Winter Park surgeon Dr. Ruth Hill Yeilding helps patients turn back the clock

Your appearance and confidence go hand in hand. Just ask Dr. Ruth Hill Yeilding of YMD Eye & Face. 

Yeilding has been in the practice of cosmetic surgery for the past six years and is nearing four years of work in Central Florida. YMD Eye & Face deals in both surgical and nonsurgical treatments of the face and neck. Whether it’s peels and facials; Botox and fillers; or laser treatments and surgery, there’s an option to best suit your needs. 

But Yeilding’s particular specialty is treating hooded eyelids, giving eyes with heavy upper eyelids and puffy lower eyelids a more youthful and rested appearance. 

Eyes are one of the most critical features when it comes to the face, Yeilding said. 

“We pretty much strictly focus on other people’s eyes when we’re talking to them,” she said, as per many eye-tracking studies. “It’s eyes and a little bit of mouth, and then you go back to the eyes. The eyes are extremely important because it’s how you’re presenting yourself to the world and to other people.” 

Yeilding always has had an interest in conducting surgery and the surgery of the eyes themselves fascinated her the most. 

“I was drawn to the eye surgeries because the ophthalmologists were very meticulous and detail-oriented,” she said. “The surgeries inside the eye are very perfect. I thought the surgeries were really beautiful, even the surgeries around the eye.” 

Board certified by The American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery and The American Board of Ophthalmology, Dr. Yeilding had fellowship training in oculoplastics and facial cosmetic surgery. It was during her fellowship training that she became an expert with the use of a laser. 

Yeilding said she understands how significant the decision is to undergo cosmetic surgery.  

“What I usually tell the patients first is you have to be bothered by whatever the issue is enough to say, ‘OK, I want to undergo surgery,’ and be willing to accept the risks that are involved in all surgical procedures,” Yeilding said. “They also need to choose the right surgeon. You want someone who has the experience, and they need to have experience in the surgery you’re getting.” 

There are plenty of practical steps that can be done outside of the doctor’s office to help keep your skin healthy, she said. Chief among those are applying sunscreen regularly and not smoking. 

“Those two things make a huge difference,” Yeilding said. “The next thing is taking good care of your skin early. If you can start early doing little things along the way, instead of just letting everything go and then wanting something done all at once, those are patients that have the best outcome.” 

In the end, an appearance that lends itself to confidence is valuable, Yeilding said. She remembers one male patient in his 60s last year who went to her looking to reverse a “tired” look around his eyes. He was looking to return to the workforce and was having difficulty hearing back from employers. 

After an upper and lower eyelid lift, the patient had eight interviews and landed a new job. 

“Confidence is such an important thing for everyone,” Yeilding said. “When you lose confidence in how you are presenting yourself to others or you hear negative feedback from other people … that makes a big impact on people. Being able to change that can make a big difference.”