Joseph Michaels Plastic Surgeon MD

My experience with Dr. Michaels was wonderful. After having WLS and losing over 100 lbs, I needed to get the lose skin gone! I consulted him and was able to get a lower body lift, arm lift, and minor breast lift all in a single procedure (still 12 hours, but was only doable because of how minor the breast work was). Then 3 months later I had an upper back lift. Dr. M was so patient in listening to all my questions, he explained everything in detail, listened to my requests (I was the one that really wanted the 3-in-1 procedure to keep costs down so he pushed to make that work for me), and just had a really great bedside and office manor. His staff was also really nice and helpful. The whole experience was 5 stars from top to bottom and I would absolutely recommend using him for plastics after having major weight loss. He specializes in people who have lost large amounts of weight so he did a great job of making sure my body ended up with sexy curves and not flat areas, dog-ears, or other weird bits due to having skin removed. 10/10 would recommend!

Dr. Michaels is a phenomenal Plastic Surgeon. Not only did I get amazing results, but the whole process was seamless. He is kind, considerate and makes himself available to you. I never felt rushed at appointments, and he answered all my questions and helped me make decisions about what I wanted.

I traveled from NY to Washington DC area to have surgery with him and do not regret the decision to travel at all. After going to 5 Plastic Surgeons for consultations....Going with someone who specializes in people who have had massive weight loss I felt was essential.

Dr. Michaels is by far one of the best surgeons I have ever known or had the pleasure of dealing with. He is very skilled as a surgeon but even more important he makes his patients feel very comfortable and even though the whole pre-surgery process can be stressful, Dr. Michaels and his entire staff went out of their way to answer all my questions and to put my mind at ease. I highly recommend Dr. Michaels and encourage anyone who is thinking about having an abdominalplasty or any other body contouring or plastic surgery to make an appointment with Dr. Michaels. After your consultation and after seeing samples of his work, I am sure that you will not have to look for another surgeon and that you will be as equally satisfied. Good luck on your life changing journey. Finally, all I can say is thank God that I was lucky enough to have two of the best surgeons around including Dr. Michaels.

Although I am only a week out, I am very pleased with all of my interactions with Dr. Michaels. I have to say that I feel like a new person and things have gone very smoothly. Dr. Michaels has a great vision and does an excellent job explaining what I should have expected and so far it has been right on! The procedure was done at Sibley hospital and all of their staff were amazing as well. This experience ranks right up there with my experiences with Dr, Peters with my RNY. I can not say how smooth this experience has been compared to my first round with my other surgeon who I was happy with, but had a lot of problems. I feel bad for Dr. Michaels because I keep waiting for something to go wrong! :-) Dr. Michaels really took his time in doing markings and it really paid off. I can not say Thanks you enough!

I live 2 hours away from his office and was very concerned about being far away in case something should go wrong, but my surgery was on a Thursday and I was discharged on Friday. Dr. Michaels and Leah offered to find me a hotel and he would check in with my again on Saturday to make sure things would be good for the car ride home. I ended up riding home on Friday and have been fine ever since!

In addition one would be remiss to not mention Leah. She is so patient and a complete pleasure to deal with. Unlike other offices I have dealt with she was always knowledgeable, but it it was a question for Dr. Michaels she quickly gave him the message and was quick to return my call.

I owe a lot of thanks for both Dr. Michaels and Leah!

I absolutely love Dr Michaels and Leah. On my first visit to him I thought he looked too young to know what he was doing but he proved me totally wrong. I had surgery Dec, 2010 and I look and feel fantastic. I totally love my six_pack and never never knew I had all these curves. If ever I need other plastic surgery, Dr M would be the one to do it. My batriatric surgeon and his staff are very impressed and I think have sent several of their patients to him.
Besides his surgical skills, Dr Michaels gave me 101% attention and always seemed to have my best interests at heart. He was very upfront about the risks of the surgery and did not over promise. Thankfully I have had nothing but joy since the surgery.
After the surgery he was very much available any time I had questions or concerns. Ooh and Leah is just fantastic. He could not have a better person working for him. She is a complete joy to deal with and is ever so patient. Love you Leah.

I absolutely do not have anything negative to say at the moment as my experience has been nothing but GREAT.

Thanks Dr Michaels for giving me so much confidence.

I know you shouldn't write reviews that are 100% positive but I really don't have anything but the highest regard and respect for Dr Michaels and my experience with him thus far has been ABOVE AND BEYOND my wildest expectations. I knew in the first 5 minutes that he was going to do my ps. Before we got down to the details of what I wanted to do he wanted to know about the journey that got me here. I really think that Dr Michaels was a fat girl in a former life -- he just gets it. He was very straightforward in explaining everything to me and giving me all the tools I needed to make decisions.

