The Maercks Institute

The Maercks Institute Dr. Rian Maercks is an ABPS Board Certified Plastic Surgeon that specializes in surgery of the face, breast, and body. Dr. Rian A. Dr. Maercks received his M.D.

Maercks is a plastic surgeon in Miami, FL specializing in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery for the breast, body, face, and skin. Seen as an authority on plastic surgery on trusted resources such as RealSelf, Dr. Maercks is a renowned surgeon, innovator and researcher in the field of plastic surgery. Applying a tissue-centered approach with every surgery, which minimizes tissue injury, reduces complications, and improves recovery, Dr. Maercks performs breast augmentation, breast lift, tummy tuck, liposuction, facelift, and eyelid surgery. He creates aesthetic facial balancing blending nonsurgical treatments such as fillers, BOTOX, chemical and laser peels. at Duke University School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the world renowned Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and then an esteemed fellowship in aesthetic, craniofacial and reconstructive plastic surgery.

The Maercks Institute is honored to be featured in Ocean Drive, spotlighting its founder, Dr. Rian Maercks, a board-cert...
02/03/2026

The Maercks Institute is honored to be featured in Ocean Drive, spotlighting its founder, Dr. Rian Maercks, a board-certified plastic surgeon, artist, and philosopher known for results that look better, not different.

The feature highlights the Institute’s patient-first philosophy and “Zero Experience” framework:
• Zero Social Downtime : recovery protocols designed to help patients return to daily life sooner
• Zero Pain : a non-opioid comfort approach designed to support a more comfortable experience
• Zero Anesthesia : many facial procedures performed under local anesthesia when appropriate

It also features the MAERCKS Lift™, a next-generation deep-plane composite facelift enhanced by KEDGE Suspension™, designed to restore the face’s intrinsic support structure—youth through structure, not strain.

With practices in Miami (Biscayne Bay) and East Hampton, The Maercks Institute welcomes discerning patients from around the world seeking subtle, intentional refinement.

Read the full feature via link in bio / Press highlight.

Individual results and recovery experiences vary. Educational content only.

02/03/2026

NEWS 12, here we go. 🎥🗽

Quick stop in New York with the team from The Maercks Institute joining News 12 to share perspectives on modern aesthetics and answer questions for the Long Island community on the most popular non‑invasive procedures (and what “natural” actually means).

On the segment, Dr. Rian discussed Aesthetic Facial Balancing—a term he coined in 2009/2010 as a philosophy that’s fundamentally different from the mainstream “filler aesthetic.” The goal isn’t to make someone look “done.” It’s to restore the volume of youth in the right places to harmonize the face, guided by craniofacial principles, so patients look like themselves just refreshed.

They also touched on the Maercks Institute’s “zero‑experience” approach designing facial rejuvenation with an emphasis on patient comfort and a recovery experience that’s meant to feel far less disruptive than what many people expect. (It doesn’t mean zero swelling it means a different philosophy around the overall experience.)

Big thanks to the News 12 team for having The Maercks Institute on and for the fun moment on air getting the name right 😄

Stay tuned for the full episode!

Wishing Dr Maercks an amazing 50th on his next stop: St. Moritz → Milan → Doha for Art Basel part of a 50th birthday travel chapter across Europe and beyond. 🌍✨

Drop your questions below what should The Maercks Institute answer next for Long Island?

Educational content only. Not medical advice. Individual results vary.

02/02/2026

SHEILA | Episode 5 of 6 🎁✨

(Less Than 24 Hours The Unwrap + “Zero Experience”)

This is the episode that makes people say: “No way.”
Because Sheila is less than 24 hours after her MAERCKS Lift Trifecta… and she looks socially presentable.

Sheila describes the surgery day exactly how we aim for it to feel:

“I was awake the entire time. He laughed and joked and did his magic.”

No intense pain. No sharp pain. Just a calm experience like a hangout session with an artist quietly building structure.

And then… the unwrap.

Dr. Maercks says it out loud:
“You’re not going to believe it.”
“That’s a jawline. That’s a serious jawline.”
“This to this… like 17 hours after surgery?”

