Dr. Elbert Vaca, MD
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Boca Raton, Florida
NPI: 1669743860· License: ME143202 (FL) verify
5(45 ratings)
In Dr. Elbert Vaca's own words
How Dr. Elbert Vaca describes their own approach, from their Instagram posts. Each statement links to the original.
Approach
- Perhaps the greatest compliment I can receive is hearing that a patient feels refreshed and younger, while still looking completely like herself
- Dr. Elbert Vaca focuses on the sculpting aspect of a facelift, aiming to recreate the natural concavity or depression in front of the ear.
Specialization
- A brow lift and upper blepharoplasty remain one of my favorite procedure combinations
- Specializes in Facelift, Rhinoplasty, and Eyes
Technique
- Dr. Elbert Vaca places facelift scars slightly inside the border of the tragus to ensure that portion is invisible.
- During a face and neck lift, Dr. Elbert Vaca's practice lifts the SMAS layer, properly releasing it from its attachments and suspending it.
- Dr. Elbert Vaca also marks facelift incisions closely following the contour of the helix of the ear, just behind the sideburn, and carries it up behind the sideburn into the scalp.
Training & credentials
- Trained at Johns Hopkins and Northwestern
Consultation
- My job is to help patients understand their options, what each procedure can realistically achieve, and what is involved in the recovery process
Safety
- Dr. Elbert Vaca forewarns patients to avoid thread lifts.
Results
- Dr. Elbert Vaca's technique ensures the tragus flops back to its resting position, making the scar essentially invisible.
- Dr. Elbert Vaca observes that younger patients tend to have better overall results from facelifts, hold onto the results longer, and achieve a greater degree of definition, partly because he cannot change skin quality.
Statements are quoted or closely paraphrased from Dr. Elbert Vaca's own public posts and are their claims, not NavMDs' medical advice. Doctors can correct or remove any item via their claimed profile or support [at] navmds.com.
About
Dr. Elbert Vaca is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon practicing in Boca Raton, Florida, with training from Johns Hopkins and Northwestern. He specializes in aesthetic plastic surgery of the face, breast, and body, with a particular focus on facelifts, rhinoplasty, and eye procedures.
Dr. Vaca believes a subtle transformation can make a remarkable difference, aiming for patients to feel refreshed and younger while still looking completely like themselves. His philosophy for facial rejuvenation is about restoring youthful anatomy and definition, preserving each patient's unique features rather than changing how they look. Every surgical plan is tailored to the individual patient, their anatomy, and their goals. He emphasizes patient education, helping individuals understand their options, realistic outcomes, and recovery. For facelifts, he prioritizes thoughtful incision placement, meticulous closure, and preservation of natural anatomy to achieve unnoticeable scars and natural results. He considers brow lifts and upper blepharoplasty a synergistic combination to restore a youthful, brighter appearance without an operated look. Dr. Vaca advises against facial thread-lifts, noting their short-lived effects, ineffectiveness, and potential for permanent complications.
Connect with Dr. Elbert Vaca on Social Media
Specialties
- Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Procedures & Services
Services offered by this practice
Procedure details
Everything on this page about each procedure Dr. Elbert Vaca offers: pricing in context, what they've said about it, related videos and photos, and what patients ask.
Questions, Answers, and Information Directly from Dr. Elbert Vaca
Sourced directly from Dr. Elbert Vaca's social posts and replies.
What specific concerns can Dr. Vaca address with rhinoplasty?
Dr. Vaca's rhinoplasty procedure can correct a droopy nasal tip, address or eliminate a dorsal hump, and achieve a straight nose with balanced nostril proportions.
What is Dr. Vaca's opinion on facial thread-lifts?
Dr. Vaca has a negative view of facial thread-lifts and recommends against them. He states their effect is short-lived at best, they do not work because tissue layers are not properly suspended, and they quickly pull through tissues. Potential complications can be permanent, including leaving behind scar tissue, infection, and damage to facial nerves. Furthermore, thread-lifts do not build collagen and can complicate future surgery.
What is Dr. Vaca's approach to facelift scarring and natural results?
Dr. Vaca believes the ideal facelift scars are unnoticeable. Achieving well-concealed, natural-looking facelift results requires meticulous planning, finesse, and attention to small details, including thoughtful incision placement, meticulous closure, and preservation of the natural anatomy of the ear and lateral cheek. This ensures scars fade beautifully and become virtually imperceptible.
What are the benefits of combining a brow lift with an upper blepharoplasty?
Dr. Vaca considers a brow lift and upper eyelid surgery a 'perfect combination' and one of his favorites, as they work synergistically. This combination can restore a more youthful, proportional, and brighter appearance to the upper face without an 'operated look'. Specifically, a brow lift can restore a softer, more youthful, feminine brow contour, improve upper eyelid hooding, and enhance brow symmetry. An upper blepharoplasty further improves eyelid hooding, reveals a more elegant upper eyelid space, and can improve eyelid symmetry, particularly for naturally more hooded sides.
How does Dr. Vaca combine procedures for a comprehensive facial refresh?
