George Varkarakis, MD

Dr Varkarakis was absolutely fantastic with my procedure. I had a trauma due to an accident which left a bump on my forehead. I had put off getting it removed mainly due to fear of not finding the right plastic surgeon. I was recommended to Dr Varkarakis and I am so glad I was. He was comforting, kind and very professional. He described the procedure very clearly and how long it would take. He was spot on. I am now 1.5 months after my procedure and am doing very well. Dr Varkarakis has been excellent at following up to ensure I am doing well and that I am happy with the results. Both of which are in fact the case. I recommend Dr Varkarakis 100%. Thanks Dr for everything.

I've had all of these procedures done with Dr Varkarakis (all in one session except for the Morpheus 8 which was done on 3 separate sessions). All I can say is, I walked into his office one person and walked out another. He did a phenomenal job with the lipo. Zero issues and no pain. It was done while I was awake with local anesthesia. My face looks like I'm 10 years younger. I highly recommend dr Varkarakis.

I had a horrible lip lift done about four months ago where the surgeon removed way too much skin from my lip. I had asked for a conservative lip lift and was shocked to see how aggressively it had been done. My facial features were thrown off entirely. I was devastated and spent three months hiding in my house waiting for the appearance to possibly improve. I was emotionally traumatized, depressed, and hopeless. I was not comfortable in my own skin and did not recognize myself in the mirror. And I went into the procedure expecting to have a subtle change to my lip and no change to any other facial features.
I consulted with a few of the top NYC lip lift revision specialists but they said they could not help me since too much skin had been removed. I also continuously researched the topic on Real Self and kept reading that no surgeons can revise lip lifts when too much skin was removed.
One lucky day after praying for weeks, I did another search on the topic on Real Self and I found a person who recommended Dr. George Varkarakis in Miami, FLA. She wrote that he had fixed her botched lip lift when too much skin had been removed. I immediately contacted her and then contacted Dr. Varkarakis.
Dr. Varkarakis met with me via FaceTime and he saw how much skin had been removed compared to my "before" photos. He put me at ease and assured me that he could help me. Dr. Varkarakis is an expert surgeon who uses cutting-edge techniques that other surgeons can't or won't utilize. I immediately flew from NY To Miami. We had a long consultation where he listened to my concerns and explained how he could lower the lip and get it much closer to where it was originally. He was also very kind and understanding of how traumatic it is to go in for a somewhat non-invasive type procedure and to come out of it looking like a different person.
I had the procedure performed the next day and it was painless, and done using local anesthesia. Dr. Varkarakis' nurse, Madelyn, is also top-notch and amazing, and helped put me at ease throughout each stage of the procedure (pre, during and afterward.)  I stayed in Miami while it healed and Dr. Varkarakis provided the most careful and thorough aftercare. He is so generous with his time and met with me daily to observe the healing process.
I am so happy with the results! Immediately, my face began to loosen up and I looked more like myself. The lip is healing quickly and looks very natural at this point.
I honestly cannot state how wonderful Dr. Varkarakis is. He is truly in a class all his own. He is an expert surgeon as well as a compassionate healer. He sincerely wants to help his patients and he empathizes with the pain of going through unsuccessful surgical procedures.
Dr. Varkarakis gave me my face and my life back and I cannot thank him enough! If anyone is struggling with an unsuccessful lip lift where too much skin was removed, I strongly encourage you to contact Dr. Varkarakis as soon as possible. I believe he is the only surgeon in the US who is revising these challenging lip lifts when too much skin was removed. I am so incredibly grateful that I found him! He is a life-changing surgeon!

I am so fortunate to have found Dr. Varkarakis, and based on my outstanding surgical results and the doctor's genuine caring bedside manner, he will definitely be my go-to surgeon for any future plastic surgeries that I may have in the years to come!

I had decided somewhat suddenly in mid-July that I wanted to have a forehead/brow lift, and Dr. Varkarakis soon squeezed in my consultation, where we discussed my aesthetic and procedural goals in a detailed manner (and my personal anatomical constraints, thereby setting realistic expectations - very important). Despite my many specific and rather technical questions during the consultation and in the days to follow, Dr. Varkarakis was very patient with me and ensured that both of our plans/visions for the surgery were aligned. Although I did interview other surgeons, there was no doubt in my mind that Dr. Varkarakis would the best facial (and body) plastic surgeon for my specialized (i.e. not very commonly requested nowadays anymore) type of forehead/brow/face lift. I also did not want to go under General Anesthesia for this procedure, and Dr. Varkarakis was easily able to accommodate that.