I started out weighing over 440 pounds. I lost 235 in two years with my VSG. With the extreme weight loss AND being over 40 my body was a WRECK. I had an abdomiplastiy, mons lift and upper thigh lift on April 15, 2011. I stayed one night in the hospital. I worked from home for 2 weeks and then returned to work full time. On June 23 I was on the beach in Jamaica in a bathing suit WITHOUT A SKIRT for the first time since the 80's! I will be going back to Dr Michaels for some work on my back and breasts.

I also have to mention that Leah in Dr Michaels office is SUPER. She is friendly, efficient, enthusiastic and just generally great!

My entire experience from start to finish really exceeded anything that I could have hoped for. If anyone wants to ask specific questions I would be happy to share more details directly.

Dr. Michaels is THE BEST! It is very difficult for an obese person to tackle bariatric surgery. Being successful in massive weight loss requires a tenacity that few people can sustain over time. One of the hardest parts comes as you finally approach your goal weight. You look like a different person but you are still a prisoner of the effects of the excess skin that now hangs from your body, reminding you of your former self.

In my case, I lost 175 pounds after lap band surgery and had become a triathlete. I wanted the skin on my arms and belly removed because I knew it would make me feel better about my body. But more importantly I wanted to really push myself physically and the excess skin stifled me.
I saw Dr. Michaels at the insistence of my bariatric surgeon. I immediately found him personable and understanding, even in the most shameful moments of having to reveal the saggy and wrinkled body that hid beneath my clothes.

He had expertise and explained each procedure thoroughly. The day before my surgery he took time to mark my body with great detail so that the surgery would yield the result that he knew I wanted. He was patient and sensitive to my pre-surgery nerves and approached the experience with professionalism and good humor.

After surgery, he was always available by phone to answer any questions and responded quickly to any of my concerns. Since then, he has been a supportive advocate for me as I explore weight loss coaching as an new career. Dr. Michaels is a rare find in the world of plastic surgeons. You are not just a number and he genuinely cares about his patients. Further, he appears to really enjoy taking part in life transforming surgery. He is helping formerly obese patients get back to the bodies they were intended to have. I highly recommend him if you are considering post weight loss surgery!

Top Weight 415 pounds
Weight Pre-Op 234 (without bariatric surgery)
Procedure: Panniculectomy (25 pounds removed)

When I think of doctor Michaels the first word that comes to mind is integrity. It would have been very easy to say that my body had been over 400 pounds and it will never look right no matter what, Dr. Michaels didn't see it that way. He took the time to make sure my surgery was done correctly and my body looked right.

Knowing I had hung my future on this surgery, that my insurance company had denied me and that I was about to receive a carbon copy of the denial letter, he called me on a Saturday afternoon. He told me not to worry that he would fight for me. He explained how insurance companies worked and what our next step was. Within 5 days the denial was reversed to an approval and I was in surgery within 10 days!

The first surgeon I met with was very uncomfortable with the mere thought of performing this surgery, he wouldn't even contemplate it. He immediately referred me to Dr. Michaels. That decision has forever changed who I am. There is something very special this doctor.

I thank God I wound up in such good and caring hands and I am ready for ROUND 2!!!

Dr. Michaels performed a body lift, arm lift and breast lift on me in April of 2009. I had lost over 200 lbs with gastric bypass and had plenty of hanging skin. I was concerned about surgery, cause, well, I am a chicken to be honest. I have never met a doctor this caring, polite and knowlegeable. He cared for me like he would his own mother. He answered all my questions, treated me with great respect and took away my fears. After the surgery, well, the results were better than I expected. I was especially happy with my breast lift because I thought I would need implants afterwards to make me the size I was accustomed, but not implants were necessary. I was the size I was prior, just much perkier. My breast didn't look like this when I was 16 and thin! I can't say enough about Dr. Michaels. Just a wonderful experience and he feels like a member of our family.

I recently had a brachioplasty and mid-back lift performed by Dr.Micheals. I must say that his professionalism and dedication to his patients care is remarkable! Not only did he meet with me several times to discuss my questions and concerns about the procedures the after care that he and his medical team provided exceeded my expectations. I am now a couple months out of surgery and I have never felt or looked better! My results are amazing, you can barely see the scars and I have a very natural look. This is a doctor with exceptional talent and a true desire to help his patients, I would highly recommend him and will personally only consider using this doctor for my reconstructive/plastic surgery needs in the future.