Get To Know Face Expert Dr. Brannon Claytor

Photo Credit: Paul Csihas

Award-winning, Double Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Brannon Claytor has been helping patients realize their beauty goals for over 16 years. He serves as Chief of Plastic Surgery for Main Line Health Systems encompassing Bryn Mawr, Lankenau, Paoli, and Riddle Hospitals. He is committed to patient satisfaction and safety, and his knowledge of and continual training in the most advanced surgical techniques provide his patients with up-to-date, cutting-edge care that yields exceptional results. He works closely with each patient to develop an individualized treatment plan and is dedicated to helping patients achieve a long-lasting, natural post-surgical look.

Learn more about the Haute Beauty face expert Dr. Brannon Claytor.

What is your greatest achievement?

My nearly 30-year marriage and our three amazing kids! On the surgical side, creating a strong surgical team with a focus on customer service, safety, and excellent outcomes has been my priority for the past 15 plus years. I love what I do, and I am grateful that I can spend every day improving the lives of others.

What is the future of your field?

Minimally invasive surgical procedures have come to the forefront in recent years. As we age, patients have the tendency to focus on those imperfections they feel make them look older than they feel. So many are enjoying their careers into their 60's and even 70's, and they want to continue to look as vibrant and youthful as they feel. They also want less downtime! Minimally invasive procedures like the MyEllevate™ neck lift with liposuction can give a patient more youthful contours with considerably less downtime than a traditional facelift. However, even the Deep Plane facelift (for those with more loose skin and jowling) which re-drapes the muscle and skin to a more youthful position typically requires only about two to three weeks of recovery time.

The Silhouette Instalift™ is perfect for those who have filler fatigue and wish for a little lift without a full facelift. The absorbable sutures lift the skin allowing for a discernable but modest lift - the kind of lift where a friend says, " You look fabulous! Did you have your hair done?" Nothing drastic, just enough to achieve that cheek lifting effect.

Those who are wishing for body sculpting have many options. CoolSculpting™ is non-invasive and patients love their results. However, optimal results can take up to three months to realize, so SmartLipo™ is another AAAASF office-based procedure that enables patients more immediate gratification in achieving their body sculpting goals.

What is the biggest misconception about your field?

The biggest misconception is that surgery alters who you are rather than helping you become the best version of yourself. Plastic surgery has long been considered surgery of the soul. So often patients have been struggling with a facet of their face or body that impacts their confidence. It may be a crooked nose or the results of massive weight loss, or the impact of childbearing on a mother's body. These seemingly small imperfections can impact confidence. I can't tell you how many times I hear from a patient that their confidence in the board room, the classroom, or even at the beach has been positively impacted by their decision to have surgery. They didn't want to change who they were, they just wanted to become what they consider the best version of themselves.

What are your most requested procedures?

Facelifts and Tummy Tucks are the procedures patients most frequently desire. We do 99% of our facelifts as "awake" procedures (local anesthesia). Patients are fully awake but comfortable during the procedure. There is no grogginess from anesthesia, and they are able to have their procedure in the comfort and safety of our AAAA-certified surgical facility right at our office.

The other most requested procedure is the tummy tuck. I have been performing the drainless tummy tuck for over ten years. This procedure enables me to tighten the patients' stomach muscles, liposuction remaining fat, and remove loose skin. By leaving Scarpa's Fascia intact, I am able to achieve a sculpted, tight abdomen without drains - allowing the body's own lymphatic drainage system to do the work it was designed to do. It is effective, and I find I have far fewer seroma fluid accumulations than the national average for the traditional tummy tuck procedure which utilizes drains.

What surgical advancements are you most excited about?

The zoom neck lift (also called MyEllevate™ neck lift). It's a minimally invasive neck lift that redefines and rejuvenates the jaw and neckline utilizing a permanent suture to tighten and re-drape the neck. We typically do this in conjunction with SmartLipo™ for those with excess fat in their neck who are looking for a more defined jawline.

What are you best known for?

I would say that the Drainless Tummy Tuck and Deep Plane "Awake" Facelift are my signature procedures, but patients would probably say that it is my personal attention that they most appreciate. I always call patients the night before surgery and the night following surgery. No matter how many questions a patient may have while at their consultation or pre-op appointment, there is always one more than the patient or their significant other will have, and I do not want them to worry. They have my cell phone number, and I think that sets them at ease. They know they can always reach me whether it is in the middle of the night or on a weekend.

What is your most memorable patient reaction?

A fabulous young woman who had a rhinoplasty: when I asked her on a scale of 1-10 what she thought, she said "it's an eleven."

What sets your practice apart?

I see each patient as an individual, and I listen. So often you hear in a patient's story the root of their frustration, and we work, as a team, to address those frustrations in order to achieve the patient's goals. Our team at Claytor Noone Plastic Surgery is exceptional. I always say that if we were a sports team, every one of my team is a 1st round draft pick. They love what they do, they work and laugh well together, and they always put the patient first.

What do you love most about your profession?

Innovation and realization of dreams. I am an innovator, and I am always working toward achieving the best outcomes for my patients.

What is your career-defining procedure?

The Drainless Tummy Tuck. I have not used a drain in a tummy tuck in over ten years. It's a technique that I teach to other plastic surgeons both nationally and internationally, and it has proven to achieve exceptional results with a complication rate far less than the national average for traditional tummy tucks.

What new services are you excited to offer?

While we have been doing these procedures for over a year, I suppose the most innovative new procedures are BLT (not bacon, lettuce, and tomato) and the minimally invasive face and neck rejuvenation that we spoke about earlier.

I created the BLT which stands for Biologics (nanofat), Laser (C02 laser skin resurfacing) Skin Tightening with microneedling to primarily address the fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth. This novel deep facial skin resurfacing utilizes a combination treatment that results in superior rejuvenating results. The CO2 laser removes damaged surface skin. I then microneedle the area which opens channels that allows the nanofat to enter and promote collagen and elastin genesis as well as the thickening of the dermis.

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