They squeezed in my surgery for late-July at my request, and I couldn't be more thrilled with the results! Many of you know that sometimes these "small" changes make a huge difference not only in our facial balance/proportions, but more importantly in the way we feel about ourselves, and I'm so relieved that I am able to enjoy the wonderful results without any complications or post-op issues whatsoever. The meticulous care and attention to detail are evident, from the incision techniques to the stiches, and I know that most other surgeons would never have taken the amount of time and precision to deliver WHAT I WANTED in the same way that Dr. Varkarakis did. My scar is so thin and barely visible; another nod to the doctor's expertise. The symmetry achieved is most optimal, and my entire face shape has been softly transformed into a more youthful shape, without looking like I've had anything done...!!

I also must mention the amazing Nurse Madalena - a kind, gentle, nurturing sweetheart. I have dealt with some other nurses/P.A.'s who are not nice at all and don't even seem to enjoy interacting with patients, but Madalena will put you at ease throughout the entire process. I adore her and Dr. V with all my respect and heart.

If you have any doubts about this doctor, I would strongly suggest that you schedule your consultation with Dr. Varkarakis and then take it from there. You will see that in addition to his pedigree, he is honest, humble, and he CARES about his patients.

I had been tinkering with the idea of doing a lip lift for a few months after reading about the procedure for the first time. I didn't completely dislike my lips, but I had a scar next to my nose that pulled my smile to one side. Not majorly, but enough for me to not like it. Plus, it's almost impossible to ignore the length of your philtrum once you know it could be shorter and improve your look.
Living in the LA area I did some research and decided not to go with a local doctor, for one reason I find it overpriced, and also I wanted to make sure it will be done by someone who does also reconstructive work. I had my nose job done by a physician in Beverly Hills some time back and the high price ticket (and great reviews) didn't match up with my result. So I looked for doctors nationwide and found two in Utah that I considered, their wait time was very long. I got antsy and did more research. That's how I found Dr. Varkarakis. I looked for results that were natural and a technique that wouldn't create a scar including my nostrils. Looked at his Instagram and Facebook posts and it made me realize this is not only a talented doctor but also someone who is passionately involved in helping others. He does a lot of reconstructive surgery and even developed his own lip lift technique that saved a lady's botched lip. It includes working on the tissue and muscles underneath. I can't really explain, so it's best to ask the doctor yourself :)
I called his assistant Alexa, who is such a sweet, warm person! It's a joy to talk to her on the phone and in real life. She will also be the one who assists the Dr. during the procedure, she is simply amazing! I scheduled an FT consultation, paid $75 (will be taken off your bill if you decide to get the procedure) and when I talked to the doctor I immediately knew I was in great hands. He noticed the small lack of symmetry and explained how he could help release the muscle tension. I was excited and said I would love to get an appointment very soon. They made it happen, instead of waiting until later in September, they offered me to come in on a Saturday, just for me. Wow.
I flew there, met the doctor for almost two hours the day before the procedure to talk about all details, I showed my photoshopped "dream lip" and we took before pictures.
On the day of the procedure, they gave me a valium to relax, and some laughing gas to relax some more right when he did the numbing shots. Originally we spoke about taking up to 8mm off, last minute I asked him to not take too much off because I had seen some pictures of a poor girl on RealSelf whose LL was botched and got nervous. He took roughly 5-6mm out and took his time to make everything perfect. I forgot how long it was before, maybe 18mm. I was nervous about being awake during something like this, but it wasn't bad at all. No pain, I kept my eyes closed, too :) It took roughly two hours because he had to remove scar tissue and really made sure that everything would be perfect. How lucky am I! He used dissolvable sutures and they were barely visible.
No pain medicine was needed afterward, I went to my hotel and iced for a long time. I do have a precondition that makes me bruise and swell very easily, so don't be surprised about my swelling. It is certainly unusual. But didn't hurt much, it didn't get too hard either. The doctor called on the evening of the procedure to ask how I felt, the next day we facetimed and 2 days post procedure I had an in person check out. Besides the swelling and bruising everything looked good :)
My nose didn't change besides a bit of swelling in the tip, it made it look cuter because it pointed up for maybe two days. But it already came back to almost normal. Nostrils are not affected at all. The scar only is from one nostril to the other, the scar is very short/small.
My family was a bit stunned, my bf thought I had turned into one of BH housewives, haha. I told him this is NOT the result yet. Swelling has gone down tremendously starting day 4. I iced for the first three days, then change to warm compresses. Have been taking arnica and bromelain, also an arnica/vitamin k topping. For the actual scar I use Bacitracin with a Qtip until 2 weeks after the procedure, then I will start with silicone gel.
You can see the change in the pictures, I am already so happy. The bruising is fading and I love the new lips already so much. Will continue to post updates. Dr. V. seems to me like the best-kept secret for us LL candidates and his pricing is absolutely fair. You will get the best, personal treatment and always deal with him and Alexa directly. They remember everything you mention to them and are so attentive and warm, I will come back for different treatments. It is so worth it.

