Chad Zatezalo, MD

Dr. Chad Zatezalo relocated to the Washington area in 2012 from the world-renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami Florida, ranked #1 by US News & World Report. He is now seeing patients in Spring Valley at Gerson Zatezalo Skin + Face and at The Zatezalo Group, an oculofacial plastics and ophthalmology center in North Bethesda, MD. He also consults for several organizations including the Center for Facial Nerve Recovery and LAFace Center for Oculofacial Surgery, headquartered in Beverly Hills and Shanghai.

Dr. Zatezalo is a fellow of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is board certified. He specializes in ophthalmic plastics, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery of the eyelids, orbit, lacrimal system, upper face, midface, and surrounding tissue in addition to noninvasive facial rejuvenation techniques.

His highly specialized training in both oculoplastics and ophthalmology allows him to understand the importance of the functional aspect of the eye and eyelids while performing cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, laser skin resurfacing, light treatments, and other cosmetic injectable treatments. Dr Zatezalo regularly performs laser skin resurfacing and light treatments for wrinkles and discoloration on the face and eyelid with the Sciton® platform. Dr. Zatezalo uses the most advanced techniques and technology with lights, lasers, injectables and surgery including microcannula injections to minimize swelling and bruising which allows him to achieve natural results and minimize downtime.

In addition to specializing in nonsurgical facial rejuvenation such as neurotoxins (e.g. Botox®, Dysport®) and dermal fillers (e.g. Restylane®), Dr. Zatezalo has a passion for surgical scars revisions on the face/eyelids and correcting complications from eyelid surgery with a multitude of modalities.

Dr Zatezalo recently published a clinical trial conducted over seven years on techniques for preforming eyelid surgery. He has been invited nationally and internationally to lecture on various topics including facial scar treatments and revisional eyelid surgery, most recently in Monaco and Medellin, Colombia. He also has published numerous peer reviewed articles and book chapters during his career. His research interests include surgical scar treatment with surgery, lights, lasers and injectables, and the treatment of acquired and congenital anophthalmos.

If after having surgery with another surgeon you are unhappy with your results, Dr Zatezalo has many nonsurgical and surgical methods to improve your condition. A bad result from surgery can often lead to a large degree of stress which can resemble a post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr Zatezalo attempts to repair unwanted outcomes without additional surgery and will only recommend surgery if necessary.

Dr. Zatezalo is committed to customizing results to achieve a natural youthful appearance for each patient whether treating a functional or cosmetic issue.

EDUCATION


Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, Florida accredited ASOPRS 2-year fellowship in Oculofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ranked #1 by the U.S. News and World Report
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, Ophthalmology Residency, Chief Resident
Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, Doctor of Medicine, Alpha Omega Alpha
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, Full Scholarship, Highest Distinctions (Summa Cum Laude), B.S. in Biomedical Engineering

What His Clients Say

Paula McCord

My husband Garry had surgery performed by Dr.Z. He had a bi-lateral direct temporal browplasty that went fantastic. We can't say enough about Dr. Z and his team both at the surgery center and at his office. Everyone involved seemed to care about his needs and any other issues that he had, they all were very helpful. Thank you again for a successful procedure. I would highly recommend Dr. Z to anyone that needs his expertise.

Kerry Mounts

Dr. Zatezalo is excellent! I had ptosis and blepharoplasty surgery. I had quite a bit of anxiety about the ptosis part of the surgery and he was very reassuring and calming. He did a fantastic job and I am thrilled with the results. I highly recommend him.

Barbara Hill

I can't say enough nice things about Dr. Z. He passionately cares, wants to do the right thing for you, wants to know what is important to you, will give you heartfelt advice, and will go over the top to make sure the outcome is what you want. He has a light and careful touch, so is gentle and a perfectionist, so everything turns out beautifully. You will feel as though in one bundle you have a wonderful doctor and a great friend. I highly recommend you see him for your care!

Lauren Wilson

Another surgeon (who I really trust) referred me to Dr. Z, and I am so glad she did. For years, I could never figure out what was off about my eyes and vision. Dr. Z was able to look at pictures of me as a baby and through adolescence and show me how I positioned my head and eyes to try to correct for my ptosis and other issues. And then he fixed everything. My surgery went smoothly, I healed nicely, and at 3.5 months into recovery, I couldn't be happier. Life changing!

Anne Collier

Dr. Z is the absolute best! Two friends who used to work for plastic surgeons saw me the day of and said "Wow!" My brow raise and eyelid procedure look natural, but a younger me. I had tons of questions - Dr. Z texted me back right away and the office staff was great. I am thrilled with the results! Thank you!!

Sarah Campbell

Dr.Zatezalo was recommended by another eyelid specialist, who described the damage done to my lower lid by basal cell carcinoma as " beyond my paygrade". Half my lower eyelid had to be removed. The day of the surgery, I had only minor bruising and less than a week later there was no brising and no scar. Everything is great, 4 years later. Do not go anywhere else.

