Meet Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Douglas M. Stevens

Dr. Douglas Stevens graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA with a degree in chemical engineering. He attended the Albany Medical College in upstate New York and earned his M.D. in 1986. While at Albany, his classmates elected him as the student most representing the characteristics of a physician.

Dr. Stevens completed his general surgery internship and residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. He served 12 years in the Navy and attending both the Navy submarine and diving schools. He worked at the Naval Medical Research Institute’s experimental diving unit and then served as a staff surgeon and ultimately department head of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the Naval Hospital in Great Lakes, IL. He received the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medals (3), and won a Navy wide resident research award.

Dr. Douglas Stevens is board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. He is a fellow and honor award recipient of the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. He was a member of the credentialing committee of the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from 2005-2008 and author of more than 40 articles on facial plastic and head and neck surgery and diving medicine.

Dr. Douglas Stevens has practiced in Fort Myers since 1997. He and his wife, Dr. Teresa Stevens, a pediatrician, have three children and enjoy traveling, boating and fishing, reading and sports of all kinds.

Education & Employment

1997-present Private Practice Fort Myers, Florida
1995-1997 Staff Surgeon and Department Head Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Naval Hospital – Great Lakes, Illinois
1991-1995 Residency in Otolaryngology National Naval Medical Center – Bethesda, Maryland
1987-1991 Research in Experimental Diving Medicine Naval Medical Research Institute
1986-1987 Surgical Internship National Naval Medical Center – Bethesda, Maryland
1982-1986 Medical School Albany Medical College – Albany, New York
1979-1982 Undergraduate degree – Chemical engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge, MA

Education & Employment

  • Diplomate, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Diplomate, American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

Professional Societies

  • Fellow, American Academy of Otolaryngology
  • Fellow, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
  • Member and Past President, Lee County Medical Society
  • Member and Past Delegate, Florida Medical Association
  • Committee member, Credentials committee, American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2005-2008

Personal Philosophy

Thank you for your interest in my practice as you contemplate rejuvenation of the face. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and give you a glimpse into my background, training and philosophy regarding cosmetic procedures and surgery of the face and neck areas.

Early Life and Education

I have been in practice here in Fort Myers since 1997.

After serving for twelve years as a physician in the U.S. Navy. During my time on active duty I performed many cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. I spent the majority of my time in the Navy at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. I am double board certified in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery as well as Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Thus, all of my training and experience has been in performing surgery in the face and neck region.

I am married to Dr. Teresa Stevens, who grew up in Fort Myers and attended medical school with me at the Albany Medical College in upstate New York. She is a practicing pediatrician. Prior to medical school, I graduated with a BS in chemical engineering from M.I.T. in Cambridge, MA where I participated in a Harvard Medical School – M.I.T. research program studying biocompatible materials.

My approach to facial rejuvenation is one that I would like to share with you. The purpose of cosmetic surgery is to turn back the clock; eliminating or reducing the effects of time and occasionally to enhance features beyond what may have been present to begin with. A well-executed facelift, for example, does not elicit comments that compliment me or the procedure; rather, the goal is for people to notice a newness, a freshness but without the ability to put their finger on what leads them to notice this change. I want people to look at you and think that you look great – is it the hair, is it a vacation or a new sense of energy and optimism? I am not looking for, “wow, what a nice facelift.” The goal is not to have you look like someone else but rather to look like yourself without the effects of aging. In the case of a chin or cheek augmentation or nasal cosmetic surgery, these procedures can correct a deficit that was present before but in such a subtle way that it is hard to realize that anything was done without looking at side by side before and after pictures. Often, I will use Bellafill®, a unique biostimulating filler that lasts five years, and beyond to volumize the face and perform a customized, injectable cheek enhancement.

When people speak and interact with you there is a movement of their focus revolving around your eyes and the nose. Facial recognition software that is in use to survey the crowds in New York utilizes digital image information from these areas because the features found there are most useful in identifying individuals of interest. Thus, any change made to the eyes, brows and nose are very subtle but very significant in the way others view you. One of my favorite procedures is the endoscopic browplasty. With tiny ¼ inch incisions behind the hairline I can elevate the brows and open up the eyes in a very different way then just removing excess skin of the upper eyelid. The result makes you look more awake, rested and alert without the surprised look that causes concern. Once the brows are properly placed then addressing the extra skin of the upper and/or lower eyelids puts the polishing touch on the result.

