Today we’d like to introduce you to Banafsheh Sharif-Askary.
Hi Banafsheh, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Florida, and my path to becoming a plastic surgeon took me from Duke, where I completed both my undergraduate education and medical school, to Georgetown for an integrated residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery. My training there included a strong focus on trauma reconstruction and limb salvage, helping patients recover after injuries that could change their lives in an instant.
That experience shaped how I approach surgery. Reconstruction requires you to understand not only how something looks, but how it functions and what it means to the person living with it. It taught me to be meticulous, adaptable, and thoughtful about each patient’s goals.
I then pursued additional specialized aesthetic surgery training in Korea and Manhattan, learning from surgeons whose work I deeply admire. I focused particularly on facial aesthetics, including deep-plane facelifts and advanced neck lifting, as well as minimally invasive approaches to breast enhancement and facial rejuvenation. I also developed my experience with fat grafting, including microfat and nanofat techniques, and their evolving role in restoring volume and improving tissue quality.
Each stage of my training gave me a different perspective. Reconstructive surgery taught me how to work through complex problems and respect the limits of the tissues. My aesthetic training refined my eye for proportion, balance, and subtle changes that can make a meaningful difference. Learning in different countries and clinical settings also reinforced that there is rarely one approach that is right for everyone.
Moving across the country to San Diego was an opportunity to bring those experiences together and build a practice that reflects them. At BSA Plastic Surgery in La Jolla, I draw on that broad foundation to tailor care to the person in front of me, their anatomy, their goals, and their life beyond surgery. I wanted to create a boutique practice where patients feel heard, have time to ask questions, and understand the choices available to them.
For me, this move is about putting down roots as much as opening a practice. My family and I are making our home in Coronado, and I’m excited to bring what I’ve learned, from Florida and the East Coast to Korea, to caring for the San Diego community we now call home.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. Becoming a plastic surgeon means years of demanding training, sleepless nights, physically grueling cases, and emotionally difficult moments caring for patients through some of the hardest experiences of their lives. Those experiences challenged me, but they also gave me perspective and a deep sense of responsibility. I’ve always believed that the things most worth doing require hard work, and this path has been no exception.
Then, after 28 years of school and training, I realized that no one had taught me how to start a business. I knew how to care for patients and navigate a complicated operation, but opening a practice meant learning everything from commercial lease negotiation and construction to accounting and HR.
That was daunting, but I saw this practice as an investment in myself. I thought, “If I can spend 14 hours reattaching a hand, I can learn the intricacies of running a practice.” That didn’t mean doing everything alone. It meant trusting my ability to work through difficult problems, ask for help, and keep learning.
As a practice owner, I joke that I’m the surgeon, lawyer, CPA, HR department, and cleaning crew all in one. When a patient has a problem, it’s me. When the sink stops working, it’s also me. But that’s part of the joy of it, it’s my name on the door, and I’m proud to do everything it takes to build a practice that reflects the care and standards I believe in.
Another challenge has been establishing myself in a new community. But that word, community, is important to me. You can’t arrive somewhere and simply expect people to support you. You have to show up, contribute, and build relationships. That’s why I’ve joined local women’s clubs and become involved in volunteering and fundraisers. I want to be a neighbor who participates and gives back. This is where I’m raising my daughter, and I want us both to feel connected to the people around us.
Moving across the country and building a practice while raising a young child has required patience. Things haven’t always happened on my timeline, and I’ve had to learn where to be flexible and where to hold firm.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
BSA Plastic Surgery is a boutique, single-surgeon practice in La Jolla built around highly personalized, concierge care.
The plastic surgery landscape in San Diego can feel dominated by an older generation of male surgeons, and I’m proud to bring a different perspective as a woman and a mother. That experience shapes how I listen to patients and understand their concerns. I know how personal it can feel to watch your face and body change, and how overwhelming the pressure can be to try another cream, another device, or another treatment.
That shared experience matters. Surgery is a significant investment financially, physically, and emotionally, and patients deserve to feel heard rather than judged. Beauty standards shouldn’t be set by men, social media, or any surgeon, including me. They should come from the individual: what feels right for her, in her body, at this stage of her life.
My training is another important part of the practice. After Duke and my integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at Georgetown, I chose to pursue an additional year of specialized aesthetic fellowship training, including experiences in Manhattan and Korea. I wanted that dedicated time alongside exceptional surgeons to refine my judgment, expand my technical skills, and develop the caliber of care I envisioned for my patients. These experiences provided exposure to advanced and emerging aesthetic techniques (not available to every surgeon), with opportunities for focused mentorship and hands-on learning that aren’t part of every surgeon’s training.
I have also maintained a strong connection to academic medicine through my faculty appointment at UC San Diego, where I help teach the next generation of plastic surgeons. An academic appointment is meaningful because it reflects an additional level of professional review, credentialing, and accountability. Being trusted by a respected university to educate its residents speaks to the depth of my training, my surgical judgment, and my commitment to maintaining high standards of patient care.
My practice places a particular emphasis on facial rejuvenation while also offering a full range of aesthetic breast and body procedures. This includes deep-plane facelifting, deep-neck contouring, and rejuvenation around the eyes, alongside less invasive options for patients whose goals don’t require more extensive surgery. I’m especially interested in using a patient’s own tissue through fat grafting, including microfat for volume restoration and nanofat approaches aimed at improving skin quality. Selected treatments can be performed in the office. I also focus on breast enhancement that respects the patient’s tissues, proportions, and preference for a natural result.
What I’m most proud of is bringing that depth of training and academic commitment into a small, personal practice. Patients deserve both expertise and access to the person caring for them. I want readers to know that a consultation can simply be a conversation: a chance to ask questions, understand their options, and receive an honest recommendation without pressure to proceed.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Teaching makes me happy. There’s something incredibly rewarding about watching the UC San Diego residents develop confidence, connect what they’ve learned to the patient in front of them, and begin to exercise their own judgment. I love teaching the technical and artistic aspects of plastic surgery, but what matters most to me is helping shape surgeons who listen, recognize their limits, and put patients’ safety first.
That connects to a larger purpose for me: helping make aesthetic surgery a safer, more transparent space. We hear frightening stories in the news, and living in San Diego, so close to the border, brings conversations about medical tourism close to home. My concern isn’t simply where someone has surgery. It’s whether they understand the qualifications of the person operating, the safety of the facility, the risks involved, and who will care for them if something goes wrong.
I believe those of us with rigorous academic training have a responsibility to set the tone through education, honest conversations, and the standards we model. Helping a patient make an informed decision, or teaching a resident when not to operate, can be just as meaningful as a beautiful surgical result. Knowing I’ve contributed to that makes me happy.
On a personal level, few things make me happier than walking along the beach with my golden retriever. I got him during residency, and I honestly credit him with getting me through that grueling chapter of my life. No matter how long or difficult the day had been, he needed a walk, offered unconditional affection, and reminded me there was a world outside the hospital. Getting to share this chapter with him, with a little more sunshine and time by the ocean, feels especially meaningful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bsaplasticsurgery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsharif_askarymd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593067261715
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/banafsheh-sharif-askary-473299381/
- Other: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCmeTfJlq3HujWmr0oDvjpEngdP8ETz4DlBajw0AdQTwXIeg/viewform?usp=header
