Armen Vartany, MD, FACS: Plastic Surgery and Laser Center
116 S Buena Vista St #300
Burbank, CA 91505
Phone: (818) 500-0823
Monday–Friday: 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
Closed for Lunch: 12 p.m.–1 p.m.
On this page, find out important information about our plastic surgery practice serving the Los Angeles area:
Your Personalized Surgical Consultation
Your Pre-Operative Appointment
Important Precautions
Plan for Your Special Day
The Day of Surgery
Your Recovery
For Our Out of Town Guests
Practice Policies
Preparing for Your Procedure
The success and safety of your surgery depends greatly on your complete candidness during your consultation. Dr. Vartany will ask you several questions about your health, medical history, previous treatments and medications. Gaining an understanding of your general health will assist Dr. Vartany in determining any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors. To thoroughly evaluate your candidacy, it will be important to also discuss your lifestyle, including alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. The best candidates for cosmetic surgery are patients who are physically healthy and who do not smoke.
Dr. Vartany will also perform an examination, and if necessary, take measurements and photographs for your medical record. Just as important, Dr. Vartany will want to understand why you desire to have the procedure performed so that he may design a surgical plan to meet your personal needs and desired outcome. It is important to go into the procedure with a positive outlook and have specific but realistic goals in mind for the improvement of your appearance.
Dr. Vartany will offer his expert advice and determine the procedure that is just right for you. He will explain the details of your surgery, including the risks involved, and discuss your options. Dr. Vartany will share actual patient “before and after” photos with you so that you can see what the surgery can do for your appearance. Once a “plan” has been determined, our office will compile a quote based on the actual recommended procedures and the duration of surgery.
Once you have made your decision to schedule your surgery with Dr. Armen Vartany, our office staff will schedule you for your pre-operative appointment approximately two weeks prior to your surgery date.*
During your pre-operative appointment, you will review and sign your consent forms for each procedure being performed. Additionally, you will meet with Dr. Vartany, once again, to discuss any additional questions regarding your upcoming surgery.
Dr. Vartany, or one of our trained staff members, will draw your blood for the necessary lab work. If photos have not already been taken, we will do so at this time.
You will then meet with the surgical coordinator to thoroughly discuss all pre- and post-operative instructions, receive your prescriptions that will need to be filled prior to surgery, and finalize your payment.
*In some cases, if you have a medical condition that you are being treated for, it will be necessary to see your primary care physician and/or specialist to obtain your surgery clearance. Your physician will determine which tests will be required to clear you for surgery.
It is imperative that you discontinue* the use of aspirin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, Motrin, Excedrin, or any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication for two weeks prior to surgery and for one week after surgery. Should you experience a headache or other minor aches, you may take acetaminophen (Tylenol). *If your medical doctor has prescribed a blood thinner, such as a daily aspirin, please advise Dr. Vartany as soon as possible. Coordination of your care is necessary for your safety.
Smoking must be discontinued for 2 weeks prior to surgery. You may resume smoking 2 weeks after surgery.
For some procedures, such as the abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), breast reduction and breast lift, you must discontinue the use of birth control pills for two weeks prior to surgery. You may resume taking your birth control one week after surgery.
Should you become ill (fever, infection, rash, etc.) within one week prior to surgery, please advise our office as soon as possible. For your safety, it may mean that your surgery will need to be postponed.
Be sure to read over all of your instructions thoroughly. This will ensure that all of your questions may be addressed prior to your surgery day.
Be sure to have your prescriptions filled prior to surgery. You will want to have these available immediately following your surgery.
Certain procedures require you to cleanse the area with an anti-bacterial soap (Dial, Safeguard, Phase III) beginning 1-2 days prior to surgery. Please review your pre-operative instructions for the exact duration specific to your procedure.
Begin using your Arnicare (provided during your pre-operative appointment) 2-3 days prior to surgery (rhinoplasty/septoplasty and blepharoplasty patients).
We recommend purchasing a stool softener (not a laxative) to begin taking the day after surgery. Pain medication may make you constipated.
It is recommended, with certain procedures, that you begin using cold compresses over the area immediately following your return home. We suggest preparing your cold compresses in advance. Suggestion: Purchase a large bag of frozen green peas or corn and one box of snack size Ziploc bags. Fill six to eight of these bags with the frozen vegetables and place them in the freezer. These will be ready to begin using immediately after surgery to decrease the bruising and swelling.
Please be sure to see additional preparations under your specific surgical procedure.
You may brush your teeth the morning of surgery, but you may not have anything to eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery. If you take any medications for blood pressure or your heart, please take them with a very small sip of water as directed by your prescribing physician.
You may have a light breakfast and/or lunch the day of your surgery. Medications for blood pressure or your heart may be taken as directed by your prescribing physician.
