook page. Her series focuses on sexual wellness, menopause, injectable beauty treatments and other topics. Be sure to Like and Follow this page so you can watch.

Written by Jennifer A. Pascua, Digital Content Strategy Manager for West Michigan Woman.

This article originally appeared in West Michigan Woman.