Combined Breast Surgery and Abdominoplasty: Strategies for Success
Matarasso A, Smith DM. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2015;135(5):849e–860e.
Read the publicationMD, FACS · NEW YORK CITY
Darren M. Smith, MD, FACS
Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Mommy makeover specialist. President of the New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons for 2025-2026.
At a glance
Darren M. Smith, MD, FACS is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City specializing in the mommy makeover; his leadership includes the 2025-2026 presidency of the New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons. He co-authored the peer-reviewed Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery literature on combining breast surgery with abdominoplasty and on the aesthetic reshaping of the postpartum patient. Patients travel to his Ritz Tower practice from across the country.
- Specialty: Mommy makeover, breast augmentation (including the Preservé technique), breast lift, tummy tuck, Lipo 360, post-weight-loss body contouring
- Board certification: American Board of Plastic Surgery
- Leadership: President, New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2025-2026
- Fellowships: Craniofacial Surgery (The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto); Aesthetic Surgery (Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital)
- Residency: Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh - Administrative Chief Resident, 2013-2014
- Medical school: The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
- Research: Over 200 peer-reviewed publications, lectures and book chapters; one U.S. patent
- Recognition: Newsweek, America's Best Plastic Surgeons, 2026 · The Hollywood Reporter, The 49 Best Cosmetic Doctors and Aesthetic Gurus in America, 2026 · New York Post, NYC's Best New Plastic Surgeons, 2025
- Location: 111 East 57th Street, Ground Floor, New York, NY 10022
- Memberships: FACS, ASPS, The Aesthetic Society, NYRSPS
The mommy makeover is the signature
Dr. Smith is known first for the mommy makeover - the combination of breast surgery and abdominoplasty that addresses the changes pregnancy leaves behind, changes that often don't respond to diet, exercise, or time.
It is among the most technically demanding operations in mainstream aesthetic surgery. Two major procedures happen in one session, each has to complement the other, and the difference between a good result and a poor one is visible immediately. Getting it right depends on decisions made before the first incision: how the abdominal wall is repaired, where the scar sits, how breast volume and position are chosen against the new abdominal contour, how much is safe to do at once.
His reputation rests on consistency across those decisions. Natural contours. Proportioned results. Scars placed and healed with care. Patients describe feeling like themselves again.
The rest of the practice follows from the same standard - breast augmentation including the Preservé technique, breast lift, tummy tuck, Lipo 360, and body contouring for patients who have completed GLP-1 therapy or significant weight loss. The mommy makeover remains the lead.
PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH
By the Surgeon Who
Wrote the Book.1
Dr. Darren Smith co-authored two of the most highly cited peer-reviewed papers on mommy makeovers in the plastic surgery literature.
Strategies for Aesthetic Reshaping of the Postpartum Patient
Matarasso A, Smith DM. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2015;136(2):245–257.
Read the publicationTextbook chapter: Matarasso A, Smith DM. Establishing a Post-maternity Strategy. In: Post-maternity Body Changes: Obstetric Fundamentals and Surgical Reshaping. Springer, 2023. View chapter
Selected publications & chapters
Dr. Smith co-authored the peer-reviewed literature on the mommy makeover. The papers and chapters below are listed with links to the published record.
Postpartum body and combined procedures
Matarasso A, Smith DM. Abdominoplasty (Discussion). In: The Unfavorable Result in Plastic Surgery: Avoidance and Treatment, 4e. Thieme, 2018.
Breast and body
Smith DM. The Role of Energy-Based Devices in Male Body Contouring. Clinics in Plastic Surgery 2022;49:329-337. Read article
Smith DM. Unique Anatomy of the Male Torso and Extremities. In: A Comprehensive Guide to Male Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery. Springer, 2024. Read chapter
Stein MJ, Smith DM, Chia C, Matarasso A. Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia Following Cryolipolysis. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2024;44:1063-1071. Read article
Face
Aston SJ, Smith DM. Taking It on the Chin: Recognizing and Accounting for Lower Face Asymmetry in Chin Augmentation and Genioplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2015;135:1591-1595. Read article
Matarasso A, Smith DM. The Aging Neck. In: Operative Plastic Surgery, 2e. Oxford University Press, 2019.
Forthcoming
Chapter on the Preservé breast augmentation technique, Expert Techniques in Aesthetic Surgery (Elsevier).
Elected by his colleagues to lead them
Dr. Smith's leadership includes the 2025-2026 presidency of the New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons. NYRSPS represents plastic surgeons across the New York metropolitan area.
Five successive leadership roles within the New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons: Secretary (2021–2022), Treasurer (2022–2023), Vice President (2023–2024), President-Elect (appointed 2024), and President (2025–2026).
