Q&A With One of Northern Virginia’s Top Plastic Surgeons
Getting to know Dr. Mark Domanski
Q: What advice would you offer for someone just starting out in your profession?
I would suggest that new plastic surgeons focus on improving and diversifying their skill set. One’s career can take various paths and a rich skill set will serve a plastic surgeon and their patients well.
Q: How would your patients describe you?
I hope my patient sees me as someone who takes their job seriously but does not take themselves seriously. I have tried to be “the plastic surgeon next door,” which to me means approachable. To this end I will intentionally use humor to get a point across while giving the patient permission to ask questions they may not otherwise choose to ask.
Q: What brings you the most satisfaction in your work?
Being able to solve aesthetic and reconstructive problems by blending science and creativity. I fondly recall a facelift patient who told me after the procedure that she chose me as her surgeon because I was willing to decrease the size of her ear lobules during her procedure. Her earlobes had become stretched from the heavy earrings. Other plastic surgeons were unwilling to combine a facelift with an earlobe reduction but for me, it just made sense for me to modify my standard facelift procedure to also reduce her earlobes.
Q: What is the biggest challenge in your job?
They say that to be a successful plastic surgeon, one must be affable, able and available. As one gets successful, one becomes less available to accommodate every special request for scheduling, post op care, and so forth. So there is a balance to be available but also fully booked.
Q: What is your professional and educational background?
You asked, so here we go: University of Virginia for college, University of Maryland for medical school, then surgical training at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, the George Washington University, and the University of Virginia. I am board certified in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery as well as plastic surgery. I also speak 3 languages.
Q: What is the one thing that patients should know about you?
I really try to respect my fiduciary relationship with my patients – doing what is best for them, even if it is not aligned with the financial interest of the practice. For example, I recently declined a tummy tuck on a patient who was medically not an ideal candidate. To be able to decline cases, one must have enough other quality surgical candidates. From a business standpoint, it also means that the office must be run efficiently. Personally, I believe that patient selection has contributed to my good surgical results.
Q: What sets you apart from others in your profession?
When someone in the community asks me what I do for a living, they often do not believe the answer they hear. I am definitely not the Hollywood stereotypical plastic surgeon. I have taught my kids to fish in the neighborhood creek and taken them backpacking along the Appalachian Trail. When my wife asks about going to a “nice warm beach” I have suggested Delaware in July. I really enjoy local things that could be described as “dull normal.”
Q: How do you employ new technology to help your clients?
There is a trend in society that “new technology” is going to be a salvation for many of our ills. Personally I am a bit more skeptical. While we do use electronic scheduling, an electronic medical records system, and confirm appointments via text message, the most important modality is the one-on-one time I spend with my patients before, during and after surgery.
Q: What are your interests outside of work?
I enjoy long distance running and most things that get me outdoors. A book I am currently reading is “Power of the Powerless” by Vaclav Havel.
Q: What’s a challenge that you’ve faced in your life and how did you overcome it?
All of us will have a moment when we receive a message by a phone call or other means that profoundly changes our lives for the next several years. To paraphrase Darwin theory, “it is not the strongest that survive, but the most adaptable.” In difficult moments, there is a lot of time pressure to make a decision. But my experience is that we often have more time to make that decision than we think. This time is well suited to getting advice from friends and professionals before deciding how to move forward. Finally, a sufficient quantity of time has a healing quality all of its own.
Q: What’s an example of something in your professional life that you’re particularly proud of?
I once had the opportunity to remove a complicated vascular tumor from a man’s face. The tumor was the size of a small orange. I was able to remove it through an incision inside the mouth – thus removing the disfiguring facial tumor without any unsightly scars. I applied the same principles from a facelift to minimize scarring and maximize natural results.
Q: What is the most significant change in your field you’ve witnessed over the course of your career?
Social media has resulted in increased awareness of plastic surgery procedures and options. Lots of social media is visually based, which fits well with plastic surgery. However, the internet contains much information, but a paucity of knowledge. I have seen more interest in plastic surgery, while an increasing need for patients to be properly counseled in the office about whether a particular procedure is the optimal choice for them.
ABOUT DR. DOMANSKI
Focusing on natural results, Dr. Domanski believes in helping patients regain control over their bodies.
Dr. Mark Domanski is a Double-Board certified Plastic Surgeon. Dr. Domanski is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
He has been recognized as a “Top Doctor” by Washingtonian Magazine, Northern Virginia Magazine and DC Modern Luxury magazine. However, Dr. Domanski’s favorite accolade is his Most Compassionate Doctor award by Patient’s Choice.
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