We recently connected with Jennifer Hanlon and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

When I was in residency, my program chair was Dr. Rebeiz. Dr. Rebeiz was a great leader but also a grandfather-figure for many of us, especially those living away from home during the five-year training program. Being in residency meant that you have limited time off and frequently had to work holidays, so he would always open up his home to us, to spend the holiday with him and his family. However, most importantly, he taught us to never forget the humanity in people. As an overworked resident seeing dozens of patients, it was sometimes easy to reduce patients to their ENT problem. However, Dr. Rebeiz made sure we stopped and recognized the patient as a person – did we talk to the family? Did we give the patient a chance to ask questions and understand the plan? Who was their treating doctor before coming to us, and what did they have to say? He made sure that the patient was put first – even if it took longer, even if it was inconvenient, even if it was difficult; if it was the right thing to do, he made sure that was what we did. I owe my career to Dr. Rebeiz, not only because he believed in my potential, but also because he showed me what it really meant to be a doctor. He unfortunately passed away from pancreatic cancer in my last year of training, but his legacy certainly lives on in my approach to patients.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I became interested in reconstructive and cosmetic facial plastic surgery during residency at Tufts University. Our training was very strong in the breadth of facial plastic surgery, including congenital anomalies, cleft lip and palate, post head and neck cancer resection reconstructions, cosmetic rhinoplasty, facelift, blepharoplasty, among other procedures. These were my favorite procedures to do during residency, which is why I decided to dive deeper into this and complete a facial plastic and reconstructive surgery fellowship. After residency, I completed my fellowship at the University of Miami under Richard Davis, MD, a nationally and internationally known name in the field of rhinoplasty. I also received excellent training in facial reanimation procedures during my fellowship. I am currently double board certified in otolaryngology and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.

After fellowship, I decided to stay in Miami. I joined a wonderful practice where I focus on facial plastic surgery, with a particular emphasis in rhinoplasty. I feel that my approach is different from others in that (1) I will also address functional or breathing issues and (2) I have a particular emphasis on natural results. No face is exactly the same and therefore no rhinoplasty will be exactly the same, and I strive to provide a natural final result that fits the individual’s face.

Sometimes there is a stigma associated with plastic surgery, namely cosmetic surgery, but I would argue that it is just as worthwhile as other procedures, particularly in the mental health space. I always counsel my patients that if your appearance is something that you struggle with frequently and it occupies a lot of mental space for you, then it may make sense to try to correct it, within reason. Some patients are scared of plastic surgery because they do not want to look overdone – a fear I definitely understand. I genuinely believe that the best plastic surgery results are those where your friends and family can’t exactly pinpoint what you had done – they just know you look better and refreshed.

I currently provide a wide range of facial plastic surgery procedures, including rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty (upper and lower eyelid surgery), necklifts, post-Mohs (skin cancer) resection reconstruction, head and neck cancer reconstructions, minimally invasive injections such as Botox and fillers, chemical peels, among others.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Do good work and treat people the way you’d like to be treated. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but it’s important. If you stand by your results and you treat people with respect, all you need to grow your practice is word of mouth. I sincerely believe people-to-people recommendations are the most effective and the most honest.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Be honest. Explaining everything about the procedure beforehand is important. No sugarcoating. If it will be painful, say that. If it will take three months to heal, let the patient know. Complications happen, and the best way to go about this is being honest and working to correct the issue. Sometimes patients want things done that you’re not comfortable doing – be honest about that and explain why. Sometimes patients come in wanting a very specific nose that they’ve seen on Instagram, and I’ve had to politely refuse because the heavily photoshopped image is not conducive to actually being able to breathe out of your nose. Some patients want more and more filler, and I have to exercise my professional judgement and gauge when aesthetically enough is enough. I think most people would prefer honesty over always being told what they want to hear. A trusting patient-physician relationship is critical to good results, and the way to achieve that is honesty.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.southfloridafacialplastics.com/providers/dr-jennifer-harb-hanlon/
• Instagram: @jenniferharbmd