Plastic Surgeon with a Podcast – Dr. Smita Ramanadham

Surrounded by role models all her life, the career path chosen by Dr. Smita Ramanadham, who goes by Dr. Smita, was not a surprise to anyone.

Dr. Smita was born to immigrant parents, her mother a pediatrician, and her father a pharmacist. Dr. Smita spent most of her early years focused on her schooling and learning about other interests, especially art. 

“I was rather shy growing up, and art became an outlet in which I could express myself. Whether it was painting, drawing, or pottery, I loved them all. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this talent that I had would blend so well with the profession I would later choose,” Dr. Smita reflected.

Now double board-certified in both general and plastic surgery, Dr. Smita shared that she chose the field of plastic surgery in a roundabout way. 

“I graduated medical school extremely interested in general surgery,” she said. “I headed to Dallas, Texas, to pursue my general surgery training at UT Southwestern. It was during my years as a general surgery resident, however, that I realized I missed the creativity and artistic aspect that I previously got from art.”

So Dr. Smita began to look at plastic surgery a little more seriously and rotated with the plastic surgery service at the University of Texas Southwestern during her fourth year as a general surgery resident.

“I was immediately hooked! I loved the breadth of the cases, the creativity, and the artistic aspect. More importantly, I loved that we were able to truly improve our patients’ quality of life and confidence, which is such a beautiful thing and so rewarding.”

In addition to serving her aesthetic patients in her practice and her role as a member of the editorial board for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery– the number one ranked plastic surgery journal- and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Global Open, Dr. Smita hosts an Instagram show with another one of our featured Ask Us Beauty female aesthetic leaders, Dr. Amalfi.

The two met in 2017 at the Women Plastic Surgeons Enrichment Retreat in California.

“Ashley and I joke that we actually started up a conversation because we both were using the same purse.  We immediately hit it off and would run into each other over the following years at various other meetings,”

Dr. Smita told us.  It was a very natural friendship that soon developed and has created a powerful duo with their Lipstick and Lipo podcast platform. 

“We really wanted to meet our patients where they were and provide education about plastic surgery in a very real, relatable, and interactive way. Much of the information about plastic surgery on social media is not from board-certified plastic surgeons, so it was extremely important for us to be out there and visible. Lipstick and Lipo is also about us being women in a male-dominated field.  We wanted to highlight that we can be supportive of each other and empower each other as female surgeons. We wanted to be an example for the younger generations of upcoming doctors and surgeons that may not see other people that look like them in the field and that they, too, can be plastic surgeons if the desire exists.  We also wanted to highlight that while we are surgeons and are required to have a certain personality to succeed in this field, we are also women [who] love fashion and beauty, hence our namesake “Lipstick.”

We asked Dr. Smita to share with us her definition of beauty, and these were her words:

“The definition of beauty in the Oxford dictionary is ‘a combination of qualities… that please the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.’ While we, as plastic surgeons, learn about the ideals of beauty based on various proportions and symmetry and often use these as a surgical framework, true beauty comes from within.  Self-assurance, confidence, being comfortable in your own skin, is beautiful.  While we may learn about these beauty ideals, our main goal as a plastic surgeon is to foster confidence in each of our patient’s lives.”

Ask Us Beauty Reader Questions

I’ve lost a lot of weight, and my arms have a lot of loose skin; how do I know if I’m a good candidate for non-surgical skin tightening?  

Typically, non-surgical skin tightening is a good option for those patients that have minimal skin laxity or want to improve the quality of the skin.  Patients that have lost significant weight are generally better candidates for a Brachioplasty, or arm lift.  This, of course, depends on your goals and examination. The best way to know if you are a candidate is to seek a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon that can discuss all your options.

What exactly is an Arm Lift?  

An arm lift is a surgical procedure in which excess skin and fat of the upper arm is excised.  This is typically done through an incision that runs along the inner arm from the armpit (axilla) to the elbow. It can also be combined with liposuction to improve the overall contour of the arm.

You can find Dr. Smita at:

• Website: drsmita.com
• Instagram: thedrsmita
• Twitter: thedrsmita
• Facebook: Smita Ramanadham, MD