Kao Plastic Surgery

Kao Plastic Surgery Dr. Chia Chi Kao is the founder of Kao Plastic Surgery and KO'AN Center Santa Monica. Best known for "My focus is as much on the emotional as the physical.

Dr. Chia Chi Kao is a board-certified aesthetic plastic and reconstructive surgeon with over 15 years of experience whom Vogue claims “is single-handedly revolutionizing the future of facelifts.” He is also the founder of the KAO Center in Santa Monica, CA and is the creator of the new and revolutionary Ponytail Lift™ and Ponytail Facelift™ procedures. It is not about making someone simply look younger, but giving them the gift of feeling attractive and vibrant. Beauty is timeless."

04/06/2026

Behind the Ponytail™

There is a quiet misconception in aesthetic surgery: that beautiful results appear effortless.

They do not.

What you see is the outcome. What you do not see is the complexity beneath it, the planning, restraint, millimeter level precision, and countless decisions required to preserve anatomy while elevating beauty.

This series, Behind the Ponytail™, offers a look into that unseen world.

Each case reflects a highly individualized approach. No two faces are the same. True mastery lies not in dramatic change, but in refined, intentional ex*****on.

You will see patients from pre operative evaluation to immediate on table results. These are not final outcomes, but early moments in a journey, often shared by patients who have traveled from afar and are in a vulnerable stage of recovery.

These are real people, not images.

They have graciously allowed us to share their journey for the purpose of education. Please approach each post with respect, kindness, and encouragement. This is not a space for judgment, but one for learning and appreciation.

Final results will follow in time.

Sincerely,
Dr. Kao.

04/05/2026

The Ponytail Academy 14-hour Foundational Course, presented in collaboration with The Aesthetic Society at The Aesthetic MEET 2026 in Boston on May 14, 2026, is now fully subscribed.

In response to the overwhelming interest, we are considering opening an additional session on May 13, 2026.

For those with serious interest, kindly send a direct message to express your intent.

03/30/2026

Follow up to our previous video

03/28/2026

The Inaugural Ponytail Academy Advanced Course. A Defining Moment

This past February, we hosted our very first Advanced Ponytail Academy.

A three day, fourteen hour per day immersive experience combining lectures, cadaveric dissection, and live surgery.

To the thirty surgeons who traveled from across the world, from the East Coast to Brazil, Colombia, Russia, Malaysia, Korea, and Iran. I am deeply grateful.

Your commitment to learning this language means everything.

What many did not see.

This course almost did not happen.

We began with one venue, then another. Just weeks before, I made the decision to start over entirely and bring everything into the KAO Institute.

Four weeks prior, my team advised postponement.

But we chose to move forward.

What followed was extraordinary.

To my team.

There are no words sufficient.

Your dedication, precision, and refusal to compromise excellence transformed what seemed impossible into something seamless.

You created an experience of true luxury with a level of audiovisual technology, coordination, and detail that stands apart from any course of its kind.

I am profoundly grateful.

I must also formally acknowledge the extraordinary faculty who stood beside me. Nicanor Isse, Grady Core, Basel Sharaf, Dominik Duscher, and Raphael Wenny . Your contributions were invaluable. Each of you brought depth, scholarship, humility, and generosity to this course. The Academy is stronger because of your presence, and I am personally grateful for your collegiality and trust.

For three days, we opened everything. Ponytail Lift, tear trough implants, lip lift, fat grafting, and submandibular gland reduction.

For the first time, an inside look into my full system.

This is no longer just a course.

It is a movement. A language. A standard.

Next stop, Boston.

Our Foundational Course with The Aesthetic Society on May 14.

The course is sold out, but limited observational opportunities may become available.

Join the waitlist at ponytailacademy.com

Master the evolution or be left behind.

# BeautyWithoutATrace

03/27/2026

Not all facelifts are created equal.

This 53 yo woma had a Deep Plane Facelift one year ago.
Now, when she smiles, you see irregularities and indentations.

Why?

Most traditional techniques: deep plane, SMAS, high SMAS, SMAS plication, SMASectomy, all
involve delamination.

The skin is lifted thinly off the fat.
The fat is lifted off the muscle using the SMAS.

*Blood supply is disrupted.
**Skin + fat become partially devascularized.

In thinner patients, once swelling resolves (6–12 months):
• Skin can thin further
• Fat can atrophy
• Irregularities begin to show

That’s what you’re seeing here.

Ponytail Facelift™ is fundamentally different.

An endoscopic, total-preservation deep plane approach.

• Dissection occurs in a natural glide plane
• Vessels and nerves are directly visualized, and preserved
• No blind delamination
• Blood supply to skin and fat remains intact
• Fat transfer restores structure and delivers regenerative (stem cell) benefit

The result?

Instead of worsening over time…
the skin continues to improve.

