Our 5th Birthday

Dr. Lawrence Bass started the podcast in 2021 when teaching residents, lecturing at meetings, and even office visits had all stopped. This podcast let him keep teaching plastic surgery, with facts in place of hype. Our themed series' approach the same topics from different angles. Decades of Face and Lifting Without Cutting came first. The Beauty Series and the Facelift Series followed, then Aesthetic Titans, Facts and Fallacies, and the Patient Experience Series. Season 6 completes the Facelift Series and launches a new Rhinoplasty Series. The past season's favorite got three votes from the team: the Aesthetic Titans episode with the inimitable former Allure plastic surgery editor Joan Kron. Have a question, a topic request, or a treatment experience to share? Email [email protected] or send a DM on Instagram @drbassnyc. You can stay anonymous.  

Few surgical terms get more marketing buzz right now, and few cause more confusion. The deep plane isn't a secret, it isn't new, and it isn't automatically better. It has been part of most facelifts since the 1980s. Facial anatomy expert Dr. Christopher Surek joins Dr. Lawrence Bass, Summer Hardy, and Dr. Edinger to clear it up. The deep plane sits beneath the SMAS, a layer Dr. Surek compares to a bedsheet wrapped around the facial muscles and fat. Surgeons reach it two main ways: composite and bilamellar. Four choices separate them: skin lift, SMAS entry point, direction of pull, and neck work. A composite lift moves skin and SMAS together as one unit. A bilamellar lift separates them so each layer can move in its own direction. Dr. Surek prefers bilamellar for most faces because he can enter the SMAS closer to the ear, where it's thicker and farther from facial nerve branches. Neither approach has strong data proving it's safer, longer-lasting, or faster to heal. Deep neck work fits with either one. Dr. Surek saves it for full necks and treats the fat, the submandibular gland, and the muscle together. Dr. Bass often decides during surgery. The technique matters far less than the surgeon performing it. Every facelift should be customized to your face, down to the differences between your two sides. About Dr. Christopher Surek Dr. Christopher Surek is a board-certified plastic surgeon with Surek Plastic Surgery in Leawood, Kansas. He is an assistant professor of anatomy at Kansas City University and a clinical assistant professor of plastic surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center. For years he has directed facial anatomy courses at The Aesthetic Society meetings, and he co-authored one of the leading textbooks in aesthetic plastic surgery. Learn more about Dr. Surek Questions answered by this episode: 1. What is the deep plane in a facelift? 2. What is the SMAS, and why does it matter in facelift surgery? 3. Is a deep plane facelift new, or better than other facelifts? 4. What is the difference between a composite and a bilamellar facelift? 5. Which deep plane technique is safer for the facial nerve? 6. Does one facelift technique last longer or heal faster? 7. Why do some surgeons pull the skin and the SMAS in different directions? 8. Do you need deep neck work with a facelift? 9. Does deep neck work remove the submandibular gland? 10. Does the surgeon matter more than the facelift technique? About Dr. Lawrence Bass Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond. To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.

Catherine spent six years researching, saving, and waiting for her facelift. Almost nothing went the way she expected. She's the first guest in a new series with Dr. Lawrence Bass and co-host Summer Hardy, where patients, not just the surgeon, describe what surgery is really like. Loose neck skin first caught her eye in photos with her grandson. After her consultation, she waited a full year to book. She picked December so she could stay out of the sun while she healed. Her bruising and swelling were far milder than she braced for, and Tylenol handled the discomfort. She slept propped up for about a week and was back at her desk in five days. Some parts of recovery no one warns you about. She coordinated care for her 102-year-old aunt while healing herself. Her boss, her kids, and an old friend each had something to say once they noticed. Her advice if you're on the fence: research your surgeon until fear turns into confidence, then let the rest go. A good facelift heals quietly. You should look like a rested version of yourself, not someone new. Learn more about facelift surgery at Bass Plastic Surgery. Questions answered by this episode: 1. What does facelift recovery actually feel like, day by day? 2. How much bruising and swelling is normal after a facelift? 3. How long before you can go back to work after a facelift? 4. Is a facelift painful, and what do most people actually take for pain? 5. How long do you have to sleep propped up after a facelift? 6. Are there hidden costs with a facelift, like garments or lymphatic massage? 7. How do you know a facelift surgeon is the right fit for you? 8. What should a good facelift consultation actually cover? 9. How noticeable are facelift incisions once they heal? 10. What's the biggest misconception about getting a facelift? About Dr. Lawrence Bass Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond. To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.

