Elliot M. Hirsch, MD

Elliot Hirsch, MD, grew up in Westlake Village and attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He returned to Southern California and earned his medical degree at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Dr. Hirsch completed his residency in integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where he received several awards for his research and teaching. 

Dr. Hirsch has been practicing medicine for the past 16 years and opened his own practice in 2014. He is an active researcher in the field of plastic surgery and has coauthored more than 40 manuscripts and book chapters. He has received several grants for original research projects and holds patents for wound care devices. He was named to the Top Doctors in Los Angeles list by Los Angeles Magazine.

Dr. Hirsch practices the full spectrum of plastic and reconstructive surgery and has a full-service medspa on-site. His medspa staff offers nonsurgical facial rejuvenation procedures such as Botox and other fillers, chemical peels and facial treatments, lasers, and PRP to reduce wrinkles, add volume and work in conjunction with other treatment options. Dr. Hirsch specializes in both cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery including microsurgical and other forms of complex breast reconstruction, breast reduction, breast lift, breast augmentation and breast implant removal and revision. He performs several cosmetic surgery procedures that can enhance patients’ aesthetic appearance including breast augmentation, body contouring after massive weight loss and facial plastic surgery—all of which are enhanced by the team’s medspa treatments.

How do you help patients improve their healthy habits?

We always explain to our patients that a surgery’s outcome is much better when a patient goes into the procedure with a healthy exercise and eating routine already in place. Recovery time is much faster when patients are up and walking after surgery, and it is easier to make yourself move when you have a healthy lifestyle going into surgery. 

In what ways does a growing population of seniors impact your work?

We all wish we could drink from the fountain of youth, but since it hasn’t been found yet, we offer our patients noninvasive facial rejuvenation treatments like microneedling and laser sessions to help boost skin elasticity and encourage cell turnover. We also remind all patients with breast implants that these are not lifetime devices. They need to be checked by a board-certified plastic surgeon every 10 years and removed and/or replaced when necessary. 

How can we know whom to trust when it comes to health advice?

In this era of social media experts and Google at our fingertips, it is easy to get sucked into believing information we read without knowing the source. As a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, I was trained to research and publish papers on cutting-edge techniques in plastic surgery. Every surgery and procedure I do has been thoroughly vetted by years of research and thousands of successful cases. I will never advise my patients to undergo a surgery or procedure that will not give them the safe and desired outcome they came to me for. It is important that patients only go to board-certified physicians and surgeons for health advice and surgery, because then they can trust that the information they are being given is accurate. 

Any “wise words” you’d like to share?

Now that we are finally experiencing warmer weather, I can’t stress enough the importance of never leaving the house without sunblock. There are some great medical-grade sunblocks that have additional ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and antiaging benefits that can help boost our skin’s glow in addition to protecting it from the sun’s dangerous rays. Some of our favorite brands that we sell in our office have a nice glowing tint, so you don’t need to layer on foundation or lotions before you leave the house.

How do you ensure that you live a balanced life?

I am an avid surfer and snowboarder in my free time. Any time I get out of surgery early, I head to the beach to catch some waves. I love snowboarding in Mammoth or Tahoe with both of my kids—spending time on the mountain together. I also help out with my son’s baseball team. It’s very important to me that my staff and I all have work-life balance, so no one works weekends or late hours. 

What products do your patients like most? 

We developed a skin care line called Orá Rx to meet the needs of our patients looking for medical-grade care that soothes, renews and protects their skin. Patients also love our HA Calming Balm and HA Soothing Serum.