We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Carl Truesdale a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Carl, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
When I was in my facial plastic surgery fellowship, I had a big decision to make. I already knew I wanted to go immediately into private practice. The question was – where? Did I want to be a big fish in a small pond and move to a city where there weren’t many facial plastic surgeons? Or did I want to risk being a small fish in a big pond and stay in Beverly Hills, a city that is world-famous for facial plastic surgery, with surgeons on almost every block? I choose to aim to be a big fish in a big pond, set up a practice in one of the most competitive markets in the world and make a name for myself.
I decided to take a calculated risk by starting to build a patient population while still in fellowship. I began recruiting and treating my own patients on nights and weekends. I made Facebook and Instagram ads, posted social media content daily, and responded to every DM from a potential patient. I also acted as my own receptionist, from scheduling patients to collecting payment. I also was my own back office manager. I purchased and managed my inventory of Botox and fillers, sent patient paperwork, and coordinated with a surgical center to book larger surgeries like facelifts.
This was an incredibly busy time in my life – working full days as a facial plastic surgery fellow and developing the foundations of a private practice. However, this time was as exciting as it was busy. I grew a diverse and large patient population quickly by offering my services at an amazing value and building close relationships with my patients. I grew my 5-star Google reviews, before and after photo gallery, and started to get a lot of patient referrals from past patients. I also continued to develop my signature approaches to each of my procedures.
As my fellowship progressed, the decision for my family and I to stay in Beverly Hills became an easy one. Even though our extended families were on the East Coast, LA felt like home to us. And while it was still a risk starting a practice as a young doctor in a highly competitive area, I had proven to myself that I could not only make it here in LA, but I could thrive here. I decided I’d be a big fish in a big pond. Being here continues to motivate me to be the best facial plastic surgeon in the world.
Dr. Carl, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My business, Truesdale Facial Plastic Surgery, serves patients through a full array of facial cosmetic surgical and non-surgical solutions that help them look and feel their best. I have surgical and non-surgical options that can help almost anyone increase their confidence.
My goal is to help people look and feel like the best version of themselves. I truly believe facial plastic surgery can look completely natural. There’s a myth that plastic surgery makes people look strange or over-done. A lot of my patients tell me that their friends and neighbors tell them “wow, you look amazing! What’s your secret?” – they look radiant and confident, but not like they’ve had “work done.” I’m all about natural-looking, beautiful results.
I perform all aspects of facial plastic surgery, including my favorite procedure, the deep plane facelift and other types of facelifts. I also do brow lifts to raise dropped brows and rejuvenate the face. Patients in their 20s and 30s often come to me for facial contouring procedures, like buccal fat removal, and/or neck liposuction and FaceTite (a minimally-invasive radio-frequency device) to reduce a double chin and sharpen the profile. I also do nose surgery (rhinoplasty), eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), lip lifts, chin implants, fat transfers and ear surgery (otoplasty).
For patients looking for something non-surgical, I offer fillers (including liquid rhinoplasty, under eye filler, lip fillers, and liquid facelifts), lasers, Botox/Dysport to reduce and help prevent signs of aging, and chemical peels and radiofrequency (RF) microneedling to improve skin texture and quality. I also offer hair restoration services for people who have experienced hair loss including hair line lowering and hair transplants. As you can see, specializing in facial procedures still provides a lot of variety in the solutions I offer patients.
Additionally, I recently joined forces with fellow Morehouse College alumnus Dr. Drummond to launch Crown Hair Institute (https://www.crownhairinstitute.com/) in 2023, after seeing the lack of affordable options for hair restoration, and the dearth of providers who performed hair restoration procedures on patients of color. We offer a variety of hair restoration solutions for anyone who has experienced hair loss.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
I recently launched Crown Hair Institute with my good friend and fellow Morehouse College alumnus Dr. Robert Drummond. Crown Hair Institute is a hair restoration clinic that offers services to men and women at all stages of hair loss.
I met Dr. Drummond over ten years ago when I was deciding which medical school to attend. Dr. Drummond was a MD/PhD candidate at Johns Hopkins at the time. We had both attended Morehouse College, and Dr. Drummond is one of the most charismatic people you’ll ever meet, so we became friends right away. I visited Hopkins several times before I ultimately chose the University of Pennsylvania. It was a hard decision, especially because Dr. Drummond and his classmates made very compelling arguments on why I should join them at Hopkins.
Dr. Drummond and I kept in touch throughout the years, and then reconnected in person with our wives when I moved to the Los Angeles area. He has been a successful emergency medicine doctor in Pasadena for several years.
One day, Dr. Drummond and I started talking about hair loss and hair restoration. We discovered we had a shared interest in the topic. While there are great solutions to restore hair loss, they tend to be very expensive, and there aren’t enough options for people of color experiencing hair loss. Many doctors who perform hair restoration services are not trained or experienced in curly hair. They will literally turn away patients with textured hair who are seeking their services. After several more conversations and business planning meetings, Dr. Drummond and I decided to partner on a hair restoration clinic. We now help people with ALL hair textures regain their confidence through affordable hair restoration. Dr. Drummond is offering free hair restoration consultations in our Beverly Hills office, and we’re happy to be able to serve the community in this way.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I take a lot of pride in my relationships with my patients. I take the time to get to know them, answer all their questions, and help them feel confident about the upcoming procedure. I call my patients after they’ve had a big surgery with me to check in on them and see how I can further help their healing process. My team supports patients every step of the way, and we strive to make the entire experience as seamless and enjoyable as it could possibly be. I think our patients can tell we really care about them, and that’s been instrumental to getting over 100 5-star Google reviews in under two years, as well as the large number of referrals we get from previous patients.
Additionally, patients tell me that they’re happy, if not somewhat surprised, that I’m the “same person” in the office as I am on social media. I’m extremely hands-on with all my social media, so you’re getting the real me on all my accounts. My Instagram and TikTok accounts (@doctor.truesdale) have been great ways for current and future patients to get to know me, see a wide range of my work, and decide if I’m the right doctor for them. Many of my patients follow me for months and years, getting to know me virtually, and then confidently decide that they’re ready to come see me for a procedure. Many new patients walk in the office feeling like they already know me!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.doctortruesdale.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doctor.truesdale/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctor.truesdale/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnWgiJXDbtqLueAdrWok5w
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/truesdale-facial-plastic-surgery-beverly-hills
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@doctor.truesdale https://www.crownhairinstitute.com/
Image Credits
Eric Williams