The Untold Truth Of Dr. Miami
Controversial plastic surgeon Dr. Miami is already a social media and reality TV star, but now he's even getting his own documentary. The streaming service Discovery+ will launch the documentary They Call Me Dr. Miami on Feb. 11, 2021. According to Deadline, the film will be about how Dr. Miami, whose real name is Dr. Michael Salzhauer, became one of the most controversial and sought after plastic surgeons. It will also focus on how the plastic surgeon maintains his social media presence, "while also being a devoted husband, a father of five, and a conservative Orthodox Jew."
Dr. Miami first rose to fame after posting himself performing plastic surgery procedures like tummy tucks, breast augmentations, and Brazilian butt lifts from his Florida office on Snapchat.
After gaining a large following on social media, the doctor got his own show on WE tv, which ran for six episodes. WE tv President Marc Juris told the Sun-Sentinel, "A surgeon using Snapchat and other social platforms to literally bring fans into the operating room represents a bold and fresh twist that connects old and new media." Dr. Miami was also confident he would win more fans over, saying,"I've got this wacky personality that I was born with that people find entertaining."
While the show did not end up lasting long, Dr. Miami is still finding ways to keep fans entertained.
Dr. Miami's daughter is the one who suggested using Snapchat
Dr. Miami credits his daughter for giving him the idea to livestream his plastic surgeries, which in turn shot him to fame. The plastic surgeon told Forbes in 2015, "My 15-year-old daughter said, 'Dad, why don't you try Snapchat? They have this feature called My Story and you can post snippets every day.' So I had nothing else to lose and that's what we did."
He then chose to post a tummy tuck which received many more views than they expected. "The first My Story I posted was a girl getting a tummy tuck and it got 2,000 views. I went home and showed my daughter and she was like, 'That's a lot for Snapchat, usually people get like 20 views,'" he said.
Of course, Dr. Miami eventually moved on to other social media platforms, like Instagram, and thankfully he did, as it definitely helped his business. But the doctor does not post everyone. He explained, "I don't just put anyone on Snapchat, you have to sign a pretty rigorous consent form before we do Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or anything. Some people come here because they want to be on Snapchat. They ask to me to shout out to their friends and play certain music." Dr. Miami added, "Others might not mind their pictures being shown, so long as they're not identifiable. And others just don't want anything to do with social media. It's completely their choice."
Dr. Miami isn't afraid of controversy
Dr. Miami sets himself apart from other plastic surgeons by keeping things a little more fun and a little less professional. The doctor is known to wear Gucci sunglasses and blast rap music while performing surgeries. As he told Vanity Fair in May 2016, "I like trap music. I've developed quite a taste for it. We always had something playing in the O.R. before the snap."
Dr. Miami also does not care if you think he is crossing a line by posting his surgeries to social media because enough people are loving it. "People have never seen these surgeries before. I remember the first time I saw one, I was mesmerized. [Some people tell me] they get a little high from it. There's actual joy from watching people getting manipulated. Some people like that feeling of getting grossed out and losing control, too," he explained.
For those worried about privacy issues, Dr. Miami told The Breakfast Club it's not a problem "as long as the patient gives permission, and you don't put any identifying features." It sounds like Dr. Miami is going to keep doing what he wants and will not apologize for it!
Dr. Miami has done work on numerous reality TV stars
While Dr. Miami might have briefly been a TV star himself, he has also performed plastic surgery procedures on other celebrities. When it comes to celebrity clients, the doctor told Inquisitr that it began with just actresses and models from South Beach, before it expanded to WAGS, the wives and girlfriends of professional athletes.
"Then came the reality stars, Teen Mom's, Bad Girls Club alum, etc. They live the reality TV celeb life, so they don't mind putting their name out there and showing off the fact that they had some work done," he added. Dre. Miami divulged more about the work he did on some of those teen moms. "On Farrah Abraham, I performed a rhinoplasty and a chin implant. On Kailyn Lowry, I performed a Mommy Makeover, Brazilian Buttlift, and Tummy Tuck combination."
He also saw Teen Mom star Briana DeJesus, who defended her decision to get plastic surgery by tweeting (via the Sun), "The plastic surgery I got done shouldn't matter cause I still take care of my kids. My kids never go without."
As for other celebrities, Dr. Miami is remaining mum, explaining, "I've done work on lots of celebs over the years. One pattern I've noticed is that the bigger the star is, the less they want people to know that they had work done."
Dr. Miami once got into a Twitter feud with Nicki Minaj
It's safe to say that rapper Nicki Minaj is not a fan of Dr. Miami, especially after he insulted her butt on Twitter. According to Marie Claire, the feud began in 2015 when the plastic surgeon allegedly Snapchatted a signed photo of Minaj at Bal Harbor Plastic Surgery Associates. This then prompted Minaj to tweet, "Did u put a pic of me on ur snap chat Monday? Some1 took a screenshot. What were u insinuating? I'm unfamiliar w/what u do."
To that, the plastic surgeon originally replied with a compliment, tweeting, "Your butt inspires me" and "your butt is the most requested 'model butt' in Miami." But then Dr. Miami decided to take shot back at the star when an unflattering photo of her was trending online by tweeting, "Too bad I'm booked till 2019" (per Hollywood Life).
He later spoke to Vanity Fair about the feud, saying, "Nicki Minaj saying she doesn't know my work is like an N.B.A. player saying they don't know Lebron James's work." Ouch!
Dr. Miami has had plastic surgery himself
While Dr. Miami may be used to being the one doing the operating when it comes to plastic surgery, the reality star has gotten work done himself. He told Women's Health in 2017, "I've had plastic surgery myself, so I know what it's like to not like a part of your body. I've had my nose and my chin done."
Dr. Miami explained that knowing what it's like to be in the patient's shoes has helped him when it comes making sure each patient is ready for surgery. "There's definitely some heavy, psychological baggage that goes along with the decision to make on surgery. I try, on my first phone call with a patient, to get to the bottom of some of those issues," he noted.
Yet, while the doctor may appear to be super confident in his social media persona, he does understand some of the reasons why patients seek plastic surgery. "I had self-image issues and self-confidence issues since adolescence," Dr. Miami added. "I know what it's like to have those feelings and to overcome those feelings through plastic surgery."
Dr. Miami seems to have definitely overcome his own self-image issues and he is continuing to help others overcome their own. Just be prepared to have it shared with the masses (if you so choose)!