The only constant in life is change. It may be sudden and joyful, caused by the birth of a child or the spark of a new relationship, or it may be gradual and insidious, such as the effects of aging on the body. Plastic surgeon Scott Chapin, M.D., F.A.C.S., is familiar with both kinds of transformation. In his Doylestown-based practice, Chapin Aesthetics, he helps patients make the most of life’s changes.
Chapin Aesthetics provides conventional plastic-surgery procedures, including breast augmentation, tummy tucks and rhinoplasty, as well as nonsurgical procedures to enhance the face and body, including skincare services.
Dr. Chapin completed his undergraduate studies at Lafayette College in Easton, and then went on to attend Temple University Medical School, where he earned his doctorate. “I originally thought I was going to be a general surgeon, but in my second year of training I had the good fortune to assist a plastic surgeon on a breast reconstruction following a mastectomy,” Dr. Chapin says. “I was overwhelmed by how he was able to turn an obvious deformity into a normal-appearing breast—even
a beautiful one—using the patient’s own abdominal skin. I was also overwhelmed by how happy the surgeon was. I figured there was something to that.”
Following that experience, Dr. Chapin went on to complete a Plastic Surgery Research Fellowship at the University of Southern California/Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. He then trained in the General Surgery Residency Program at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., and later went through the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Residency Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
To ensure that his patients receive the comprehensive care they deserve, Dr. Chapin is affiliated with Doylestown Hospital in Doylestown and Grand View Hospital in Sellersville, as well as Doylestown Surgery Center in Warrington. Chapin Aesthetics has earned the designation of being a Cynosure Center of Excellence. Also, Dr. Chapin is proud to be diplomate of the American Board of Surgery and received the distinguished recognition as a National Physician Trainer for SmartLipo. He has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today and FOX News, and he also made an appearance on “Dr. Phil.”
Though his medical qualifications are impressive, it is the staff’s warm demeanor, as well as the honest communication Dr. Chapin maintains with his patients, that sets the practice apart from other providers. “You can sense when somebody has your best intentions at heart,” he says. “I think people feel that from me and the staff at Chapin Aesthetics when they come here. The office feels and looks like home. We’re honest about what we do and we care.”
It is by clearly communicating with patients that Dr. Chapin is able to bring out their true beauty. “I don’t know how to possibly define beauty—it follows no rules—but I know it when I see it, in a split second. We all do,” he says. “Every person I meet seems to understand that they possess their own inner and outer beauty. I’ve learned that it’s impossible to please those people who don’t have this self-awareness.” It is therefore not his job to “make” someone beautiful but to instead reveal or restore their beauty. “People want to retrieve what they once had, or they want to exorcise something that has haunted them all or most of their lives,” he says. “It’s generally ignited by a life change, such as a change in job, location or relationship.”
Rhinoplasty, also known as a “nose job,” is among the procedures that can address something that might have bothered a patient for much of his or her life. “Noses are extremely personal,” Dr. Chapin says. “They generally give the face balance. You don’t notice a beautiful nose like you do beautiful eyes or voluptuous lips. The only time you notice one is when it disrupts this balance. People generally want to change this when they encounter a life change, such as going to college, changing jobs or changing relationships.” Such significant changes offer rhinoplasty candidates a chance for a fresh start.
Pregnancy certainly falls in the category of joyful change, though its effects on a woman’s body are often unwelcome. Any sort of a healthy weight loss is also an accomplishment to be celebrated, but it can result in other problem areas. Tummy tucks and breast augmentation can help to address the loose skin created from such sudden, positive changes. “Again, people want to get back what they once had,” says Dr. Chapin. Both surgical procedures can generate dramatic results and require a window of healing time. “People are back to their routines for the most part within one week,” he says. “Abdominoplasty, or a tummy tuck, takes about 10 days to two weeks to get back to their routine.”
Patients who require subtler results or cannot spare time from their routines have the option of SmartLipo. This minimally invasive procedure creates a sculpted look by defining waistlines in women and abdominal muscles in men. Using the latest technology, and done through the smallest of incisions with local anesthetic, SmartLipo also has minimal recovery time. Most patients are able to return to work and their regular activities within a few days.
Fraxel laser treatment helps to ease the effects of aging on the face. It has been proven to be a safe way to resurface the skin. It can tighten the skin, reduce fine lines and even out one’s skin tone. “I’m very aggressive with Fraxel because it is so safe,” says Dr. Chapin, adding that it does require several days before the patient’s skin tone is back to being “socially acceptable.” Cosmetic injectables such as Botox and Restylane offer a more gradual approach.
Whether his patients seek dramatic results or more understated improvements, Dr. Chapin’s experience has taught him that exceeding patients’ expectations requires the constant pursuit of continuing education, the very latest technology and an expertly trained staff. “We know what we’re doing and we love doing it,” he says. “I’m thrilled that I chose this profession because it’s a very positive world, populated by happy clients. Thank-you cards and gifts are a daily occurrence here.”
Chapin Aesthetics
Scott Chapin, M.D., F.A.C.S.
253 W. State Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
267-880-0810 | www.drchapin.com
