Shanthala Shivananjappa, MD

Dr. Shanthala saved my life. My Story: The damage to my perioral area by the “Best of Boston” plastic surgery practice that had treated me from 2010 to 2025 destroyed my confidence and stole from me pleasure and pride in my appearance and in how I’d cared for my health. I trusted the doctor. I did whatever he advised. He filled my lips between 2010 and 2018. Finally, I stopped, unhappy with the “duck” look. The injections hadn’t filled my lips—the product migrated above my lips, though the doctor never used that word, nor did I know about “migration.” A few days before Thanksgiving 2025, I went to his office for Botox to refresh for the holiday season. I won’t relate the details of that disastrous appointment but the end result is that his PA injected my upper lip with Hylenex. When I awoke the next day, my lips looked the same. But the skin above my lips had deflated, leaving me with uneven, discolored trenches, and smoker’s lines—I had never smoked! When I say discolored, I mean I had a mustache I could see from a distance and couldn’t cover with makeup. After four months, no change. The Doctors: 1. the above doctor took no responsibility for overfilling my lips and never mitigating. Further, to protect himself against legal repercussions resulting from the perioral damage, he blamed and demeaned me. 2. My trusted dermatologist, another board-certified doctor, told me she would work with me to repair the damage. First, she wanted my medical records from (1) above. After reading them, and seeing the amount of product that the doctor had injected, and assessing the structural damage, she declined to work with me, sent me back to (1) or another plastic surgeon, and ghosted me. 3. I went to “top” plastic surgeon in Back Bay. He told me I needed CO2 laser and neurotoxins. He referred me to a dermatologist at MGH. 4. While waiting for my appointment at MGH, I saw a “Best of Boston” dermatologist in Back Bay. She outlined steps for possible repair, telling me I would look much worse first, and, after that, the damage might be irreparable. 5. The “Best of Boston” dermatologist at MGH told me the doctor at (3) erred: I needed volume. However, like (4), MGH said the PA at (1) had not removed all the filler. So, before attempting to add volume, someone (not MGH) would need to flood the area with more Hylenex—worsening my appearance. Only then could I proceed to new filler. Ultimately, doing nothing might be the best course of action. Dr. Shanthala: Live with the damage? NO! Then, I found Dr. Shanthala! She listened to my story— and she wanted to help me. She patiently discussed options for working with what I had, not worsening my appearance first. She promised nothing—but we took a chance together. After two sessions, a month apart, I have back my life and my looks—thanks to Dr. Shanthala! Dr. Shanthala listens. Dr. Shanthala knows the options. Dr. Shanthala is creative. Thank you, Dr. Shanthala from the bottom of my heart!

Dr Shanthala Boston Laser Coring Expert MD is the best. At 55 I noticed the texture of my skin was starting to break down, looking crackled rather than smooth. When I grew up we did not use any sunscreen and I spent my childhood years in the sun every day on a lake, teen years at the beach (with baby oil!), and young adult years in tanning beds (and I am very fair skinned). I have severe sun damage that was starting to show. For The next 10 years I tried almost everything that was supposed to help rejeuvenate skin (Microneedling, Halo, 1540, Morpheus, Ultherapy, Opus Plasma) but nothing worked. I was completely distraught, self conscious, and affected emotionally. It cut into my "happy". My dermatologist recommended that I look into Ablative laser. I did some research and consulted with a few physicians. I chose Dr. Shanthala for several reasons: 1.Her Patient Priority - Dr. Shanthala stayed late at work to accommodate me for a consultation. Who does that?! No One else. We spoke for well over an hour (Consultations with other doctors were about 20 minutes). She was honest about expectations and possible outcome. No promises but she gave very informed advice. 2. Her expertise - Clearly she is one of the best and most experienced doctors who does UltraClear laser coring in the Boston area. 3. Her accessibility - Most doctors nowadays communicate through a portal, and then you get a call back from someone else. I have never had a doctor that I can contact directly and get a prompt respose. It's unheard of these days! This is incredibly valuable. 4. The Care - All the points mentioned above are part of her total care. How she cares FOR and ABOUT her patients. I cannot overemphasize the importance of her care. I am 3 days after my UltraClear Laser Coring and could not be more pleased. I am already feeling my full happy again. I am so grateful and feel very lucky to have found Dr. Shanthala. I wish I had known about her 10 years ago!

I met with Dr. Shanthala to discuss options for wrinkle reduction, blemish removal and an overall skin refresh. She was so thorough in going over options and was so helpful with the whole process. From the initial consultation to the follow up care, the entire process was a very pleasant experience. During the treatment, she took great care to ensure I was comfortable and walked me through every step. She has continued to follow up with me post care. I am extremely happy with the results. My skin has not looked this good since I was 20 years old!

I had Ultraclear laser resurfacing with Dr. Shanthala and it was a very positive experience. She is incredibly kind, attentive, and truly cares about her patients. She explained everything clearly and made me feel comfortable throughout the entire process. My skin looks healthier and more even, and I love that I don’t feel like I need much coverage anymore. The results look natural and refreshed, which was exactly what I was hoping for. I’m very grateful for the care I received and would definitely recommend Dr. Shanthala to anyone looking for thoughtful and skilled aesthetic treatment.

