R. Merrel Olesen, M.D.

R. Merrel Olesen, M.D., is Founder and Medical Director Emeritus of the La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre in La Jolla California, which he founded in 1988. He has over 25 years of plastic surgery experience and is well known for the quality of his surgical results. Dr. Olesen was Chair of the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at the world renowned Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla for 8 years and is a past president of the San Diego Plastic Surgery Society. He has also been a clinical instructor for the Plastic Surgery Division, University of California at San Diego for many years until his retirement in 2005.

A member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society that comprises the top ten percent of medical students, Dr. Olesen graduated from Loma Linda University. He completed residencies in two specialties - Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, NYC in the 60's, and Plastic Surgery at University of Michigan Medical Center in the 70's.

Dr. Olesen has dual board certification in both Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology, although he currently limits his practice to Plastic Surgery and the few areas of Otolaryngology that relate directly to Plastic Surgery. Dr. Olesen is board certified in cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

While Dr. Olesen's medical school honors and board certifications attest to his knowledge, his surgical skill is the basis of his greatest recognition. He has a particular interest in facial surgery and with his double board certification in Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology, he has particular expertise in Rhinoplasty. Dr. Olesen has an excellent reputation for achieving a very natural appearance for his patients.

He is also known for his work in patient and peer education. Plastic surgeons all over the country use a software program he developed and uses at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre. Other plastic surgeons have also benefited from his talks at meetings of the American Society for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and educational seminars held at La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre.

Dr. Olesen is also noted for his volunteer work at La Mesa Penitentiary in Tijuana Mexico, where for ten years, he donated his reconstructive surgical skills to prisoners with congenital or acquired deformities. He worked with Sister Antonia Brenner, an American Catholic nun who is known worldwide for her work in this prison. He and his wife Marie continue to support her work to this day.

Dr. Olesen appeared on "Good Morning America" and numerous television and talk shows. He has also been featured on programs prepared by the BBC in both England and Australia. National print coverage has included Parade, USA Today and Harper's Bazaar.

Dr. Olesen and his wife wrote Cosmetic Surgery For Dummies, a consumer-oriented guide to considering cosmetic surgery.

Dr. Olesen resides in La Jolla, California and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with his wife, Marie.  They can often be found walking the Shores or along Lake Coeur d'Alene and their two standard Poodles, Bingo and Yogi. Dr. Olesen loves reading, golf, traveling, cribbage and card games of all sorts. He studied a year in France and keeps his excellent French up-to-date with regular French conversational groups. He is the proud father of three and grandfather of two young granddaughters who like to play Mexican Train dominos.

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