What “zero experience” really means (and what it doesn’t)

This is true Maercks transparency:
✅ It doesn’t mean there’s zero swelling.
✅ It doesn’t mean there’s no puffiness.
✅ It does mean the experience is designed so patients can often be comfortable and functional quickly and in Sheila’s case, with her hair down, she could go to lunch today looking normal.

You can literally watch the shape shift:
🌿 Square/rectangular face → heart-shaped face
🌿 Negative volume repurposed into youthful midface support (not just “plumped up”)
🌿 Under-eye/cheek area looks hydrated and supported instead of hollow
🌿 A neckline and jawline that reads athletic, clean, and natural

Sheila’s reaction says it all:
“I looked at pictures from my 30s… and that’s the feel I have.” 💫
And the best part? She still looks like Sheila just lighter, fresher, and finally aligned.

This is Episode 5 of 6. Next: the real-life follow-ups that stunned her friends (and the internet).
✨
Shared with patient consent. Individual results vary. Educational content only not medical advice.

02/01/2026

SHEILA | Episode 4 of 6 🎁✨
(10 Minutes Post‑Op True Maercks Transparency)

This episode is REAL behind-the-scenes not a polished “after.”

You’re seeing Sheila about 10–15 minutes after surgery.

We just finished her MAERCKS Lift Trifecta (deep plane MAERCKS lift + composite support, lateral platysmaplasty + submental lift) in about 2.5 hours, wide awake, with the calm “hangout” vibe we’re known for.

And even this soon, you can already see the structural change:
🌿 Jawline + chin appear where there was none
🌿 The face shifts from a more rectangular/squared look toward a heart-shaped contour
🌿 Midface support begins to show lifting volume up where youth lives

Important: why she looks “a little weird” right now (and why that’s normal)

Because this is 10 minutes post-op, there’s a LOT of extra fluid that was injected during surgery and tissues are still settling. That can temporarily:

• make the face look puffy/obscured
• make the corner of the mouth look stretched
• create a brief “operated” look immediately after

Plus, she’s wrapped and has a small drain both are part of the process.

That swelling and distortion drops quickly (often within hours), and in Episode 5 you’ll see the “unwrap the present” moment the next morning when the beauty becomes unmistakable.

And yes… because Sheila is a competitive bodybuilder, the funniest part of this episode is the hardest rule:
no lifting, no bending, not even flexing 😅
Pain-free surgery can fool you into doing too much so we “babysit” our athletes.

You’ve already seen her later videos (including the Day 10 teaser)… so you know where this is going.
This is the unfiltered reality of the immediate post-op window so you can understand the process, not just the highlight reel.

Episode 4 is the wrap. Episode 5 is the reveal. ✨
Shared with patient consent. Individual results vary. Educational content only not medical advice.

02/01/2026

HOLY SH*T… WOW.” 😳✨
SHEILA | Episode 3 of 6 (Awake OR + The Real-Time Shift)

This is the episode where you see the MAERCKS Lift Trifecta happening in real time wide awake, no sedation, no meds just Sheila, her music (yes, she picked religious music 🎶), and a calm, focused 2.5–3 hour transformation.

True Maercks transparency inside the OR

In Episode 3, Dr. Maercks takes you fully behind the scenes:

🌿 Halfway through the dissection (while casually talking fitness + caffeine like it’s a normal day)
🌿 A real-world reality check: Sheila had an old thread lift and you see it still anchored… doing nothing.
Dr. Maercks calls it what many patients already know: wasted money, extra scarring, and something surgeons have to work around later.

The key visual: deep tissue moves… skin stays loose

This is the part most people never see explained clearly:
Dr. Maercks shows how the deep support is tightened and repositioned, while the skin remains intentionally loose the opposite of the “pull and tension” approach that can create unnatural patterns.

He even points out a pre-op marked line so you can watch how far the deep structures actually shift during the lift. It’s one of the clearest demonstrations of why this looks so natural.

The “repurposing” moment

After surgery, you see the payoff:
• beautiful neckline + chin
• heaviness removed
• and the signature MAERCKS change volume moved from low/heavy to high/supportive

He explains it simply: that “negative” heavy tissue gets repurposed so what was dragging her down becomes high malar / cheek support.

