| When I was in medical school, I quickly fell in
love with
surgery. It was exciting and rewarding to actually be able to use my hands to help people. After 5 years serving at Kern Medical Center taking care of trauma and major cancer cases, I decided that I needed a new challenge. Plastic surgery offered me the opportunity to not only cure disease, but to RECONSTRUCT the patients' body and, by doing so, their lives.
How do you hope to serve individuals and the community as a plastic surgeon?
My goal has always been to provide quality cosmetic and reconstructive care to the community. I also like to take it one step further and donate my time and money to a number of local charities. We live in a great community, one that I am very proud to be a part of. Bakersfield has given me so much, and I look forward to any opportunity to give back.
What advice would you give someone considering cosmetic surgery?
Do it at the right time in your life, do your research, and choose quality over price. We spend a lot of time reconstructing people that have had "cosmetic surgery" go wrong... although it can happen to anyone, more often than not it occurs by cutting corners on quality of care. Make sure that you are having your surgery at an ACCREDITED surgery center, it's the only way to know that you are receiving a high quality of care..and it's the law! Finally, do your research and have realistic expectations.
What are the most common procedures performed locally?
My most common procedure is the "mommy makeover" which is a combination of liposuction, a tummy tuck and a breast enhancement procedure. Most of my patients are mom's that want their body back to the way it was BEFORE children. They still feel young and full of energy, and want to see the same energetic and youthful person when they in the mirror.
What are the most common misconceptions about your line of work?
I think the most common misconception of our line of work is that it is "easy" and you can go to "anyone, anywhere" to get the cosmetic surgery done. I went through seven years of training, including a 2 year specialized fellowship in plastic surgery at the Mayo Clinic. There I learned how challenging this profession can really be!
What makes you best suited for your job?
Again it is the training and the experience. I did the actual plastic surgery training to be in this profession, and in the last 10 years I have performed over 6000 cosmetic procedures.
What is the most rewarding experience you¹ve had in your career?
That is a tough one- because there have been so many! Working at Kern Medical Center helping the indigent population, teaching residents and medical students, flying to Honduras to perform cleft lip and palate surgery; but more recently I was able to perform a breast reconstruction on a close friend of mine after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was extremely happy with her results and I felt honored to help my dear friend.
What has your job taught you?
I think I have grown in the past 7 years more than any other time period in my life. Not only have I learned the ins and outs of running a large and very busy cosmetic surgery practice, but I have learned the importance and value of community, friends and family. This "job" has been a rewarding, exciting, and humbling time for me. I know that although I have learned a lot, I will still learn much, much more!
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