The Vitruvian Man and the Art of Balance in Modern Plastic Surgery

At Heritage Hand and Plastic Surgery, I chose Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man as our logo to reflect the core of my practice: precision, balance, and humanity. As a plastic surgeon specializing in hand and wrist orthopedics, skin cancer, and wound reconstruction and body contour, I approach surgery with a mechanical and aesthetic mindset—treating the hand’s intricate structures like a finely tuned machine, the face as a vital organ of expression and our body shape as a personal and unique component of our selves. Yet, I never lose sight of the patient’s broader world. The Vitruvian Man, with its blend of form and function, embodies this philosophy.

A recent article in The Independent London dentist discovers hidden detail in Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man revealed a hidden equilateral triangle in the drawing, aligning with modern dental proportions and underscoring da Vinci’s genius in anticipating ideal human geometry. This hidden harmony resonates with my work, where every procedure—whether restoring a hand’s grip, reconstructing a wound or reducing a breast—must align with the individual’s unique needs, balancing the technical with the personal.When selecting our logo, I followed my wife’s wise advice to avoid the stereotypical plastic surgery imagery—often young women in their prime—that can feel body dysmorphic and out of touch. Our patients, many of whom are older, deserve representation that reflects their reality.

The Vitruvian Man transcends age and idealized beauty, focusing on universal proportions and timeless balance, much like the reconstructive challenges I tackle daily. I deeply appreciate the reconstructive challenges faced by my patients, shaped by age, lifestyle, and multiple childbirths. These experiences leave marks that tell a story, yet as we mature, we may not always be ready to accept the changes wrought by gravity and skin laxity.

While my focus remains on hand surgery, skin cancer, and wound reconstruction, I see aesthetic surgery as another form of reconstruction—a way to restore confidence and align the body with the spirit, and I have been offering this surgery for over 15 years. Perhaps as I grow older, I’ll embrace this perspective even more, evolving into the “silver fox”  archetype of plastic surgery, where form and function unite to honor each patient’s journey.