Beauty without a trace.

I just finished a rhinoplasty, and as I stepped back from the table, I couldn’t help but pause. It’s truly beautiful.✨ C...
05/30/2025

I just finished a rhinoplasty, and as I stepped back from the table, I couldn’t help but pause. It’s truly beautiful.
✨ Clean, elegant dorsal lines
✨ A softly rotated tip
✨ And most importantly — a nose that now brings harmony and balance to the entire face.

Why do I love rhinoplasty?
Because it’s never just about the nose. It’s about creating beauty that feels natural, effortless, and in complete sync with the rest of the face.

Just like a ponytail lift — which elevates the brows, brightens the eyes, lifts the cheekbones, and softens the corners of the mouth — a well-sculpted nose completes the picture. It pulls everything together. It’s that quiet detail that transforms the entire face.

When both are done with intention and artistry, the result is what I call the Trifecta of Beauty — balance, elevation, and harmony across every feature.

It’s subtle. It’s powerful. And it’s always personal.

This is why I love what I do.

This is the art of rhinoplasty.

Behind every beautiful result is a team that makes it possible.The Ponytail Lift isn’t just my work—it’s our work.Every ...
05/08/2025

Behind every beautiful result is a team that makes it possible.
The Ponytail Lift isn’t just my work—it’s our work.

Every precise movement, every seamless incision, every moment of calm in the OR—none of it happens without the dedication, trust, and extraordinary hands of Levinia and Narda, my brilliant scrub nurses.

We’ve stood side by side for many years.
They don’t just pass instruments—they anticipate needs, protect patients, and bring an unwavering presence of calm, focus, and care into every case.

This is not just surgery.
It’s a collaboration built on mutual respect, rhythm, and heart.
They know how I think, how I move, how I breathe in the OR—and that kind of connection is rare.

The Ponytail Lift is delicate, exacting work.
It requires artistry, yes—but also surgical choreography.
It’s not possible without a team that functions as one, and I’m proud to say we do just that.
Together, we create beauty without a trace.

To Levinia and Narda—thank you.
For your expertise, your strength, and your heart.
You are the quiet heroes behind every transformation, and I am endlessly grateful to walk this path with you.

Because in the OR, it’s not just about results.
It’s about trust.
It’s about love.
And it’s about the team that makes it all possible.

—Dr. Kao

Ponytail Facelift, Kaogee JowlLift , Massai Necklift: This beautiful 51 yo wanted to be "Refeshed". She had a motorcycle...
10/17/2020

Ponytail Facelift, Kaogee JowlLift , Massai Necklift: This beautiful 51 yo wanted to be "Refeshed". She had a motorcycle accident in the past and sustained an injury to her left cheek. She felt that then scar tissue made her left cheek more bulky and droopy. She absolutely DID NOT want to have a scar in front of her ears as in a traditional or a deep plane facelift. We just her from the top of the head to the bottom of the neck without many incisions on her face. This is the Ponytail Difference. @ Kao Plastic Surgery

09/13/2019

Ponytail Facelift w/ KaoEyes: This 46 year old from Barcelona who had a and excisional upper 3 years ago in attempt to maintain her youth . The aggressive resection is skin, mucle, and fat hollowed her eyes out and made her look sad. The “minifaclift” pulled her skin to the side toward her ears but she saw Little or no lifting result) is In my opinion these or for younger patients are ill advised because you will have all the scars like a full on traditional with very little work through them. The and avoid those visible incisions in front of the ears. So they are ideal for younger patients. If she had found us before her mini facelift and open upper lid lift , we could have rejuvenated her from the top of the head to the bottom of the neck without an incision of the face. This is the

07/26/2019

With two tiny incisions in the temple scalp on each side and one 1/2 incision in the crease behind the earlobe, the entire face and upper part of the neck can be tightened and slimmed. There are not incisions/ scars IN FRONT of the ear, behind the little cartilage (Tragus) of the ear , or along the temple hairline . The of the face is tightened and lifted with out traditional scars. This is the .

Kaofie is when she is so happy she can’t help but send me her . The greatest gift I receive from my patients is seeing...
08/30/2018

Kaofie is when she is so happy she can’t help but send me her . The greatest gift I receive from my patients is seeing their and knowing that I made a difference. She is and now. correction of over filled face. @ Kao Plastic Surgery

Ponytail Lift with and . How long does fat transfer last? Once the swelling is down after 3-4 months, whatever it s...
08/30/2018

Ponytail Lift with and . How long does fat transfer last? Once the swelling is down after 3-4 months, whatever it stays should last a long time. This is a woman is her mid 40’s with significant volume loss. The here is a 4 months post op and a 4 years follow-up. She is very very happy. # not a traditional @ Kao Plastic Surgery

Address

900 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100
Santa Monica, CA
90401

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+13103159211

Website

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