Wear a freshly laundered, loose fitting button-up shirt or shirt type dress that does not require being put on over your head. Do not wear pantyhose, boots, and/or girdles.
Do not wear any skincare products, body lotions, make-up, nail polish, or jewelry to the surgery center.
If you wear contact lenses, be sure to bring a case and solution as your contact lenses will need to be removed prior to your surgery. It is recommended that you wear your glasses (if available) to the surgery center. Depending on the surgery being performed and swelling around the eye area, you should be able to resume wearing your contact lenses within 1-3 days after surgery.
Please park on the second floor of our parking structure. This is the level that you will be discharged.
When you arrive for surgery, let the receptionist or nurse know who is to be called to take you home. Your designated caregiver will be contacted once you have been safely transferred to the recovery suite.
Enjoy special savings on some of our most popular treatments and procedures. Check our Specials pages often to take advantage of time-sensitive deals and extended promotions.
You have taken exceptional care in choosing the right plastic surgeon. Now, you need to take exceptional care of yourself.
You must have someone spend the first night with you.
Return home and go directly to bed, with only assisted bathroom privileges for the first 24 hours. Your only concern should be to rest and recover.
Take your medications as directed**. Remember that NO alcohol is permitted for one week to ten days, depending on when you are allowed to cease taking medications.
If instructed during your pre-operative appointment, start using the previously prepared cold compresses as soon as possible. Use the cold compresses, while awake, for 48-72 hours after surgery. Allow the compresses to stay on the area in 15-20 minute intervals (15 minutes on the area and then 15 minutes off of the area). Do not worry about using the cold compresses on the area while you are sleeping. Getting your rest is important to your recovery.
You may eat and/or drink as tolerated. Hot and/or spicy foods may cause additional swelling.
Upon arrival to your home, you may have small quantities of liquids as desired and/or tolerated. It is advised that you eat a very small amount of pudding or yogurt to coat the stomach prior to taking pain medication. **If you are experiencing any nausea, avoid taking the antibiotic and/or pain medication until the nausea subsides or until the following day when you may progress to a soft diet. After that, you may eat as desired and/or tolerated. Hot and/or spicy foods may cause additional swelling.
If your procedure requires drains, a log sheet will be provided to you on the day of your surgery. This form will be used to log the amount of fluid discarded from each drain, both morning and night. A demonstration will be provided along with instructions on how to empty your surgical drains. Depending on the procedure performed, your drains will be removed in the office when the output reduces. This usually occurs 3 to 10 days after your surgery.
Do not shower while the drains are in place. You may have a sponge bath on the second day after surgery, but under no circumstances should the bandages or drains become wet. You will be able to take a shower after your drains have been removed.
It is important to keep areas elevated to assist with swelling reduction. For procedures involving the face and neck, keep your head elevated above your heart for two weeks post-surgery. Using two, firm pillows or a sleeping wedge while sleeping will help keep your head elevated during the night. Another option is to sleep and rest in a reclining chair.
If you need to bend over, bend from the knees, NOT the waist.
Avoid getting overheated, sunbathing, saunas, hot tubs, etc. after surgery. Additionally, avoid any exercise and/or strenuous activity that could potentially elevate your heart rate or blood pressure for two to four weeks after surgery. Please review your post-operative instructions for the exact duration specific to your procedure.
Do not drive a car until you are given permission.
If there are any signs of persistent nausea, bleeding, rash, etc., you are to report this to the office.
If you have any questions or concerns following your procedure, you will be able to contact Dr. Vartany directly.
Please be sure to see additional instructions and precautions under your specific surgical procedure.
Armen Vartany, M.D., FACS is conveniently located only minutes away from the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California. We offer video consultations for our out-of-town guests.
Hotels and Airbnb facilities are available in the area.
In an effort to provide excellent customer service to all our patients and accommodate as many patients as possible, our office implements a No Show and Cancellation Agreement.
We require confirmation or cancellation of your appointment 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment. Unconfirmed appointments are released/cancelled 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time.
A fee for all no shows and cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance is assessed.
The nominal fee for your personalized consultation is $100.00. The consultation fee will be collected upon check-in as part of your registration process. In the event you choose to proceed with Dr. Vartany for your elected procedure, the $100.00 will be applied to your total surgical fee. The consultation fee is assessed with each consultation.
Dr. Vartany is happy to provide additional office visits and follow-up care beyond the 18-month post-operative duration. The Encounter Fee is $100.00 per visit.
Your appointment is reserved exclusively for you. We allow plenty of time for you to ask all your questions and feel completely informed prior to leaving our office. Should you not be able to make it to your appointment, we kindly ask for a 24-hour notice of cancellation. This will allow us the ability to offer the appointment to another patient off our extensive waitlist. For all appointments missed, cancelled on the same day, or rescheduled on the same day as the appointment, the no show fee is assessed.
