Michael Elam, MD (retired)

It has been over 2 years since my procedure with Dr. Elam, and I would like to finally write down my satisfaction with him and his staff because they deserve it. He may not remember me, but I was a traveling nurse who got a rhinoplasty/septoplasty at his facility.

Dr. Elam was the third consultation I had gone to. It was truly like the little blonde girl and the 3 bowls of porridge story. The first place I went to for a consultation recommended that I just get a septoplasty and that he was not going to put me under for the procedure. Terrified me. The second place I went to was at Laguna Beach and I felt like I was in a reality TV show setting. Everything was white and clean. They made me wait in a room all alone for over an hour. They recommended the same thing as Dr. Elam but were going to be a little more expensive.

Then I went to Dr. Elam's facility. It was much more comfortable on the inside. He gave me an actual visual of what to expect. My biggest issue was that I was a stranger in a foreign land. I wasn't able to have a friend drive me or pick me up. I was embarrassed being a male wanting plastic surgery. He and his staff made me feel at ease. I was over an hour away so I wasn't able to have a ton of follow-up appointments, which he understood.

It all worked out wonderfully and I am more than happy with the results. It was a life-altering experience in the best of ways. I am happy to see others have had the same great experiences with Dr. Elam as well. To his staff, thank you. I hope the receptionist who told me she just found out she was pregnant in January of 2019 is living wonderfully. I will upload some pics once I get the chance.

He is a great doctor and knows what he is doing. I had a difficult rhinoplasty, but he did it very natural. I am not 100% happy, but I think I may just be very critical of myself. I am pleased with his work and I would highly recommend him!

My experience as amazing. Dr. Elam is great I’m so happy I found him. He made me feel so comfortable and helped with my fears. He really cares about his patients. I can’t imagine going to anyone else.

The best thing that has happened to me was finding doctor Elam. He is true to his art. His 40 years of experience shows he is realistic & enhances your beauty to its full potential. Doctor Elam along side his staff were really helpful through the whole process. Kendel was amazing & made everything super smooth. I am so happy with my results. I can’t thank him & his staff enough

Dr. Elam is our savior. We will never be able to thank Dr. Elam enough for the excellent care he gave my niece. We are so happy to have met Dr. Elam and his accommodating staff and couldn't have asked for anyone better. They treated us so wonderfully. We love how he listen to our concerns, make us feel comfortable and the result is amazing. My teenage niece is very conscious about her big mole on the temple, so we scheduled with Dr. Elam for a consultation. After our conversations, he understands it's such a hassle for me to chauffeur my niece back and forth with her school schedule and my schedule, so he went above and beyond to get the procedure done same day. We are forever grateful for his care. My niece words "Dr. Elam did a very good job with the mole removal, it was quick and easy and I am very satisfied with the results." Dr. Elam, you are awesome!

I want to start this review off by saying it had been so tough to find and trust a good nose doctor, and how scary it was to take a chance at the expense of having life long medical conditions, or messing up your face for good. It was definitely not a decision to take lightly. Because of this, I struggled to find a doctor who really knew what he was doing both medically and aesthetically, until I found Dr. Elam. He paid great attention to detail to make the nose so pretty and natural, like it should have belonged to my face to begin with. All of his staff were so kind to me throughout the whole process.They had answers for all of my questions, and they continued to check in on me constantly throughout the process. This made me feel very reassured that everything was going smoothly, and if there were any concerns, they were sure to take care of them. I DO NOT SAY THIS LIGHTLY, DR. ELAM DID SUCH AN AMAZING JOB ON MY NOSE. I cannot stop looking in the mirror and smiling at how great it looks. Not only does it look so natural that no one noticed, but It’s boosted my confidence like no other! I’ve literally been on three dates with different people since my nose! Never have I ever felt so confident to just have people look at my side profile, and not have to worry about them thinking my nose is huge. My biggest fear was that it would be super noticeable, since it was so big before, and now it’s smaller. But let me tell you, no one noticed! My only regret is that I didn’t come to get it done sooner, because now I’d be married!