Updated on 1 Sep 2021:
It’s healing well, bruising and swelling still there but hopefully Vitamin K cream and Voltaren will continue to help with it.

I had a bit discomfort (itching and pressure) but nothing that made me worry. On day 8 about half of the dissolvables were gone and I pulled the rest (gently) with tweezers.

The area above the lip feels numb and stiff, my smile is certainly not natural yet but it’s also nothing I wasn’t prepared for. It’s very hard to try not to laugh at funny stuff, I don’t want to stretch the scar by accident.

Will put ointment on for a few more days. After 2 weeks I’ll start silicone gel. Scar is a bit red but healing well.

I hope the lip will not shrink away, I like the fullness :)

Updated on 7 Sep 2021:
It's been 17 days since my lip lift and I have been waking up every morning wondering how it may look on that given day.
I had a few worries and I want to share them with you in case you wonder about the recovery.
The scar: I was happy because for the first 10-12 days my scar seemed so pale and tiny that I didn't even think I would need to cover it up at some point. Wrong. Around day 12 I woke up and the scar was much redder than before. I got scared and wondered if I did anything wrong, put on too much/too little ointment, or if it got sunburned when I took the dog for a walk. I looked at other LL pictures and saw either scars that were nearly invisible (success) or that were thick and red ( labeled as "botched" by the poster). But then I read more scientific articles about wound healing and the stages of a scar. Girlfriend, it is actually normal and a good sign if your scar gets redder after roughly two weeks. That is the body's healing response and it means that deeper healing is happening. There is no infection (unless indicated by something else) and you didn't mistreat the scar. It's just a stage of healing that will probably last 2-3 months. On some days it will look a bit redder or more swollen, on others, it won't. So all good :) I started putting silicon gel on the healed cut on day 14 and add some ointment occasionally if I feel it's a bit agitated. Also, I add sunscreen for sensitive skin on top of that when I leave the house. It's ok if there is a small scar under my nose in the end, I do what I can to treat it to make it smooth and thin. Silicon gel has helped me in the past. I had a mole in my nose and when it was removed I had big stitches, raised skin pockets and it was very red. After maybe 3 months of silicon gel it turned so light and small - I can't see it unless I look for it.
Swelling:
The area above my lip is still swollen (more on one side than the other). It is less than in the beginning, but it's definitely worth mentioning. I also still have bruises that I treated with Arnica and Vitamin K. definitely much paler, but still there. For a few days I worried my lips were pulled to one side more than before, but it actually evens out slowly as the swelling diminishes. The area is definitely a bit stiff and doesn't move exactly as before the LL yet. And that's totally normal. So downtime is a bit longer than a week or two. I leave the house and don't even bother what others think about the scar, so that's ok. But it does look a bit funny when I talk, mostly due to the swelling and the limiting pull I feel when talking. It's not major, but to say it's just like before wouldn't be right. Oh, and I really find it hard not to laugh without guilt. But I doubt a giggle here or there will really diminish your lip lift. It's important for our well-being to feel some joy.
Lip Size:
The lip went down a lot, I still like it and hope it won't get much smaller. well, it will since there is swelling. It looks nice, you can see that the doctor lifted the sides of the lipa a bit as well. Very curious to see the final result. Of course I wonder if I should have went shorter/bigger - but as of now the result looks very natural and pretty, I think.
This is it for today - I hope my review may help you to feel less worried about your scar if it turned red or if you are on the fence because you wonder how long the downtime may be.

Dr. Varkarakis is the sweetest doctor. He was so patient with me. I had a lot of questions and concerns. he was great. So I was born with protruding ears and I wanted to get otoplasty since I was like 7 years old and I am 31 years old now. I’ve been searching for a doctor for years now. I actually found him on google and saw a lot of great reviews. I knew I wanted to go with him as soon as we finished our virtual consultation. I flew all the way from New York City just to see him in Miami Florida. We decided together to get local anesthesia. Him and his staff was so great the day of the procedure. They walked me through everything. I wasn’t nervous at all. So I love my results. I cried because I wore my first ponytail in 17 years. He brought my confidence back. Thanks doc.

He is the best! The procedure came out even better than I expected! It was very natural looking and people didn't notice that I had anything done just that I looked good! I recommend him 1000%. I am planning on going back for other procedures.