Amber Smith

FYI: I normally don’t care to do reviews! I saw Dr. Z to correct my eyes (bilateral ptosis) in December 2019 and again Feb 2020. I had a lower left lid that got drastically worse during Puberty! Dr. Z took his time and performed several test before my surgery which by the way was successful. My eyes are almost perfect now and my vision is so much better. He is both professional and interpersonal With his patients and I appreciated that. If you’re like me and surgery feels stressful you’re in great hands because he’s not only trustworthy but he’s hilarious, I cackled during most of my surgery. The staff, Kimmi, all very nice. He’s a good choice and I would highly recommend him. It was money well spent.

Michael Phillips

I highly recommend Dr. Z and his team! I have always had a wonderful experience. A few office visits of laser treatments greatly reduced the redness of my skin tone while reducing the brown spots and sun damage on my face. Dr. Z provides excellent personal attention and his staff and office are amazing!

Wayne Xue

Dr. Zatezalo is a very brilliant and skillful Surgeon !

Bonnie Leventhal
Designation

I am 100% THRILLED with how I look: it looks natural, I look like myself but more rested and refreshed, I can see my eyelids and makeup looks amazing now, and perhaps most of all, I've now removed that constant feeling of "not being able to stand my eyes" which is how I've felt for years- dissecting each photos I'm in, honing in on how droopy my eyelids look- and now I can feel great about how I look, all due to Dr. Z's expertise! I had never even heard of a brow lift but doing that as well really contributed to how great it turned out. I cannot say enough about Dr. Z!

Mehrak Marzban
Designation

I have been referring patients to Dr. Zatezalo for several years. Given that he completed his training with an ASOPRS fellowship from Bascom Palmer, one of the best in the country, I knew that my patients would get the best possible care and surgery. I was not prepared for how good the surgical results would be when my patients returned: Dr. Z has skillfully corrected some of the most challenging oculoplastic problems I've encountered in my career.

Martha DeSilva
Designation

Dr. Z came highly recommended to me by my dermatologist and the recommendation was completely deserved. I was extremely pleased with my experience with him. I found him to be first rate in every regard - he listened well, offered a perspective, encouraged me to take as much time as I needed in my surgery decision, answered confidently when I challenged a course of action he was prescribing (and I ended up following his recommendation - and glad that I did), and never pushed procedures on me.

Mary Wells
Designation

Dr. Z is not only a fantastic doctor, but a terrific guy as well. I came in needing help with excess filler in my tear troughs, and he not only took care of my issue, but took the time to look at my 7 year old (who had no appointment and was just along for the ride) and identified she had contact dermatitis and gave suggestions on how to treat her

Maria Smith
Designation

All I can say is Wow! Dr. Zatezalo is so knowledgeable but so down to earth at the same time. He did under eye filler for me and I was very apprehensive. But after 2 years of vacillating back and forth on whether I should get it done, I decided to do it. He explained everything, made me feel at ease, and did a beautiful job. I don’t tired and old anymore thanks to him. His assistant was wonderful as well. Highly recommend and will be doing it again in the future.

Sam Ryan
Designation

I can't recommend Dr. Zatezalo highly enough. After having been recommended to me independently by two other eye doctors (as I've had multiple eye issues in the past), I decided to have him do my ptosis repair. First, the outcome was outstanding. My eyelid is completely fixed. Dr. Zatezalo took a lot of time to talk me through the procedure. He was extremely knowledgeable, competent, personable, friendly and accessible. He was always available, got back to me quickly, and the entire procedure went extremely smoothly. Dr. Zatezalo. He is absolutely outstanding.

Sue Palminteri
Designation

Dr. Z did an excellent job helping to diagnose and then reconstruct my eyelid after skin cancer surgery and made it look normal again with no complications. Many, many thanks for that!! Also a super personable doctor who takes the time to answer your questions--knowledgeably.

FT Worth
Designation

It was recommended that I see a plastic surgeon who specialized in eyelid problems because the ophthalmologist I saw thought my issue w/ dry eyes was due to eyelids not blinking fully. Dr Z saw that wasn't the problem at all. He suggested doing many different & newer things to help the eye problem. He was easy to talk to and aware of the latest literature. Also did a GREAT job w/ lower face Restylane injections that 2 other plastic surgeons couldn't get done to my satisfaction. I've referred him to all my friends who love him too!

Kate Fliflet
Designation

Well worth the trip from DC! I was impressed with how much time Dr. Z spent with me — and I really appreciated the personalized follow-up after my appointment. I'll be back!

Laurie Brown
Designation

I only trust my face to Dr. Zatezalo - he is incredibly well trained (top institutions from medical school to residency to fellowship), innovative, and very personable. Their office is lovely.

AWARDS, AFFILIATIONS AND SCHOOLS