Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Dr. Taleisnik will answer each and every question or concern you have, so that you will feel comfortable and at ease with your surgery.

Dr. Andres Taleisnik was born in Rochester, Minnesota in 1962, where his father, Julio Taleisnik, completed his orthopedic residency. Julio went on to become one of the leading hand surgeons in the world, and has been in practice in Orange County for over 40 years. Dr. Andres, as he is known in the office, joined his father’s group in September 1997 after completing rigorous and extensive training in plastic surgery and hand surgery.

Dr. Taleisnik graduated in 1980 from Foothill High School in Tustin, ranked #1 in a class of 570 students with a 4.0 GPA. He was a National Merit Scholarship finalist, and winner of the Bank of America Liberal Arts Scholarship. His aptitude for sciences led to a second place finish in the California State Science Fair.

Dr. Taleisnik attended Princeton University, where he majored in Biology. He graduated from Princeton in 1984 with a 3.9 GPA, receiving Summa Cum Laude honors. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society. He also received Highest Honors in the Department of Biology and garnered the Senior Book Prize for his Thesis work. During the summer, he was employed in the laboratory of Dr. Alan Gazzaniga, a prominent local cardiothoracic surgeon, and also worked at Disneyland.

After graduating from Princeton, Dr. Taleisnik returned to Southern California, where he attended medical school at UCLA. He was exposed to numerous innovative and nationally recognized plastic surgeons during medical school, such as Malcolm Lesavoy, Harvey Zarem and Timothy Miller. These outstanding surgeons and teachers prompted Dr. Taleisnik’s fascination with plastic surgery. He graduated from UCLA in 1988 with a 3.95 GPA, and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He also was awarded the Victor Hall Scholarship as the top student in Physiology, and a merit scholarship for academic excellence.

Dr. Taleisnik then completed six years of training in surgery at UCLA, including general and vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, chest surgery, trauma surgery, cancer surgery and plastic surgery. He completed a year as Chief Resident in 1993-1994. During his surgery residency, Dr. Taleisnik performed research in the plastic surgery laboratory of Dr. William Shaw, and received the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation Research Fellowship award, one of four $30,000 grants awarded nationally each year. He also spent time assisting in the reconstructive surgeries for burned children at Shriner’s Hospital in Los Angeles.

After completing general surgery training, Dr. Taleisnik was selected to continue his training in plastic surgery at UCLA, one of the top three programs in the country. He received extensive experience in all facets of plastic surgery, including craniofacial, pediatric, microsurgery, oncologic, hand and aesthetic (cosmetic) surgery. He had the opportunity to learn from some of the top plastic surgeons in the world, including those that are the “Plastic Surgeons to the Stars” of Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

In 1996-1997, Dr. Taleisnik and his growing family traveled to San Antonio, Texas to study Hand and Microsurgery at the renowned Hand Center of San Antonio under David Green, M.D. Following that year of wonderful experience, Dr. Taleisnik returned home to Orange County to stay.

Dr. Taleisnik has published articles and chapters in respected journals and textbooks, and has given numerous lectures at major conferences throughout the United States and Canada. He has served as a consultant in plastic surgery at the Long Beach Veterans’ Hospital, and was an Assistant Clinical Professor in Plastic Surgery at UCI. Dr. Taleisnik lives in Laguna Beach with his wife Gail. They have 3 sons, Justin, Brandon and Shane.

Dr. Taleisnik is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS), the only true certification for plastic surgeons. He is also an active member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), among other organizations.

What makes Dr. Taleisnik unique is his attention to his patients’ care. From pre-op to post-op, his goal is to educate, advise, and perform so that you get the best, most natural-looking results from your surgery. All of your consultations will be solely with the doctor, so that he is able to get to know you and your goals, and you can get to know and trust him.

Dr. Taleisnik employs a friendly, welcoming, and knowledgable staff so that you’ve got someone to answer questions every step of the way. Before your surgery Dr. Taleisnik and his staff will educate you on your upcoming surgery, prepare you with information and recommendations, and ensure that you know everything you need before surgery day.

Personal Information

Born: Rochester, Minnesota
Current: Laguna Beach, California
Age: June 10, 1962
Happily married since 1991
Kids: 3

Certifications

• American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)
• American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH)

Specialities

• Cosmetic Surgery
• Hand Surgery

Languages

• English
• Spanish
• French

Education

• The Hand Center of San Antonio
  Hand/Microsurgery Fellowship, 1996-1997
• UCLA
  Division of Plastic Surgery, 1994-96
  Fellowship
• UCLA
  Division of General Surgery, 1989-94
  General Surgery Residency
  Chief Resident in 1993-1994.
• UCLA Department of Surgery, 1988-89
  Surgery Internship
• UCLA
  M.D. Degree, 1988
• Princeton University
  A.B., Biology 1984

Affiliations

• American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• American Society for Surgery of the Hand
• Orange County Society of Plastic Surgery
• California Medical Association
• Orange County Medical Association
• University of California at Irvine Consultant
• California Society of Plastic Surgeons
• Southern California Society for Surgery of the Hand