Answers, Before
You Ask.

Call the office at (770) 466-4700. We are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 to 5:00 PM. You can also request a consultation through our online form and our team will call you back.

Yes. A consultation with Dr. Stephenson is $225 and includes a full hour: a physical examination, a thorough discussion of your goals, time for every question you have, and a written quotation for the proposed surgery. If you proceed with surgery, the consultation fee is applied to your surgical balance. We accept debit cards, major credit cards, and cash.

Yes. We offer virtual consultations for out-of-town patients. Call the office at (770) 466-4700, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 to 5:00 PM, to arrange one.

Dr. Stephenson is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is also trained as an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon — a combination that gives him an unusually complete understanding of facial structure, from the bone outward. He pairs that training with an artist's eye for contour and a commitment to medical education.

All surgeries are performed in a certified outpatient surgical facility or in a hospital setting. Minor procedures can be performed in our office suite under local anesthesia. Dr. Stephenson and his staff take every measure to ensure your safety throughout.

Dr. Stephenson and his team prioritize patient safety and take considerable care to minimize surgical risk. Full disclosure of your medical history and current health is essential to assessing that risk accurately, and every history is reviewed thoroughly before surgery is scheduled.

We consider both weight and height — together, Body Mass Index — when assessing candidacy. A BMI over 30 is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, all of which raise surgical risk. Our practice guideline is to accept patients with a BMI of 33 or below.

You may notice a difference immediately, but swelling and bruising make it hard to appreciate the true change at first. As they subside, the improved contour and shape emerge over roughly 6 to 12 weeks.

Any surgery leaves a scar. Dr. Stephenson's aim is for yours to be thin, flat, and placed where it is concealed. To support healing, he may recommend silicone strips or bandages for a defined period after surgery.

Genetics play a significant role in keloid formation, which explains why susceptibility varies across ethnicities — keloids are more common in people of African descent (5 to 10 percent) and less common in people of Asian descent (0.1 to 1 percent). Where your history or skin type suggests a raised risk of keloid or hypertrophic scarring, Dr. Stephenson will raise it at your consultation, and it becomes part of how incisions are placed and how healing is supported afterwards — including the silicone strips or bandages described above.

It varies with the procedure and with the individual, but recovery averages 6 to 8 weeks.

Both are normal and typically last 4 to 6 weeks, with noticeable improvement from around the two-week mark. Dr. Stephenson recommends the homeopathic remedies Arnica and Bromelain, starting two days before surgery and continuing for ten days afterward, which can reduce both the duration and the intensity.

This depends on your procedure and your job. Patients in administrative roles can usually return with restrictions in 1 to 2 weeks and resume full duties by 4 weeks. Patients in physically demanding roles should expect about 4 weeks with restrictions and 8 weeks before returning to full duty.

Begin with light walking about two weeks after surgery. After facial surgery, avoid sudden head movements and bending with your head down for three weeks. Heavy physical activity and the gym should wait 6 to 8 weeks.

Driving takes more mental and physical energy than most people expect, and narcotic pain medication reduces both. Dr. Stephenson advises waiting two weeks before driving. Air travel is a separate consideration: immobility during flights raises the risk of deep vein thrombosis, so please delay any flights for at least four weeks after surgery.

Yes. A responsible adult must accompany you home and care for you for 24 to 48 hours. If you are unable to arrange that, our team can organize a private duty nurse — this carries an additional fee and includes transport home along with 24 to 48 hours of care.

Dr. Stephenson does recommend them, and works with certified lymphedema therapists and licensed lymphatic massage therapists across Atlanta. The usual course is 2 to 3 sessions per week through the first 3 to 4 weeks of recovery, performed by a therapist with lymphedema training and experience in post-operative lymphatic drainage.

Plan to stay one to two weeks, depending on your procedure. We have established relationships with local recovery nurses and hotels to make the stay straightforward.

No. Dr. Stephenson is not contracted with any insurance company, and elective aesthetic procedures are not covered by insurance. Payment is due in full prior to surgery.

We accept all major credit cards and work with three independent financing partners: Cherry, CareCredit, and PatientFi. Checking your options may not affect your credit score, depending on the provider and application type — please review each lender's terms before applying. Full details are on our Pricing & Financing page.

Published figures are starting estimates. After your consultation, our Patient Coordinator prepares a written quote based on the specific plan agreed with you. Starting figures for facial and in-office procedures are listed on our Pricing & Financing page.

Chemical peels, BOTOX® Cosmetic, dermal fillers, microneedling, and medical-grade skincare. They address what surgery does not: surgery repositions structure, while these treat the quality of the skin itself and replace volume the face has lost. Each has its own page under Skin & Facial Aesthetics, and Dr. Stephenson will tell you at your consultation which apply to what you want to change.

For a chemical peel, depth drives everything. Light and refreshing peels heal in about a day; medium and deep peels do require downtime, and a deep peel means recuperating at home for two to three weeks. Peels are spaced at least four weeks apart, and a series is often recommended rather than a single treatment. Afterwards, do not pick at the skin — it comes away on its own schedule — and use sunblock outdoors. Downtime for microneedling depends on the depth treated, and Dr. Stephenson will set out what to expect before you book.

Yes, and they are often discussed in the same consultation. A facelift repositions structure but does not change the quality of your skin, which is why peels come up alongside it. Filler and BOTOX® Cosmetic address different problems again — lost volume, and lines that come from muscle movement rather than laxity. For some patients the treatments replace surgery altogether: Dr. Stephenson offers a non-surgical route combining skin resurfacing, dermal fillers, and BOTOX®. Where a treatment sits relative to your surgery, and how far ahead it should start, is decided as part of your plan.

Alongside his facial surgery practice, Dr. Stephenson offers two body procedures: Mommy Makeover and gynecomastia surgery for male chest contouring.

Dr. Stephenson assesses your concerns, your goals, and your physical condition, then builds the plan from four components: a tummy tuck, which removes loose abdominal skin and repairs separated muscle; a breast lift; breast augmentation; and liposuction, including Lipo 360 around the midsection. You may need one of them or several. They are combined into a single surgery so that you have one anesthetic and one recovery instead of two or three, which is why the plan is built as a whole rather than assembled from separate decisions. You are a candidate if you are in good general health and it has been at least six months since your last child.

It is quicker than most surgery of this scale, with one firm limit worth respecting. You wear a compression vest for several weeks, which supports healing and holds the new contour. Most patients are back to normal activities within a few days and back at work no later than a week, provided the job does not involve straining or heavy lifting; many work from home three or four days afterwards. Exercise waits a minimum of four weeks — starting earlier risks bleeding or a seroma, a collection of fluid beneath the skin. Swelling peaks around five to six days, then subsides rapidly.

Both procedures are planned individually, so pricing is prepared as part of your consultation rather than published as a starting figure. Our Patient Coordinator will provide a written quote covering the full surgical plan.