Dr. Kelly Sullivan is one of the nation’s preeminent plastic surgeons, and she has developed multiple innovative surgical procedures that create beautiful, natural results with minimal downtime. Patients have traveled across the country and from overseas for her services, and many doctors and nurses have selected her to perform their own surgeries, as well as the surgeries of their family members. Get to know Dr. Sullivan, Haute Beauty Network breast and body expert representing the DMV market.
Photo Credit: Dr. Kelly Sullivan

My greatest achievement:

My greatest personal achievement is raising three kids who are kind and hardworking. They each work very hard to achieve their own goals, but they also understand the importance of standing up for those who need a helping hand and they are the first ones to stand up for someone being bullied.

Professionally, I am proud of starting my own practice and building a team of incredibly talented, strong, professional women who go above and beyond every day to take amazing care of all of our patients. I feel so fortunate to be able to come to work every day surrounded by all of these rock star women.

Socially, I feel my greatest achievement so far is being the founder of Wellness House of Annapolis (a non-profit organization that provides free support services to those living with cancer). In the 14 years since I founded this organization, we have helped over 5,000 members of our community navigate the cancer treatment process with hope and resilience. The organization is now poised for growth and expansion so that we can reach even more cancer patients in need of strength and support services outside of the medical setting.

The future of my field is:

The field of plastic surgery is exciting because there are new technologies, new surgical techniques and new products almost every day. The challenge is learning and understanding the real science behind all of the new developments and determining which ones provide a real benefit to patients and which ones are just money-making gimmicks. As board-certified plastic surgeons and physicians, our responsibility is to protect patients from gimmicky or unsafe treatments and guide them towards the operative and non-operative treatments that best achieve their goals in the safest possible way.

The biggest misconception about my field is:

The biggest misconception about plastic surgery is that it is all “cosmetic” and that it is only for the vain. Even “cosmetic” surgery can have profound positive effects on how people see themselves and how they live their lives. Also, about 70% of the plastic & reconstructive surgery is cancer or trauma reconstruction and can sometimes be life-saving and is always life-altering for the better.

My most requested procedures are:

My top three requested procedures are the mommy makeover (some combination or breast and body surgery to restore the pre-pregnancy form), breast reduction, and my advanced mini facelift.

I am best known for:

I believe I am best known for complex revision breast surgery (correcting breast surgery that has been done somewhere else) – including revision augmentations, reductions, lifts and reconstruction.

I am also known for achieving very natural-appearing results – both for body and face – and for very high patient satisfaction with the entire process and experience. In our practice, we focus on quality over quantity and we really get to know our patients and understand their goals and desires so that we can help them achieve those goals in the safest and most natural way possible.

My most memorable patient reaction:

I remember and cherish every note from every patient who has written to thank us for helping to change their life for the better.

Some special moments that come to mind are a woman who we did a body makeover on after she lost 150 pounds and she brought in a photo of herself in a dress that she described as her “Cinderella” moment that she had dreamed about her entire life and was finally able to experience. She was in tears as she described how beautiful she felt in that dress, that night, and how she had never before in her life felt beautiful. And she was 55 years old.

Another special moment was when a woman waiting in line behind me to board an airplane asked if I was Dr. Sullivan and she thanked me for taking care of her little girl 10 years earlier who was now 18 years old. She reminded me that her daughter had been attacked by a dog and I performed surgery on her emergently that night to repair the wound to her face. At the time, she said they were devastated and worried that their little girl would be horribly scarred for life, but that because of my surgical care, she grew into a beautiful and confident young woman. (She then showed me a photograph of her 18-year-old daughter smiling with no visible scar on her face. The best part is that she did this in front of my 18-year-old daughter who got to hear firsthand how I helped someone).

What sets my practice apart:

We genuinely care deeply about each and every one of our patients. We pride ourselves on really listening and then creating a plan that will achieve the desired results in the safest possible way. We don’t push patients into doing more or different things in order to drive more business. Instead, we know that by taking great care of our patients and doing the right thing, we will be successful in business while building a lifelong relationship of trust with our patients and our community.

What I love most about my profession is:

Being able to truly make a difference in someone’s life, and “…to know that one life has breathed easier…” (From the poem Success by Ralph Waldo Emerson.)

What new services are you excited to offer?

• Fat grafting for body and facial contouring
• Advanced mini facelift
• Non-operative laser treatments for skin resurfacing
• Skin membership program