Videos
Dr. Harold J. Kaplan, FACS – Facial Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Kaplan discusses what makes coming into his Torrance office for your initial cosmetic surgery or non-surgical facial procedure consultation different than other plastic surgeons' consultations.
What is the Wonder Lift™?
Wonder-Lift is a mini facelift that focuses on the lower face. It's less invasive than a typical facelift and offers minimal downtime.
Why Do I Look Tired?
As we age, skin begins to sag and gives a tired appearance, even when we're not tired. Dr. Kaplan discusses some surgical and non-surgical options to minimize these problems and restore your skin to looking more youthful and well rested.
Double Board Certified & Teaching Surgeon
Dr. Kaplan is board certified in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Head & Neck Surgery, making him a superspecialist in facial surgeries. He discusses these qualifications and what else you should look for in a cosmetic surgeon.
Testimonial 1
One of Dr. Kaplan's patients talks about her first consultation and what made her initially choose Dr. Kaplan. Here what she says about her facial cosmetic procedure and his staff.
Testimonial 2
Concerned with looking tired, an RN - and patient - talks about what she saw working with Dr. Kaplan that made her so confident in his experience that she chose to have a facial cosmetic procedure done.
Plastic Surgery for Men
Men make up about 15% of plastic surgery patients. Most often, they come in for upper or lower eyelid surgery.
What can I do about bags under my eyes?
Under-eye bags are a common problem for many people. Dr. Kaplan is a plastic surgeon specializing in the face and neck. He has extensive experience in eye lid surgery (also called blepharoplasty).
Is plastic surgery painful?
Most facial cosmetic procedures are typically shorter and less invasive, therefore recovery times are usually shorter and patients rarely experience significant pain or discomfort.
What makes Dr. Kaplan an injection specialist?
Dr. Kaplan has been an injection specialist for over 30 years. His knowledge of the head and neck region ensures that patients get the most safe and effective injectable treatments.
What is a MicroLaserPeel?
The MicroLaserPeel is a laser skin care procedure that resurfaces skin to deal with problems like fine lines and wrinkles, large pores, light scarring, and pigmentation problems.
How long does plastic surgery take?
Plastic surgery procedures vary in length of surgical time from around one to four hours, depending not just on a single procedure, but if a patient is getting multiple procedures in conjunction with each other.
How should I select my surgeon?
There are several things to consider when selecting a plastic surgeon: how and where were they trained? Are they board certified? What is their experience? Dr. Kaplan is not only double board certified, but teaches plastic surgery to UCLA medical students.
Is my face falling?
Faces often fall as muscles that support it lengthen with age. Dr. Kaplan discusses in depth what causes this and what can be done to tighten these muscles.
What are injectables?
There are many anti-aging injectable treatments designed to soften lines and wrinkles by either filling in lines or by adjusting the muscles underneath the skin. Dr. Kaplan talks briefly about what different injectable treatments can help with.
What inspired Dr. Kaplan to do plastic surgery?
Dr. Kaplan has many years of experience as a surgeon, find out what inspired him to go into cosmetic surgery and what he still enjoys about it.
Facial procedure recovery time
Recovery time depends on the facial procedure. The recovery time for injectables is next to none. For laser procedures, it can be a few days. Surgery really depends on the extensiveness of the procedure.
What is the consultation process?
When a patient has decided to invest in a cosmetic procedure, they first meet with Dr. Kaplan to discuss their concerns. He will make a recommendation based on that, and Dr. Kaplan's staff will help with additional information.
At what age is surgery acceptable?
There is no specific age for cosmetic surgery procedures, however the type of procedure may vary with age. A younger person may be more inclined to have a procedure like rhinoplasty, whereas an older person may be interested in anti-aging procedures like facelifts.
Is cosmetic surgery the only option?
No! There are many different surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures designed to treat different problems. After discussing your concerns with Dr. Kaplan he can make a recommendation that may be a non-surgical option such as injectables, dermal fillers, laser treatments, or a certain skin care regimen.
How often can I do surgery?
It varies, depending on the cosmetic procedure. Facelifts, for example, can be done safely every 7-10 years.
What are chin implants?
Chin implants are a solution to problems with the proportions of the lower face. Dr. Kaplan talks about what they're made of and what they feel like, and a little bit about the chin implant procedure.
Why do my eyelids seem heavy?
Dr. Kaplan discusses this common problem. As we age, skin loses its elasticity and muscles begin to relax which can create a heavy brow and eyelids.
What can nasal surgery accomplish?
Nasal surgery can be cosmetic or functional. Often people have nose surgery to address both problems.
What are the risks of surgery?
All surgeries have some amount of risk, but a surgeon's job is to control those risks. Dr. Kaplan talks about ways to minimize surgery risks and what steps his practice takes to ensure patients' safety.
Can you fix my lips?
Dr. Kaplan talks about the common problem of lipstick bleeding and staining the creases and skin around the lips. A few solutions include injectable fillers or laser procedures.
Can facial creams or exercises help?
Most advertisements for facial exercise techniques don't particularly work to lift the face. Many facial creams offer short term results as far as skin care goes. However, no exercise or cream can have a long term effect like lifting the face or brow, that would be achievable through a surgical procedure.
Your face after bariatric surgery
Extensive weight loss after Bariatric Surgery presents different problems than other weight loss methods. They have to be cleared medically before they can have any plastic surgery procedures. However, once they're cleared, many facial plastic surgery procedures can help.
How does weight loss affect my face?
After the first few pounds, weight loss often appears in the face first. Additional weight loss has a minimal effect on the face, since the look of the face is controlled by muscles. Often, after weight loss, patients notice that their face looks different and Dr. Kaplan works with them to address which procedures would work best for what they are trying to accomplish.