Orlando-based Dr. Armando Soto is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in body and breast procedures. After completing his training at the renowned Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Dr. Soto was named the top “40 Under 40” by the Baltimore Business Journal, along with other significant accolades. Dr. Soto sat down with Haute Beauty to discuss his career defining procedure and what we can expect from the future of his field.

My greatest achievement?

By far is my family and the wonderful experiences we have shared. My second greatest would be the relationships I have built with my amazing patients.

The future of my field is?

Changing all the time. Who knows where technology, curiosity, and a growing appetite for aesthetic medicine and surgery will take us?

The biggest misconception about my field is?

That people who pursue aesthetic intervention are doing so to improve others’ perception or opinion of them. I don’t know how many times someone has commented on a before/after image or post that they believe the patient did not need the intervention. I always try to gently explain that their opinion is irrelevant and misguided. In most cases, these commenters are trying to say that the patient should have loved themselves as they were before the intervention. What they don’t get is that (almost always in my practice) the patient didn’t pursue the intervention to make anyone else happy- just themselves! Indeed, these comments are representative of the exact behavior the commenters are usually trying to discourage- they are trying to say, “you shouldn’t change your appearance to make anyone else happy,” by saying, “your new appearance doesn’t make me happy.”

My most requested procedures are?

Our most commonly requested facial procedures are currently the Embrace Procedure, Sciton Resurfacing, and Morpheus8 with PRP. For the body, I do a large number of Tummy Tucks, Lower Body Lifts, and All manner of breast enhancement procedures.

What surgical advancements are you most excited about? 

Advanced applications of bipolar radio frequency energy, as with the Embrace procedure. Just a few years ago, surgery would have been required to achieve the outcomes we now routinely see after this minimally invasive procedure under local anesthesia.

What are you best known for? 

I am very proud of the reputation I have built for excellence in Breast and Body Contouring.

What is your most memorable patient reaction? 

I love seeing the newfound confidence a great outcome produces in my patients’ behavior and social interaction. How we feel about ourselves truly pervades all.

What sets my practice apart is?

The combination of skill, experience, and kindness we provide, and the strength of the relationships that result from this approach.

What I love most about my profession is? 

Being able to positively affect the lives of others. In plastic surgery, I am not saving any lives, but I feel that I make many lives better.

Career defining procedure? 

I am very fortunate to be very busy doing only those procedures that I believe we excel at, but if I have to claim one it would be Mastopexy (breast lift). It was said often by one of my mentors- the beauty and repeatability of a surgeon’s breast lift outcomes separate average plastic surgeons from the very best. I am very proud of our breast lift outcomes.

What new services are you excited to offer?

I think very few procedures achieve the amazing transformations we see after Sciton Resurfacing, Embrace, and Morpheus8.