Updated on 29 Jan 2020:
I want to start this review off by saying it had been so tough to find and trust a good nose doctor, and how scary it was to take a chance at the expense of having life long medical conditions, or messing up your face for good. It was definitely not a decision to take lightly. Because of this, I struggled to find a doctor who really knew what he was doing both medically and aesthetically, until I found Dr. Elam. He paid great attention to detail to make the nose so pretty and natural, like it should have belonged to my face to begin with. All of his staff were so kind to me throughout the whole process.They had answers for all of my questions, and they continued to check in on me constantly throughout the process. This made me feel very reassured that everything was going smoothly, and if there were any concerns, they were sure to take care of them. I DO NOT SAY THIS LIGHTLY, DR. ELAM DID SUCH AN AMAZING JOB ON MY NOSE. I cannot stop looking in the mirror and smiling at how great it looks. Not only does it look so natural that no one noticed, but It’s boosted my confidence like no other! I’ve literally been on three dates with different people since my nose! Never have I ever felt so confident to just have people look at my side profile, and not have to worry about them thinking my nose is huge. My biggest fear was that it would be super noticeable, since it was so big before, and now it’s smaller. But let me tell you, no one noticed! My only regret is that I didn’t come to get it done sooner, because now I’d be married!

Review 500

First time ever receiving cosmetic surgery, so my mother and I were fairly nervous at the start. She found Dr. Elam after a week of research and was very optimistic about his reviews.. and HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT and far exceeded our expectations. The entire process (pre-op through post-op) has been incredibly smooth and all of the staff from day one were so kind and helpful. Kendel was alongside Dr. Elam for our consultation and was very knowledgeable and answered any of our questions. We decided the same day to set an appointment for surgery as we were so excited and felt at ease to be in Dr. Elam’s hands. I had a rhinoplasty done for my hooked nose and let me tell you, the results were phenomenal! My greatest fear was that it would look too prosthetic or obviously altered but Dr. Elam provides such natural results that most people didn’t realize I had surgery and thought I was born with it! I had very little bruising post-op (a little yellow around the eyes) and minimal swelling. My nose looks so good now I can’t wait to see what it looks like after it’s completely healed! My mom and I are extremely happy that we chose this office and if we decide to have any future operations, we definitely know now where to go. With such a great amount of experience and skill, it’s no wonder Dr. Elam works wonders!
(As a plus, the office is located right next to Fashion Island, a nice area to shop and eat after post-op visits!)

I can't began to explain how amazing this place is! First off I was extremely nervous coming in. It's nerve racking meeting with a surgeon and going over a part of your body that you dislike. Walking in first of all you feel right at home, because of how it's laid out in there. I loved that! Besides finding a great surgeon it was also important to me that the office vibe was just as great. Immediately I felt comfortable and welcomed. The staff, I can't put in enough words how friendly and awesome they are. I have formed a friendship with each and every one of them. My favorite and go to is Kendel! She goes above and beyond for her patients. I couldn't had felt as comfortable as I did if it wasn't for her. She truly cares and does everything she can to make sure you a good! And Dr. Elam is wow, he is amazing, he is so experienced and honest, two of the main things I was looking for. I told him I wanted my nose pretty thin and he said it wouldn't look natural or fit with my face and I really appreciated his honesty because another doctor I seen told me if that's what I wanted he would do it. Elam cares about his patients and the end result so he will NOT do anything to you if he knows the end result won't be AMAZING. I went to that office at least 10 times before surgery because I was nervous and each time everyone made me feel comfortable. That's how I knew I was making the right choice. After I seen Elam, I didn't even search for another surgeon. The search was over! I knew from the first time I went there, that this was it. It's been 1 month since my surgery and my nose is still pretty swollen, I won't be able to see true result for a few months(I had a thick nose) but I see the potential,and so far so good. I am sooo looking forward to seeing it get better day by day. If you are looking for a friendly welcoming staff and a honest beyond experienced surgeon. Look no further!!

Great consultation with Doctor Michael Elam. Discussed fixing my deviated nose septum and some minor changes to my nose. He inspires confidence and does a great job through picture modeling what your results would likely be.

Dr. Michael Elam is a great surgeon. He was very transparent from the beginning, letting me know to expect realistic changes to my nose.

His staff were and still are an amazing support system for me. Maribel was bombarded by text messages from me, and calls, which she answered (after work hours) to answer questions, which relived my anxieties each time. Kendall was helpful bc she went through the same procedure herself and knew from first hand experience what I would be dealing with, which made it more comfortable for me.

The staff is amazing. Dr. Elam is great and again is very realistic in your expectations.

So far my nose is healing and the Maribel and Kendal constantly reassure me the healing will continue and the results will get better and better.

After reading reviews from other surgeons, I saw patients who were dropped from their surgeons after the procedure, no follow up, leaving patients to deal with all of the emotional and psychical wounds on their own. That was not my experience here.

This review is regarded my experience so far with the staff and Dr. so far my nose does look good and will update in another month or two with the results and the constant support from his team of nurses.

Thank you, Dr. Elam, and a special thinks to Maribel and, also, Kendal!