Name: Luis Lopez Tallaj, MD
Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Website: dominicanplasticsurgery.com

That's interesting: Dr. Tallaj is the Chairman of the International Committee of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

Can you tell us a little bit about you and how you got started in cosmetic medicine?

When I came back from my training in Brazil, I chose to work with the best part of plastic surgery, the cosmetic procedures significantly increase the self-esteem of our clients immediately.

Can you tell us more about your clinic? 

My office is located at Clinica Corazones Unidos, which is a General Hospital here in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I run my clinic by myself. We offering cosmetic surgery to our citizens and some of the come in from abroad. My  focus are mainly blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, facelift, breast augmentation, mastopexy, liposuction tummy tucks, dermal fillers, Botulinum Toxin and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). We perform no more than six surgical procedures a week.

Staffing is always something that physicians are interested in. Can you give us some insight into how you hire and manage your staff and what you’ve learned?

Im a very lucky person since I have being working with the same staff for the last five years. My assistant at the office is my patient coordinator. At the surgical room I work with the Anesthesiology team which is fantastic, so I feel safe and secure in our facility at the general hospital. I alsowork with 3 nurses that know my routine.

What IPL or laser technologies are you using? What are your thoughts about the technologies you’re using now?

Here in the Caribbean there are various skin types so I don't invest money in technologies that may only serve 5 percent of my patient population. I don´t work with laser,I only offer surgical procedures, dermal fillers, Botox and PRP.

How do you market your clinic?

Mainly patient to patient in ten years of a successful practice, we offer a lot of TV interviews which can be found in You Tube, Love the social media that I think works perfectly and also we have a talk show from Monday to Thursday from 2:00 to 3:00 PM, www.consultandoalcirujano.com , the first interactive radio show in Latin America about Plastic Surgery. 

What treatments or services are most profitable for you?

The Platelet Rich Plasma therapy and Botox which I have added 2 years ago is the most profitable treatment in my office.

What have you learned about practicing cosmetic medicine? What stories can you tell?

I have learned that things change frequently. Whatever somebody offers today as the best treatment for a particular problem may not work tomorrow. I mean, that some kinds of technologies are released without long term results that supports it effectiveness. For example, there are devices on the market that hype the treatment of cellulite that cost a lot of money but doesn´t satisfy the patient.

What advice would you give to other physicians based upon your experiences?

To investigate carefully what works properly based on you close colleagues' experience and attending the Aesthetic Meeting that this year will be held in Vancouver,Canada.

About: Dr. Tallaj graduated as Doctor of Medicine on 1995 at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra PUCMM. He completed his specialty in General Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Hand Surgery at the General Hospital Santa Casa de Misericordia of the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. He also published the first guidebook of Plastic Surgery of the Caribbean, a bestseller, which has been published in Barcelona, New York, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dr. Lopez Tallaj is a member of the Dominican Medical College, the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery, and also belongs to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. He is currently the Head of Plastic Surgery Department of the United Hearts Clinic