And then… the mirror.
Sheila’s reaction is pure, unfiltered truth: “HOLY SH*T. WOW.”

This is Episode 3 of 6 the operating room chapter.
Next: immediately after + next morning… and the recovery that made people think she didn’t even have surgery. ✨

Shared with patient consent. Individual results vary. Educational content only not medical advice.

01/31/2026

“I do everything by gut instinct.”
Sheila almost went somewhere else… and at the last minute it didn’t feel right. Then she saw Dr. Maercks on social media and knew she needed to back up and choose differently.

In Episode 2, we meet Sheila the morning of her procedure and get the real-time blueprint for her transformation.

Sheila is 54 and a competitive bodybuilder on stage, under lights, in front of judges. And as she says: “My face means a lot.” Over the past 2–3 years, the changes became noticeable enough that she was ready to act without looking “done.”

What Dr. Maercks is addressing (and why it looks so natural)

This episode is where you hear the core goal: alleviating heaviness and restoring structure.

🌿 The volume that’s weighing the face down gets repositioned to support the midface (so it helps you instead of hurting you)
🌿 Neck tightening + contouring
🌿 Support for the neck profile (including the area of submandibular gland show) so it sits higher and cleaner under the jawline
🌿 More cheek prominence and a more balanced, athletic facial shape

Why the MAERCKS Lift Trifecta is different

Dr. Maercks explains the difference between approaches that mainly pull laterally and can create unwanted surface tension patterns, versus the MAERCKS Lift Trifecta, which is built on deep ligamentous suspension—supporting the midface the way it’s meant to be supported, while keeping the result soft, athletic, and un-operated.

And yes… she’s doing it wide awake

Sheila specifically wanted no sedation so this is a completely awake, local anesthesia experience. We put on her music, have a conversation, and get it done in about 2.5 hours.

“Time to rock.” 🎶

If you already saw Sheila’s Day 10 teaser (where people thought she didn’t even have surgery)… this episode shows the why behind that kind of recovery.

Episode 2 is the blueprint. Next: the OR. ✨
Shared with patient consent. Individual results vary. Educational content only not medical advice.

):
AwakeSurgery LocalAnesthesia FaceliftJourney NaturalResults MidfaceSupport NeckLift

Just a couple days in the snow ❄️✨✨❄️✨
01/31/2026

Just a couple days in the snow ❄️✨✨❄️✨

01/30/2026

“Come closer... find my scars.”

At our Facelifts & Caviar afternoon at The Maercks Institute, a former patient with a MAERCKS Lift Trifecta invited everyone to look up close... and the room said the same thing:

“I can’t find anything.”

Dr Maercks shared a behind-the-scenes explanation of the why on the big screen. Demonstrating how a true deep plane approach is designed to restore healthy volume to its natural position for a refreshed (not “filled”) look.

The Maercks approach, focusing on restoring the natural position of facial volume for a refreshed, harmonious result.
Beautiful conversations, education, and a warm welcome into our practice with Billecart-Salmon Le Reserve and Sous Bois perfectly paired with an array of fine caviar blinis and the finest sushi to match!

We love sharing

If you’d like an invite to our next women’s event, DM “CAVIAR”.

01/29/2026

SHEILA | Episode 1 of 6 🌿✨
“My face means a lot… and I can’t wait to see the end results.”

Meet Sheila, 54, a competitive bodybuilder living in Nashville. Over the past 2–3 years, the changes in her face became impossible to ignore and she knew she wanted to feel more like herself again… not “different,” not “done,” just more youthful and refreshed.

Sheila found Dr. Maercks / The Maercks Institute on Instagram—and she’ll tell you straight: she almost chose someone else. But after a video call, everything changed. She describes feeling immediately at ease especially with an approach designed around minimal downtime (a must for someone who trains and competes).

Her goals are beautifully grounded:
• “I’m not expecting to be 20 again.”
• “I’d love to look back in my 40s.”
• “I have no concern, no fear… not nervous. Just looking forward to it.”