My experience with Shanthala for the past 12, yes TWELVE years has been simply outstanding. She is the most compassionate , sincere, genuine and honest physician I have ever dealt with. She allows ample time with every patient and covers every detail of the procedure. She will NOT perform a procedure if she feels it is not necessary. She is honest about expectations and results. Her personal follow up to procedures is sincere and caring. She is the only person I trust to do anything on my face. I highly recommend her!

I honestly can’t say enough good things about Dr. Shanthala. If you’ve been struggling with acne scars like I have, you know how frustrating it is to find something that actually works. I first went in for a consultation, and right away, I could tell the doctor really knew her stuff. She was so knowledgeable but explained everything in a way that actually made sense, rather than just using a bunch of medical jargon. I felt super comfortable moving forward because she took the time to lay out exactly what to expect. I’ve done three laser sessions and one RF microneedling now, and the results are amazing. What I appreciated most is that Dr. Shanthala really goes above and beyond—She’s so helpful, she never rushes you, and you can tell she actually care about your results, not just getting you in and out of the door. Highly recommends Dr. Shanthala!

I originally went in planning to do Fraxel because of everything I had read online about it. When I met with Dr. Shantala, she asked me to trust her recommendation instead and suggested the UltraClear laser. I decided to follow her advice and went ahead with the treatment she recommended. After my second treatment, I’m honestly starting to see real results. I’ve struggled with acne my entire life, and the scarring has always made me feel like having nice skin just wasn’t in the cards for me. For years I assumed it was something I would just have to live with. Now, for the first time, it actually feels like clear, healthy skin might be possible. The improvement I’m seeing already has been really encouraging, and I’m so glad I trusted her recommendation instead of just sticking with what I had originally planned. She is most certainly cares and wants the right treatment for her patients.

I came from Canada for the second Time to have another treatment with the Ultra clear laser by Dr. Shantala. As usual, she was very professional and tools the Time to assess my treatment needs. Afterwards, she was always available if I had any questions. I am very satisfied with the care I received and I highly recommend Dr. Shantala She is worth the trip.

My face was in desperate need of a refresh; my skin was sun-damaged, wrinkled, dull, and sagging. I traveled from out of state for the Ultra Clear laser treatment on my face and neck with Dr. Shanthala two weeks ago, and today, I can’t stop looking at myself in the mirror. The results are truly amazing! My lines are softened—some are even completely gone—and my skin looks radiant, refreshed, and much tighter. I am so glad I chose to work with a licensed, highly trained medical doctor. Dr. Shanthala impressed me so much during our initial consultation with her expertise and integrity that I decided to look no further for a provider. She is kind, caring, and completely honest about which treatments would work for my skin and which wouldn't. I respected her assessment immediately and booked my treatment. She recommended the latest, innovative fractional ablative laser for my skin's condition and I am convinced it was the right choice.  While the procedure involves some discomfort, her bedside manner supported me through it and then from that day, right to today, her communication has been ongoing; she is incredibly invested in my healing, and responsive to every question or concern I have. I am truly thrilled with the results on my face and neck. Every day the skin looks better, and Dr. Shanthala assured me this progress will continue as I further heal. If you want to do the right thing for your skin, meet with Dr. Shanthala. She has years of experience and is acutely up to date with all the latest treatments and procedures. Her office is state of the art and pristine.  She will make you very happy—I certainly am!  It feels wonderful to start to have my confidence back, even without makeup. I am loving my reflection again!

My face was in desperate need of a refresh; my skin was sun-damaged, wrinkled, dull, and sagging. I traveled from out of state for the Ultra Clear laser treatment on my face and neck with Dr. Shanthala two weeks ago, and today, I can’t stop looking at myself in the mirror. The results are truly amazing! My lines are softened—some are even completely gone—and my skin looks radiant, refreshed, and much tighter. I am so glad I chose to work with a licensed, highly trained medical doctor. Dr. Shanthala impressed me so much during our initial consultation with her expertise and integrity that I decided to look no further for a provider. She is kind, caring, and completely honest about which treatments would work for my skin and which wouldn't. I respected her assessment immediately and booked my treatment. She recommended the latest, innovative fractional ablative laser for my skin's condition and I am convinced it was the right choice. While the procedure involves some discomfort, her bedside manner supported me through it and then from that day, right to today, her communication has been ongoing; she is incredibly invested in my healing, and responsive to every question or concern I have. I am truly thrilled with the results on my face and neck. Every day the skin looks better, and Dr. Shanthala assured me this progress will continue as I further heal. If you want to do the right thing for your skin, meet with Dr. Shanthala. She has years of experience and is acutely up to date with all the latest treatments and procedures. Her office is state of the art and pristine. She will make you very happy—I certainly am! It feels wonderful to start to have my confidence back, even without makeup. I am loving my reflection again!