The surgery that meaningfully addresses skin laxity also happens to be the procedure that attracts the most persistent myths — from a supposedly "new" natural look invented overseas, to the idea that recovery takes months. In the first installment of a multi-episode series on face lifting, Dr. Lawrence Bass and co-host Summer Hardy work through the most common misconceptions people bring into a consultation, calling each one a fact or a fallacy. They cover the "Paris lift" media trend and why the natural-looking facelift is not new, the ASPS data on who is actually getting face and neck lifts, and why the "windswept" telltale of decades past does not describe the modern result. Dr. Bass traverses through the real recovery timeline, where the incisions actually sit, how facelift results hold up over 10 to 15 years, and how skin creams, regenerative treatments, and energy devices compare when the goal is meaningful correction of skin laxity. The through-line: a modern facelift is designed to look rested rather than "done," and no cream, injectable, or non-surgical device delivers more than a small fraction of what surgical lifting can do for laxity — roughly ten percent, in Dr. Bass's estimate. Questions answered by this episode: 1. Do modern facelifts still look pulled or windswept? 2. Is the "Paris lift" or the new natural-looking facelift trend actually a new technique? 3. Once you have a facelift, do you have to keep getting more? 4. Does your face age faster after you have had a facelift? 5. What age range gets the most face and neck lifts? 6. Are facelift scars always visible after healing? 7. How long is the real recovery from a facelift? 8. Do men get facelifts, or is it only a women's procedure? 9. How long do facelift results last? 10. Can any non-surgical treatment replace a facelift for skin laxity? About Dr. Lawrence Bass Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond. To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc. Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass

The layer just beneath the skin does more to shape a youthful face than most people expect. Dr. Lawrence Bass and Dr. Jason Bloom explain where facial volume actually comes from and the areas fat commonly gets added: cheeks, nasolabial folds, lips, temples, the jawline, and the tear trough under the eyes. Volume loss, not just loose skin, reshapes a face over time. Harvesting and processing get equal attention: gentler cannulas, tumescent fluid, and a closed membrane system that purifies fat to roughly 97% while keeping its growth factors and stem cells intact. Dr. Bloom explains why sizing fat particles between 700 and 1500 microns prevents lumps, especially around the eyes. They cover the real risks, with vascular occlusion and vision loss chief among them, and why taking fat out of the neck can sometimes make it look worse, depending on whether the fullness sits above or below the platysma muscle. Their shared takeaway: survival, not volume, decides the outcome. Even a well-processed graft only takes about 50 to 70%, so planning for that loss is what makes results look natural months later. About Dr. Jason Bloom Dr. Jason Bloom is a facial plastic surgeon in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and co-director of the Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He speaks nationally and internationally on fat grafting and processing techniques, and roughly 80% of his facial rejuvenation surgeries pair periocular surgery with fat grafting. To learn more, visit the Bloom Facial Plastics website or follow Dr. Bloom on Instagram @bloom.facial.plastics

After pregnancy, the body's changes are rarely uniform — which means the surgical plan can't be either. Dr. Bass and returning guest Dr. Munique Maia walk through the two core areas a mommy makeover addresses: the abdomen and the breasts. For the abdomen, they cover how a full tummy tuck works — correcting diastasis, removing excess skin, and including liposuction for the waist and flanks — and when a mini approach, a simple C-section scar release, or non-invasive skin tightening is the better fit. Very few people after pregnancy are candidates for liposuction alone. For the breasts, shape and position matter more than size. A breast that has sagged off its ideal position on the chest won't look right with an implant alone — which is why a lift, with or without augmentation, is often part of the plan. Both decisions come down to reading the anatomy carefully before committing to an approach. There's no single right age or perfect moment for a mommy makeover — only the right anatomy and a plan built specifically around you. About Dr. Munique Maia Dr. Munique Maia is a board-certified plastic surgeon practicing in the Washington, DC, metro area. A graduate of the Northwell Health residency program, she completed her aesthetic fellowship at Harvard before building a busy private practice. She is a returning guest on Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class. Read more about Dr. Maia  https://www.maiaplasticsurgery.com/ Questions answered by this episode: 1. What is a mommy makeover and what procedures does it include? 2. Do you need to be done having children before getting a mommy makeover? 3. Who is a good candidate for a mommy makeover? 4. What is the difference between a breast lift and a breast augmentation after pregnancy? 5. What does a full tummy tuck address that liposuction alone cannot? 6. When is it safe to combine breast and abdominal surgery in one procedure? 7. How long is recovery after a mommy makeover? 8. Why do surgeons sometimes recommend staging a mommy makeover into two separate procedures? 9. Are there non-surgical alternatives to a mommy makeover? 10. Is there an age limit for a tummy tuck or mommy makeover? About Dr. Lawrence Bass Innovator.  Industry veteran.  In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies.  With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond.  To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website https://www.drbass.net/ or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc https://www.instagram.com/drbassnyc/   

