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New Doc on the Block: Tribeca Aesthetics
Longtime local plastic surgeon Jimmy Sung, who opened his first office downtown at 65 Broadway in 2014 (though he was first on Fifth Avenue), has opened a storefront on Laight Street — Tribeca Aesthetics.
Sung, 53, who lives in Battery Park City and is a member of Community Board 1, is a recovering philosophy major from U Chicago who decided he had to make a living and got into medicine to be a family doc. (He immigrated here at an early age, grew up in Virginia and later taught school in Jersey City.) But he couldn’t quite shake his liberal arts bent so he got a dual degree at the University of Illinois with the law school — the Medical Scholars Program — with the intent to work in health reform.
But halfway through med school he realized he was hooked on surgery. “You see results right away, and you see people on the verge of death who come back,” he said. “You either get the bug for it or you don’t.”
He then trained as a general surgeon but shifted to plastic surgery because of its flexibility and creativity — the protocols require fewer rules and more invention, he says. It is not organ specific, and you consult with all sorts of other surgeons on wounds — “you’re kind of like the surgeon’s surgeon.”
Of course in Tribeca that has also led him to cosmetic surgeries and treatments. Now his schedule is about 25 percent reconstructive surgery in the hospital and 75 percent surgical and non-surgical cosmetic work. His services include the usual: Botox, fillers, fat grafting (it turns out Tribeca is the mecca of fat grafting, thanks to Sydney Coleman’s practice at 44 Hudson) and what sounds like his favorite, micro-needling.
“If you get a cut, the body will fix itself by generating collagen,” he said. “It’s the same thing here: we are trying to traumatize your face and let your body respond to it. It’s not that different than how vaccines work.”
When it came time to open a storefront, there was no way it was not going to be downtown. “I’ve always been a downtown doc — I’ll never go to the Upper East Side,” he said. He also tries to hire local — so his employees can walk to work if they have to. “The pandemic made me even more attached to downtown. We sit here and wave to folks. It’s kind of cool.”
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Syd Coleman is a personal friend of mine. Every plastic surgeon I knew back in the day thought he was a quack. He was the inventor of this type of fat grafting procedure in plastic surgery. Today ALL plastic surgeons are adopting his procedures and taking the credit for it! Syd has written multiple books on this subject and taught many courses around the World.
Indeed, Dr. Coleman truly is an inspiration for his dedication to advancing the science and art of fat grafting. Legends have it that he used to bring his centrifuge and equipment to the old Beekman Hospital to process the fat. It is because of his work that fat grafting is now a safe and effective procedure. We are very honored that he continues to advance the science of regenerative aesthetics as Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Plastic Surgery- where I am trained. Downtown has a rich medical history; Beekman was founded by the first woman who earned an MD degree in United States of America, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. Like many innovators and pioneers, she was discriminated against and mocked by the medical establishment. It is a true testament to her courage and determination that her hospital remains open today as NYP-Lower Manhattan, an integral part of our diverse and inclusive community.
Doctor Sung is an absolute gem. So lucky to have him in Tribeca.
I’d like to echo Peter L’s comment.
After a late dinner on a Saturday night in 2014, I had an accident with a chef’s knife where my hand was severely injured. Dr. Sung was called into the hospital on Gold to sew it up. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to have this taken care of.
Today, 7 years later, you can barely see the scar and my hand works perfectly. Thank you again Dr. Sung.