Dr. Ashley Amalfi talks Plastic Surgery

Reader Questions for Dr. Ashley

Q. It seems like there’s a shift in plastic surgery moving to a more natural look. What are some of the most common procedures?

Patients are coming in and asking to look and feel more like themselves. After pregnancy and childbirth, there are so many changes that our bodies go through as women. Mommy makeover procedures are a way to address the physiologic changes that happen to our breasts and abdomen after having our children. Our breasts become saggier and more deflated, and a breast lift using your own tissue, adding a very small implant, or injecting your own fat is a great way to give you back the fuller, rounder breasts you had when you were younger. Nothing is overly fake or overdone, but tastefully complements and fills out your figure. This is my favorite look, because patients look rejuvenated, and they radiate confidence. Liposuction and tummy tuck procedures are also done as part of a mommy makeover surgery. This tightens the abdominal muscles and fixes the diastasis recti, or separation of the abdominal muscles, that happens after we have children and especially after cesarean sections. Adding in liposuction gives us back the hourglass figures we had before pregnancy, and who doesn’t want to just feel better in their jeans!? I love these natural-looking mommy makeovers, and more importantly, the women who walk away feeling like the best version of themselves as they show up for the world, their jobs and their families.  

Q. Can you explain Breast Fat Transfer?

Fat transfer to the breast is such an exciting procedure. As we discuss in Lipstick & Lipo™, we call it more of a breast “boost” than a breast augmentation. Fat is a great way to use your own tissue to fill out the concavity in the breast we develop as we age. It doesn’t give the rounded look that an implant does, but for the right candidate, it fills in the gapping that we can get in the upper part of the bra, and that’s so exciting for our patients.  Most come in for multiple rounds of fat grafting to achieve their desired shape and size.  

Q. How do I know if I am a suitable candidate for Breast Fat Transfer?

These patients are looking for more of a natural boost with little size change. We can use fat from an area where they desire liposuction, with the added benefit of putting the fat somewhere they would like to have more volume, like the breast. I tell patients not to expect too big of a cup size change, but they can better fill out their existing cup and possibly go up just one bra size.

About Dr. Ashley

Dr. Ashley Amalfi became interested in medicine and science from a very early age after witnessing the numerous health challenges of her younger sister.

“Seeing medicine from the patient and family side of things propelled my deep interest in helping others.” Dr. Amalfi shared that she has always been a perfectionist. “I was meticulous, and nothing bothered me more than a kid who didn’t color inside the lines! I was drawn to working with my hands, and that naturally led to my interest in art as a young girl.”

Having won numerous art awards throughout her schooling, Dr. Amalfi decided to pursue dual degrees in Fine Arts and Art History from the prestigious George Washington University. Yet it was during her high school years growing up in Rochester, New York where she had her first experience in the art of changing people’s lives with an opportunity to shadow a few local doctors, one being a pediatric plastic surgeon. “It was the perfect marriage of my passion for science and helping others, as well as the artistic interests and attention to detail that I had been cultivating. I was hooked and never looked back.”  

Dr Amalfi completed her undergraduate degree in just three years and pursued her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, followed by an additional six years of an integrated residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Southern Illinois University.

Dr. Amalfi shared that her definition of beauty is all about the way you feel.

“When patients feel beautiful, you can see it radiate to all parts of their lives. It boosts their own confidence, but also translates into their professional success and fulfillment in their personal lives. Seeing that transformation for my patients is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.”   

Dr. Amalfi and her esteemed colleagues see patients at the Quatela Center for Plastic Surgery in Rochester, NY. In addition to her work, Dr. Amalfi and her good friend and colleague, Dr. Smita Ramanadham, created Lipstick & Lipo™ an Instagram TV and YouTube show. 

“It started as a small idea to educate the public about plastic surgery during the COVID quarantine in spring of 2020 and has quickly grown. We were featured on TheDoctorsTV discussing our new show and are excited about the buzz it has created. There is really nothing like it out there – two doctors, both women, who have so much in common with the patients we are treating.”  

For real advice and education about important topics related to aesthetic plastic surgery, check out Lipstick & Lipo™ and follow Dr. Ashley and Quatela Center for Plastic Surgery at:

• Instagram: @DrAshleyAmalfi
• Instagram: @QuatelaCenter_PlasticSurgery
• Instagram: @QMedSpa   
• Website: https://www.quatela.com/