Dr. Saami Khalifian, MD
Board Certified Dermatologist
DermatologyDermatology, Pediatric Dermatology
Encinitas, California
● Taking New Patients
NPI: 1174926190· License: A159219 (CA) verify
Industry payments (2024): $1,092,828 across 392 payments (what this means)
4.91(45 ratings)
Consultation $100 · waived with procedure
About
Dr. Saami Khalifian is a double board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon practicing in Encinitas, California. He's known for his artistic approach to creating natural-looking results, treating patients holistically with a focus on both physical and mental well-being. Dr. Khalifian's expertise lies in minimally invasive cosmetic procedures and surgery. He's a graduate of Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical Schools and is affiliated with SOM Aesthetics. While pricing information isn't available online, prospective patients can connect with him through various social media platforms. He is known for his conservative and precise injection techniques across various procedures, prioritizing patient safety and natural outcomes, often using less product or fewer sessions than conventional methods.
Connect with Dr. Saami Khalifian on Social Media
Specialties
- Board Certified Dermatologist
Procedures & Services
Select a service to schedule an appointment · each is approximately 60 minutes
Questions, Answers, and Information Directly from Dr. Saami Khalifian
Sourced directly from Dr. Saami Khalifian's social posts and replies.
What is Dr. Khalifian's approach to Sculptra and Radiesse buttock augmentation?
Dr. Khalifian utilizes a combined Sculptra and Radiesse treatment for buttock augmentation, achieving beautiful results with significantly less product (e.g., 2 vials of Sculptra and 5 syringes of Radiesse per side) compared to typical monotherapy (often 20 vials of Sculptra or 40 syringes of Radiesse). This approach often requires only one treatment session, whereas monotherapy typically needs 2-3 sessions, making it more accessible and cost-effective for patients.
How does Dr. Khalifian ensure realistic expectations with before-and-after photos for buttock augmentation?
Dr. Khalifian emphasizes showing results at 3 months post-treatment, as immediate 'after' photos often include swelling and diluents (200-300 mL of water or saline) that are absorbed, not reflecting the final outcome.
What is Dr. Khalifian's advanced anatomically-based Botox technique for the glabella?
Dr. Khalifian employs an advanced, anatomically-based approach to Botox, tailoring treatment to each patient's unique facial anatomy. Unlike traditional 5-point methods that can miss parts of the glabellar complex, his technique treats all relevant areas for complete, robust, and natural-looking results with minimal product. He emphasizes that this complex technique requires thorough assessment and expertise to avoid complications like eyelid ptosis from incorrect injections.
What is Dr. Khalifian's approach to chin and jawline fillers?
Dr. Khalifian uses chin and jawline fillers to achieve overall facial harmony, defining the jaw and balancing chin projection. This approach helps eliminate jowls, improves the cervicomental angle, and can create a 'snatched' effect by redraping lower face tissue. He may treat the mentolabial crease to increase chin height and occasionally uses a cannula on the ascending limb of the ramus for further jawline definition.
What pre and post-treatment care is required for PRP hair restoration?
Patients undergoing PRP for hair restoration must avoid NSAIDs, fish oil, vitamin E supplements, prednisone, or other steroids before and after treatment.
What is Dr. Khalifian's approach to PRP for hair restoration?
Dr. Khalifian uses a partial or complete ring block with Lido and Epi for excellent, quick pain control during PRP hair restoration. He enriches the PRP product to a 3X to 5X concentration and injects 0.2 mL per point, emphasizing the frontal hairline and forelock as the most cosmetically sensitive and impactful areas. He often combines PRP with medical therapy like finasteride and oral minoxidil for comprehensive results.
What results can be expected from multi-modal laser treatment for PIH?
For a specific patient with longstanding PIH from a burn wound, Dr. Khalifian achieved nearly complete disappearance of the lesion after just one multi-modal laser treatment. The 'after' photo was taken 3 weeks post-treatment, with significant improvement noted at both 10-day and 3-week follow-ups.
What is Dr. Khalifian's multi-modal laser approach for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)?
Dr. Khalifian uses a multi-modal, same-day laser treatment for PIH, such as one pass of Q-switched Nd:YAG laser on the lesion, followed by Clear & Brilliant Permea laser applied to the whole face with extra passes on the PIH lesion.
What is Dr. Khalifian's systematic approach to assessing and treating tear troughs?
Dr. Khalifian employs a systematic approach to assess infraorbital hollows for tear trough treatment, evaluating orbital fat prolapse, malar edema, pigmentary issues, and skin elasticity. He notes that mild to moderate orbital fat prolapse, malar edema, shadowing hyperpigmentation, and mild to moderate loss of elasticity can be addressed with filler. However, severe orbital fat prolapse requires lower lid blepharoplasty, severe malar edema/festooning should be avoided for filler, and severe hyperpigmentation or severe loss of elasticity requires surgical intervention or laser treatments (CO2, erbium) as filler will not be effective for true pigmentary or vasculature issues. Good candidates are treated with a variety of fillers.
What is Dr. Khalifian's approach to non-surgical rhinoplasty (nose filler)?