Your account will be charged $50.00 in the event of a no show or a cancellation made within 24 hours of your confirmed, scheduled appointment. This fee will be placed on your account as an outstanding balance and will need to be settled prior to scheduling an additional consultation. For accounts with a credit card on file, the credit card will be charged immediately upon incident.
Our office will make every attempt to confirm your scheduled consultation with you. We will begin 3 days prior to your appointment by emailing and texting.
If you plan to attend your appointment, confirmation is required 24 hours prior. Appointments that remain unconfirmed are released/cancelled 24 hours prior. This is in effort to avoid charging you a No Show Fee and accommodate a patient off our waitlist.
Confirmed, No Show appointments will incur a No Show Fee of $50.00. Settlement of your account may be required before additional consultations may be scheduled.
Our schedule is designed to provide an adequate and specific duration to complete your comprehensive consultation. In fairness to our other scheduled patients, a late arrival to your appointment may reduce the amount of time that we are able to spend with you. We must be mindful of the next scheduled patient and avoid running late in consideration. A patient arriving more than 15 minutes late will be considered a no show and be required to reschedule.
Please note: Cancellations made via voicemail are not accepted. You may email your request.
A fee for all no shows and cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance is assessed.
Our office holds aside a specific amount of time exclusively for you and your treatment. Should you not be able to make it to your appointment, we kindly ask for a 24-hour notice of cancellation. This will allow us the ability to offer the appointment to another patient off our extensive waitlist. In the event of a last-minute cancellation or no show, a fee is assessed.
A credit card (Visa or Mastercard) is required to be kept on your account in the event of a no show or cancellation made less than 24 hours in advance. The credit card on file will be charged immediately upon incident.
A signature, along with your credit card information, will be required which states that you hereby agree and understand that if you do not show up for your scheduled appointment or if you cancel your scheduled appointment with less than 24 hours advanced notice, the credit card provided will be charged according to the terms of the no show and cancellation agreement. You further understand that failure to confirm your scheduled appointment will result in cancellation of said appointment.
In the event you will be utilizing a credit card that is not in your name, the actual cardholder will be required to sign this agreement, giving written permission to keep their credit card in your file and charge their card in accordance with the terms of the no show and cancellation agreement.
If a credit card is not furnished, the applicable fee will be placed on your account as an outstanding balance and must be paid in full prior to scheduling your next appointment.
Only accounts with a credit card on file may schedule an appointment for treatments involving more than a 15-minute appointment (according to our scheduling guidelines).
Pre-payment for laser services and/or a $100.00 deposit for injection / beauty enhancement appointments will be required. If you are a no show or cancellation without a 24-hour advanced notice for a laser treatment, 50% of the pre-payment amount will be taken as the applicable fee and the remaining 50% of your pre-payment will remain as a credit on your account. If you are a no show or cancellation without a 24-hour advanced notice for an injection treatment / beauty enhancement (Botox, fillers, chemical peels, Sclerotherapy), the applicable fee of $100.00 will be placed on your account, which your deposit will satisfy. No credit will remain on your account.
Our appointments are scheduled with only an allowed duration of your requested treatment (i.e. – an up to 15-minute laser hair removal appointment is only allotted 15 minutes on our schedule). A late arrival may reduce the duration of treatment that we are able to provide to you. We must be mindful of the next patient who is scheduled and be sure to avoid running late in consideration. Patients who arrive more than 8 minutes late may be required to reschedule the appointment and will be assessed the no show / cancellation fee. We will absolutely try to accommodate late arrivals as long as it does not penalize our next scheduled patient.
Should you come to your appointment unprepped for your treatment (i.e. – your hair is not trimmed for laser hair removal), actual treatment time will need to be reduced to keep within your scheduled appointment time. This is necessary to stay on schedule in consideration of all our patients.
For all scheduled and confirmed laser hair removal appointments, the fee is 50% of the total cost of treatment. For all scheduled and confirmed injection and beauty enhancement appointments, the fee is $100.00. For all scheduled and confirmed laser tattoo removal appointments, the fee is $50.00 for tattoos up to 16 sq. in. and $100.00 for tattoos larger than 16 sq. in.
Our office will make every attempt to confirm your scheduled appointment with you. We will begin 3 days prior to your appointment by emailing and texting.
If you plan to attend your appointment, confirmation is required 24 hours prior. Appointments that remain unconfirmed are released/cancelled 24 hours prior. This is in effort to avoid charging you a No Show Fee and accommodate a patient off our waitlist.
Confirmed, No Show appointments will incur a No Show Fee of 50% of treatment scheduled. Settlement of your account will be required before additional appointments may be scheduled.
Appointments that are made within 24 hours to the scheduled appointment time are considered CONFIRMED. No shows or cancellations are subject to the fee as per the no show and cancellation agreement.Please note: Cancellations made via voicemail are not accepted. You may email your request.
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