PLASTIC SURGERY

“I have the honor to have patients driving from surrounding states, flying in from the East and West Coast of the United States, from Europe and South America, and even one who flies once a year from Israel. They develop this trust and loyalty and I think it’s terrific. To me, it’s a privilege because there are great plastic surgeons all over the world, but they choose to have all of their treatments (surgical and non-surgical) done here.” — Dr. Renato Saltz, Board Certified Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, and Founder of Saltz Plastic Surgery and Spa Vitoria.

To fully convey how Dr. Renato Saltz has cultivated this kind of rare trust and loyalty, one must travel back to his childhood in the small town of Uruguaiana, South Brazil, in the “Gaucho State” of Rio Grande do Sul at the Brazil-Argentina border. And to the small department store his parents, Jayme and Berta Saltz, children of European immigrants, opened in the 1950’s to build a foundation and future for their children.

Bordering a checkered sidewalk along a downtown street stood Casa Vitoria, named in celebration of the victory of the allies over Nazi Germany. Its shelves and racks were stacked with everything from clothing and shoes to hats and blankets. Early on, it was a modest store with a neatly painted sign, a simple interior, and a few dozen employees. But to a young Renato, it was the world, and the greatest influence in shaping the person and the surgeon he is today.

“From an early age, I learned the value of hard work, great customer service and serving the community,” he says. “My mom had my sisters and I worked every day in the store and went to school. It was pretty tough; not a lot of outside activities. And my dad ran the whole store. He was always at the door, greeting and hugging customers while my mom managed the cash register. My sisters and I spent time helping the employees sell products, worked as cashiers, wrapped presents, played in attic gallerias with friends, or simply drove my mom crazy.”

His parents showed him how to treat every person with the utmost respect, with acts of kindness that were not only present at Casa Vitoria, but extended to the way they lived their lives. He experienced first-hand how they helped the people in the community, especially when the winter came and floods inundated the town.

Dr. Saltz says, “I remember the cold winters. The rain poured down, and the Uruguay river swelled, flooding the many poor homes along its margin. So my dad would pack a truck full of clothes and blankets from the store, and I would hop in the back with some of his employees. We would go from door to door along the river delivering clothes and blankets to those in need.”

Renato knew he also wanted to lead a life where he could help others in a profound way, but he wasn’t sure of his path. During high school, he had his own photography business named Wedfilms. And when his uncle, a local plastic surgeon, took him into the operating room to take photos of patients and interesting cases, he fell in love with plastic surgery. He knew then, at 16 years of age, he wanted to be a plastic and reconstructive surgeon — to transform people’s lives by restoring their health, beauty and well-being.

After graduating from medical school in 1980, the now Dr. Saltz came to the United States for his general surgery residency at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, followed by plastic surgery training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he learned all aspects of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including aesthetic surgery.

In the early 1990s, he held his first academic appointment at the Medical College of Georgia. But when the University of Utah offered him an opportunity to teach the latest in endoscopic surgery, he came out West. But it wasn’t long before he found himself facing a crossroad, and a career-challenging impasse.

A seismic shift was jolting the traditional world of plastic surgery, and Dr. Saltz realized nothing could stop it. The aesthetics industry was rocking the global beauty market with non-invasive treatments, and altering the face of the profession that, for years, had been his passion. Not only were these new treatments here to stay, but they were growing, as patients were drawn to the quick recovery times and alluring results — and his patients were no exception.

When the University of Utah turned a blind eye to this new climate, Dr. Saltz decided to venture into private practice by opening Saltz Plastic Surgery locations in Salt Lake City and Park City, with the first medspa in the Intermountain West — Spa Vitoria — named in honor of his parents and their store, Casa Vitoria. 

Dr. Saltz was ready to begin this new adventure. He had developed a new practice model that he believed would meet the changing needs and expectations of his patients. His aim was to improve outcomes by combining pre-surgical and post-surgical care with medical spa skin care treatments. 

It was a holistic approach to care, and he needed master aestheticians, nurses and staff, with a new mindset and surgical culture to make it work. So he trained his team in the operating room where they learned that adhering to patient safety protocols and focusing solely on the patient were paramount. And even where things like room temperature, scent and music were important. As a result, his master aestheticians, nurses, managers, and the entire staff have become some of the best in the business.

Dr. Saltz explains it best: “The skin is an organ just like your heart or liver, and it needs treatment, hydration, care and protection. If you want to have longevity in post-surgery outcomes, then skin care is very important. Once our master aestheticians began working closely with patients to create a custom package of holistic skin care combined with their surgical procedures, and the patients saw how much this improved their surgical results, the program really started to take off.”

This ‘Aesthetic Facial Package’ — initially developed in 2002 — has expanded today with new technology, new devices and products, but remains an embodiment of the wisdom, vision, values and life lessons that Jayme and Berta Saltz imparted so long ago. It’s why patients cross the country and oceans just to be in the hands of Dr. Renato Saltz and his amazing team at Saltz Plastic Surgery and Spa Vitoria.

Since opening Saltz Plastic Surgery and Spa Vitoria in 2002, Dr. Saltz and his team have served over 25,000 patients and performed more than 8,000 facial surgeries. Dr. Saltz also remains actively involved with the University of Utah as an adjunct professor, providing opportunities for chief residents to serve rotations in aesthetic surgery. These residents participate in every facet of his pioneering approach to patient care, and more importantly, they learn how to manage and grow a private practice. 

Dr. Saltz served as the President of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (2016-2018) and as the President of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (2009-2010).