We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Paul Fortes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Paul, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)?

I was an intern in general surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. A significant part
of the learning experience as a resident in general surgery was “taking call”, which involved spending 24-
36 hours straight in the hospital with my team of other residents and the attending surgeon. Baylor was
known for being a very busy tertiary hospital for trauma and for other surgical emergencies. One of my
very early experiences was taking care of a patient who was brought to the ER after sustaining major
pelvic injuries as a result of an auto-cyclist collision. When he arrived he was evaluated and resuscitated
by my trauma team. He sustained major pelvic fractures but did not have other injuries requiring
emergency surgery of the abdomen, chest of head. He was managed in the surgical ICU, and it was my
responsibility to keep him stable until the orthopedic surgeon on-call was able to evaluate him. Like me,
his ICU nurse was young and new to taking care of surgical ICU patients. She and I saw to it that he
receive the necessary transfusions of blood d other IV fluids to keep him stable. After multiple
transfusions given rapidly, he stabilized and eventually had orthopedic procedures to repair his pelvis.
He recovered completely was was back to his love of cycling. That day taught me to take the proverbial
“bull by the horns” in the care of patients and not to sit back as a passive observer. It taught me self
reliance and the recognition that I was, indeed, capable of being very focused and composed in
moments of extreme stress and high-stakes. It was an experience that prepared me for other high-
stakes decision making and for proving to myself that I was capable of rising to the task of taking care of
patients in many different perilous situations. And that experience was only the beginning of
appreciating the challenges in surgery and the readiness to spring into action with purpose and
confidence in the care of patients.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My journey into the field of aesthetic plastic surgery was an evolutionary process. It started with an
early and strong interest in science, guided and the supported by many encouraging mentors. My
father, in particular, was a huge influence. He loved medicine and, through example, helped shape my
interest in a medical career. The other omnipresent personal interests were of drawing, music, and the
“arts” in general. Along the way, it became more and more apparent that the career path that best
suited me both intellectually and creatively was in plastic surgery, especially in aesthetic plastic surgery.
As an aesthetic plastic surgeon, I love the variety in the field. On any given day I can do surgical
procedures that range from facelifts, eyelid and brow lifts, rhinoplasty, breast enhancement, and body
contouring through liposuction, abdominoplasty, and various body lift procedures. No other medical

field affords the practitioner the level of creativity or breadth of procedures that are seen in plastic
surgery. That sets the field apart, and what sets me apart within the field is my desire to deliver
“bespoke”, hand-crafted, and natural results specifically tailored to the desires and needs of each
unique individual. I set my sights on all of the details that separate great results from good ones. There
are always challenges in striving to be as perfect as possible and in aiming for consistently great results,
but these are the challenges that I look forward to each and every day that I come to work.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A life lived with authenticity and the pursuit of professional fulfillment is often filled with pivotal
movements. For me the first (and major) pivotal point was deciding to pursue a career in medicine
instead of chemical engineering. I had that first “aha!” moment while studying at Rice University and
realizing that a life in chemical engineering, although intellectually challenging, would never give me the
opportunity for close, personal interactions with people that I could help in a direct and intimate
manner. The second pivotal moment came during medial school when it became clear to me that a
career in internal medicine was not for me. Instead, I realized that surgery was much more aligned with
my goals of being able to make immediate impacts in the lives of patients that I would be taking care of.
The final early pivotal point came when I made the decision to pursue a career in plastic surgery. This
decision brought me back to my childhood fascination and love of the arts and their stimulation of my
creative mind. Plastic surgery would be a rare union of my logical/analytical left brain with my
creative/visual right brain. The path towards plastic surgery was THE right path in the pursuit of my true
calling, of my self-actualization, and of my happiness. Often, pivotal points present in life during
moments when we are ready to recognize them and when we allow ourselves the bravery of acting on
them!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Lessons are learned and unlearned throughout life. However, the key that I have found in all life lessons
is that they never serve anyone well if they are in violation or in conflict with one’s true self and
authentic nature. It’s not really the devil that steers us wrongly. It’s our willingness to ignore our inner
voice that warns and guides us in the pursuit of fulfillment and happiness, even when we are doubt-
filled and uncertain, that often takes us in the wrong direction. Following advice from well-meaning
sources outside of ourselves can cause us to stray from our true paths. On many occasions, I have been
the recipient of misguiding “outside” advice, including devoting a year towards learning to play a
musical instrument that was never a good fit, considering a career on the basis of it being a smart and
lucrative choice, pursuing relationships that seemed “right” or “great on paper”, and putting an
intense focus on things in the distant future while simultaneously ignoring the present. That last lesson
unlearned was particularly valuable, even if it came at the expense of so much present time squandered.
Lessons learned and unlearned is an inevitability. It’s what happens with growth and with life
experience. If we never unlearn a thing, then we truly have failed to adapt ourselves to life’s new
adventures.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fortesmd.com
• Instagram: @drfortes_plasticsurgery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoctorFortes
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drfortes