Leading the Plastic Surgery Industry
Award-winning plastic surgeon Dr. Daniel Careaga, M.D. has an incredibly meticulous eye for beauty, which has earned him a reputation of excellence in the field. He is considered one of the top five plastic surgeons in Florida and is renowned for his exceptional tummy tucks, breast augmentations, breast lifts and body contouring.
With nearly 10,000 procedures under his belt, he stays on top of all the latest advances in his practice, which is located in the heart of Coral Gables, and offers the most advanced equipment in the industry.
A true aesthetic at heart, Dr. Careaga has, in a short time, created a successful practice based on safety, high technology and patient care. A Miami native, he has become a top industry leader.
Dr. Careaga shares his insights and experiences in an exclusive interview with us at Holalatinos Magazine:
How was your love for the aesthetic business born?
I knew that I wanted to become a surgeon at a very young age. I shadowed a surgeon in my youth and knew right away that was what I wanted to do. Then later on when I was actually studying general surgery I fell in love with plastic surgery. I love the artistic nature of plastic surgery – I have an eye for art and fashion, so it’s great that I can incorporate my eye for creativity and beauty into my practice.
What’s the most important thing about improving a person’s appearance?
It’s really all about building or rebuilding self-confidence. For the most part, patients are trying to get back their self confidence — they feel their breasts are too small, or they don’t like how they look when they go to the beach, or they’ve had children and have loose skin, or they’re in their 50s and 60s and want to look like they did when they were young. Restoring my patients’ self-confidence is very gratifying, especially when I see how the changes positively impact their lives.
You have a reputation for not changing a person’s look as your surgeries are very natural looking.
Yes, I don’t like the super big breast, huge butts or the over-pulled faces, I think we left that look back in the 90s. I feel it’s important to maintain the actual proportion of a person’s body and give them a naturally beautiful look.
Do you say no to patients who want to do excessive surgeries?
I say no to patients all the time, primarily for health reasons. If I can see that they’ve been smoking (and a doctor can tell), I will not do surgery. Patients that have health risks also put their surgery at risk so I cannot do surgery on patients that place a burden on their health and their recovery. For me, my patients’ health and safety is first. If I see something that looks fine to me, I sometimes have to also say no, but most importantly, I have to manage my patients’ expectations…I have a scalpel, not a magic wand.
What are your top four aesthetic procedures?
Breast augmentations, tummy tucks, liposuction and facelifts.
You are double board certified and less than 1 percent of doctors have a double board certification. What does that actually mean and why did you decide to do this?
I did two residencies: general surgery and plastic surgery, so I am board certified in both. A doctor is not required to be board certified, let alone double board certified. Selecting a doctor that is board certified is the only way to be sure the doctor has the appropriate training and experience to perform surgical procedures. I decided to go through the extensive preparations to certify myself in both general and plastic surgery so my patients can be in the best hands.
You are considered one of the top five plastic surgeons in Florida. What sets you apart from the competition?
There are plenty of good plastic surgeons out there and I am friends with many. All I can say is that I do spend a lot of time with my patients, and work very closely with them to achieve the results they want. I also have an amazing practice and team that further enhances the work that we do including a myriad of non-surgical procedures.
You’re a big fan of staying on top of the industry. What state-of-the-art procedures do you have that are unique to the Careaga Plastic Surgery?
A lot of times patients come in wanting high definition abdominal etching to get abs – with weight gain and time it can start to look off but with our newest technology, EmSculpt, we can actually augment muscle mass. The result is equal to doing about 20,000 crunches in one session. With four sessions, you get a 16 percent increase in muscle mass. Now, a patient can have liposuction or Liposculpture to remove all the abdominal fat. After, I can build up the muscles with this device and they can get their own real abs.
What conveniences will your new surgical center offer patients?
It will offer highly advanced technological equipment, a better location, more access to conveniences for patients, better parking and a very private entrance/exit.
Safety versus cost, what’s your best advice?
Places that offer cheaper options cut corners where they should not be cutting corners. You don’t want to cut corners when you trust your life to someone. Unfortunately, there are several clinics that offer inexpensive options that are shady and don’t do procedures in the right way. When this happens, many patients have to come see me after they’ve had complications from getting procedures done in places they should not have gone to and now they have to get a second surgery to have complications corrected. It’s better to wait to find the right doctor, at the right time (not rushing) and get the surgery done by a board certified plastic surgeon in a reputable accredited facility.
What’s the best way for patients to do their research on a doctor prior to surgery?
Whomever you choose should be a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and board certified in plastic surgery. You want to look at the overall trend of the majority of their reviews. Look at their social media and see the before and after pictures as they are key, that’s essentially a portfolio of their work. Find pictures that are similar to your body style so you can get a clear picture of your expectations. Make sure that a surgeon has done enough procedures on that specific surgery.
What lifestyle changes can help reverse aging naturally?
We can’t control the clock, but there are things we can do to make our perceived age look younger. By far, the absolute biggest risk factor for premature again is smoking, second to that is sun exposure. People should make a conscious effort to put sun block on every day, and you should also have a good skin care regimen to maintain the collagen in your skin.
In your 20s, a good skin care regime is all you need, in your 30s start considering a little Botox and some fillers, in your 40s, keep that up and have some laser resurfacing for sun damage. In your 50s, it’s time to consider something a bit more surgical.
How do you see the future of anti-aging?
I think we are going to be more scientific and be able to repair the DNA damage and actually reverse aging. Now we have products that hydrate and can fill wrinkles but nothing that changes the collagen… eventually we will get there and we will be here to offer that to our patients. Technology and science in the aesthetic industry is really exciting.
Hobbies:
I love traveling and boating and get out as much as I can!
Most outstanding accomplishment
Having my own practice after two years of having finished my residency. It was a risky move but it really paid off. Now, I’m very proud to be opening the brand new operating rooms in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Coral Gables.
El Dr. Daniel Careaga, M.D. esta liderando la industria de la cirugía plástica en Miami, y es considerado uno de los cinco mejores cirujanos plásticos de la Florida. Es famoso por sus cirugías de abdominoplasties, aumento y levantamiento de senos y contorno corporal por darles un look muy natural.
El doctor tiene un ojo meticuloso para la belleza y se ha ganado la reputación de excelencia en su campo. Siempre se mantiene a la vanguardia de la tecnología estética. Con casi 10,000 cirugías realizadas, el doctor ha creado una práctica exitosa basada en la seguridad, la alta tecnología y la atención al paciente. Tiene su oficina en el corazón de Coral Gables y ahora por estrenar un nuevo salon de operación de primera clase.
Credits:
Photography: @kattycphotos
Production: @Press_Latin_Pop
Location: Coral Gables, Fl
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