Jonathan Zelken, MD

I came to Dr. Zelken first in 2020 for fillers to the nose, actually for his nurse Joanna. The result was really good but after a few months I really wanted a surgery to make the result last forever. In 2022 I met with Dr. Zelken a second time and we agreed to do a alar surgery to make my nostrils smaller and build up my bridge with a implant. The surgery was really smooth and lasted 2 hours and I recovered really quick. I recommend Dr. Zelken for asian rhinoplasty and he did my moms eyes the same week. He is good at that too I will ask her to leave a review

Getting buccal fat pad removal and submittal liposuction and skintite was well worth it. It really slimmed down my face, and my jawline is more defined. I highly suggest getting radio frequency skin tightening along with liposuction since your skin stays firm during these changes.

As an incentive for posting a review, this reviewer received an entry into RealSelf’s monthly $500 gift card giveaway

Dr. Zelken is a gem and so is his staff. I was considering a chin implant and learned about buccal fat pad removal. I found a video of his on YouTube and immediately noticed how passionate he is about his work and how knowledgeable he is. I highly recommend watching his videos if you’re considering him for surgery. I had a virtual consult with him as I’m from the Midwest and it was so chill. He’s the nicest, most humble guy. I planned for a chin implant, buccal fat pad removal, liposuction of my chin with FaceTite and under eye filler with fat (my own). From the initial consult (taking pics and mapping out my face) to the surgery center and the surgery, I was so impressed by Dr. Z and his staff at his gorgeous office and at the surgery center. Everyone is so kind and thorough and I felt so well taken care of. I cannot thank them all enough and I’m planning on going back to take after pictures.
In terms of what the aftercare of the procedure looked like, I was a bruised and swollen mess of course (I had multiple procedures at once) but nothing I couldn’t tolerate with the pain medications. I ate soup and boiled potatoes and such because of the stitches from the buccal fat removal which went away on their own after 2 weeks. I started looking better within 2 weeks but had a lot of swelling but this is expected. Expectation is important. I didn’t have to ice or anything, I wore my compression garment at night and I didn’t need pain medication after the first week. My neck was numb for several weeks after the procedure but it didn’t bother me much. I was patient because I trusted Dr. Zelken that my results would be great and they are. I will add pics once we take the after pics. I cannot recommend this doctor and establishment enough. I do not regret a single thing.

Hi. I am 10 days post op from my BBL procedure with Dr. Zelken in Newport Beach. I have had (and will be having) a ton of procedures. This focuses on my bbl/lipo and Bodytite (which is a skin tightening procedure I had post lipo.) I am 5'3" and was 119 lbs the day of surgery. I let myself gain about 9 pounds for the procedure which was perfect because it gave me just enough fat to have a decent transfer -- and so far I am SO happy with my result!
I also was working on what used to be a true phobia of anesthesia -- one where a few years ago I would jolt out of bed just thinking about the idea of. I had breast augmentation in 2001 and started ruminating about the idea of needing them removed one day, and I became terrified of going back under. Fortunately, time had passed, and the phobia was no longer quite what it was. I requested the gas anesthesia first to go to sleep to, and this made me extremely more comfortable and I remembered almost nothing! I was out in just a brief second.
I was told that about 500 cc's was transferred to each side of my butt, but the fact that Dr. Zelken focused so much on shape rather than size (since I didn't have a lot of donor fat) really made a huge difference! I am so happy with the new shape I have, along with new hips, giving me the hourglass figure I've always wanted! I can't wait as the weeks pass to see how it settles and gets soft!
Dr. Zelken is a great doctor -- I trust him immensely -- and his office staff is also superb, answering my constant questions for the month or two before my surgeries. I will be going back in for my next surgery of revision rhinoplasty and breast lift with implants in a couple more weeks.
Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll try to answer! I hope the pictures help!
Take care~

Updated on 15 Jul 2021:
Hi again!
Today is Thursday and Monday will be 6 weeks postop. I wanted to give a small update. My butt has definitely gone down in size -- mostly from reduced swelling, I believe. At first it really freaked me out that I was losing all the fat that was transferred, but I'm still up one size in pants/jeans and I can also definitely see a curve there that didn't used to be. I'm including one collage picture I made as well as updated photos. The collage picture is to show you my true before and after picture. I lost 67 pounds in 2019/20 and this first picture in the collage is of that time. Before the surgery I gained about 9 pounds, which gave me a little bit more of a butt, but not much, so I wanted to make sure you saw how flat I was originally. I had nothing there! The second picture in the collage was 10 days or so after my surgery.

The other pictures from today are from this morning. There are four of them. You can also see the swelling has gone down a lot from the lipo and bodytite. Again, I had those procedures on my arms, inner and outer thighs, stomach, back and chin. I think I've also lost 5 or 6 pounds accidentally, so I'm a little thinner.

Anyway, I'm very happy with how everything has turned out so far. I've also gotten a breast lift with implants, and a revision rhinoplasty since my first surgery when I had the bbl. They were 3 weeks apart, so after my 3rd surgery, I did have to start lying on my back with my chest and head elevated, and I laid on pillows to cushion my butt. It doesn't seem like it did much harm. My doctor assured me by that time my newly implanted fat would have established a blood supply, and as long as I was careful, I wouldn't be ruining my bbl.

I hope you all are doing well, and if you have any further questions, please write them below! Thanks!