And if you already saw her Day 10 teaser (where everyone thought she didn’t even have surgery and she was trying not to go back to the gym too soon) that was just the preview.

Now we’re releasing Sheila’s full 6‑episode Maercks transparency series, taking you through what the internet usually hides:
✅ Episode 1: Why she’s here (today)
✅ Dr. Maercks’ evaluation + plan
✅ Inside the operative journey
✅ Immediately after + the next morning
✅ Real-life recovery: out to lunch Day 1, on the beach Day 3, back with friends Day 6, and the already-posted Day 10 follow-up that shocked her

This is the beginning of Sheila’s voyage and it’s about to get real. ✨

Shared with patient consent. Individual results vary. Educational content only not medical advice.

FaceliftJourney NaturalResults MidfaceSupport AwakeSurgery PlasticSurgeryEducation PatientJourney FacialRejuvenation FacialPlasticSurgery ConfidenceJourney TransformationStory NashvilleLife

01/27/2026

🚨 2‑MINUTE VERSION

Because yes no one has attention span😅

If you saw the full 8‑minute follow‑up, this is the same story just distilled so you can get the point fast.

And if you haven’t watched anything yet… start here. 👇

Tracy Tutor’s facelift recovery has caused quite a still in our community with patients like this calling The Maercks Institute in shock.

A lot of people think facelift recovery means weeks to months of hiding swelling, bruising, pain, and feeling “out of commission.”

Our patient said she went down the YouTube/Instagram rabbit hole watching recoveries and was horrified… until she experienced what recovery can look like when the surgical philosophy is different.

Here was her timeline after a Deep Plane MAERCKS Lift Trifecta with Dr. Maercks:

✨

01/27/2026

A little luxury. A lot of education. 🖤🥂

“Come closer… find my scars.” 👀✨

At our Facelifts & Caviar afternoon at The Maercks Institute, a former patient with a MAERCKS Lift Trifecta invited everyone to look up close… and the room said the same thing:

“I can’t find anything.”

Dr. Maercks then walked guests through t

Dr. Merrick shared a behind-the-scenes explanation of the why on the big screen. Demonstrating how a true deep plane approach is designed to restore healthy volume to its natural position for a refreshed (not “filled”) look.

The Maercks approach, focusing on restoring the natural position of facial volume for a refreshed, harmonious result.

Beautiful conversations, education, and a warm welcome into our practice with Billecart-Salmon Le Reserve and Sous Bois perfectly paired with an array of fine caviar blinis and the finest sushi to match. 🥂🖤✨

We love sharing

If you’d like an invite to our next women’s event, DM “CAVIAR”.

01/27/2026

“Zero means Zero”

The Zero EperiemceTM ONLY

Celebrity facelift recovery has been all over your feed lately.
And if you saw Tracy Tutor’s candid post-op updates, you know recovery can look… intense. 

Here’s the other side of the spectrum: a real Day 10 virtual follow-up after a Deep Plane MERIX Lift Trifecta and you can hear it directly from the patient:

“Zero means zero.”
“Day 10 post-op, nobody would know unless I told them.”
“I was on the beach… it’s magnificent.”

Her timeline (real life, real healing):
✅

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Miami, FL

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+13053288256

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Our Story

Dr. Rian A. Maercks has become a global focal point for those with interest in natural appearing interventions, and has helped thousands of patients by specializing in plastic surgery and non-invasive, cosmetic procedures for aesthetic improvements of the face, breast, and body in Miami, FL.

Dr. Maercks is most notably known for his non-surgical face lift technique, known as Aesthetic Facial Balancing which leverages his training as a fine artist, philosopher, craniofacial and reconstructive plastic surgeon, to deliver patients beautiful natural appearing results. He delivers results most think would require surgery with nothing but a needle in about fifteen minutes including rhinoplasty, facelift, blepharoplasty and browlift. Dr. Maercks is also known for his natural and scarless appearing Cold-Subfascial Breast Augmentation©.

Dr. Maercks has performed countless breast augmentations, breast lifts, breast revisions, and other face and body surgeries.