Every patient who visits Artisan Aesthetics Plastic Surgery & Laser Center in Tampa Palms is seen personally by Board-certified plastic surgeon Stan Castor, M.D.
That’s the philosophy Dr. Castor has continued to embrace since he first opened Artisan Aesthetics in the Tampa Palms Professional Center off Commerce Park Blvd. in 2007. Dr. Castor offers facial cosmetic surgery, breast augmentation, body contouring surgery, liposuction, laser treatments, dermal fillers, facial treatments and peels, “mommy makeovers” and more.
“I don’t use a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner in my office,” Dr. Castor says. “I do all of the consultations and procedures myself, including minor procedures, such as Botox or a dermal filler. If you come to my office, you see me.”
Dr. Castor, who is Board-certified in Plastic Surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia in 1992, after earning a B.S. degree in Biology in 1987 from Florida Southern College in Lakeland.
In 1997, he completed a five-year internship and residency in General Surgery at Emory University Hospitals in Atlanta, GA, before taking on two years of intensive training in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at the renewed Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, OH. He also completed a cosmetic surgery fellowship, offered to only two plastic surgeons each year, with world-renowned plastic surgeons Drs. Thomas J. Baker and James M. Stuzin in Miami, FL.
Cellfina Cellulite Treatment
Of the many procedures available in his office, Dr. Castor offers “Cellfina” to get rid of cellulite. Cellfina is a minimally invasive treatment that Dr. Castor says has been clinically proven to treat the primary structural cause of cellulite for at least two years, which is currently the longest FDA clearance for any cellulite treatment (see photos on next page).
Dr. Castor explains that cellulite is caused by the connective fibrous bands woven throughout fat in the thighs and buttocks. These tight bands pull down the skin, which creates that infamous puckering on the surface of the skin.
A small blade — about the size of a needle — is used to cut through the fibers. Similar to a rubber band under tension, once released, the treated skin bounces back to smooth itself out.
“What struck me as impressive is that the patient satisfaction rate for this procedure is 96 percent after two years,” Dr. Castor explains. “That’s unheard of.”
Because it is more invasive than procedures that only temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite using treatments on the outside of the skin (including the Accent machine that has been in use at Artisan Aesthetics for some time for reducing cellulite and tightening skin), Dr. Castor says Cellfina will work better and last much longer.
It does, however, also have a higher cost than those other treatments. Cellfina treatments start at $3,000.
“There are probably 25 to 30 devices on the market to reduce the appearance of cellulite, but they only last about six months,” says Dr. Castor. “Once you stop doing the treatment, the cellulite returns. This is the only device out there that has approval for permanent cellulite removal. It’s much more effective than any temporary device.”
Breast Augmentation
Another popular procedure at Dr. Castor’s office is breast augmentation. Dr. Castor estimates he performs between 150-200 of these surgeries each year. He does so many that the vendor of the implants he uses says he does the third most procedures of any doctor in the Tampa Bay area.
One reason many women choose to have Dr. Castor perform their surgery is that — in addition to being a Board-certified plastic surgeon with 20 years of experience —all of his procedures are done in Artisan’s in-office surgery suite.
“It’s much more private and homey than being in a hospital,” says Dr. Castor. “At hospitals, there are sick people and infections, and your surgery could get bumped by an emergency. At my office, patients have a better environment, especially for this type of elective surgery.”
He explains that he has a surgical team — including a nurse anesthetist, two surgical technicians and a recovery nurse — on his staff, so you’ll see the same people in the office and at your surgery.
Dr. Castor emphasizes that there are still two primary types of implants — silicone and saline — and that they are available in different profiles to help each woman get the exact shape, size and feel she’s looking for.
“We have newer implants called ‘gummy bear’ implants,” he says, explaining that the name indicates they are thicker and firmer, but still soft, like the texture of a gummy bear. “Every couple of years, they come up with something that looks better and feels even more natural.”
He says some prospective patients worry about safety, but the silicone implant leaks of the 1990s are a thing of the distant past.
“Silicone implants were reapproved in 2006 and they’ve pretty much taken over the market,” he says, adding that the revised silicone implants have, “been out for 12 years, so if there was a problem we would know about it by now.”
A patient of Dr. Castor’s, who lives in Lutz and asked us not to use her name, says she is particularly impressed by the doctor’s bedside manner and how much he cares about his patients.
“During the consultation, he was pretty thorough,” she says. “We went over different options, as far as incisions, and he takes into account what your concerns are. Even the day of the surgery, he came in and talked with me about what to expect, when to remove my bandages, and made sure to answer all of the questions I had.”
She adds, “I absolutely love the outcome. Two days after my surgery, Dr. Castor was on vacation, (but still) called me to follow up and check up on me to see how I was doing and if I had any questions or concerns that came up. It was unexpected and really nice, and is a testament to how important his patients are to him.”
Dr. Castor explains that he does all consultations himself, spending 30-45 minutes going over everything, discussing what the client is looking for — such as a natural look in a bathing suit or a look that really “shows” — and then making a recommendation for certain implants or profiles, and answering any and all questions. “A lot of patients tell me they’ve been to several doctors,” he says, “and I’ve spent more time with them than all of the other doctors combined.”
For more information about breast augmentation, visit ArtisanPlasticSurgeryCenter.net/breast-augmentation.
From there, you also can visit other parts of the doctor’s website, including a section with several videos, where you can learn more about Dr. Castor and his office.
Over the years, Dr. Castor has built a reputation for himself through the work he’s done with his patients, so much so that the Consumer Research Council (a Washington, DC-based research organization that provides guides to consumers about professionals in different industries) named him in its 2010 Guide to America’s Top Surgeons, and he has appeared in the Guide every year since then.
Artisan Aesthetics Plastic Surgery & Laser Center is located at 5383 Primrose Lake Cir. in Tampa Palms and is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, visit DrCastor.com or call (813) 971-2000.