Dr. Katherine Birchenough - OptimalSelf MD

Dr. Katherine Birchenough operates OptimalSelf MD in Greenville, South Carolina, combining board certification in both plastic surgery and functional medicine to address aesthetic concerns alongside underlying metabolic and hormonal imbalances. This dual expertise allows the clinic to treat patients who seek surgical body contouring or facial rejuvenation while simultaneously optimizing hormone levels, metabolic function, and cellular health through peptide protocols and functional medicine interventions. The practice serves patients throughout the Upstate South Carolina region who require coordinated care that bridges cosmetic outcomes with long-term wellness optimization.

Dr. Katherine Birchenough - OptimalSelf MD offers a range of peptide therapy options tailored to individual patient needs. Treatment protocols are customized based on health goals, lab work, and medical history, with options for hormone optimization, metabolic health, tissue repair, and performance enhancement.

Dr. Birchenough's background in plastic surgery informs her approach to aesthetic peptide applications, including collagen-stimulating compounds and skin rejuvenation protocols that complement or delay the need for surgical intervention. Her functional medicine certification guides comprehensive laboratory evaluation including hormone panels, metabolic markers, inflammatory cytokines, and micronutrient status to identify root causes of weight gain, fatigue, cognitive decline, and sexual dysfunction. This diagnostic framework allows peptide selection based on individual pathophysiology rather than symptom-based prescribing. The clinic's weight loss programs integrate GLP-1 receptor agonists with nutritional counseling, metabolic testing, and body composition analysis to achieve sustainable fat loss while preserving lean tissue, particularly valuable for patients preparing for or maintaining results from liposuction, abdominoplasty, or other body contouring procedures.

Patients at OptimalSelf MD undergo initial consultations that include detailed medical history review, physical examination, and discussion of aesthetic and wellness goals to determine whether peptide therapy, hormone optimization, surgical intervention, or a combination approach best addresses their concerns. Laboratory testing is ordered based on presenting symptoms and may include comprehensive metabolic panels, sex hormone levels, thyroid function, insulin sensitivity markers, and inflammatory biomarkers. Follow-up visits monitor treatment response through symptom tracking, repeat laboratory studies, and body composition measurements. Peptide administration training is provided for self-injectable protocols, with ongoing support for dosing adjustments and side effect management. The clinic coordinates peptide therapy timing with surgical procedures when applicable, using pre-operative optimization to improve healing capacity and post-operative protocols to enhance recovery and maintain results.

OptimalSelf MD operates exclusively through in-person consultations at its Greenville location, allowing Dr. Birchenough to perform physical examinations, assess surgical candidacy, and provide hands-on injection training that telehealth models cannot replicate. This in-person model serves patients who value direct provider interaction and those requiring coordinated surgical and medical management. The clinic's integration of plastic surgery with functional medicine creates a practice model where aesthetic procedures and peptide-based wellness programs inform each other, offering patients in the Greenville area access to a physician who understands both the external presentation and internal optimization of health and appearance.