Lane Smith, M.D.

Welcome to the Smith Plastic Surgery Institute website. I am pleased you have chosen to visit our website and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you and tell you a little bit about myself and our philosophy here at the Smith Plastic Surgery Institute.

I am the oldest child of a large family of 10 children. My father was a physician, who specialized in Psychiatry. He worked very hard to support our large family, but he loved his work. He truly cared about his patients and I can remember people stopping him in stores or other places, thanking him for his good work. I believe that because of my father, I wanted to become a physician from a very early age. I cannot remember wanting to be anything else but a doctor. As the oldest child in a large family, I developed a sense of responsibility. From this, I also developed a very good work ethic that has served me well throughout my life.

Medical School:
In school, I excelled in sports and did equally well in the academic arena. Being focused on my goal to become a physician, I graduated early from high school and finished college at age 18. At that point, I embarked on a service mission for my church. After finishing that service, I entered the University of Utah medical school as the youngest in my class at age 20. I was fortunate to graduate as one of the top in my medical school and was awarded membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. This awarded membership is the highest academic honor given to medical students.

During medical school, I developed a love for surgery. It seemed that all the toughest problems were referred to the surgeons and that they made amazing changes in people’s lives. Surgery also required a bit of athleticism and hand-eye coordination, which blended well with my history as an athlete in high school and college. Initially, I was attracted to Ear, Nose, Throat-Head, and Neck Surgery as a surgical specialty. I traveled to one of the best schools for this specialty, at the time, the University of Texas Medical Branch located in Galveston. I also received the highest score in the nation on the federal licensure exam — one of two national exams all medical students must pass to become a physician.

Early Years in Practice:
I enjoyed living on the gulf coast and having warmer winters, which eventually was one of the reasons I chose to practice in Las Vegas. As part of my surgical training in Texas, I was first exposed to facial plastic surgery. I quickly developed a love for this type of surgery. It was both artistic, challenging, and changed lives. I also took an interest in organized medicine at that time and was elected president of the Texas Medical Association-Resident Physician Section. I sat on the Texas Council of Medical Education. I helped craft policy and legislation as it pertained to health care. I was also elected president of the Housestaff at my hospital and was given many honors and awards during my training. I have since continued my service in various medical organizations. I served as secretary of the Rocky Mountain Plastic Surgery Society, and President of the Las Vegas Plastic Surgery Society, which I helped form.

After finishing my residency in Texas, I was accepted to a Facial Plastic Fellowship at Stanford University. Living in the Palo Alto area near San Francisco was one of the best experiences of my life. It was a beautiful place to live and I immensely enjoyed my training and work. During my time there, I was also fortunate to serve as an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery. At the end of this fellowship, I was awarded the Jack Anderson Award by the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery. This was my second time to achieve the highest score on a national exam.

After finishing my training at Stanford, I practiced for a short time in Utah near my hometown. During this time, I completed my first medical mission to Zimbabwe. Since then, I have had the opportunity to serve other medical missions in other parts of the world on a regular basis. It is important as physicians and human beings that we continue to give back to the community. Desiring to become more specialized in Plastic Surgery, I left my busy practice in Utah and went to the world-famous Mayo Clinic to do a fellowship in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. There I was fortunate to work with some of the great pioneers of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including some of the pioneers in reconstructive breast surgery. My training there has helped me deal with some of the more difficult problems that present in the field of plastic surgery. While at the Mayo Clinic in 2001, I was given the award for the best research paper on Aesthetic Surgery for the resident physician section by the American Plastic Surgery Society.

Upon finishing my training, I decided to enter practice in the Las Vegas area. I liked the warmer winters here and it was a growing city with many opportunities. I have enjoyed living in the Vegas area and have met many wonderful friends here. There is always something interesting or exciting going on in Vegas as it is the crossroads for the United States. I have cared for celebrities and patients from abroad.

My Commitment to You:
During my many years of training, I had the opportunity to live in all parts of the country and to train at some of the finest medical institutions in the world. This training and experience have helped shape my philosophy regarding medicine, as well as plastic surgery specifically. Plastic surgery is a combination of science and art. I feel I have been blessed to have a very artistic sense. I treat every surgery as if it is a work of art, something that I want to be proud of when it is finished. It is my philosophy to treat each patient as if they were personal friends and to use cutting-edge technology combined with old-fashioned values. Nothing takes the place of caring and concern. Our attempt is to treat others in a manner that we would want ourselves or our family members to be treated.*

Welcome,
Lane F. Smith, M.D.
F.A.A.C.S., F.A.O.H.N.S., F.A.B.F.P.R.S.