Natalie Plana is a New York facial plastic and craniofacial surgeon who treats a newborn's cleft lip and a grandmother's facelift with the same eye for 1mmr of difference. Trained in classical ballet and modern dance, Dr. Plana spent three years at the Ailey School while earning her degree at Fordham. A single email as a medical student changed her direction. She reached out to Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, NYU's newly recruited chairman of plastic surgery and a pioneer of facial transplantation, and spent two years as a research fellow on his team, witnessing one of the most extensive face transplants performed to date. That work, she says, is where she truly learned what plastic surgery is and how to meet a patient's needs. Her craniofacial philosophy runs through the whole conversation: function and aesthetics are not competing priorities. Whether she's aligning the red border of an infant's cleft lip or rejuvenating an older face, the standard is the same, and a one-millimeter step-off is noticeable to the eye. She also makes a distinction worth hearing, that necessity should be defined by the patient's goals, not by the surgeon. Dr. Plana treats the face as a whole, integrating the bony skeleton with the soft tissue rather than working only on the surface, and why rhinoplasty sits at the center of it all. She also walks through how much jaw surgery has changed: patients can now go through orthognathic surgery with Invisalign instead of braces, and with elastics for a couple of weeks instead of having their jaw wired shut. If you're weighing facial surgery, or you just want to understand how a surgeon thinks about the face, this is a warm, unusually candid place to start. Dr. Natalie Plana Facial Plastic & Craniofacial Surgeon, New York City Dr. Natalie Plana is a fellowship-trained facial plastic and craniofacial surgeon in New York City whose work blends reconstruction and aesthetics across the face. She earned her medical degree at NYU, where she was recognized for excellence in plastic surgery, completed her plastic surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and returned to NYU for advanced fellowship training in craniofacial surgery. Her practice spans cleft and craniofacial reconstruction, rhinoplasty, orthognathic (jaw) surgery, and facial rejuvenation, and she still performs cleft surgery alongside her aesthetic work. A former Alvin Ailey and Fordham dancer, she credits that background for the discipline and precision she brings to the operating room. Follow Dr. Plana on Instagram @dr.natalieplana Learn more at planaplasticsurgery.com About Meet the Doctor The purpose of this podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person, because you're making a life-changing decision and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be. Your host is Eva Sheie. There's no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close. If you're considering making an appointment or are on your way to meet this doctor, be sure to let them know you heard them on the Meet the Doctor podcast. Are you a doctor, or do you know a doctor who'd like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book a free recording session at meetthedoctorpodcast.com Meet the Doctor is made with love in Austin, Texas, and is a production of The Axis: theaxis.io