Dr. Vaca often combines procedures like face & necklift, facial fat grafting, and lip lift for a comprehensive yet natural facial refresh. Face & necklifts restore definition to the jawline, upper neck, and midface while maintaining natural features. Lip lifts are carefully customized, with combinations like subnasal and corner lip lifts used to improve symmetry and balance. Precision facial fat grafting can be performed to the upper, mid, and lower face to enhance surgical results, particularly restoring volume around the upper and lower eyelids to soften the eyes, improve symmetry, and contribute to a more harmonious, rejuvenated appearance.
When is the right time for a facelift and what factors influence results?
Dr. Vaca states that no one 'needs' a facelift, and deciding if and when it's right is a very personal decision, as there is no 'perfect age' or universal timeline. The right time is when a patient's concerns, goals, and comfort level align. While a facelift is often the most effective option for improving jowling, neck laxity, and jawline definition, patients should understand that tissue quality and skin elasticity are critical factors outside the surgeon’s control. Patients with better tissue quality (often associated with younger age) tend to achieve more predictable and longer-lasting results, emphasizing that tissue quality plays a major role in the final outcome.
What can a lower blepharoplasty achieve?
A lower blepharoplasty can reduce protruding fat bulges and, when combined with fat grafting, can soften lower eyelids by restoring cheek volume and support to fill under-eye hollows, improving cheek volume and projection.
What is the typical recovery and results timeline for Dr. Vaca's surgeries?
While surgical results will continue to refine and evolve over many months, initial observations for procedures like rhinoplasty can be seen as early as 2 months post-surgery. For other facial procedures, results are often shown around 3 months after surgery, with scars continuing to fade beautifully over time.
What are the benefits of combining face & necklift, buccal fat reduction, and upper blepharoplasty?
This combination of procedures can restore definition, brighten the eyes, and refresh the overall appearance, enhancing facial symmetry. Dr. Vaca customizes these procedures, for example, removing a greater amount of skin and medial orbital fat from one upper eyelid during blepharoplasty, or removing more buccal fat from one cheek during buccal fat reduction, to achieve balanced results.
From Dr. Elbert Vaca's Instagram
@elbertvaca.md →Recent photos posted by @elbertvaca.md, Dr. Elbert Vaca's own Instagram account. Each image opens the original post on Instagram.
- Eyelid SurgeryAug 2026
- Neck LiftAug 2026
- Eyelid SurgeryJul 2026
- Lip LiftJun 2026
- RhinoplastyMay 2023
- Breast AugmentationApr 2023
- Brow LiftOct 2022
Images © Dr. Elbert Vaca / @elbertvaca.md, shown here with a link to the original post. Procedure labels are inferred from the post's caption and hashtags. If you are the account owner and want an image removed, contact support [at] navmds.com.
Patient Experience
Dr. Elbert Vaca Review Summary
5
Dr. Vaca has consistently excellent ratings, averaging 5 out of 5 stars across multiple platforms. Patients rave about his skills and bedside manner.
Ratings from Other Platforms
Main Office
660 Glades Rd STE 210, Boca Raton, Florida
(561) 393-9898
Industry Payments
Federal law (the Physician Payments Sunshine Act) requires drug and medical-device companies to report anything of value they give to a physician — consulting and speaking fees, research funding, travel, royalties, and even meals. Medicare publishes all of it in a public database called Open Payments. We show it here so you don't have to go looking for it.
No industry payments reported. We checked Dr. Elbert Vaca against the CMS Open Payments database and found no payments from drug or device makers on record for 2025, the most recent year CMS has published.
Source: CMS Open Payments, the federal database created by the Sunshine Act. Search CMS Open Payments ↗
Insurance Information
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Phone: (561) 393-9898
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Location & Contact Information
Main Office
660 Glades Rd STE 210
Boca Raton, Florida 33431
Office Information
Phone: (561) 393-9898
Where does Dr. Elbert Vaca practice?
Doctor's Office
Main Office (Primary)
660 Glades Rd STE 210, Boca Raton, Florida 33431
(18 reviews)
Hospital Affiliations
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Help improve our data. Confirm if Dr. Elbert Vaca is affiliated with Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Education & Experience
Education
Johns Hopkins School Of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School Of Medicine
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Certifications & Licenses
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make an appointment with Dr. Elbert Vaca online?
The provided information doesn't confirm online booking availability. It's best to contact the office directly at (561) 393-9898 or visit elbertvacamd.com for appointment scheduling.
Does Dr. Elbert Vaca offer telehealth?
The provided information does not indicate whether Dr. Vaca offers telehealth services. Contacting the office directly is recommended for inquiries about telehealth options.
What do patients have to say about Dr. Elbert Vaca?
Patients consistently praise Dr. Vaca for his exceptional skills, attention to detail, natural-looking results, and excellent bedside manner. Many describe him as the best in the field, highlighting his perfectionism and ability to put patients at ease.
What areas of care does Dr. Elbert Vaca cater to?
Dr. Vaca specializes in aesthetic plastic surgery, focusing on the face, breast, and body. His expertise includes procedures such as facelifts, rhinoplasty (nose jobs), breast augmentation, and body contouring procedures like abdominal etching and mommy makeovers. He emphasizes patient education, believing his job is to help patients understand their options, what each procedure can realistically achieve, and what is involved in the recovery process. The most important step is having an honest conversation about concerns and exploring options to achieve goals, with every surgical plan tailored to the individual patient, their anatomy, and their goals.