Meet Dr. Nagarkar

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Dr. Purushottam Nagarkar, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Plano and Frisco

Dr. Nagarkar is an Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, serving patients in Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Carrolton, Lewisville, and Addison.

Education

Born and raised in India, Dr. Nagarkar has been living and working in Texas for almost two decades. He has been fortunate enough to have studied and trained at some of the best institutions in the country. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rice University in Houston, and after spending 3 years working as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, went on to receive his M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Nagarkar completed six years of intensive Plastic Surgery training at UT Southwestern, the country’s top-ranked residency program, absorbing hard-earned lessons from top experts in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Finally, he invested a year further honing his skills in Hand and Microsurgery with the world-renowned faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles. While at UCLA, he was part of the team that performed a highly successful hand transplant, as seen on ABC’s Nightline.

Although the sunny California weather beckoned, he and his wife have returned home to North Texas, and Dr. Nagarkar has rejoined his mentors and colleagues at UT Southwestern to set up his practice in Frisco.

Expertise

Dr. Nagarkar has had intensive training in all areas of Plastic Surgery and is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He specializes in hand surgery (e.g. carpal tunnel, arthritis, and hand/wrist trauma), reconstructive surgery (including microsurgical breast reconstruction), and cosmetic surgery (e.g. breast augmentation, tummy tucks, “mommy makeovers”, eyelid surgery and facelifts). With his engineering background, he has a particular interest in emerging technologies such as lasers and other energy-based non-invasive technologies.

Dr. Nagarkar is widely published on a variety of plastic surgery topics, with over two dozen manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, as well as several book chapters to his name. He has presented at several national meetings, and in addition, regularly reviews manuscripts for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Philosophy

On patient education

Perhaps this is my engineering degree talking, but I believe that surgeons are like specially trained mechanics. And there’s nothing more frustrating than going to your mechanic and not understanding what a “blown head gasket” is or why it needs to be fixed. So, I’m not satisfied until my patients really understand what their diagnosis means, what their options are, and the pros and cons of each option. I hate jargon, and I love simplicity. If I can’t explain something to a ten-year-old, it probably means I don’t understand it well enough.

On cosmetic surgery

When it comes to cosmetic surgery, I think personalization is the most important thing. There is no single standard of beauty in the world—so I don’t believe in cookie-cutter solutions. I like to personalize my approach, to understand what your particular goals and desires are, and to make sure I can deliver on those goals before we choose to proceed. Every patient is different, so this type of pre-surgery analysis and planning is critical to getting an excellent and natural result. In fact, one of my areas of research is in gaining a better understanding of the anatomical and psychological reasons why different features look better on different people. 

On hand surgery

Hand surgery is a field where my dual loves of engineering and medicine come together. The hand is a beautiful piece of living machinery with hundreds of moving parts—and because we use our hands every day in every single activity, they can really take a beating. My focus in hand surgery is always on function—restoring your ability to use your hands every day without having to think about them. I love helping patients with their hands, because it improves their lives every single day when I do.

