Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Maryam Nazemzadeh.
Dr. Nazemzadeh, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Dr. Maryam Nazemzadeh, aka Dr. Naz, and I’m an Oculofacial plastic surgeon based outside of DC. I currently practice in Northern Virginia. My practice is called The Naz Experience, a cosmetic practice that I like to think is quite different than other types of cosmetic practices. I opened my practice about 2 years ago with the intention of creating a holistic experience for my patients, one that compliments their own journey of self-discovery and self-love. I like to think that my practice parallels my own journey and it’s something I’m quite open about because I feel that it’s my job, especially as a minority woman, to ensure that my life serves as a lesson for others so that they build their own strength from it and can draw inspiration from it. That’s the goal of my practice and ultimately, my life. I was born in Iran in the middle of the Iran-Iraq war after the revolution. I can’t say I remember much from my childhood and the memories I do have are quite painful, but there was always a lot of love. I come from a very close family. I have an older brother who is also a physician and has been my role model my entire life. My parents are the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I really mean that. What they overcame and what they did for their children is something you just don’t see, but it’s something I try to embody. We had nothing, like so many immigrants, but we had hope and love and each other. With that, we built a life here together in the US. We’re still very involved in each other’s lives. They’re my backbones.
After completing fellowship, I got married to a wonderful man who is now my business partner, Michael. I call him my Angel. He believed in me when nobody else did. He’s still my #1 fan. We have a 5-year-old daughter, Talia, who is the light of my life. My family is everything to me and they’re my motivation each and every day.
My life hasn’t been the easiest. I’ve been through quite a lot as woman. Medical training took a lot from me, but so did a lot of trauma as a child and later in life. I’m committed to healing the trauma so I can be the very best version of myself for my family and most importantly, for myself. The Naz Experience is based in healing and it’s something I feel that isn’t encouraged in medicine, especially in cosmetics. It seems contradictory to be a cosmetic surgeon and injector and base my practice in healing, but they’re all connected. Feeling your very best requires an element of looking your very best. There’s a confidence in that that’s undeniable and with that confidence, there’s a strength that allows one to look inward. My goal is to create a safe space where that can happen. That’s my purpose here. I really believe that.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not! Oddly enough, I wouldn’t change anything that happened to me. What I endured as a child and later on in my life was quite traumatic, but it built me into the woman I am today. The road isn’t meant to be easy. It can’t be, otherwise, we wouldn’t realize our own power or potential. I always say light cannot exist without darkness (and vice versa), but it’s in the dark that we find our own light. I’ve been discriminated against, manipulated, lied to, violated, and unfortunately the list goes on and on. I no longer look back at those events with resentment. I look back with gratitude. I give gratitude to my abusers and those who took from me. It’s because of them that I fought to become who I am. That fight or that process is what made me who I am, and I love who I am.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m so proud to be an Oculofacial plastic surgeon. There are only 750 of us in the entire world with our type of training. After medical school and ophthalmology residency at The George Washington University, I was 1 of 20 fellows selected that year by the Oculofacial Society to complete specialty training. It was one of the biggest honors of my life. I completed my training at The University of Pennsylvania and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I’m one of the very few Oculofacial plastic surgeons in the world with both pediatric and adult training. I worked very hard. I still do. I always graduated at the top of my class. I didn’t care to party or distract myself. My life was my work, and it still is. I give my all to my craft because I see as an expression of my soul. It’s a part of me, so it’s something I really cherish and work on constantly. I like to think of myself as an artist and my patients as my canvas. Each patient comes with their own identity, their own wants and desires. I like to take time to learn those so I can guide them in their transformation. I have such a deep connection with my patients, and I think that’s what makes the experience so special. I work to perfect my craft constantly so I can deliver the best results, but I’m also open with my own journey so I can help them with theirs. It’s a complete experience and I have to say, it’s quite magical.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
To be quite frank, I don’t remember much of my childhood. I think it had to do with being born in war and being around so much loss and death from an early age. Life didn’t get easier so much of that time is a blank. I remember bits and pieces but there are very few whole memories. There was a distinct moment that changed my life. When I was a freshman in high school, I was misdiagnosed with cancer. I spent one month thinking I had cancer to then learn I didn’t. During that month, I remember seeing the world completely differently, having conversations with God, trying to understand why I had to have cancer. And then one day, I didn’t have cancer anymore. How I viewed life after that was completely different. There was so much gratitude for my health, something I had never even considered up until that point. I think that experience truly made me cherish life and the moments I have here on Earth. Every moment is truly a gift. Nothing is promised, only the present.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thenazexperience.com
- Instagram: @drmaryamnaz