You service your car by the mile and your house by the season, but the silicone and saline devices from a cosmetic breast augmentation keep a schedule all their own. The classic answer is that you run them until they break — no surgeon, manufacturer, or FDA rule forces a replacement while the device is still performing. What sends someone back to the OR isn't a date on the calendar but events: capsular contracture that firms up or distorts the shape, and the rupture or deflation of a saline or silicone gel breast implant. Your breasts change on their own, too. Pregnancy, weight shifts, and gravity add droopiness over 10, 20, or 30 years, until the implant and the breast can stop lining up. Dr. Bass and co-host Summer Hardy walk through when a size change, a breast lift, or a full swap makes sense, whether an implant can ever be reused, and why an intact device is far easier to remove than a ruptured one. The bottom line: a touch of firmness or mild asymmetry usually isn't worth a trip to the OR, but any real change in the size, shape, firmness, or feel of the breast means it's time to call your surgeon right away. You can run implants until they break — or get more out of them, and a better result, with a little upkeep along the way. Questions answered by this episode: 1. Do breast implants need to be replaced on a schedule? 2. How long do breast implants actually last? 3. What is capsular contracture, and does it mean you need surgery? 4. How do you know if a breast implant has ruptured or deflated? 5. What is the rupture or deflation rate in the first 10 years? 6. Can a breast implant be reused during a revision, or does it have to be replaced? 7. How do pregnancy, weight changes, and aging affect the breasts after augmentation? 8. When does it make sense to add a breast lift while replacing implants? 9. Will a mammogram damage a breast implant? 10. How often should you see your plastic surgeon after breast augmentation? About Dr. Lawrence Bass Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond. To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.  

Facial appearance carries some of the strongest signals of gender, and small, precise changes can shift how a face reads to the world. Dr. Lawrence Bass and returning guest Dr. Jason Bloom, co-director of the Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, walk through the standard menu of facial feminization and masculinization work: brow shape, nasal bridge and tip, forehead slope, cheek volume, and jaw and chin contour. They compare implants, fat grafting, and fillers for each area, and explain why male-to-female changes tend to be reductive while female-to-male changes tend to be additive. Dr. Bloom shares how neuromodulators and fillers let people preview a look and adjust brow height or cheek volume with real precision, without surgery or anesthesia. Insurance coverage, cost, and the reality that this work is ongoing rather than one-and-done round out the conversation. The takeaway: there is no single template for a masculine or feminine face, and the right surgeon listens to what a person wants rather than repeating one signature style. About Dr. Jason Bloom Dr. Jason Bloom is a facial plastic surgeon in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and co-director of the Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his fellowship at New York University and Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Questions answered by this episode: 1. What is facial feminization surgery? 2. How do masculine and feminine brow shapes differ? 3. What makes a nose read as more masculine or more feminine? 4. Why do surgeons often choose fillers or fat over cheek implants for midface volume? 5. What is the difference between neuromodulators and dermal fillers in gender-affirming facial work? 6. Why is male-to-female facial affirmation usually reductive while female-to-male is usually additive? 7. Can fillers be used to try out a look before committing to surgery? 8. Does insurance cover facial feminization surgery or gender-affirming fillers? 9. How has gender-affirming facial surgery changed over the past few decades?10. Why isn't there one standard look for gender affirmation surgery? About Dr. Lawrence Bass Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond. To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.

