Highly Recommended :: 10-years of experience with Dr. Elie Levine

Treatment Provider

Provider Review

• 3 Jul 2017

I've been meaning to write this review for a while now, and finally got around to it. To be both valuable and fair, reviews have to be more than just a few casually written sentences, and this is especially true for reviews such as this: My experience of nearly 10-years with a cosmetic physician / cosmetic plastic surgeon. PART-1: THE BACK STORY :: How I came to be a patient of Dr. Levine. Sometime in 2008, I sustained a burn to my face which caused a piece of flesh to lop off. The scar left behind –- irregularities and depression around the affected area –- was clearly noticeable, even from a distance. Now I knew nothing about or anyone in the field of cosmetic medicine; so I asked a Manhattan Mount Sinai Hospital cardio-thoracic surgeon if he could recommend a cosmetic surgeon who could help me. He recommended Dr. Elie Levine (of Plastic Surgery and Dermatology of NYC -- hereafter referred to as PSD) and another doctor (whose name I don't remember and never met). During my initial consult, Dr. Levine explained that surgery for my scar wasn't the solution – as I assumed it would be -- since that would only trade one irregularity for a neater one. The strategy, he went on to explain, instead should be to stimulate the growth of collagen around the affected area; and that that could be accomplished with a series of minimally-invasive growth and smoothing stimulants; such as specific laser treatments as well as the use of Sculptra (the latter of which carries the beneficial side-effect of stimulating internal scar-tissue growth, as all injection-based procedures do). Understanding that this was new to me, Dr. Levine took a moment to explain the body’s cumulative regeneration process, so that I’d form a correct idea of how long things would take. It took about 15-16 months for a good portion of the depressed area to fill in and scarring to disappear (nearly visible); and a little longer than that for it to completely vanish. Note that nothing could have accelerated that process -- the body does as it does -- and without the procedures, the scar would still be present. PART-2: 10-YEARS LATER :: Why knew?! My skin has color, which carries a hyperpigmentation risk with the particular fractional-laser technology that we’d be using. To mitigate this risk, Dr. Levine required me to apply 30-days worth of in-office prepared skin lightening pads (called Hydroquinone), before he would perform the procedure. As an additional precautionary measure, he initiated the laser series with conservative settings (i.e. fraction, depth and duration), increasing them only after observing reactions and results over time. This is a trivial example of a greater hallmark and standard that you can -- not only expect but -- count on with Dr. Elie Levine: He will not perform procedures that are age or race-inappropriate; and, generally speaking, that are incompatible with the philosophy of **achieving optimal results under safe circumstances**. You, as a lay-person, don’t know where the safety-lines exist for any given procedure, so it’s important to employ an experienced physician who (1) does know where those safety-lines exist and (2) who faithfully chooses never to cross them. Dr. Elie Levine is one such physician. And incidentally, his practice partner, Dr. Jodi Levine, abides by these same principles. During my scar-healing treatment sessions, I'd ask about other kinds of cosmetic procedures out of curiosity. Why not? Today, nearly 10-years later, I have had numerous kinds of procedures performed by Dr. Elie Levine – from minimally-invasive to full general anesthesia requiring ones – with great, me-looking, natural results. This, by the way, includes surgeries to the face. Who knew?! And the age-reversing technologies and techniques keep getting better, which leads me to this ... Over these past 10-years, I've seen the PSD practice invest in state-of-the-art technologies and procedures: Evolving lasers; 3D-imaging for patient/doctor side-by-side computer simulation of outcomes; Radio frequency technologies; Pre-procedure photos captured by WIFI-connected cameras that upload to Dr. Levine’s computer for instant analysis and comparison with previously taken photos; and more. This basically meant more options for the patient (me). And being a plastic surgeon, Dr. Levine has a modern, sanitary and certified operating room at his office; together with O/R staff that come together to perform a professional job. And speaking of PSD staff,... They are professional, discreet, sympathetic and knowledgeable. They're the nicest bunch you'll ever be around. They understand why you're there. There's no judgment. They get it. It's part of the overall culture of the Upper East Side practice. You do, after all, have to be comfortable at a place where you’re having these kinds of things done. They make you comfortable. And I’m super shy, so that says a lot about them. PART-3: IN CLOSING Once you establish that your doctor knows what he/she is doing, and that they appreciate you as a loyal patient and have your best interest in mind, then stick with them. Cosmetic procedures aren't something you’ll want to shop around. It's not like buying meat. I learned how a lasting relationship with your doctor can make all the difference: They get to know your lifestyle and habits and, by extension, your risk factors (e.g. if you’re a sun bather, a smoker, etc); They get to know your personal healing abilities and response to procedures, and use that to help determine candidacy for newer procedures; They spot developments over time before you do (remember that they accumulate time-series photos of you and know what's coming when), and can recommend preemptive measures; and more. So if you can say the kinds of things about your practitioner as I have about Dr. Elie Levine here, I recommend staying with them. For me,… In a sense I was lucky to have been referred to Dr. Levine. When you are worried and know nothing about something (as I knew nothing about cosmetic medicine), the best that you can hope for is to connect with someone who does, and who will help guide you along. Dr. Levine was that for me. He’s a very decent human being with great bedside manner; no shady pressuring/pitches/or gimmicks; and a professional who never took his eye off the ball from start to end. I wrote this lengthy review, in part, so you don’t have to be as lucky like I was,... because now you know. PROCEDURES: facial plastic surgery; cosmetic surgery, lipo suction; fat graft; minimally invasive surgery; laser peel; InMode RF; botox; juvaderm; radiesse; restylane,