Dr. Khalifian uses Juvederm Volux for safe and effective non-surgical rhinoplasty, employing a gradual approach with slow, low-pressure, low-volume injections (typically not exceeding ~0.3 mL per session) and very small aliquots to achieve natural-looking results. This conservative technique is crucial to avoid vascular occlusion and compression, especially in high-risk areas like the nasal sidewall (particularly post-fracture). He emphasizes that only experienced experts should perform injections in these areas.
What are the typical treatment expectations for non-surgical rhinoplasty?
While a natural-looking profile can be achieved in one session, some patients may require a subsequent treatment in about one month to reach their desired nose profile.
From Dr. Saami Khalifian's Instagram
@dr_saami →Recent photos posted by @dr_saami, Dr. Saami Khalifian's own Instagram account. Each image opens the original post on Instagram.
Images © Dr. Saami Khalifian / @dr_saami, shown here with a link to the original post. If you are the account owner and want an image removed, contact [email protected].
Patient Experience
Dr. Saami Khalifian Review Summary
4.92
Dr. Khalifian has excellent ratings! He has a 5.0 rating based on 2 reviews on his profile, a perfect 5/5 on Yelp, and an impressive 4.9/5 on Google Reviews. Overall, patients are extremely satisfied with his work.
Ratings from Other Platforms
SOM Aesthetics
25 East E Street, Encinitas, California
(760) 766-7546
Book a Service Consultation
Consultation $100 · waived with booked procedure
Each service is approximately 60 minutes.
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.
Total received (2024)
$1,092,828
Payments
392
Compared to peers
Among the highest in our directory
Dr. Saami Khalifian received $1,092,828 across 392 payments in 2024. That is higher than about 99.7% of the physicians here who received any industry payment. Most of it was categorised as consulting fee, and the largest single payer was ABBVIE INC..
What this means for your care
- A disclosed payment is a business relationship, not evidence of wrongdoing, and it says nothing on its own about the quality of your care.
- Most payments are small. Across the physicians listed on NavMDs, the single most common category is food and beverage at industry-sponsored talks.
- Larger consulting, speaking or royalty payments mean an ongoing financial relationship with a company whose products your doctor may use or recommend. That is worth knowing about, and it is reasonable to ask about.
- A fair question to ask: “Do you have a financial relationship with the maker of the implant, filler or device you're recommending — and what alternatives did you consider?”
Source: CMS Open Payments, the federal database created by the Sunshine Act. View the full record on CMS Open Payments ↗
Insurance Information
Please contact Dr. Saami Khalifian's office directly for information about accepted insurance plans.
Phone: (760) 766-7546
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Location & Contact Information
SOM Aesthetics
25 East E Street
Encinitas, California 92024
Office Information
Phone: (760) 766-7546
Where does Dr. Saami Khalifian practice?
Doctor's Office
SOM Aesthetics (Primary)
25 East E Street, Encinitas, California 92024
(2 reviews)
Hospital Affiliations
Hospital affiliations unknown
Do you know which hospitals Dr. Saami Khalifian is affiliated with? This information helps patients understand where they might receive care.
Education & Experience
Education
Johns Hopkins
Harvard
Harvard Medical School
Johns Hopkins University
Md In Medicine At Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins School Of Medicine
Certifications & Licenses
Board Certified Dermatologist
Double Board-certified Cosmetic Dermatologist And Surgeon
Board-certified Cosmetic Dermatologist
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make an appointment with Dr. Saami Khalifian online?
This information is not available based on the provided details. It's recommended to check the doctor's website or contact their office directly.
Does Dr. Saami Khalifian offer telehealth?
This information is not available based on the provided details. It's recommended to check the doctor's website or contact their office directly.
What do patients have to say about Dr. Saami Khalifian?
Patients rave about Dr. Khalifian! They highlight his skill with Botox and consider him the best.
What areas of care does Dr. Saami Khalifian cater to?
Dr. Khalifian specializes in cosmetic dermatology and surgery, offering minimally invasive procedures. His expertise includes Botox, dermal fillers, and other cosmetic skin procedures. He also addresses skin cancer and performs excisions. Employs a unique combined Sculptra and Radiesse approach for buttock augmentation, focusing on robust results with less product and fewer sessions than monotherapy. Utilizes an advanced, anatomically-based Botox technique for comprehensive and natural-looking glabellar results, tailored to individual patient anatomy. Applies chin and jawline fillers to enhance facial harmony, reduce jowls, and improve neck angles, sometimes using cannula techniques for precise jawline definition. Offers PRP for hair restoration, using nerve blocks for comfort, enriching PRP to 3X-5X concentration, and combining with medical therapy for optimal results, with a focus on the frontal hairline. Specializes in multi-modal laser treatments for conditions like post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), utilizing lasers such as Q-switched Nd:YAG and Clear & Brilliant Permea. Follows a systematic assessment for tear trough fillers, carefully evaluating for orbital fat prolapse, malar edema, pigmentary issues, and skin elasticity to determine candidacy and ensure realistic outcomes. Performs non-surgical rhinoplasty with Juvederm Volux, prioritizing safety with a gradual, low-volume injection technique to avoid vascular complications, especially in high-risk areas.