I'll try to keep this short, but OMG!!!!!!! I love everyone here. Dr. Zelken, Sofia & Miki, Jamie, and the gals at the front desk. From the moment I walked into their office, I knew they were my people. Aside from the exceptional service, this team is always happy and kind and they truly care about their patients. As a child, I suffered from numerous autoimmune issues & kidney failure, which subsequently led to abnormally high doses of steroids for years (I would have died without it). I developed what is called a "moon face" from Prednisone. The side effects of this drug caused facial swelling and fat deposits around my face. The docs said it would go away once I was off of the drug. It didn't. And it didn't matter how much weight I would lose, my face never went back to the way it was. Anyone that has had this issue understands how awful it is. Its ruins your face. I had to live off of prescribed water pills just to look somewhat normal. Since high school, I researched how to get rid of it. There was literally nothing I could do that wouldn't be harmful to my system, until I read about Buccal Fat Removal and met with Dr. Zelken. And then it only got better. I knew Buccal Fat Removal wouldn't address all of my issues and then Dr. Zelken told me about Facetite. #gamechanger. Why wasn't this around in my 20's!! Best part-its a quick and painless procedure. My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner as I didn't know about it. Not to mention, having autoimmune issues is always a touchy subject when it comes to cosmetic surgery. I am two weeks out since my surgery, and the results are already insane (it can take months for changes to appear). I'll post photos after my 1 month checkup :). Feel free to message me if you have any questions. This is honestly the best thing I have ever done.

Dr. Zelkin is genuine, honest, kind, smart and very very good with his patients. I came in needing a fat transfer to put under my scar that I had from skin cancer on my cheek. I ended up having other procedures as well and Dr. Zelkin wanted to make sure that I was OK after each one. I received a personal call the next day after the procedure and I got flowers on my porch!All of the ladies that work in his office are amazing. They are kind and funny and they make you feel like you’re at home. They made me feel like I was beautiful! Dr. Zelkin gave to me way more than I could ever have asked for in so many ways. He added extra things on top of what was originally planned for me. Completely different than what I expected. He will be my forever doctor if I ever need anything else I will come to him and I want to encourage you to as well.

Let me start by saying WOW! The office is incredibly beautiful with art sprawled across the walls.. reminded me more of a gallery than a Doctors office, That is until you enter a treatment room. Dr Zelken himself styled the office with his impeccable taste, every little detail is refined. I knew I was in great hands just from how the office looked (attention to detail). Now lets start with my skin.. I had acne when younger, I had scarring and pigmentation from picking and squeezing pimples. I wanted to work fine lines, pore size, texture and overall complexion. After speaking with Dr Zelken and Nurse Miki, I decided co2 would be my best bet! They do all different kinds of treatments and surgeries so if co2 seems to aggressive than they have other services for you! The co2 itself was pretty painless for me. I numbed for 40 minutes with topical numbing cream.. Miki has a very kind personality and is gentle and funny. Nurse Miki made me feel so at ease. The treatment itself last just under a hour.. I did puff on some ProNox during my treatment but I actually did not feel much pain at all. After my treatment I felt hot, I would say its like a sunburn. The hot feeling in my skin subsided after about 2 hours and then I felt relatively comfortable from there on out. I would say my downtime last one week. At first you are keeping the skin moist with aquaphor and doing vinegar washes.. you want to keep it absolutely clean. after about day 3 you start feeling tighter and itchy... this means you are healing. I would say I started to peel about day 3 or 4... and from then on out things progressed quite quickly. My skin was glowing and all the imperfections I had were gone. No more scarring, pigment or blemishes.. my pore size was changed dramatically. My complexion is so much more even and my husband even was shocked at my results. I would absolutely recommend this treatment. I am so glad I did it! I will have it again in the coming years. My skin is plumped up and my fine lines are gone! I would say my results were dramatic with many people commenting on what did I do?? Thank you Dr Zelken and Nurse Miki... Ill be back for other treatments. This is my new home for everything aesthetic and cosmetic!! SO HAPPY!

Dr Zelken is fantastic. I had multiple consultations for a mommy makeover, and ultimately chose Dr. Zelken. I am 4 months post surgery and excited for the change my body has seen because of Dr. Zelken. I had a breast lift (no implant) as well as a tummy tuck. In my consultation, he listened to my concerns and what I hoped surgery would achieve. I never felt like a number, but instead a very cared for patient. I am extremely pleased with my results and definitely would (& have) referred him to friends. And his office staff is second to none!!! Honestly, I adore each and everyone of them.

I had a very bad lip lift about four months ago. Most doctors said they couldn't do anything for me. Dr. Zelken did everything he could to help me. These were minor procedures, such as cortisone shots, etc., that, only made a small bit of difference. But he was so genuinely concerned that he made me feel safe and cared about. His entire staff has been caring and supportive. Because I'm so embarrassed by my lips now, I've been living in near total isolation. Dr. Zelken and his staff have lifted my spirits and made me feel like I wasn't alone in the world. I would recommend Dr. Zelken to anybody who needs any kind of cosmetic surgery.

If I could give a 6th star I would. I had a capsulectomy on both breasts & from the time of walking in the door, all the way through post-op appointments I haven't felt just like it is first class treatment, but I've felt like the entire team treats you like a close friend. I can't thank the team enough for their genuine kindness. Dr. Zelken was amazing in his assessment - confident, professional, & produced a beautiful product. I'm so happy with my results and would recommend him to anybody who wants to walk away feeling like a better version of themselves.