Haute Beauty launched its “Chat with Haute Beauty Leaders” series with a conversation featuring Dr. Sachin Shridharani, representative of the Haute Beauty Network in the New York market. Dr. Shridharani was hosted by Haute Media Group Cofounder Seth Semilof.

Watch their conversation below:

The topics included Dr. Shridharani’s eminent journey into the medical field and his impactful mentors leading to his widely successful practice, Luxurgery.

Originally from Warrensburg, Missouri, Dr. Shridharani currently resides in New York. Right after high school, he got accepted into an accelerated honors 6-year combined Bachelor and MD program at the University of Missouri Kansas City. Because of Dr. Shridharani’s impressionable strides early on, he had already started his residency in plastic surgery by age 24.

Here are some of the questions and answers from the exclusive interview with Dr. Shridharani:

Seth Semilof: Growing up, was it your dream to go into the medical field?

Dr. Sachin Shridharani: I was a rebel without a cause. I actually wanted to do anything except for medicine because I have an older brother and he came out of the womb saying doctor so I was like I have to do something other than what everyone else does. I had this unique opportunity to spend a summer, with a group of cardiac surgeons when I was in high school and observe heart surgery and all these different things. I just caught this passion and this bug for surgery so by the time high school rolled around, I knew that it was something I wanted to be involved in and I wanted to go into medicine.

SS: What did your dad and brother say when you said you wanted to get into plastic surgery?

DSS: That makes sense. It’s a no-brainer, they had been telling me that and my mom as well. They were like this is for you. I was really thinking about cardiac surgery and solid organ transplants. These were very, very exciting stimulating disciplines that require a lot of focus but sometimes don’t give you the same flexibility to be an entrepreneur. I have always had this entrepreneurial spirit, this interest in design, the desire to innovate and kind of create my own, this is what Luxurgery surgery became which we’ll get to. The creative side of my thinking really landed way to aesthetic surgery or plastic surgery because that’s really what plastic surgery is. It’s a creative type of surgical procedure and it was a perfect confluence so they thought it made absolute sense.

SS: How did you get to New York? What was the next step after being in Maryland?

DSS: I was having these conversations with my mentors about where do I see my career going. You know, plastic surgery is such an incredible breath. You can be doing microsurgery, pediatric cranial facial surgery,  hand surgery, hand transplants or facial transplants, and breast reconstruction. There are so many disciplines within plastic surgery. I had this tremendous interest in aesthetic surgery and cosmetic surgery. It’s well known that reconstructive surgery is an attempt to restore the normal, whereas, aesthetic surgery is an attempt to surpass the normal and get into perfection. My interest was really to challenge myself, to take something that’s actually in pretty good shape, and see if you can make it better than what it already is and that’s what aesthetic or cosmetic surgery is. Being at Hopkins in Maryland, it is a very reconstruction-heavy program; there wasn’t as much exposure to aesthetic surgery. There was a unique opportunity to apply for the aesthetic plastic surgery fellowship in New York City at the renowned program at Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital. You have this premier surgical training in reconstruction paired with the guys that are the preeminent cosmetic surgeons in the world.

SS: How long did it take you to get set up from graduating and leaving the fellowship to building your own practice?

DSS: I spent most of July and August finding an office space, incorporating DBA’s, trying to hire staff, creating logos, and business cards. I mean the whole bit, getting a phone number, registering a website. I didn’t have any employees, no cash flow, and in a matter of 60 days, I got myself launched. I said, okay, game on. It was a very, very humbling time in my life.

Dr. Sachin Shridharani is an exclusive member of the Haute Beauty Network representing the New York market. For more information, contact Dr. Shridharani by clicking here.