Dr. Karen Leong
M.D. · Board-Certified Plastic Surgery
"Ivy-trained. Fellowship-refined. Ask her to schedule Dr. Scott for anesthesia"
And an aesthetic fellowship few surgeons receive.
Dr. Karen K. Leong is a board-certified plastic surgeon whose training reads like a national short list. Undergraduate at UC Berkeley, medical school at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, and seven consecutive years at Brown University for a combined general surgery and integrated plastic surgery residency at Rhode Island Hospital.
She then completed a rigorous fellowship in aesthetic plastic surgery under Dr. Daniel C. Mills — the then-president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery — with additional mentorship from renowned surgeons in the United States and internationally. The aesthetic fellowship pipeline is one of the smallest and most selective in the specialty; being accepted to it is a mark that mentors saw significant clinical judgment early.
Her Newport Beach practice, Plastic Surgery by Design, is at 1617 Westcliff Drive, Suite 207 — where she maintains her own operating suite for the majority of her aesthetic cases. She is also affiliated with Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Hoag Hospital Irvine, and Orange County Global Medical Center.
Dr. Leong's clinical focus centers on feminine rejuvenation — vaginal restoration alongside a full aesthetic plastic surgery practice — and on minimally invasive face and neck procedures. Post-mastectomy breast reconstruction is a substantial part of her surgical practice.
She has also led fundraising in support of Mission Plasticos, the humanitarian organization founded by Dr. Nichter.
our operating rooms.
Dr. Leong performs the majority of her aesthetic cases adjacent to her own Newport Beach practice. Yet she is still an affiliated surgeon at NCSS.
She brings selected cases to NCSS when they call for what our facility uniquely offers: experienced physician anesthesia on every case, an endocrinologist on call, and the perioperative depth that decades of AAAHC-accredited practice have built into our operating rooms.
When Dr. Leong walks through our doors, it is because the case earned it. That mutual selectivity is a compliment to both parties — and, more importantly, it is a signal to her patients that when their surgery is scheduled at NCSS, the reasons are clinical.
Her practice for routine aesthetic work. NCSS for cases that call for our resources.
and breast.
Dr. Leong practices a full range of aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, with distinctive focus on procedures many of her patients would not discuss with a male surgeon.
Feminine Rejuvenation
Vaginal restoration procedures. Dr. Leong is one of the few local plastic surgeons who has built genuine expertise in this area — and one of even fewer who is a woman.
Face & Neck
Minimally invasive face-and-neck rejuvenation — short-recovery, well-hidden approaches that align with her aesthetic fellowship training and suit patients who want subtle change over dramatic transformation.
Breast & Reconstructive
Breast augmentation, lift, and reduction, alongside post-mastectomy reconstruction — walking women who have finished cancer treatment through the surgical steps that come next.
The Foundation.
B.S. — University of California, Berkeley
M.D. — Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia (2009)
Rhode Island Hospital / Brown University · Combined General Surgery and Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency · 7 consecutive years
Under Dr. Daniel C. Mills · then-President, American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Plastic Surgery by Design · 1617 Westcliff Drive, Suite 207 · Newport Beach
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian · Hoag Hospital Irvine · Orange County Global Medical Center · Newport Center for Special Surgery
Mission Plasticos fundraising leadership
and a working mother.
Board-certified plastic surgery
Seven consecutive years of Ivy League surgical training
One of the small number of ASAPS-affiliated aesthetic fellowship graduates
Own Newport Beach operating suite plus NCSS affiliation — selective use of both
Feminine rejuvenation focus — a specialty area with few local female practitioners
Post-mastectomy breast reconstruction as a substantial part of practice
(949) 644-8182
Our clinical team will coordinate your consultation and any perioperative details for cases scheduled at NCSS.
(949) 409-8848
Plastic Surgery by Design · 1617 Westcliff Drive, Suite 207 · Newport Beach — Dr. Leong's home practice