I had silicone injections in my lips 10 years ago (young and dumb). Over time they moved and changed, creating disfiguring of my lips, not only that they started to make me sick. I developed autoimmune disorders, severe allergies, anxiety, depression. I knew they had to surgically come out.

I called probably 15 “top” well known surgeons to find someone to help me. It was all the same story, either they did not do the surgery or they wouldn’t do it without having another surgical procedure so financially it would benefit them more. Until I found Dr. Varkarakis on google, I truly believe God helped me find him.

I called the office and spoke to Dr. Georgia his anesthesiologist and couldn’t have been more helpful and concerned, so informative, went through her schedule and got me in sooner then previously told, I had a really good feeling after speaking with her. I went with my Father to my consult and Dr. Varkarakas must of spent 2-3 hours with just us, no other patients in the office , no rush, he really heard my story.

He was explaining what he would do, how he would do it, answering every nervous question I had, he was even calling colleges of his in other states to try to help me with my other health concerns not related to my surgery , but just to help me and just meeting this man to do all of that, we were blown away. This is not just any Doctor, this is a man who has an extreme passion for his work and truly wants to help people. I came in nervous as could be crying, and I left his office so excited.

So excited for my future, my health, excited for the surgery and the beginning to a better life. I had my surgery done a few weeks ago and it couldn’t of gone any smoother. The Dr and Madeline his nurse were fantastic! It’s a dream come true to find him and I wish I could somehow get his name out there more because I know so many people out there NEED a surgeon like him.

I have a few more appointments with him to refill my lips with the correct and safe filler. In the meantime I have brought my sister there for some Botox and fillers and she couldn't be happier to have gone to him for her first experience with injectables and now every time we go for appointments it’s like going to visit friends and family. We don’t want to leave lol. Compassionate, caring, genius.

This is my first review I have ever written for a Doctor and extremely long but I can go on and on. I hope this finds the right people who need a Doctor like him. I can’t wait to go back next week. Thank you so much Dr. Varkarakis and your entire staff, you all are a dream come true to me and my family and I will be forever grateful for you.

You will not find a better facial surgeon than Dr. Varkarakis! He has performed a few procedures on my face, including upper lip lift, full-face fat graft, combination upper blepharoplasty/brow lift/forehead lift, and liposuction (for fat transfer). I am beyond thrilled with the results.

I look nearly a decade younger...and the best part: it looks incredibly natural. Not a SINGLE person has commented on/asked about me having work done. The feedback I consistently receive is, "Wow, you look great! You look so well-rested! You look so pretty!" And that's the thing with Dr. Varkarakis: he will not do more than you need. He will listen closely to your concerns and the goals you hope to achieve but will not push unnecessary procedures. He will carefully examine your face, taking measurements for symmetry, etc., and suggest the minimum amount of surgery that will produce the maximum effect. For me, he even suggested temporary options, involving filler and Botox but I decided that I was looking for a more permanent result. And the cherry on the sundae is that his fees are extremely reasonable, especially considering his skill level. And his bedside manner is excellent. 

He could easily charge much more and would be warranted in doing so. This guy is the real deal! Regardless of location, I recommend him to anyone looking for a facial surgeon. I traveled to be treated by him, and it was 100% worth it.

I started getting lip filler since I was 17, now I’m 24. I would get them filled once a year or so and was left disappointed every time. The bruising I experienced from previous doctors was just ridiculous. They didn’t know how to place filler properly; therefore, my lips were bruised for almost a month after fillers. Bruising is normal but not for that extended period of time. I tried getting them dissolved or fixed and the doctors would tell me that surgery was my only choice. I was then told if I do have surgery, I will likely have scarring on my lip. If that wasn’t bad enough, scar tissue already built up on my lip from poor techniques previously. I had a tiny pebble inside my lip that was palpable from the outside. Every time I smiled it would be very pronounced. I was told that the pebble was just a lymph node. 

My lips were lumpy until I visited Dr. Varkarakis. My mom was deeply concerned for me as the pebble on my lip turned a different shape and almost looked like it would pop. I did extensive research until I found Dr. V. His nurse, Alexa is knowledgeable, kind and very focused. These two make an amazing team and I’m so grateful I stumbled upon them!! That being said, Dr. Varkarakis dissolved my lip filler and I couldn’t be happier. 

My lips are back to normal, the pebble is gone and I can smile without worrying about the filler being lumpy. A couple of weeks ago, I had him inject my lips again and my lips are so beautiful and natural. All my friends and family loved and noticed my new lips right away. My mom was especially pleased!! I will be coming back for top-up fillers and there’s no other doctor I’m trusting with my lips except for him.