Dr. Brent Smith chose , for a reason: an eagle eye combined with unmatched expertise. A maven for creating individualized treatment plans, Hillary brings to Smith Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Aesthetic Center a rich background in internal medicine, alongside specialties in dermatology and medical aesthetics.
To gain the physician assistant-certified (PA-C) title, Hillary graduated from an accredited physician assistant educational program and underwent testing by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants to become state-licensed to practice medicine with a supervising physician.
Hillary’s education, advanced training, and proven talent immediately put patients at ease. She leads the non-surgical team’s expanded offerings, and we know you’re going to love her as much as we do. Why? Because you can quickly see how much Hillary cares about professional aesthetics — and people.
“I love what I do because I get to help people feel beautiful every day,” she says. “It’s such a fun blend of medicine and artistry.” A big part of Hillary’s work is creating the most effective treatment plan for each patient. She appreciates the constant challenge of identifying the optimal outcome for every face.
“Beauty is defined so differently by so many different people. My job is to help you find underlying beauty, to enhance your features, not change you into a different person,” she says. “I’m here to find the shadows, show you the contours, and talk to you about how we can soften these with lasers and really good skincare, for instance.”
Hillary is especially passionate about maintaining equally high standards of care on both sides of Smith Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Aesthetic Center. Satisfied patients have come to respect the excellence of Dr. Smith’s artistry for over 30 years while performing custom plastic surgery exclusively on the neck and above.
Hillary, who holds a Masters in medical science, wants both new and returning patients to understand that the same level of medical ethics is applied in Dr. Smith’s aesthetic center. It’s sometimes difficult to find that level of proficiency in non-surgical work because too often there are very few regulations around who can perform injections such as Botox or who can handle lasers for skin enhancements.
“A lack of training can cheapen the industry and the results,” Hillary says. “The more trained your injector is the better. I understand the gravity behind the treatments, and with a background in dermatology, I understand skincare more thoroughly and am just more medically minded. That’s my lane.”
Without a doubt, Hillary is the master at manipulating botched filler and making patients look natural again. She’s like the “good filler fairy”. Far too often, patients come to Smith Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Aesthetic Center to reverse previously placed filler.
If filler has been poorly positioned or over-injected, Hillary can dissolve the old filler, creating a clean slate for fresh filler. The good news is filler is reversible,” Hillary says. “I see overfilled lips, fullness between lips and nose, and filler that’s placed too deep, misplaced, or that has migrated upward. I dissolve those lips all day long.”
Hillary uses a special enzyme to reverse the botched filler, followed by a customized plan for a more natural-looking refill at a future visit.
In addition to repositioning filler, laser resurfacing and highly effective injectables like Botox, Hillary and the staff at Smith Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Aesthetic Center are especially excited about two additional offerings: micro-needling with platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, and intense pulsed light or IPL.
PRP is the latest and greatest in medical aesthetics, and it’s easy to see why: You’re using your body’s rich blood cells to regenerate collagen, the building block of amazing skin for life. After a simple blood draw, Hillary and the team use a machine to “spin down” the blood to its most powerful form: platelet-rich plasma, which is about the consistency of water.
Then, using microscopic needlepoints, the PRP is sent directly back into your face through tiny channels. The goal is to help natural growth factors create more and better collagen. “It creates a beautiful retexturing of the skin and is awesome for things like acne scarring,” Hillary says. There’s an abundance of literature to support just how well this process works.
Another incredibly popular treatment available at Smith Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Aesthetic Center is a procedure called intense pulsed light or IPL. This non-surgical offering uses the concentrated wavelength of light to target pigmentation and vascular tissues in the skin.
“Think of it like art class, with light broken into every color of the rainbow,” Hillary explains. “When I want to target those deep browns in a birthmark, for example, I match the wavelength with the color I’m targeting.”
The light pulse can help the brown slough off of a pigmented lesion and can close down a superficial vein, creating a more even skin tone. But that’s not all. IPL works simultaneously as a collagen inductor, increasing this all-important building block in your face, which wanes over time.
“The best candidate for IPL is someone with extensive sun damage, and you can get a whole series targeting the neck, face and even other parts of the body,” she says. And because IPL induces collagen, it’s also a wonderful maintenance treatment for prolonging the fresh look of a former facelift and anti-aging in general.
Interested in PRP, IPL, or one of the many fillers and laser procedures performed by Hillary and the team at Smith Cosmetic Surgery & Medical Aesthetic Center? Call us today for a complimentary consultation and let our experienced staff show you the path toward a healthier new you.
