Hi everyone! I'm Dr. Rajiv Iyengar, and welcome to the new Iyengar Plastic Surgery blog.
If we haven't met yet, here's the short version: I'm a plastic surgeon practicing in Puyallup, Washington, specializing in reconstructive, hand, and aesthetic surgery. But more importantly, I'm a local kid who grew up here, spent 15 years training on the East Coast, and came back home to serve the community that shaped me.
The long road home.
My journey took me from Bellarmine Prep to Brown University, where I spent eight years completing my undergraduate degree in neuroscience and medical school. It's also where I fell in love with plastic surgery thanks to some incredible mentors who saw something in me before I saw it in myself.
From there, I matched at Yale for a six-year plastic surgery residency. Those years were grueling, transformative, and unforgettable. I made lifelong friends, developed my surgical skills, and learned what it really means to show up for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
I rounded out my training with a hand and microvascular surgery fellowship at Vanderbilt in Nashville. My wife and I loved our time there! The people, the food, the pace of life… Southern hospitality is the real deal.
And then, finally, we came home.
I now work alongside my dad, Jay Iyengar, MD, who has spent decades caring for patients with back and neck pain here in the south Puget Sound. Getting to practice medicine in the same community where I grew up, and alongside my father, is something I don't take for granted.
What I do.
Plastic surgery is broader than most people realize. In any given week, I might repair a complex laceration for a child, perform breast reconstruction for a cancer patient, release a compressed nerve in someone's wrist, or help a patient feel more confident in their appearance after pregnancy or aging.
It's head-to-toe work. Young patients and older patients. Reconstruction and aesthetics. Trauma and transformation. That variety is what drew me to the field, and what keeps me engaged every single day.
At the core of everything I do is a simple philosophy: plastic surgery isn't just about restoring form and function. It's about restoring confidence, comfort, and quality of life.
What to expect here.
I wanted to create this space as a way to connect beyond the consultation room. Here's what you can expect from this blog:
- Personal reflections: on the journey of building a practice, lessons learned, and the mentors who shaped me
- Educational content: breaking down procedures, what to expect, and how to make informed decisions
- Behind the scenes: what it's actually like to run a surgical practice and care for patients day to day
- Updates from the field: new developments, techniques, and insights from the world of plastic surgery
My hope is that this becomes a space where you can get to know me and the practice a little better… Whether you're a current patient, considering a consultation, or just curious about what we do.
Let's connect.
If anything here resonates with you, I'd love the opportunity to meet. Consultations are pressure-free — just a conversation about your goals, your questions, and whether we might be a good fit to work together.
Thanks for reading, and welcome to Iyengar Plastic Surgery.
Cheers,
Dr. Rajiv Iyengar
