The First and Only Doctor Performing OrthoSculpt Procedures, Steven Cyr, MD, is also the CMO of SASpine (Surgical Associates in Spine) and CYRxMD Cosmetic Surgery. Steven was recently named Top Doctor in San Antonio and Houston for both Spine Surgery & Cosmetic Surgery. 

 

What are you known for?

 

For the past 18 years, my specialty has been complex spine surgery. Coupling my combined fellowship in neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery of the spine from the Mayo Clinic with my 14 years of active duty service as the Chief of Spine Surgery for the Air Force and Spine Consultant to the Surgeon General and Pentagon, I have developed a unique understanding of both simple and complex issues affecting the spine and surgical techniques to correct them. This includes revising surgeries that have been attempted elsewhere and have failed despite multiple surgeries.

 

More recently, after performing a two-year fellowship with the President of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, I developed a surgical procedure known as OrthoSculpt. Tapping into my background and expertise as an orthopedic surgeon (a specialty involving the anatomy of the torso, arms, and legs), I developed these techniques to add a new level of anatomical accuracy and safety as I highlight the body’s natural musculature. This has allowed me to define the anatomy in areas of the body where most plastic and cosmetic surgeons are uncomfortable. I have also developed minimally-invasive techniques to address weight gain and laxity of the face and neck.

 

OrthoSculpt is a unique set of surgical procedures three times the work of traditional liposuction, delivering far superior results. What separates it from other high-definition techniques is the understanding that orthopedic surgeons have of muscular anatomy, together with the surrounding nerves and blood vessels, making the procedure safer, the body more defined, and the results more natural.

 

What are you the most proud of?

 

Of all my accomplishments, I am most proud of my decision to marry my wife, LeAnn. Because of her, we have four amazing, kind-hearted, and beautiful (inside and out) children. My partnership with her, both in business and life, has been my wisest decision. Without her, I definitely would not be where I am today, nor as content with my life. For me, family is everything.

 

 

Currently, I have set aside 1 to 2 days per week for cosmetic surgery, and typically the rest of my week is taken up with spine surgeries, usually 3 to 4 days per week.

 

As a doctor and surgeon, how do you decide who is eligible for surgery?

 

I am deeply devoted to my patients, so I would say that I am the doctor for patients who are looking for someone well-trained and meticulous but also compassionate and sincere. I think every physician prefers patients who appreciate the efforts that we put into their care. I would say most of my patients are very grateful, and those are the ones that I get the most reward out of treating. Whereas many surgeons who perform spine surgery are very restrictive about whom they perform surgeries on, refusing to perform revision surgeries or complex surgeries, including multiple failed surgeries, infections, fractures, tumors, or spinal deformity of the cervical spine, thoracic spine, and lumbosacral spine, I would say those are actually my expertise. When it comes to cosmetic surgery, many plastic and cosmetic surgeons restrict their surgeries to patients with a BMI of under 30 or even 25 and under 50 years old. Similar to my spine practice, my restrictions are not so selective. I want to help everyone seeking a better and more youthful, natural physical appearance. The only limitation concerning cosmetic surgery is that, for safety reasons, some patients may not qualify. Dr. Bert Brown, my anesthesiologist, and I evaluate each patient's labs and history to determine if they are medically safe to proceed. I take great pride in trying to help as many people as possible.

 

How specialized is your practice?

 

My practice is highly specialized. However, although I am a surgeon, my practice takes care of many patients who aren’t candidates or aren't ready for surgery. Many patients who have spine problems need conservative treatment and not surgery. For that reason, my practice has a full-time physical therapist and two pain specialists who help us provide conservative treatment for patients who aren’t yet ready for (or indicated for) surgery.

 

How does your background as an orthopedic spine surgeon help you as a cosmetic surgeon?

 

Orthopedic surgeons are literally the musculoskeletal experts of the body. We have a deep understanding of the anatomy which leads to the bones. That means that all of the tissue overlying the bone, including the skin, the muscle, the blood vessels, and the nerves that lead to and surround the bone, must be well understood by orthopedic surgeons. Otherwise, those structures could be injured while attempting to fix the bone. Many injuries of the extremities include soft tissue injuries, so soft-tissue preservation and repair are also the expertise of an orthopedic surgeon. Many don’t realize how well-versed orthopedic surgeons treat injuries to soft tissue (skin, blood vessels, nerve, muscles, tendons, and ligaments).

 

As a spine specialist, many surgeries are performed through the abdomen and rib cage to get to the spine. That means I have to understand the anatomy of the abdomen, including the intestines and the blood vessels that lie on top of the spine and the chest cavity because some of my surgeries also involve going through the chest cavity to get to the thoracic spine. I often perform anterior and posterior surgeries on the neck, which means I also have a deep understanding of the structures within the neck. When I began performing my fellowship in cosmetic surgery, I realized that this level of understanding of the anatomy in all these areas of the body was a tremendous asset. Coupling that knowledge with my newfound understanding of cosmetic surgery techniques, I was able to perform procedures on the arms and legs as well as on the abdomen, neck, and back with a higher level of accuracy, detailing the anatomy by uncovering the muscular anatomy during Liposculpture.

