Dr. Karen K. Leong, MD

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Get to know Plastic Surgeon Dr. Karen K. Leong, who serves patients in Newport Beach, California.

Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Leong, embraces the nuances of beauty and graceful aging at her private practice in Newport Beach, California. Her understanding of the structural and soft tissue changes in the face and body allow her to treat each person with a thoughtful and comprehensive approach. By combining empathy with a gentle yet direct manner, she journeys with her patients through their rejuvenation process.

As a woman in a male-dominated field, Dr. Leong has an opportunity to start the conversation with her female patients about changes to intimate areas whether these issues are due to childbirth, trauma, or menopause. She has traveled within the U.S. and abroad to expand her experience under the tutelage of giants in the field, and is now excited to share with her patients those cutting-edge aesthetic techniques for the face, breast, body, and skin. 

Along with a love of surgery comes her great respect for the intricacies of the human body, particularly in the area of feminine health. Vaginal rejuvenation and bio-identical hormone therapy are part of Dr. Leong’s comprehensive approach to women’s sexual health and well-being. 

Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction, or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories – reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. To be plastic means being easily shaped or molded, so to Dr. Leong, the field of plastic surgery requires the surgeon to be fluid and creative. She believes her specialty is taking what she is given along with her patients’ needs to build a result that is functional, natural and beautiful. It is work that is challenging, stimulating and fun. After each case, she asks herself, “What can I do differently next time? What can I do better?” because at the end of the day, she loves what she does; it pushes her to grow continually and to never accept that good enough is good enough. 

Plastic, reconstructive, or aesthetic surgeries are surgeries that give back. She believes that these procedures don’t just remove or restore what was there — they enhance. Someone once told her, “the hardest surgery is making normal look better.” Dr. Leong took this to heart. Being a cosmetic surgeon means she has the responsibility of instilling confidence in her patients about their appearance, improving their self-image, and cultivating their ability to interact with others. 

Beyond operating, Dr. Leong keeps her artistic eye fresh by staying involved with skin care, injectables, and lasers. These nonsurgical services enhance her surgical practice. She absolutely believes that the better quality skin you begin with and the more knowledge you are armed with for maintenance, the happier you will be with your results.

She earned her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in 2009. Her academic excellence brought her to Ivy League Brown University where she spent seven years honing her clinical skills in a rigorous combined residency in general surgery and plastic surgery. She then continued to cultivate her education when she was accepted into a fellowship in aesthetic plastic surgery; one of the select few chosen for these highly competitive and coveted positions. She was fortunate to mentor under and learn from several renowned surgeons both in the U.S. and internationally, including the then-President of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. 

She is board-certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). The mission of the ABPS is to promote safe, ethical, efficacious plastic surgery to the public by maintaining high standards for the education, examination, certification, and continuous certification of plastic surgeons as specialists and subspecialists.

Dr. Leong is constantly trying to challenge and improve herself by attending meetings, volunteering with local medical missions, serving on editorial boards, and observing other surgeons. She is proud to be a member of the following organizations: the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, the Orange County Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plasticos Foundation, and Reshaping Lives California.

She has medical admitting and surgical privileges at Hoag Hospital and San Antonio Regional Medical Center, and is credentialed to operate at the Newport Center for Special Surgery, the Reconstructive Surgery Center, the Surgical Arts Surgery Center, Starpoint Surgery Center, La Veta and Barranca Surgery Centers and Laguna Niguel Surgery Center.

On a more personal note, Dr. Leong enjoys plant-based culinary adventures, figuring out how to be a mother and role model to her toddler and devouring books by the dozen. Her favorite professional publications are Aesthetic Surgery Journal & Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

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