At Mangat Holzapfel & Lied Plastic Surgery, they specialize in making patients look like they never had plastic surgery.

And that, says Devinder S. Mangat, M.D., is where the art and science come in to cosmetic surgery.

Allison Lied, M.D., who specializes in body procedures, joined the practice in May, rounding out the procedures available to their patients. Mangat and Allison M. Holzapfel, M.D., specialize in facial procedures, both surgical and non-surgical. The practice has locations in the Kenwood area, Edgewood, Kentucky and Vail, CO.

Lied’s practice includes breast enhancements, tummy tucks and body contouring, all among the most-requested surgeries.

"These areas can be sensitive subjects to patients, and many report that a female surgeon is more in tuned to their thoughts and desires," she says. "Some people think that because clothes cover your breasts, arms, back, thighs or stomach, that it does not matter that these body parts are aging, whereas the face and neck are more visible. But aging of these body parts can be very bothersome to some, and there are many procedures and tools that we can use to help restore the breasts and body to a younger state."

Patients have been requesting more body-focused procedures, Lied says. "As patients get older and especially after delivering babies, they want to restore their bodies and feel better about themselves," she says.

Lied has been practicing medicine for 10 years. She called the move "a wonderful opportunity to step up my practice of 10 years to a new level.  I will provide the same personalized care, and now can offer more resources, services and procedures.  Surgical procedures can now be at the state of the art facility which affords patients ease, individualized attention and privacy. Doctors Holzapfel and Mangat are highly skilled surgeons with whom I am proud to be partners."

Lied and Holzapfel went to medical school together at the University of Louisville, so bringing her into the practice was a natural move, Holzapfel says.

"I have followed her career and knew she would be a perfect fit for our practice.  Having another woman on board also is a major benefit to our patients who feel more comfortable with a woman surgeon," she says. Adding body procedures is "a huge factor" in enhancing the practice.

The practice was the first freestanding surgical center in the TriState area to specialize in plastic surgery, and strives to add to their expertise. Doctors and staff put the greatest possible emphasis on patient privacy, safety and convenience, and stress individualized care tailored to meet every patient’s needs, she says.

An aging population and the continual development of technology and techniques means new options are always becoming available to help patients feel better about themselves.

But experienced surgeons know the newest option isn’t always the best, Holzapfel says.

"We are very good at determining if a new technology is right for our practice.  We don’t go out and purchase the newest laser as soon as it comes out.  We need to see it be proven on real patients with real results before we will get behind the technology and offer it to our patients," she says.

"No professional can be good at everything so we offer our patients the highest quality surgical care based on a combined over 50 years experience.  In this crowded and competitive field, we are recognized year after year among the best locally and nationally," Mangat says.

Injectables and fillers like Botox and Dysport continue to gain popularity, Mangat and Holzapfel said, and more patients are requesting multiple procedures, such as an eyebrow lift and a tummy tuck.

"The focus of our practice is to perform any cosmetic procedure in such a way that the final result looks good and improved, but looks natural.  We emphasize that ‘never had surgery look,’" Mangat says.

Mangat and Holzapfel also take time from their busy schedules to provide no-cost care for those who can’t afford it: Victims of domestic violence who need reconstructive surgery to repair broken bones and scars left by their abusers, and children and adults in Belize, a small nation on Central America’s Caribbean coast.

Mangat began his charitable work in 1999, when president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

The academy’s board of directors voted to team up with the National Domestic Violence Alliance. "We basically arranged to have our members working in various locations providing services to primarily women who had been victims of domestic violence," he says.

Victims can sign up through their local chapter of the National Domestic Violence Association to receive free care from surgeons like Mangat who repair "whatever services they need, from repairing scars to broken bones and all kinds of injuries," Mangat says.

He had always planned to do medical mission work after retiring, but since 2005, he has traveled to Belize as part of a team of volunteer doctors and nurses who perform free plastic surgery for children and adults. The work includes repairing cleft lips and cleft palates, burns, tumors, scars and other defects. When he started, the team traveled to Belize once a year. Now, he heads there twice a year. He was asked to help by Horizon Community Church as part of its mission work, and Holzapfel joined the mission team in 2011.

The volunteers, who include plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses, arrive on Friday and begin screening patients. They operate on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and perform 60 to 100 surgeries during those four days. Volunteers bring all their own equipment, including surgical instruments, medications and other medical supplies.

"The need is significant. The people are so appreciative, and I get so much out of it," Mangat says. "I think ultimately what drives us is the fact that we’ve been very fortunate to have certain talents, and if we don’t share those talents in a positive way, then we’re sort of missing the boat. It’s a very spiritual experience for me. I went the first year and I went back the second year and the third year and then I decided I can never not go back as long as I’m able, and I think (Holzapfel) feels the same way. When you’re there, you’re just so immersed in taking care of these people that it fills your heart. It fills your cup, so to speak. That’s what motivates me." 

Mangat, Holzapfel & Lied Plastic Surgery is located at 8044 Montgomery Road, Suite 230, Cincinnati, OH 45236; 513.984.FACE (3223), and 133 Barnwood Drive Edgewood, KY 41017; 859.331.9600. You can visit their website at www.renewyourlooks.com.