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."

06/17/2026

The recent viral video of Anne Hathaway and Orlando Pita 🇨🇺 describing how a high, tight braided ponytail instantly lifts and refreshes the face reminded me of the origin of the Ponytail Lift™.
When I first developed my endoscopic facial rejuvenation technique around 2000, I called it an “Endoscopic Makeover” because it could beautify the face, restore youthful contours, and create a fresher appearance without visible incisions.
Then in 2004, a young actress sat in my consultation chair and told me, “When my hairstylist pulls my hair back into a high, tight ponytail, everyone says I look 10 years younger.”
I smiled and replied, “That’s exactly what we’re doing surgically. Except you don’t need your fingers, tape, or your hair. Everything is done internally.”
“It’s like a Ponytail Lift.”
She immediately said, “Wow, that’s a great name. You should trademark it.”
I thought about it for a moment and replied, “I think I will.”
And that is how the Ponytail Lift™ got its name.
The concept was simple: recreate the beautifying effect of a high ponytail permanently, naturally, and invisibly through endoscopic surgery while preserving the hairline and avoiding visible facial scars.
One important distinction: the Ponytail Lift™ creates the effect of a ponytail without actually pulling on the hair. Prolonged tight hairstyles can lead to traction alopecia, a form of hair loss caused by chronic tension on the hair follicles.
The goal was never to pull the hair.
The goal was always to lift the face.
Beauty Without a Trace™.

06/09/2026

PONYTAIL RISING
When I introduced the Ponytail Lift in 2017, many people said it wasn’t real.
They said it was a marketing term.
They said the results were Photoshop.
They said it only worked on young patients who didn’t need surgery.
Then they said it wouldn’t last.
So we kept collecting data. We kept publishing. We kept teaching.
Over the years, we presented patients were over 60 yo. We showed long-term results extending nearly two decades. Slowly, skepticism gave way to curiosity, and curiosity gave way to acceptance.
This year’s ASAPS meeting in Boston felt like a milestone.
The Ponytail Academy hosted a sold-out 14-hour course. The following day, we helped Dr. Grady Core teach another sold-out endoscopic facial rejuvenation course. We celebrated with a packed Ponytail Academy gathering filled with friends, colleagues, faculty, and students from around the world, not to mention Michael Jackson
I was also deeply honored to be invited to participate in 12 separate panels on facial rejuvenation and facelift surgery.
As a resident, I sat in the audience watching the leaders of our specialty and wondered if I would ever have the opportunity to stand on that stage. To be invited to contribute in this way is something I do not take lightly.
My mentor, Professor Yu-Ray Chen, once told me:
“Either teach it, or it dies with you.”
That philosophy became the foundation of the Ponytail Academy.
Thank you to my friends, faculty, students, my beloved staff, and patients who believed in this vision long before it became popular.
The Ponytail is rising.
And this is only the beginning.

05/29/2026

KAO Eyes™
For years, this patient would not leave the house without taping the corners of her eyes upward.
Every morning.
Every event.
Every photograph.
The tape became part of her identity.
In fact, she taped so aggressively and so consistently that it created chronic skin irritation and thickening of the temple area. Her husband constantly begged her to stop.
But the truth was simple.
She wasn’t trying to look different.
She was trying to look like herself.
Or perhaps more accurately, the version of herself she always imagined.
At 43 years old, she came to me with a very specific request:
“I want dramatic KAO Eyes™.”
Not subtle.
Not conservative.
Not halfway.
Dramatic.
One of the most important principles in aesthetic surgery is understanding that beauty is personal. What feels natural for one patient may feel under-corrected for another.
That is why every KAO Eyes™ procedure begins in front of a mirror. Together, we discuss, design, and customize the exact degree of elevation. Mild. Moderate or Dramatic.

For the first time in her life, she wakes up with the eyes she always envisioned as part of her identity.
The most powerful aesthetic procedures are not about changing who you are.
They are about bringing the person you see in your mind into reality.

Question for you:
If you were designing your own KAO Eyes™, would you choose:
✨ None
✨ Mild
✨ Moderate
✨ Dramatic
Tell me in the comments below.
👇👇👇
kaoplasticsurgery

05/06/2026

Asian Innovation Symposium
The Aesthetic Meeting | Boston
Saturday, May 16 | 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

It is an honor to serve as Chair of this year’s Asian Innovation Symposium.