Another area that I have learned with experience is that different problems require different solutions. If you are treated with only one modality – such as a facelift – when volumization or fillers are also required, then you will always be dissatisfied with the end result. The purpose of a facelift or my local anesthesia Active Lift™ is to elevate tissue that has sagged under the effects of gravity along the jawline, jowls and in the neck. These lifts are most effective in the lower third of the face. The elevation should result in fullness over the cheeks and a youthful olive shape to the face rather than the rectangular shape that occurs with sagging and aging. This can and should be accomplished without a pulled appearance or alteration of the position of the corner of the mouth. Trying to get every crease and fold out by surgery is a mistake that results in the pulled, unnatural look that is far too commonly seen. Rather, after surgery, the small crease in the corner of the mouth or the folds to the side of the nose can be softened with the use of the newer biocompatible fillers such as versa®.

Healthy, glowing skin is essential for an overall excellent result. Even the best facelift will not overcome the overall effect of dull, finely wrinkled skin. Today, we have radiofrequency energy based rejuvenation of the skin in the form of Morpheus® (radiofreqency microneedling) for collagen replenishment, scar and wrinkle reduction. Hydrafacials can give your skin the glow it has been missing for years. Fractional CO2 laser remains a way to refresh the sin of the face, hands, neck and decollate. We give a lot of emphasis to skin rejuvenation and have the latest technologies to accomplish this goal. Many are performed in the office with little or no
downtime.

I believe that the trend in cosmetic surgery is away from large, highly invasive procedures that require an operating room and general anesthesia towards in-office local or even topical anesthesia. Technologies such as energy based treatments are allowing interventions earlier and, with proper maintenance ,can put off more invasive procedures for many years.

I hope that you will enjoy our website and ultimately your consultation with me. I have a wonderful office staff that has been with me for many years. There is nothing that brings us more joy than meeting new people, creating new relationships that ultimately lead to a great rejuvenation and transformation. I can’t wait to meet you.

  1. Honor award recipient at 2000 Annual Meeting, American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Washington DC.
  2. Advanced Diving Medicine for the Otolaryngologist. Course presented at the 1993-2000 annual meetings of the American Academy of Otolaryngology.
  3. Navy Imaging Command Film: Diving Medical Officer. (Technical Director)
  4. Winner 1993 Adam’s Laboratory Resident Research Award for paper entitled,”VOR gain as a measure of vestibular function in guinea pigs while in a recompression chamber: Apparatus design and effects of nitrogen narcosis.”(presented at the 1993 annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery)
  5. Winner 1995 Navy Wide Resident Research Award, San Diego, CA for paper entitled, “Hyperbaric Oxygen enhances survival of experimental free flaps.”
  6. President, Lee County Medical Society 2003
  7. Delegate to the Florida Medical Association 2003-Present
  8. AMA Leadership Conference 2002, 2004 Washington DC

  1. Nayak UK, Donald PJ, Stevens DM. Internal carotid artery resection for invasion of malignant tumors. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 121:1029-1033;1995.
  2. Stevens DM, Koller WA, Weiss DD, Bianchi DA. Survival of normothermic microvascular flaps following prolonged secondary ischemia: The effects of hyperbaric oxygen. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 115:360-364;1996.
  3. Stevens DM, Snyder JA, Dutka AJ. VOR gain as a measure of vestibular function in guinea pigs while in a recompression chamber: Apparatus design and effects of nitrogen narcosis. Am J Otol 16(3):360-364;1995.
  4. Gulya AJ, Stevens DM, Dutka AJ, Christman CL. Morphologic and electrophysiologic effects of cochlear augmentationation and electrical stimulation. Am J Otol 13(1):68-73;1992.
  5. Stevens DM, Caras BG, Flynn ET, Dutka AJ, Thorp JW, Thalmann ED. Management of herniated intervertebral disks during saturation dives: Case reports. Undersea Biomed Res 19(3):191-198;1992.
  6. Thorp JW, Stevens DM, Dutka AJ, Doubt TJ, Thalmann ED. Pyridostigmine prophylaxis during warm water diving operations. Navy Med 83(1):23-26;1992.
  7. Stevens DM, Gartner SL, Pearson RR, Flynn ET, Mink RB, Robinson DH, Dutka AJ. Complement activation during saturation diving. Undersea Hyperbaric Med 20(4):279-288;1993.
  8. Gulya AJ, Christman CL, Cheung DD, Stevens DM. Computer-assisted assessment of cochlear nerve fibers. Am J Otol 15(1):90;1994.