Publications

  1. Haddock N, Nagarkar P, Teotia SS. Versatility of the Profunda Artery Perforator Flap: Creative Uses in Breast Reconstruction. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017 Mar;139(3):606-612. PMID 28234818
  2. Hembd A, Nagarkar P, Perez J, Gassman A, Tolley P, Reisch J, White CL 3rd, Rozen S. Correlation between facial nerve axonal load and age and its relevance to facial reanimation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017 Feb 13. PMID 28198771
  3. Nagarkar P, Chamseddin K, Ramanadham S, Chhabra A, Rozen, S. Neurectomy for the treatment of chronic postoperative pain after surgeries of the trunk. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017 Jan;139(1):204-211. PMID 28027249
  4. Hembd A, Nagarkar P, Saba S, Wan D, Kutz JW, Isaacson B, Gupta S, White CL 3rd, Rohrich RJ, Rozen SM. Facial Nerve Axonal Analysis and Anatomic Localization in Donor Nerve: Optimizing Axonal Load for Cross Facial Nerve Grafting in Facial Reanimation. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2017 Jan;139(1):177-183. PMID 27632395
  5. Nagarkar P, Pezeshk R, Rohrich R. The Indian Nose. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Nov;138(5):836-843e. PMID 27782995
  6. Unger JG, Carreras JM, Nagarkar P, Jeong S, Carpenter W. Allergan Style 410 Implants for Breast Reconstruction – A Prospective Study in Efficacy, Safety, and Symmetry. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Sep; 138(3):548-55, PMID 27127834
  7. Harris R, Nagarkar P, Amirlak B. Varied Definitions of Nasolabial Angle: Searching for Consensus Among Rhinoplasty Surgeons and an Algorithm for Selecting the Ideal Method. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2016 Jun 20;4(6):e752. PMID 2748249
  8. Nagarkar P, Lakhiani C, Cheng A, Lee M, Teotia S, Saint-Cyr M. No-drain DIEP Flap Donor-site Closure Using Barbed Progressive Tension Sutures. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2016 Apr; 4(4):e672, PMID 27200234
  9. Nagarkar P, Stark R, Pezeshk R, Amirlak B, Rohrich RJ. Role of the Cephalic Trim in the Modern Rhinoplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Jan; 137(1):89-96, PMID 26710011
  10. Wong C, Nagarkar P, Teotia S, Haddock N. The Profunda Artery Perforator Flap: Investigating the Perforasome Using 3D CT Angiography. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015 Nov;136(5):915-9, PMID 26505697
  11. Podolsky DK, Nagarkar P, Reed WG, Rohrich RJ. Public Reporting Of Patient Safety Metrics: Ready Or Not? Plast Reconstr Surg. 2014 Dec;134(6):981e-5e, PMID 25415121
  12. Nagarkar P, Malafa MM, Janis JE. Insights From San Francisco Match Rank Lists Part II: Are Programs Doing It Wrong? Ann Plast Surg. 2014 Oct;73(4):422-6, PMID 25222925
  13. Goldenberg DC, Dini GM, Pereira MD, Gurgel A, Bastos EO, Nagarkar P, Gemperli R, Ferreira L. Soccer-related facial trauma: multicenter experience in two Brazilian University hospitals. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2014 Jul 9;2(6), PMID 25289361
  14. Malafa MM, Nagarkar P, Janis JE. Insights from the San Francisco Match rank list data: how many interviews does it take to match? Ann Plast Surg. 2014 May;72(5):584-8, PMID 24667882
  15. Rohrich RJ, Nagarkar P, Stokes M, Weinstein A. The assassination of John F. Kennedy: Revisiting the medical data. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Nov;132(5):1340-50, PMID 24165615
  16. Nagarkar P, Janis JE. Fixing the “Match”: A survey of resident behaviors. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Sep;132(3):711-9, PMID 23676970
  17. Nagarkar P, Pulikkottil B, Patel A, Rohrich RJ. So you want to become a plastic surgeon: What you need to do and know to get into a plastic surgery residency. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2013 Feb;131(2):419-22, PMID 23142934
  18. Nagarkar P, Janis JE. Fixing the “Match”: How to play the game. J Grad Med Educ. 2012 Jun;4(2):142-7, PMID 23730432
  19. Saint-Cyr M, Dauwe P, Wong C, Thakar H, Nagarkar P, Rohrich RJ. Use of the serratus anterior fascia flap for expander coverage in breast reconstruction. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 May;125(5):1328-34, PMID 20335858
  20. Saint-Cyr M, Nagarkar P, Wong C, Thakar H, Dauwe P, Rohrich RJ. The pedicled subpectoral fascia flap for expander coverage in postmastectomy breast reconstruction: a novel technique. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 Apr;125(4):1057-64, PMID 20440153
  21. Saint-Cyr M, Schaverien M, Wong C, Nagarkar P, Arbique G, Brown S, Rohrich RJ. The extended anterolateral thigh flap: anatomical basis and clinical experience. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2009 Apr;123(4):1245-55, PMID 19337093
  22. Saint-Cyr M, Nagarkar P, Schaverien M, Dauwe P, Wong C, Rohrich RJ. The pedicled descending branch muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi flap for breast reconstruction. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2009 Jan;123(1):13-24, PMID 19116510
  23. Becker S, Saint-Cyr M, Wong C, Dauwe P, Nagarkar P, Thornton JF, Peng Y. AlloDerm versus DermaMatrix in immediate expander-based breast reconstruction: a preliminary comparison of complication profiles and material compliance. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2009 Jan;123(1):1-6, PMID 19116505
  24. Nagarkar P. Getting drug money out of doctors’ offices. Pharos Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Med Soc. 2010 Winter;73(1):13-7, PMID 20178201
  25. Nagarkar P. The Portable Medical Mentor. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015 Jun; 136(1):209
  26. Nagarkar P. Reduction Mammaplasty and Mastopexy. Selected Readings in Plastic Surgery, Volume 11
  27. Nagarkar P. Augmentation/mastopexy. Essentials of Plastic Surgery 2E Edited by Jeffrey E. Janis, MD
  28. Nagarkar P, Hijazi B, Morrison B. Tendon transfers. Essentials of Plastic Surgery 2E Edited by Jeffrey E. Janis, MD
  29. Ahmad J, Nagarkar P, Rohrich R. Surgical Correction of the Long Nose. Dallas Rhinoplasty: Nasal Surgery by the Masters, Third Edition. Edited by Rod J. Rohrich, William P. Adams, Jamil Ahmad, and Jack Gunter
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