We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Elliot Hirsch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Elliot, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” That is a quote from the late John Wooden, the former UCLA men’s basketball coach. This is important because we always try to do the right thing for our patients and help them achieve their goals, even if it means it is a long road to get there.

What should our readers know about your business?
We knew as soon as the Safer at Home order was established, so many of our fellow doctors and friends in the Valley would be immediately unable to work, and would be laying off or furloughing hundreds of employees. Our goal during this time was to make sure our eight employees remained full-time employed with their health insurance and retirement plans safely intact with us during the crisis, and we are proud we still have all eight working for us, fully employed with all benefits. During this pandemic, it was important to be able to pivot and assess how to continue to run our practice safely in order to keep our staff employed and safe and healthy. We have always offered telemedicine consults for patients coming from all over the country, but we immediately switched local patients to facetime consultations as well. Our medspa cancelled all services immediately until it was safe to continue, but our staff still did facetime consultations for skincare concerns and creating treatment plans for when our medspa re-opened. Essential surgeries don’t stop for Corona, so when we need to see these crucial patients pre and post surgery, we space them out so no one is waiting in the waiting room, rooms can be thoroughly cleaned in between, etc. We are a paperless office, but now we have our staff fill out the digital paperwork for any patients who didn’t ahead of time to minimize surface germs. We have also put many other safety and health procedures in place to keep our staff and patients safe and healthy, above and beyond the safety protocols we have always followed. We created a medical-grade skincare line to meet the needs of our patients and others looking to hydrate, sooth, protect and rebalance their skin, called Orá Rx. It is available in our office, and as soon as it became clear patients were craving restock on their products, we drove them to order on our website, on Amazon.com and on www.orarxskin.com. Our unique HA Calming Balm and HA Soothing Serum work together to boost some of our favorite procedures, like Microneedling with PRP or laser treatments. Patients use it on dry, irritated skin after surgeries, and we have even heard of patients using it as an aftershave and as a baby diaper rash cream! We are proud to have created a skincare line that is manufactured in Los Angeles without animal testing at a price point that is accessible for our patients.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Assuming Los Angeles reopens, I would start at Sidecar donuts in Santa Monica and take our snack to the Santa Monica Pier, which is an iconic Los Angeles landmark. If my friend was a surfer like me, this would be an early morning so we could catch some waves. We would walk on the beach before heading to brunch at Rose Cafe, which has a beautiful outdoor eating area that feels like a garden. The next day, we would go to Hollywood Walk of Fame, and then the La Brea Tarpits. The outdoor sculptures at LACMA are a great photo opp for out of towners, right next door. Then we would go for lunch at Pizzeria Mozza or Republique, right around the corner. We would have to go to the Getty Museum, both for the exhibits and the gardens. I’d make sure to take them to Scratch Bar in Encino, and ice cream at Wanderlust in Tarzana.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are several other small business owners in my family, and having them as a sounding board and support has been very helpful. They helped me get the best resources to set myself up for success. Having my wife help me through this whole process has been greatly beneficial. She is always available to talk through a situation and gives great advice. She has a Masters in Organizational Social Work, and she grew up in a family who ran a small business. She has always worked in Human Resources in the healthcare field, so she was qualified to be my office manager. I couldn’t have started my own private practice without all the advice and help from my family!

Website: www.hirschplasticsurgery.com
Instagram: @hirschplasticsurgery
Linkedin: Elliot M. Hirsch MD
Twitter: @drelliothirsch
Facebook: Elliot M. Hirsch, MD
Yelp: Elliot M. Hirsch, MD Inc.
Youtube: Elliot M. Hirsch, MD
Other: skincare website- www.orarxskin.com podcast- Below The Surface with Dr. Hirsch available on Spotify, apple podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts

Image Credits
Shane O’Donnell and Jordan Ring Photography