09/30/2025
DR MOSES ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT:
Dear Friends, Family, Patients, and my Partners-in-Beauty:
After 43 years of sculpting noses, lifting faces, smoothing wrinkles, and occasionally sewing up your kids, the time has come for me to retire from our plastic surgery practice as of the end of this year.
It’s hard to believe it’s been over four decades since I started in a tiny office on Canal Street and Jeff Davis, armed with a white coat, Ivy league diplomas, and a lot of cappuccino. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of helping over 23,000 patients feel more confident and comfortable with themselves. I’ve seen trends come and go (goodbye, huge breast implants; hello, natural facelifts), but one thing has never changed: the satisfaction of seeing someone’s life change because of successful surgery.
As a wise man once said: “What a long, strange trip it’s been.” In 1985, I took over Dr Robert Meade’s practice on Canal Street, practicing at Mercy and Hotel Dieu. Then, for 27 years I practiced with Drs John Church and Gus Colon, 2 of the finest people and best surgeons I have ever known, until they both retired. In the early days, most of my time was spent at Childrens Hospital. I started the Cleft and Craniofacial Team there and it has grown into one of the largest and most successful teams in the country. I am more proud of that Team, and their continued success, than you could know.
For the last 20 years, my practice has gradually morphed into an adult cosmetic surgery practice, which I am also proud of, and have enjoyed immensely. Our “No BS” approach, our not rushed and individual attention to each patient, and our one-to-one relationship with our patients has served you, and us, well.
I’ve shared laughter, tears, and more Botox jokes than I can count. I’ve met incredible people—many of whom I’ve now known for decades and have become friends—and I’ve been honored to be part of your lives and stories. Whether you came in for a consultation, a procedure, or just to ask “Is it time?”, I’m grateful for your trust in me.
We are so fortunate to have Dr. Matt Bartow as my successor. Matt was one of our residents at LSU for 6 years, then left for an aesthetic surgery fellowship in Birmingham with Dr Grady Core (who previously was our colleague here at Ochsner). He practiced in Alabama briefly but wisely realized how much he missed New Orleans. Matt and I have now practiced together at Hedgewood for almost 2 years. Dr. Bartow is a talented, compassionate, and highly skilled plastic surgeon who shares my philosophy: that aesthetic medicine is about making each patient feel like they themselves are content with how they look. I trust him completely. You are in excellent hands with him.
Every day I’m asked what I will do next. To quote another of my favorite wise men, John Lennon:
“People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing
Well, they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin
When I say that I'm okay, well they look at me kinda strange
"Surely, you're not happy now, you no longer play the game"
People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me
When I tell them that I'm doing fine watching shadows on the wall
"Don't you miss the big-time boy, you're no longer on the ball?"
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll no longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go.”
I’m trading my surgical gloves for gardening gloves, and my operating room for sitting on a dock in the bay. I plan to spend more time with my large and wonderful family, travel without checking my texts, and finally learn how to hit a half wedge into a tight pin.
Thank you for letting me be an important part of your life. It has been an extraordinary journey, and I’m leaving with a heart full of gratitude.
Michael Moses, MD