 

Above all else, safety is paramount, so my understanding of where the nerves and blood vessels are in the torso, arms, legs, and neck means that the potential for complications is low. My orthopedic background has also helped me understand how to close tissue under extreme tension or handle wound complications because we are experts in soft tissue injury.

 

Because I was deployed to Iraq twice and also worked at a level-one trauma center for 14 years while in the Air Force, I also have a strong understanding of handling complex wounds, all of this has contributed to the safety and accuracy of my cosmetic surgery procedures.

 

What is it that makes you different from any other plastic or cosmetic surgeon?

 

I am the world’s first fellowship-trained cosmetic surgeon who is also a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon. I have been a spine surgeon for nearly 20 years, performing complex surgeries around the spinal cord and nerves. As an orthopedic surgeon who served in the military, I deeply understand injuries that other surgeons may not have seen.

 

I believe my surgical experience and background, as well as my two-year fellowship specializing in cosmetic surgery of the face and body, has allowed me to perform procedures with a high level of anatomical accuracy so that the results are more natural-looking and include a high degree of safety. As a spine surgeon, meticulousness is in my nature, and I have translated that meticulousness and attention to detail as well as my devotion to patient safety, to cosmetic surgery.

 

My specialty is in high-definition OrthoSculpt of the body and face, performing techniques that very few plastic and cosmetic surgeons perform. This technique requires specialized equipment and a detailed understanding of the anatomy to yield ideal results. I have seen many patients who have had previous tummy tucks, liposuction, and breast augmentations with less-than-ideal outcomes and have been able to use my many years of experience as a surgeon and extreme devotion to doing quality work, along with my specialized techniques, to yield great surgical results for my patients.

 

 

What is your purpose in life?

 

To be a faithful servant, a great father, husband, friend, and surgeon, and to make a dramatically positive difference in the world.

 

Who inspired you throughout your life?

 

My father inspired me because even though he started in the Air Force as an airman, he was a very serious academic. By the time he finished his Air Force career, he had attained three Master's degrees and was an RN and a PA, with two PhDs, one in Counseling and another in Clinical Psychology. My mother also inspired me because she came from a foreign country as an adult, and even when we had little to no money, she carried herself with dignity, pride, and class. She taught us how to be gentlemen and how to have pride in our heritage, giving us a deep foundation in faith. She was a loyal and devoted wife and mother, and to this day, she continues to try to take care of me and my family, mothering us all, even as adults.

 

What drives you to continue adding to your achievements?

 

I think some people are innately driven. I feel like God has given us all talents and special gifts; we are responsible for using them to make a difference in the lives of people around us. I feel like I am constantly inspired to do something new and something better than my previous accomplishments.

 

As a father, I am driven even more to provide an amazing life for my children. LeAnn and I came from very humble beginnings; both of us had fathers who were either on active duty in the military or performing civil service (civilian employee) for the military. I grew up on the southeast side of San Antonio and spent many formative years on an Air Force Base in the Philippines, where I met LeAnn. It was important for me to work very hard, getting good grades to get into medical school while still playing football. I worked even harder in medical school to get accepted into a residency in orthopedics. I worked harder still to get accepted into the Mayo Clinic as the only fellow in the country for their combined fellowship in Neurosurgery / Orthopedic Surgery of the Spine.

 

Later, when I was on active duty, because of all the deployments overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan, I was forced to moonlight to increase my proficiency as a surgeon and to help my mother and father (who had been diagnosed with dementia at an early age). This enhanced my skills as a surgeon. Before entering orthopedic residency, I moonlighted in family practice clinics as a flight surgeon and then later, outside of the Air Force while on active duty as a spine surgeon. I have always worked multiple jobs and felt driven to attempt to make a bigger difference. I also had to adapt to changes and failures so I was never stagnant or going backward. The business of medicine is very challenging. We have seen our share of successes and failures. Because doctors are no longer in control of the business of medicine, I have concerns about the direction medicine is heading. So I’m constantly adapting to avoid being painted into a corner so I can always provide adequately for my family and their future. 

 

What would you like us to know about your family?

 

Our family is multicultural; we are devoted followers of Christ and kind and generous people. I feel blessed to be in the position to make a difference. Our mothers were both foreign-born. We have traveled the world and lived overseas for many of our lives. This gives us perspective and appreciation for the opportunities in America. As patriots, we love our country. Many of our family members have served in the military. We are driven not for monetary success but for our success when doing what we were created to do and by changing lives for the better. 

 

What is your favorite quote?

 

1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

What do you want people to know about you?

 

As a physician and surgeon, I will treat them like my family. I think any patient who has seen me would agree that I go above and beyond in caring for my patients. When I am performing surgery on someone, no one in the world is more important in my life at that moment. My sincere devotion to their well-being and improvement will be obvious from the first time I see them. Our focus is on their total body, helping them to achieve their personal functional and aesthetic goals from the inside out. 

 

www.saspine.com – Spine practice

 

www.cyrmd.com – Cosmetic Surgery practice

 

1 832 919 7990 – Houston Office