A Doctor Engineering His Own Success: Dr. Nitin J. Engineer

– By Stacey Gualandi

When Dr. Nitin J. Engineer sets his sights on something, he doesn’t blink, so that’s just what this hand-surgeon-turned-plastic surgeon did when this year’s calendar turned to 2020.

In January, he opened his new plastic surgery practice—aptly named Engineered Aesthetics— in Henderson, Nev., marking his triumphant return to the Vegas Valley.

“I had to do this, and I had a vision,” says Engineer. “I wanted to come back and build a practice with a bigger and broader spectrum that would maximize the diversity of my interest, and give me the opportunity to contribute to the greater Las Vegas community on a larger scale than before.”

The Macon, Georgia, transplant (Engineer’s father came from a long line of engineers in India, thus the family name “Engineer”) first fell in love with surgery at 17—specifically, hand surgery— while observing the reconstruction of a patient’s fingers lost to frostbite.

The Vanderbilt graduate quickly landed his first job as a hand surgeon with his mentor, Brad Wilhelmi, MD, FACS, at the University of Louisville, and was on track to becoming a plastic surgeon there 2 years later when a position in Las Vegas lured him away.

“I love the Southwest environment. I love the mentality. I love the community. I love the weather,” says Engineer. “It was just a perfect match, except for the fact that I wasn’t going to be doing plastic surgery. I always regretted that.”

In 2013, he went on to build his first solo Henderson-based hand surgery practice; but when his mentor came back to him with a second opportunity to study plastic surgery, he couldn’t pass it up and returned to Louisville to complete a 3-year fellowship. (“When lightning strikes twice, you’ve have to go for it!”)

Now 45, this hard-earned plastic surgeon says he’s “restless and wants to do it all,” so his new center 2.0 will offer one-stop surgical (i.e., nose, breasts, hands, facelifts, neck-lifts, eyelids, lips), and non-surgical procedures (i.e., fillers, botox) in an elegant, easily accessible, mid-century modern space.

“It’s not like we’re reinventing the wheel, but what we are bringing is a new experience to patients,” says Engineer. “At many physician offices, a patient becomes a number. We do not and will never do that. Our patients become family, and we feel privileged to take care of them.”

While his journey has been an unorthodox one, Engineer says he’s finally found his passion and is here to stay.

“I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve only found success because of people who really built me up. I’ve always been surrounded by great people.”

I’d say it’s time to give this plastic surgeon a hand.

Visit www.engineeredaesthetics.com for more information.