My philosophy regarding aging, beauty, and health can be summed up in one word: Balance.

I did not always hold this view, but with experience, we often gain wisdom, and my current practice is a reflection of my life’s experiences. A third generation doctor, I went into medicine without a second thought.  It was as if it was in my DNA. And growing up in LA, amongst the wealthy and most privileged of our society, I gravitated toward plastic surgery. My medical training, although well rounded, was always heavily influenced by aesthetics and beauty. After spending twelve years practicing plastic surgery and hair restoration in Beverly Hills, I have now begun to take a more holistic approach to medicine.

Over the past several years I have spent a great deal of time researching and educating myself about eastern philosophies and medicine, and my current philosophy regarding health, aging and beauty can best be described as holistic. Having performed hundreds of facelifts, breast augmentations, liposuctions, and thousands of hair transplants, I now prefer to really individualize treatments, and to get to know the whole patient.  I’ve been inspired by the example of Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a prominent and famous plastic surgeon in the 1940’s and 1950’s, who left plastic surgery to concentrate on psychological components of patient care. Rather than looking at a patient as a collection of physical features, the way plastic surgery is commonly practiced, I have learned to incorporate a sensitivity to a patient’s entire being—his or her physical and mental wellness.

This is not to say that I am not a fan of cosmetic plastic surgery—I am—but I have been influenced by several factors that have contributed to my current philosophies. Firstly, I have witnessed a disturbing trend in which patients aren’t availing themselves of plastic surgery in order to become the best they can possibly be. Instead, they’re undergoing procedures in an attempt to be somebody else or conform to someone else’s ideal. Secondly, I have observed many patients who, despite their positive physical outcomes from plastic surgery, did not change their overall perception of the world or themselves and therefore did not experience the improvements in their lives that we both expected. Thirdly, I have experienced personal losses that have challenged my traditional thoughts about life and spirituality. And finally, I have come to realize that there are patients (and people in general) for whom no amount of outward improvement will change what really ails them. There are underlying problems that no scalpel, laser, or injection can touch, let alone mitigate. 

The sum of my experiences has led me to my current beliefs about cosmetic surgery, aging, and about health in its totality. We need to feel good both on the inside, as well as on the surface.  Good health, happiness, and confidence necessitate a healthy lifestyle and informed decisions.  Patients must be proactive about their health and they must be completely educated about their surgical procedures. A combination of a healthy diet and nutrition, enjoyable exercise on a regular basis, and yes, even plastic surgery, may then act synergistically to allow us to be the best that we can be. A good plastic surgeon may tell you what you need; an excellent one will explain all of your alternatives and empower you to gain sustainable youth, health, and vitality.