New York City facial plastic surgeon Yael Halaas, MD, received her undergraduate degree at Columbia College in New York and graduated in the top 10% of her medical school class at Cornell University Medical College. She is double board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology.

Her newly renovated Midtown solo practice is a hub for hair transplants, among other facial-rejuvenation procedures.

But as impressive as these credentials are, they are not what makes Halaas a cosmetic surgery superstar. Instead, what singles her out from the fray is her genuine, caring manner. There is no pretense. She treats patients and colleagues as close friends from the get-go, and that is largely the secret to her success.

Plastic Surgery Practice sat down with Halaas to learn more about what she does and how she does it.

1 Procedure you perform most often?

Blepharoplasty and hair transplants. I do at least three a week of each.

2 Procedure you perform least often?

Buccal fat removal. As patients age, the face loses volume. So to avoid looking gaunt in the future, I tend to counsel patients to hold onto their volume.

3 Favorite procedure?

Blepharoplasty and surgery of the aging face (facelifts, browlifts).

4 Why blepharoplasty, facelifts, and browlifts?

Every time I perform these procedures, I have one of those epiphany moments in the operating room where you feel like you are exactly where you should be doing exactly what you should be doing.

5 Most challenging procedure?

Revision and reconstructive surgeries always bring an additional level of complexity and problem-solving skills.

6 Healthiest habit?

Running. I run whenever I can, and aim for four times a week.

7 Least healthiest habit?

Not having enough time to go running (and chocolate!).

8 Professional mantra?

Treat your patients like your family.

9 Greatest professional accomplishment?

Establishing a solo practice in New York City.

10 Charity of record?

The R.O.S.E. Fund (Regaining One’s Self Esteem). This is a New England-based nonprofit organization that is striving to break the silence and the cycle of domestic violence and teen dating violence and abuse.


Denise Mann is the editor of Plastic Surgery Practice. She can be reached at [email protected].