Our Mission

Dr. Richard Nguyen

Dr. Richard Nguyen opened Lifetime Surgical in Los Gatos in 2007, where he’s helped countless patients achieve their weight loss goals through surgery. Now, the esteemed practice is rolling out a Wellness Clinic to help patients improve their health and overall longevity—without surgery.

A board-certified general surgeon since 2001, Dr. Nguyen says he has always done a lot of weight loss surgeries—he’s trained in minimally invasive bariatric and metabolic surgery—in addition to keeping a busy schedule of regular surgeries for emergencies, cancer, and all other medical necessities. The new Wellness Clinic is a natural progression of the weight loss side of his practice, as, over the last couple of years, peptide medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have evolved the field of medically managed weight loss.

“I’m a surgeon, but my job is not to just do surgery on anyone who walks through the door,” Dr. Nguyen says. “What we’re doing is trying to focus on finding new and innovative ways to treat people in a functional way—meaning their ability to move better, and to live healthier and longer lives, in many cases, without actually needing operations.”

The cornerstone of the Wellness Clinic includes new, cutting-edge peptide medications. Made up of amino acids, different peptide medications function differently in the body depending on their particular makeup. Semaglutide, the active peptide in weightloss medication Wegovy, for instance, affects your stomach, producing a hormone that makes you feel full, explains Dr. Nguyen. “But there are dozens, if not hundreds of these peptides that can all do different things to your body,” says Dr. Ngyuen. “It’s all very new and the medical community is still learning about it. Some can increase growth hormone production by affecting your pituitary gland, some can induce collagen production to improve your skin and joints, others affect hormones like testosterone, which can help you heal faster.”

Resource: Los Gatos Magazine | Fall 2024

(ARNP) Morgan Carmean

With a goal of assisting patients with overall health from a functional perspective, catered to each individual’s needs, the Wellness Clinic at Lifetime Surgical is being spearheaded by Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) Morgan Carmean. Every Wellness Clinic patient goes through an in-depth medical history review and complete evaluation of overall health goals with Carmean. Then, following necessary testing, a treatment plan is developed that includes monthly check-ins, and may include diet and exercise counseling, depending on a patient’s goals.

“What I love most about being a part of the Wellness Clinic is the ability to provide new avenues for people to achieve their wellness goals,” says Carmean. “Being able to guide patients through their journey and watching them becoming more confident is inspiring and motivational, and generally what made me most interested in becoming a healthcare professional.”

Resource: Los Gatos Magazine | Fall 2024