Susan Downey, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Susan Downey is a board certified plastic surgeon who has been in practice in the Los Angeles area for 22 years. Dr Downey's practice covers the full range of plastic surgery from cosmetic surgery such as facelifts, breast augmentations, and abdominoplasties, and other body contouring procedures to reconstructive procedures such as breast reductions and breast reconstruction after cancer treatments.

A significant portion of Dr Downey’s practice is the reconstruction of the breast after cancer treatments. She works closely with the oncologic breast surgeons as well as the medical oncologists and radiation oncologists to maximize the reconstructive results. She is currently involved in a study to evaluate the use of Seriscaffold mesh as a support sling for reconstruction.

Dr. Downey also has a particular interest in post massive weight loss patients especially after Bariatric procedures and has over 15 years experience in the field. She has been asked to teach at many national plastic surgery meetings on the care and treatment of patients after weight loss and has published her experiences. In 2006 she contributed a chapter entitled “Treatment of the Abdomen” to the textbook Aesthetic Surgery after Massive Weight Loss edited by Drs. Rubin and Matarasso. In December of 2007 she was the invited speaker at the first symposium held in the United Kingdom on Plastic Surgery and the Massive Weight Loss patient. In 2011 she contributed a chapter to the textbook Encyclopedia of Body Sculpting after massive Weight loss edited by Drs. Strauch and Herman entitled “Approach to Excess Trunk Rolls with a Vertical Excision”.

Dr. Downey is Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is an active member of numerous professional societies including the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS) and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). She has held the positions of Co-Chair of the Bariatric Task Force for ASAPS as well as Co-Chair of the ASAPS Women's Health Advocacy Committee. Dr. Downey is a Clinical Associate professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine.

Dr. Downey received her undergraduate degree from Smith College in Northampton, MA and earned her medical degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. She completed her residency in General Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and a residency in Plastic Surgery at the Columbia University – Presbyterian Hospital in New York. Continuing her education, Dr. Downey completed a Fellowship in Pediatric Plastic Surgery at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, California.

For over 20 years Dr. Downey has traveled with Operation Smile and Resurge (formerly Interplast) to over 15 different countries to help children born with facial defects such as cleft lip. Her most recent trip was as a Visiting Educator to Ecuador in December 2007. In addition to many national and international lectures and numerous publications in medical journals Dr. Downey is credited with films for the Learning Channel, Lifetime, The Discovery Channel and the History Channel. Dr. Downey has received many awards including being listed in “The Best Doctors in America” since 2000.