  1. Stevens DM, Velasquez JL, Dutka AJ. Effect of perilymph fistula and hyperbaric exposure on guinea pig auditory function as measured by ECoG. Abstracts of the 14th Midwinter meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 1991.
  2. Christman CL, Gulya AJ, Stevens DM. Effects of electrical stimulation on myelinated nerve fiber shape using an automated method. Abstracts of the 14th Midwinter meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 1991.
  3. Weinberg RP, Hyde D, Stevens DM, Doubt TJ. Pyridostigmine ingestion and thermal balance during exercise in warm water. FASEB Journal 5(5):A1400, 1991.
  4. Hyde D, Stevens DM, Haberman KJ, Thorp JW, Doubt TJ. Effects of Pyridostigmine on hydration status during warm water diving. FASEB Journal 5(4):A766, 1991.
  5. Hyde D, Weinberg RP, Stevens DM, Doubt TJ. The thermal effects of breathing 100% oxygen during warm water diving. Med Sci Sports Exerc 23(4):5127,1991.
  6. Stevens DM, Gartner SL, Robinson DH, Dutka AJ. Complement activation during saturation diving: Relationship to decompression sickness and the high pressure nervous syndrome. Undersea Biomed Res 18 suppl:19, 1991.
  7. Stevens DM, Velasquez JL, Dutka AJ. Perilymph fistula, rapid recompression and middle ear barotrauma: Effect on guinea pig auditory function as measured by electrocochleography. Undersea Biomed Res 18 suppl:18, 1991.
  8. Stevens DM, Dutka AJ, Thorp JW, Thalmann ED, Flynn ET. Case report: considerations and management of a herniated intervertebral disk during a 150 fsw saturation dive. Undersea Biomed Res 18 suppl:46, 1991.
  9. Stevens DM, Hyde D, Weinberg RP, Doubt TJ, Thalmann ED. Experimental data vs thermal model predictions of diving in 34.4 °C water. Undersea Biomed Res 18 suppl:69, 1991.
  10. Gulya AJ, Cheung DD, Christman CL, Stevens DM, Dutka AJ, Thakor NV. Morphologic effects of electrical stimulation using an automated method for counting myelinated nerve fibers. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 103(2):235; 1990.
  11. Snyder JE, Dutka AJ, Stevens DM. Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain as a measure of vestibular function in the guinea pig model: A pilot study. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 101(2):255;1989.
  12. Christman CL, Cheung DD, Gulya AJ, Stevens DM, Dutka AJ. Automated measurement of cochlear nerve fiber cross-sections. Presented at the 2nd International Cochlear Implant Symposium June 4-8, Iowa City, Iowa.
  13. Stevens DM, Dutka AJ, Christman CL, Gulya AJ. The effects of cochlear augmentationation and electrical stimulation on the guinea pig auditory brainstem response. Abstracts of the 13th Midwinter meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 1990.
  14. Gulya AJ, Dutka AJ, Stevens DM, Christman CL. Morphologic effects of electrical stimulation by means of a monopolar intracochlear electrode in the guinea pig. Abstract of the 13th midwinter meeting of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 1990.
  15. Stevens DM, Thalmann ED, Hyde D. Thermal aspects of diving in warm water: Theoretical exposure limits. Undersea Biomed Res 17 suppl:115-116, 1990.
  16. Gulya AJ, Christman CL, Stevens DM, Dutka AJ, Cheung DD. Automated counting of myelinated nerve fibers from images captured using a thermoelectrically cooled CCD camera. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 105(2);1991.
  17. Hyde D, Doubt TJ, Weinberg RP, Stevens DM, Thorp JW. Thermal effects of swimming in warm water wearing a garment designed for protection from toxic agents. Undersea Biomed Res 19 suppl:101;1992.
  18. Stanga DF, Stevens DM, Flynn ET. Fly-away advanced care system. Undersea Biomed Res 19 suppl:104;1992.
  19. Stevens DM, Bianci DA. Allergic Fungal Sinusitis with intracranial extension: Case report and review of the literature. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 109(2):299; 1993.
  20. Nayak UK, Donald PJ, Stevens DM. Internal carotid artery resection for invasion of malignant tumors. Presented 1993 annual meeting of the Society of Head and Neck Surgeons, Orlando, FL.
  21. Stevens DM, Koller WA, Bianchi DA, Weiss DD. Hyperbaric Oxygen enhances survival of experimental free flaps. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 111(2):P85; 1994.

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Schedule a consultation in Fort Myers with facial plastic surgeon Dr. Douglas Stevens. Dr. Stevens and his talented staff offer a wide selection of surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures to rejuvenate your appearance and restore your youthful facial features.