Plastic surgeon Samuel Golpanian, MD opens new practice in Beverly Hills

Located at 8929 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 400 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles there is a new plastic surgeon in town by the name of Dr. Samuel Golpanian who relocated from Miami to establish his plastic surgery practice. With offices located on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles County, California he has opened his practice in the epicenter of cosmetic surgery.

When a patient comes to visit his office they are greeted by a team of friendly receptionists. When a patient is ready to discuss funding for the procedural costs they are introduced to a financial planner who helps develop the proper payment plan. When it’s time for surgery the patient visits an ambulatory service center—one of which is in the building where his office is located. Once in the operating room (OR), Dr. Golpanian is joined by nurses, an anesthesiologist, and a medical assistant to provide care for the patient throughout the procedure. “I like my OR team to be in tune with the patient’s emotion and talk to them, keep them in the loop with what’s going on.”

Originating from New York where his parents met after immigrating to the United States from Iran, Dr. Golpanian was born to a textile worker and a homemaker. His upbringing encouraged him to seek a career as a professional. “The joke made about Iranians is that you have to be a professional because that’s what the mom wants. I considered being a doctor, lawyer, and an architect. I am artistic. I played piano, composed music, and was into drawing.”

He did well in science classes and noticed he didn’t like law because it was too much reading that was mundane. While studying the sciences, he became astonished by how the body works. “It’s impeccable. I said to myself that I want to do something medically related.”

While shadowing a surgeon he witnessed an open heart surgery. He was taken aback by seeing the beating heart and the way the surgeon touched the body from the inside.

So, why plastic surgery? “I shadowed a plastic surgeon and he was also opening people up but one day he’s doing an eyelid lift, the next he’s doing a breast augmentation, the next he’s taking cancer out of the leg. It’s a surgery that may not involve critical organs but it’s one that deals with the skin and the soft tissue. The skin is our largest organ.”

Plastic surgery also allows Dr. Golpanian’s creativity to flourish because unlike other surgical specialities, plastics has many techniques that can be done to achieve the same outcome. “You can even come up with your own technique.”

Dr. Golpanian’s medical training focused on practicing medicine and administering care rather than the business side of things; however, he relies on seasoned surgeons who run practices and work in hospitals to help guide his development as an entrepreneur.

His Beverly Hills office is lined with plush velvet seats for patients to sit comfortably. The interior design includes colorful abstract paintings and photography books to capture the patient’s eye while waiting for their individualized treatment from Dr. Golpanian.

“I consider my practice high-end luxurious. Surgery can be scary. Plastic surgery is expensive and people want it kept private. I want the patient to feel comfortable. I’ve been a patient before, not for plastic surgery, but being one can make you feel vulnerable. I like to give them the high-end luxury feel from the waiting room to consultation. I provide them with special attention.”

“Cosmetic surgery is elective surgery,” he says. His patients don’t need the surgery, they want it. This makes him mindful of the readiness of patients to receive cosmetic treatments. “There’s a medical disease associated with cosmetic surgery called body dysmorphic disorder. We as surgeons have to be careful because if someone does have that, they have to see a psychiatrist for it.”

According to Dr. Golpanian, it is important to be in tune with the patient to make sure that cosmetic surgery is something they want and not something they feel pressured to get by a romantic partner or an industry they work in. It is also important to make sure that what they want is something visible to the human eye. “We have to be sure that A: they want it; and B: there is something to correct.”

Dr. Golpanian feels rejuvenated by working with healthy patients. “In other fields you deal with sick patients and it’s really gratifying to help them but it’s really sad to see them not listen to you if they go back to smoking or eating unhealthy or if they have complications from surgery.”

When he says “healthy” he means patients who have no significant issues such as diabetes or obesity. Even if they smoke they must stop at least four weeks prior to the surgery.

“When I mark them I go over all their questions, hold their hand, see them after surgery, and follow them over a long period of time. I want to see them up to a year to three years later just so we both know what’s going on and to make sure that they’re happy with the results.”

When patients enter post-op care, he says, “It’s like a 5-star hotel with concierge and if anything isn’t up to your standard, call the front desk to have them take care of it right away. I want my patients to be pampered.”

Dr. Golpanian typically treats people 20s to 40s years old, but not exclusively. “I do get older patients, too, and many men are interested in plastic surgery. Especially nowadays with abdominal etching and calf implants.” The persona of patients he attracts includes people who care about how they look, want to take care of themselves, eat well, attempt to exercise, and have some kind of skincare regiment. “Usually there’s something that’s been bothering them for years that they don’t talk about or they try to hide and they come to me to help them get rid of that problem.”

A common procedure he performs is a tummy tuck. “Women who come in for tummy tucks don’t like the way it looks but they also have this flap of skin with tissue hanging over and it causes moisture in the area. Skin gets macerated and itchy. There can be fungal infections.”

His patients have a desire to look good and feel good. “You see their confidence after surgery. They feel so much better about themselves and that’s what I like. The aesthetic aspect of it I love because I love art. It’s pleasing to me to reshape someone but it’s the mental impact I have on them that remains and it’s what sits most with me over the long term.”

Dr. Golpanian wants to treat patients from around the world who travel to the heart of cosmetic surgery–Beverly Hills–to provide them care that reflects his classy, meticulous style. He has a passion for improving the aesthetics of the body and looks forward to treating patients with the type of care he would like to receive.