When Allure greenlit a 1991 story on whether cosmetic surgeons talk people into procedures they don't need, the reporter who took it signed up for a facelift mid-assignment — and built a 25-year career off the result. Joan Kron joins Dr. Bass for a long conversation about what plastic surgery looked like before liposuction, before Botox, before fillers were anything more than collagen. Her early Allure features ranged from "Shopping for a New Face" to a story about a woman who died on the operating table during a facelift, and her monthly Scalpel News column ran for 25 years without ever publishing a "best doctor" list. Joan and Dr. Bass talk through three decades of shifts: selfie culture pulling the average age down, the rise of Botox, the injectables boom now distorting faces a syringe at a time, the Brazilian butt lift trade where industrial silicone in the wrong hands has become a leading cause of cosmetic death, and a frank read on reality TV — Botched, she argues, isn't really about plastic surgery so much as letting viewers feel superior to people who made bad choices. The most practical thread is recovery. Major procedures need professional post-operative monitoring, not a girlfriend who can't tell when bleeding has become a hematoma or local anesthesia has dropped blood pressure into the danger zone. Beauty is more accessible than ever, but the moment someone shops for price instead of expertise, that margin disappears. About Joan Kron Joan Kron is the award-winning journalist who built plastic surgery into a real reporting beat — 25 years at Allure, the book Lift: Wanting, Fearing, and Having a Facelift, and the documentary Take My Nose, Please (streaming on Amazon Prime). Questions answered in this episode: 1. How did Joan Kron establish plastic surgery as a serious journalism beat? 2. What did plastic surgery look like in 1991, before Botox, liposuction, and modern fillers? 3. Why are "best doctor" lists in women's magazines often misleading?4. How has social media changed the average age of people seeking cosmetic procedures? 5. Why is professional post-operative supervision essential after a facelift, and how does too much local anesthesia raise the risk?6. How did reality shows like Dr. 90210 and Botched shape public perception of plastic surgery? 7. Why is the Brazilian butt lift both the fastest-growing and the most dangerous cosmetic procedure? 8. How do injectable fillers distort the face when overused? 9. What's the fascinating history behind Botox that almost no one knows? About Dr. Lawrence Bass Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond. To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc

Almost everyone heading into face lift surgery worries about the line in front of the ear. But the cuts everywhere else around it are arguably more challenging. Dr. Bass and Dr. Kylie Edinger walk through every cut made during a facelift — from the sideburn and hairline above the ear, down through or in front of the tragus, around the earlobe, behind the ear, and back into the hairline of the neck. Each location has at least two viable variations, and which one a surgeon picks depends on whether the lift is focused on the midface or the jawline and neck, the thickness of the skin, how someone tends to scar, and even how they wear their hair. They cover why men with thicker pre-tragal skin often get a different cut than women, how a retrotragal incision hides better but risks blunting the tragus, why an anterior hairline cut can be made oblique to let hair grow through and disguise the scar, what causes the pixie ear deformity at the earlobe, and how scars mature over a full year with help from silicone gels, anti-inflammatory injections, and lasers. The scar you end up with is mostly about your genetics. The surgeon's job is to place each line where it belongs, sew it with finesse, and have the full revision toolkit ready if any of them need help along the way. About Dr. Kylie Edinger Dr. Kylie Edinger is a plastic surgeon practicing in Bozeman, Montana. During the creation of this facelift series, she was training as an aesthetic plastic surgery fellow with Dr. Bass and a host of other world class plastic surgeons at Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital in New York City. Part of the prestigious Northwell Health program, this is one of the top aesthetic plastic surgery fellowships in the country. Dr. Edinger completed her plastic surgery residency at the University of Wisconsin. Follow Dr. Edinger on Instagram @kylieedinger Questions answered by this episode: 1. Where are facelift incisions actually placed around the ear? 2. What's the difference between a pre-tragal and retro-tragal facelift incision? 3. Why do men often need a different facelift incision than women? 4. What is a pixie ear deformity and how do surgeons prevent it? 5. How does a facelift incision change for a midface lift versus a neck lift? 6. What is the submental incision and why is it part of a facelift? 7. How long does it take for facelift scars to fade? 8. Can lasers, silicone gels, and injections improve a healing facelift scar? 9. What facelift incision options are there for bald men or men with very short hair? 10. Can the same incisions be reused for a revision facelift years later? About Dr. Lawrence Bass Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond. To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.