He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of The Aesthetic Society, and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Training
- Brown University - BA, Human Biology with Honors, 2001, Program in Liberal Medical Education
- The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University - MD, 2005
- University of Pittsburgh - Plastic Surgery Residency, 2007-2014, including a dedicated research year in 2010-2011; served as Administrative Chief Resident, 2013-2014
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto - Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship, 2014-2015
- Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital - Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship, 2015-2016
Selected distinctions:
- Two George Manstein Awards for Best Overall Paper, Robert H. Ivy Society of Plastic Surgeons (2009, 2012)
- Best Overall Paper, Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons (2007)
- Best Clinical Paper, University of Pittsburgh Division of Plastic Surgery (2011)
- Owen Cole Memorial Scholarship, Best Junior Investigator Paper, International Congress on Cleft Lip/Palate (2013)
- U.S. Patent 7,953,260 B2 - Predicting Movement of Soft Tissue of the Face in Response to Movement of Underlying Bone
- Technical Copy Editor, Neligan Plastic Surgery, 3e (Elsevier)
Dr. Smith has completed fellowship training in both aesthetic surgery and craniofacial surgery. Craniofacial surgery is about the underlying architecture: bone, proportion, how structure drives surface. Completing that before the aesthetic fellowship shapes the precision he brings to soft-tissue work.
Research, teaching and surgical education
Dr. Smith’s academic work spans body contouring, postpartum surgery, craniofacial anatomy and surgical planning.
A foundation in research
Before his plastic surgery residency, Dr. Smith completed a plastic surgery research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh (2005–2007). His residency included a dedicated research year in 2010–2011. He served as Administrative Chief Resident in 2013–2014.
Making surgical anatomy easier to understand
As a Smile Train Scholar in 2000, he worked with Dr. Court Cutting on the Smile Train Virtual Surgery Videos. His published work includes a virtual reality atlas of craniofacial anatomy. He also served as a teaching assistant in human histology at Brown Medical School in 2001.
Contributions to surgical planning and textbooks
Dr. Smith is a named co-inventor on a U.S. patent for predicting facial soft-tissue movement in response to changes in the underlying bone, granted in 2011. He was a technical copy editor for the third edition of Neligan’s Plastic Surgery (2012) and a co-editor of Comprehensive Cleft Care: Family Edition (2015).
Weinzweig J, Smith D. U.S. Patent 7,953,260 B2. Granted May 31, 2011.
Frequently asked questions.
Who is Darren M. Smith, MD, FACS?
Darren M. Smith, MD, FACS is a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City specializing in the mommy makeover, breast surgery, and body contouring. His leadership includes the 2025-2026 presidency of the New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons, and he has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, lectures and book chapters.
What is Dr. Smith best known for?
The mommy makeover. He co-authored the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery papers on combining breast surgery with abdominoplasty and on aesthetic reshaping of the postpartum patient.
Where does Dr. Smith practice?
Solo private practice at 111 East 57th Street, Ground Floor, New York, NY 10022.
Is Dr. Smith board-certified?
Yes - by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
What training does Dr. Smith have?
Medical school at Brown, a seven-year plastic surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh, a craniofacial fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and an aesthetic fellowship at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital. He has completed fellowship training in both aesthetic surgery and craniofacial surgery.
Has Dr. Smith published on the mommy makeover?
Yes - two papers in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2015 with a published reply in 2016, a discussion chapter on abdominoplasty complications in 2018, and a Springer chapter on post-maternity strategy in 2023.
Does Dr. Smith see out-of-town patients?
Yes. The practice coordinates consultation, scheduling, and recovery logistics for patients traveling to New York.
Does Dr. Smith operate on patients over 50?
Yes. He has discussed body surgery in patients over 50 on ABC News Nightline.
Patient reviews & stories
Read patient experiences on the original platforms and explore the practice’s patient stories.
Dr. Smith has answered more than 230 patient questions on RealSelf.
Reviews and Q&A on RealSelfPatient reviews and storiesIn the media
Dr. Smith is a standing source for national outlets on aesthetic surgery, postpartum and post-weight-loss body contouring, and developments in the field. He spoke on a panel at The Hollywood Reporter's inaugural A-List Aesthetics event in July 2026.
Broadcast: ABC News Nightline (three segments, 2024-2025) · Spectrum News NY1
Print and digital: The Hollywood Reporter · Newsweek · The Guardian · The Wall Street Journal · Vogue and British Vogue · ELLE (US, UK, Netherlands) · Allure · Marie Claire · Goop · Business Insider · People · The Cut · WWD · Forbes · Axios · New York Post · The Times · Daily Mail · The Sun · NewBeauty · PopSugar
Podcasts: The GlowLab · Fat Mascara · Plastic Surgery: Before and After (host) · Plastics & Peptides (co-host)
Full press record