Dr. Miami Before And After: From BBLs On Instagram To Mommy Makeovers On Snapchat And Reality TV

Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer, who is best known as Dr. Miami, took plastic surgery to the next level when he started to post his operations on Snapchat two years ago. Now, the Florida-based doctor is one-upping himself with a reality show on WEtv called “Dr. Miami.”

While most of the celebrity doctor’s fans are familiar with him through Snapchat, the reality show will feature his clients, better known as “Beauty Warriors.” On Snapchat they are faceless bodies without a voice, but the “Dr. Miami” series lets viewers see a different version of the plastic surgery experience.

Read: ‘Teen Mom 2’ Star Kailyn Lowry Responds To Brazilian Butt Lift With Dr. Miami

Salzhauer coined the term “Beauty Warriors” for his clients because, as he said, people have to be brave to go forward with plastic surgery. “What I do are things people cannot accomplish at the gym,” Salzhauer told International Business Times in a phone interview Wednesday. “You need courage to do it. That’s the warrior part. The idea is to make someone feel beautiful, or as beautiful as they can be. I can enhance what people have.”

When it comes to body parts, Salzhauer is a fan of plump booties: “I like big butts and I cannot lie.”

But that doesn’t mean he thinks everyone should have a curvaceous derriere. “Beauty is literally in the eyes of the beholder,” he said. “It’s not just a cliché. Everyone’s idea of attractiveness is different.”

Brazilian butt lifts have increased more than 250 percent over the past 15 years, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In 2015, nearly 5,000 BBLs were performed, as opposed to the 1,300 performed in 2000. If that sounds like a lot, there was a more dramatic increase in the amount of lifts done to the lower body and arms. In the same time frame, lower body lifts increased almost 4,000 percent and upper arm lifts increased 5,000 percent.

While it might seem like all Dr. Miami’s clients appear on his Snapchat, only about 60 percent, or “two out of three people,” agree to be featured on his story. The main thing that deters people from wanting to be recorded is the fear of being recognized.

But some people can’t wait to be filmed, asking him to play specific songs during their surgery, give shout outs or email them the footage of their operation.

“It’s like a performance card,” Salzhauer told IBT. “It’s not a hard sell. A lot of patients are young and into social media already, and it’s like an extension of their Instagram.”

Salzhauer was the first doctor to film his surgeries for Snapchat — and it came about by accident. Originally, he would post his before-and-after photos on Instagram, but his Instagram page with 90,000 followers was deleted for “showing too many nipples or something,” the doctor joked.

Salzhauer’s daughter, who was 9 years old at the time, suggested he post his surgeries to Snapchat, which doesn't have any rules against graphic content. He didn’t even know what Snapchat was but figured he'd try it anyway.

His first surgery attracted more than 1,800 viewers. Today, the doctor's stories are seen millions of times.

While filming surgeries live might sound like an absurd idea, it wasn’t crazy for Salzhauer. “If you think about it, people have been recording surgeries forever but they’re done in a boring documentary style way,” said the Miami doctor, who has 20 years of experience.

What makes the doctor’s approach different is that he’s fun and shows the surgeries live. He also features his staff. “We show what happens during the day,” he said. “We show our personalities.”

Plastic surgery is a serious matter, but Salzhauer embraces his goofy side and regularly cracks jokes. While some are shocked by his antics, it’s how he always conducted himself in the operating room — with or without an iPhone filming him.

Talking to his staff about their day is no different than another surgeon listening to music, but Salzhauer isn’t always playing around.

“There are portions where I’m hyper focused and I’m not being goofy,” he said. “The Snapchat only shows a few minutes of the operation, some of which last four hours. There are times you don’t see that are less goofy.”

While some people might condemn cosmetic surgery because it’s unnatural, Salzhauer argued it's all about feeling better. He noted that people should not have surgery to please anyone by themselves.

“The purpose of plastic surgery is that the person who has the surgery feels beautiful,” he said. “I think people blossom after surgery. Wallflowers become outgoing and they come back years later and thank me. It’s not for everyone, but it is perfect for some people.”

Even though he’s best known for the Brazilian butt lift, also known as the BBL, Salzhauer’s favorite surgery to perform is a Mommy Makeover, which usually includes breast enhancement and a tummy tuck. “A lot of my patients are moms,” he said. “A happy mommy makes for a better family.”

The most challenging surgery for him to perform is a rhinoplasty, which is commonly known as a nose job. “It’s intellectually stimulating,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure [when operating] because the nose is in the middle of your face. There’s very little room for error.”

Being a high-profile doctor, Salzhauer performs surgeries on plenty of celebrities, but he couldn’t name all of his A-list patients. “Some of them don’t want anyone to know they’ve had plastic surgery,” he said.

Others, however, were open about their foray into plastic surgery.

For instance, “Teen Mom” stars Kailyn Lowry and Briana DeJesus appeared on his Snapchat account two years ago. Before that, in 2012, “Teen Mom OG” star Farrah Abraham had a chin implant and rhinoplasty. Salzhauer also performed surgeries on reality stars like the some of the cast from the “Bad Girls Club,” “Black Ink Crew” and “Love & Hip Hop” star Jessica Dime.

The Miami doctor might have been the first one to use Snapchat, but now he’s far from the only one. There are 300 to 400 surgeons who use Snapchat daily. “It mushroomed into a phenomenon,” he said. “I saw a gallbladder taken out the other day in England.”

Competitive as the world of plastic surgery might be, “Dr. Miami” isn’t afraid to share his secrets. With a waiting list of two years, Salzhauer regularly promotes other plastic surgeons. He was inspired to teach other surgeons how to use Snapchat as a tool after persistent doctors asked him to explain his method.

Now, Salzhauer will be able to show the world how he performs his surgeries with the premiere of his show. It is slated to debut on the same day as former “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” star Mama June Shannon’s weight loss reveal. After ballooning to 460 pounds, she reportedly slimmed down to a size 4 thanks to the help of a gastric sleeve and some plastic surgery on her neck, arms, breast and stomach.

Read: Nicki Minaj Slams Dr. Miami, Says She’s ‘Unfamiliar’ With Plastic Surgery Doctor

Salzhauer, who did not perform Shannon's plastic surgeries, was excited to see her new look.

“It’s awesome,” he said about Shannon’s weight loss journey. “It’s not just good for Mama June, it’s good for the whole country. There are so many obese people — it’s a natural tragedy.”

He said her journey was inspiring because not everyone can be successful at dieting and exercising, but weight loss surgery works for everyone.

“People don’t realize they can do something about it,” he said. “People see her story on WEtv and it will inspire others to take that first time toward living a healthier life.”

Don’t miss “Dr. Miami” when it premieres March 31 at 10 p.m. EDT on WEtv.

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella