Celebrating Black Heritage: Surgeon making clients look '15-20 years younger'
Black surgeon helps turn back the clock for his patients
Fewer than 4% of plastic surgeons in the U.S. are Black. Dr. Carl Truesdale helps his many patients look "15-20 years younger" with facial surgery.
The before-and-after photos are nothing short of remarkable. Women appear 15, 20, even 30 years younger— a testament to the skill and artistry of double board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Carl Truesdale of Beverly Hills.
"The thing that I'm really known for is facial rejuvenation—making people look younger," says Dr. Truesdale.
Originally from New York, the 37-year-old plastic surgeon was a portrait artist before pursuing medicine. This artistic background has sharpened his eye for detail and enhanced his ability to create beautifully natural results.
"I think my background as a portrait artist really does help me achieve nuanced, beautiful work with subtlety. I've studied the human form, the human face my entire life," Dr. Truesdale explains.
A significant portion—50%—of Dr. Truesdale’s patients are Black women, who appreciate his expertise in treating their unique skin types.
"Special considerations for skin of color include scarring and healing patterns. In the Black, Latino, and Asian communities, you have to be mindful of unfavorable scarring and keloiding. That’s something I focus on preventing," he says.
Last September, Dr. Truesdale performed facial rejuvenation surgery on his own mother, Dr. Linda Truesdale.
"I got snatched," she says with a smile.
The 69-year-old is thrilled with the results. "A woman walked up to me and said, ‘Oh my God, you look absolutely beautiful,’ and I was like, wow."
Since launching his practice in Beverly Hills in 2020, Dr. Truesdale has built a strong reputation, with 80 to 90% of his patients discovering him through social media.
Christine Harris is one of those patients. "I discovered Dr. Truesdale on Instagram," she says. After seeing the transformations of multiple patients, she decided to reach out.
"I had a lot of people asking me when I was going to retire, and that bothered me because I wasn’t ready," says the 63-year-old.
After undergoing a full facelift, Christine now embraces her rejuvenated appearance.
"People keep telling me, ‘You look great! What are you doing? Whatever it is, I want to do it too!’" she laughs.
For Dr. Truesdale, plastic surgery is more than a profession—it’s a passion.
"This is the best job in the world because you get to help people, and you get to be an artist. This is feel-good medicine."
Reaching this level of success hasn’t come easy, but Dr. Truesdale firmly believes in perseverance and determination.
"I am one of the few Black facial plastic surgeons, and I’ve been able to achieve my dreams. If you look at me and feel inspired, that’s amazing. It won’t be easy—it will be hard—but if you go for it, it will be worth it."