Over the past several years, I have had the privilege of witnessing extraordinary surgical innovation across the world. This symposium is a curated gathering of surgeons who are not simply following tradition, but redefining it.

This is not about Asian surgeons operating on Asian patients.
This is about innovation, wherever it originates, and how it advances aesthetic surgery for all patients.

Our distinguished faculty includes:

• Lee Pu (Newport Beach) on fat grafting and cross-cultural aesthetic ideals
• Su-Ben Tsao (Taiwan) on biological restoration of hypopigmented scars
• Haisong Xu (Shanghai) on facial bone contouring and structural aesthetics
• Zhan Gong (Guangzhou) on AI-driven rhinoplasty planning
• Hong-Ki Lee (South Korea) on brow elevation and vector control
• William Lao (New York) on advanced periorbital rejuvenation
• Arthur Yu (California) on the expanding role of thread lifting

I will conclude by presenting the Ponytail ethos and discussing why preservation-based facelift techniques may better address the Asian face.

Seven innovators. One room. Three hours.

I believe this will be one of the most stimulating and forward-thinking sessions of the meeting, and I sincerely hope you will join us in Boston.

Chia Chi Kao, MD

05/01/2026

The Real Cause Is Structural

In many patients, especially younger ones, lower eyelid bags are not aging.

They are anatomical.

A hypoplastic midface means the maxillary bone does not adequately support the orbit. The orbital fat is not well contained, so it pushes forward. This is why you see bags even in patients in their 20s.

With time, the situation worsens.

The cheek descends.
The lid-cheek junction elongates.
The orbicularis thins and weakens.

Now what began as a structural deficiency becomes amplified by aging.

⸻

Why Traditional Blepharoplasty Falls Short

Lower blepharoplasty focuses on subtraction or redistribution.

It can improve contour in select patients.

But in cases of hollow orbits and skeletal deficiency, it often creates a trade-off:

Fat is removed from one area to fill another.
Volume is limited.
The underlying structure remains uncorrected.

The result can still look hollow, tired, or unnatural.

⸻

The Real Solution Is Comprehensive

When the problem is structural, the solution must be structural.

In patients with hypoplastic cheeks, hollow orbits, thin skin, and herniated fat, I approach this with a combination of four maneuvers designed to restore support, volume, and harmony.

One you already know.

Can you guess the other three?

Tell me below.

04/21/2026

Behind the Ponytail™ | Case 02

At first glance, this case may appear straightforward.

It is not.

This patient, a 50 year old from Singapore, presented with a history of prior eyelid surgeries, resulting in multiple irregular lid creases and under eye hollowing. In addition, she demonstrated midface descent, early structural weakening with jowling, elongation of the upper lip with aging, and a high hairline that disrupted overall facial balance.

Individually, each of these concerns may seem subtle.

Collectively, they represent a highly complex surgical problem.

These are the cases that are often underestimated. What appears simple on the surface requires careful sequencing, restraint, and precise ex*****on to avoid compounding existing distortions.

The goal was to restore balance, proportion, and harmony while creating beauty without a trace.

Every movement in surgery carries consequence. Every decision must be exact.
#

04/17/2026

A perfect rhinoplasty is never just about a nose.

It is about a vision someone has carried quietly for years.

In her 40s, she finally chose to do something for herself. Not out of impulse, but from a deeply personal desire she had held onto for most of her life. She always dreamed of a softer, more refined profile. A delicate, feminine “sloped” nose that felt in harmony with her face.

Today, that vision is reality.

What makes this transformation meaningful is not just the aesthetic refinement, but the restoration of function. Beauty without function is incomplete. She now breathes freely, sleeps better, and feels a sense of ease that was never fully there before.

This is the true power of rhinoplasty when done with precision and purpose. It is not about changing who someone is. It is about aligning form and function in a way that feels natural, effortless, and right.

Subtle. Balanced. Functional.

This is beauty and function, working as one.
I like to thank for all of his teacheing and support .

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

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

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kao Plastic Surgery posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category