Congratulations to Dr. Mark Beaty for being nominated to run for the presidency of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and for his Best Rhinoplasty win for the second year from the Atlantan magazine.
Interview
Surgeons are known for having type A personalities. Do you think that is necessary as a surgeon?
I think being a bit type A is an advantage for surgeons, but you also have to be adaptable.
What about your personality makes you a great surgeon?
I am certainly focused, meticulous and attentive to detail. I’ve been doing these surgeries for over 30 years so I know them inside and out. In fact, I’ve contributed to the development of both aging face and rhinoplasty surgery technique through writing and live teaching. One of the hallmarks of my medical practice is being able to adapt to any situation during a procedure and help my patient get the best possible outcome. So I temper my intensity with adaptability.
You have been recognized for the past two years as the best rhinoplasty surgeon in Atlanta. What makes someone great at rhinoplasty?
Rhinoplasty is the most complex procedure we perform as facial plastic surgeons and the keys to success are threefold, knowledge of anatomy and technique choices, surgical skill and experience. I have performed over 3000 nasal procedures in my career and I’m really good at it. The best rhinoplasty nod from the Atlantan is quite an honor, but the feedback I receive from patients is the most important. I am also constantly learning and adopting improvements in technique, such as preservation rhinoplasty, to ensure that I offer my patients the best possible results.
What surgeries do you perform most often?
My most frequently performed surgeries are facelift, rhinoplasty, eyelid lift and browlift. I really love helping patients with both facial rejuvenation and making their noses look great. I love a natural facelift result that makes someone look refreshed and younger without looking unnatural.
What is the secret to having a natural looking result after a facelift?
The key to excellent facelift results is to fully release the supportive tissue of the face in the areas requiring repositioning and contouring. This operation is definitely not about pulling and tightening tissues. That is how patients get an unnatural appearance and poor retention of results. When fully released, I can move facial tissues to precisely the location I want to and anchor them there under no tension. All the work of recontouring the face should be done in the supportive tissues, not the skin, so the skin is under no tension at closure, ensuring that it does not look stretched and that the incisions will heal as an almost imperceptible line.
And, I have to ask, what is it with the formerly beautiful women like Madonna and Meg Ryan’s faces?
We see examples of very attractive celebrities ending up with undesirable results after cosmetic procedures. While I have no specific knowledge of what was done in these cases, it does demonstrate and emphasize the importance of always striving for natural aesthetic results and maintaining an eye toward recommending a treatment course to achieve the best long-term outcome for our patients. It is sobering to realize that even patients with extensive resources sometimes get poor advice and procedures that make them look bad. In many ways, this goes back to establishing a physician patient relationship with open and honest communication to design a treatment plan which includes the proper combination of surgical and non-surgical procedures to reach the desired result.
What is something new you’ve implemented in the last few years?
In the past few years, and throughout my career, I have emphasized and enjoyed continued learning from my colleagues. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by attending meetings and learning from each other. It’s also an opportunity to relax and enjoy some fun with friends. I have been a very active participant in many meetings throughout my career, including AAFPRS, VCS, MCS, GAC and AMWC. Recently, I have been able to incorporate improved preservation rhinoplasty techniques into my arsenal, develop further nuances in progressive approach deep plane facelift technique, and further improve our ability to incorporate in-office technologies for primary treatment and for maintenance of surgical results.
We understand you are up for the presidency of your Academy. Congratulations and good luck. How do you balance being a surgeon, public speaking and being active in the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgeons?
Thank you! My schedule has always been quite busy between taking care of my patients, participating as an invited speaker and educator at meetings across the nation and globally and serving as an active member in the leadership of the Facial Plastic Surgery Academy and Board. I could not do this without the talent and support of my clinical colleagues and staff at Beaty Facial Plastic Surgery all of whom help me to be successful in all of these roles. I also owe an unpayable debt to my colleague and wife, Laura Beaty MD and my daughter Ava for putting up with all the travel and time commitments needed.
