Rachel Mason’s first job after graduating from the plastic surgery program at the UNR School of Medicine was at an all-female-staffed clinic in Nebraska.
She learned a lot about the industry in those three years, including the value of woman-to-woman care.
So, when she moved to Las Vegas to be with her husband, a local veterinarian, she decided to bring the female touch she found so rewarding for three years in the Midwest. This month, she’ll open Perspectives Plastic Surgery on South Durango Drive.
Mason will start with a small handful of employees—all women—but hopes to eventually scale the business and add more locations.
“The vast majority of plastic surgeons everywhere are men,” Mason said. “I think probably more women feel comfortable talking to another woman, and there’s more comfort in showing your body. It’s an intimate kind of thing. I think that level of comfort is different.”
Part of that comfort level is evident in the layout of the office, which, in addition to exam rooms and an area for minor procedures, has a playroom for children. Those individual touches in getting a business off the ground aren’t second nature to someone whose background is in medicine, but Mason has embraced them.
“They don’t teach you any of this in med school,” she said with a laugh. “There’s been a learning curve. You have to ask people to help you and point you in the right direction. It’s been one step at a time. Figuring out one thing will lead me to the next problem; that’s been the process.”
Mason doesn’t aim to cut into the existing clinic market share in Las Vegas so much as help keep up with demand, which has been growing during the pandemic.
Last year, the public spent nearly $17 billion on cosmetic procedures in the U.S., according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. In 2019, nearly one-third of all procedures performed occurred west of the Mississippi River.
“People have had a lot of time lately on Zoom, so I think there’s just more people wanting things done,” Mason said. “Different people are looking for different things. Younger women are looking for a lot of enhancements—fillers and maybe having their lips done. Breast augmentations are popular, and Brazilian butt lifts.”
When women get closers to their 40s, Mason said, they’re often looking for a rejuvenating “mommy makeover,” which often includes a tummy tuck to remove excess midsection for women who have gone through childbirth.
“They’re looking to get back to that more youthful look that they once had,” Mason said. “Older women, they’re usually just looking to correct age.”
One of Mason’s passions, she said, is to help breast cancer survivors with breast reconstruction operations.
Mason said she received more than 100 applications from women hoping to work at Perspectives. One of those who made the cut is Aliyah Spears, a Valley native who will be a medical assistant at the center.
Spears, who has worked in dermatology and other areas of medicine, has plans to go through the physician assistant program at Touro University Nevada.
“I really got interested in aesthetics while working in [dermatology],” Spears said. “I fell in love with plastic surgery. The interactions with people are so different. Nobody wants to come in to get a colonoscopy, but people love coming in to get a breast augmentation or something like that. People are excited when they come in, and I also love the idea of women empowerment.”
Mason said she certainly won’t turn away male clients, but her focus will be on woman-to-woman care.
She hopes more women will continue to go into the field and said she’s looking forward to providing a service to Las Vegans.
“The good news is more and more women are becoming plastic surgeons,” Mason said. “Right now, there aren’t many plastic surgeons here.”