“Facial cosmetic surgery … is the art of medicine – with the sole goal of bringing joy.”
Welcome to my blog on facial cosmetic surgery. In my years as a practicing surgeon, I’ve read other blogs about my specialty and considered starting one of my own. Last month the save-the-date postcard arrived for my 20-year medical school class reunion. It caused me to look back at my surgical career.
I have performed thousands of surgeries and seen fads come and go. I have more experience than many medical school professors, but I am still young enough to be excited about the changes ahead. I have a passion for cosmetic surgery and want to help as many patients as possible.
I realized the time has come to start blogging.
On this blog I will share thoughts and comments to help clarify the confusing information now available on the web, in a wide range of media, and by word of mouth. I will also use it as a forum for patients to share their stories and for guest writers to add their thoughts on cosmetic procedures.
But first, let me introduce myself.
I am a board certified facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and I am in private practice in Portland, Oregon. I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon with a BA in Biochemistry, completed four years of medical school at the Oregon Health Sciences Center, and then finished a six-year residency in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. After being in private practice for over 2 years I submitted 2000 cases and took a national oral and written exam to become board certified in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Early in my practice I performed head and neck cancer surgeries, removed skin cancers from the face, surgically repaired facial fractures and performed sinus surgery, in addition to cosmetic procedures. This extensive background has made me very familiar with the face – inside and out. It makes me very comfortable performing facial cosmetic surgery, and more importantly, makes me very comfortable treating and preventing complications from cosmetic surgery.
But you’re as important as I am, in this blog equation. I hope the blog will become something of a conversation between me and readers who have questions or who hope to learn more about facial plastic surgery. So feel free to jump in with your questions or comments. You can send them to me at david@portlandfacedoctor.com. I’ll use your emails as jumping-off points for future blog entries.
As a physician I’ve had the privilege of touching the lives of others. As a cosmetic surgeon I have the pleasure of getting to know patients in a very special and intimate way. It is the art of medicine – with the sole goal of bringing joy. It’s not an exact science, and there are no “right” answers. Like art, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and everyone has his or her own taste. It is a rewarding and exciting profession, filled with endless innovations. It is also very confusing for patients, who are bombarded daily with advertisements, news stories and advice from friends. I hope to to help patients evaluate all their choices, so they end up making informed decisions that bring them joy.
