Olivia MaDan, MD

At BEYOND Collective, I’ve put a lot of thought into our center to create a very welcoming atmosphere with a high-end, spa-like feel with soft and textured neutrals, warm wood tones, fresh flowers, natural light, comfortable exam chairs, a signature scent, and custom-dyed robes. Think 5-star boutique hotel meets medical office.

From the moment you walk through our doors, we want you to feel welcomed and cared for. We are a small, but mighty all-female practice where you will see the same faces with every visit. We take the time to build connections with every patient. We take pride in having thought of every aspect of the patients’ experience and strive to continually enhance that experience.

I appreciate that plastic surgery offers the ability to potentially take away the thing that bothers someone the most, to improve their self-confidence, and to see its effect in every aspect of their life.

The most rewarding aspect of plastic surgery is when a patient tells me I’ve given them their confidence back, or they can do or wear something with confidence that they weren’t able to before.

My career path into medicine has been a process of elimination. There is no medical background on either side of my family. During my college years at Clemson University, I switched majors from business to engineering and graduated with an Animal and Veterinary Science degree. I then decided that although I love animals, I wanted to treat humans instead. I took a year off between college and medical school. I lived in Aspen, CO, and worked for a plastic surgeon. I loved the creativity, problem-solving, and artistry skills required. Although I tried to keep an open mind, I was pretty much set on plastic surgery from day one of medical school.

During my plastic surgery residency at Wake Forest, I was inspired by the reconstruction after breast cancer. The ability to restore a part of someone that has been lost, whether due to cancer or trauma, is truly life-changing. While I initially offered breast reconstruction, my practice has gradually become more and more specialized in aesthetic plastic surgery. I am thankful that breast reconstruction opened my eyes to the world of aesthetic surgery.

I am always working on something—a house project, landscaping, or office design. Even when I am not operating, I enjoy problem-solving and working with my hands. I love playing golf and pickleball and watching Clemson football. I enjoy going to any and every game to support our Nashville teams.

I learned to ski when I was young. I switched to snowboarding around age 13 and haven’t looked back. I try to go on our family ski vacation every winter. In the summer, I make time to visit my family back in Charleston. I love every type of fishing and shooting sports.

I am a big fan of live music and classic country. I have two dogs—a German Shepherd named Blaze and an English-cream golden retriever named Townes. Their names pay tribute to the country legends, Blaze Foley and Townes van Zandt.

I grew up in Charleston, SC. I am an only child from a small family. I attended an all-girls school, Ashley Hall, from pre-k to 12th grade. I played piano and soccer throughout high school. My dad still lives in the historic antebellum home where I grew up. During the summers of my childhood, I went to Camp St Christopher on Seabrook Island and NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM. Shooting sports like skeet, trap, and sporting clays became some of my favorite activities. I went to college at Clemson University. After graduating in 2009, I spent a gap year in Aspen, CO. I returned home to Charleston to attend the Medical University of South Carolina. I matched into an integrated plastic surgeon at my top choice, Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC. I moved to Nashville after I completed my 6 year training in 2020.

I am beyond grateful for my education and support from my family. I truly believe that receiving a same-sex education from Ashley Hall built the foundation for my success in my medical training and plastic surgery. Before starting, I applied to Clemson as a business major and switched to engineering. I stayed in Ceramics and Material Engineering for 2 years and switched to Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Needless to say, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do!

I graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in Animal and Veterinary Science. I decided I preferred talking with my patients, so I took a year off to take the MCAT and apply to medical school. During that gap year, I worked for a plastic surgeon in Aspen, CO. I loved the artistry and attention to detail with the office treatments and surgical procedures. I tried to keep an open mind in medical school, but plastic surgery was always my passion. I did four away rotations during my 4th year of medical school. On match day, I was thrilled to find that I matched at my #1 choice for plastic surgery– Wake Forest. Residency at Wake Forest was grueling, with endless hours of trauma calls and long days in the OR. During those six years, I developed my surgical skills and desire to work for myself. I finished my training with an incredible amount of experience and the passion to build something of my own. I had an incredible opportunity to join Dr. Hueneke in Nashville. I took over/absorbed/bought his practice and used it as my launch pad to develop BEYOND.

I offer surgeries for the face/nose/neck, breasts, and body. I also perform revisionary surgery for the breast and body. Revision surgery is extremely rewarding but can be challenging when you encounter the unexpected.

My most popular procedures are breast augmentation and abdominoplasty. I think the most underrated procedures are the upper lip lift and labiaplasty.

In my free time, I usually work on house projects and design, gardening, golf, and fishing. I have two dogs–Blaze, a German shepherd, and Townes, an English-cream golden retriever. I love all types of live music. I am a diehard Clemson fan and happily support all of our Nashville teams. If I am not in Nashville, you could probably find me visiting my friends and family in Charleston and snowboarding in Colorado during the winter.

The community of plastic surgeons in Nashville is extremely supportive and collegial. Quarterly, the plastics surgeons in the community join the academic plastic surgeons and residents from Vanderbilt for a gathering called City Wide. There is a large turnout at every meeting to discuss new therapies, treatments, and techniques. My former partner, Dr. Michael Hueneke, has been instrumental in setting my practice up for success. Since his retirement in January 2022, we have continued to meet and discuss challenging cases. He has been kind enough to share his wisdom and experiences, giving me helpful insight and advice. My hope is to have a long and successful career in Nashville and, in turn, provide mentorship and advice to a young plastic surgeon in the future.

Plastic surgery and the privilege of being able to perform it has given me a baseline of gratitude and mutual respect. I have gratitude towards the patients who choose to see me in consultation, the patients that entrust me with their face, breasts or body for primary or secondary surgery.

I think the patient can have it all when it comes to selecting their plastic surgeon.

For something like brain surgery, I wouldn’t care about the surgeon’s bedside manner as long as he/she was safe and had successful outcomes. For an essential surgery, I would be much more willing to overlook the surgeon’s personality shortcomings for the “best” brain surgeon with the “best” outcome. 

When it comes to plastic surgery, I think the patient can and should have it all. Cosmetic plastic surgery is elective. The term elective applies to both the patient and the surgeon. We are choosing to walk down this proverbial surgery road together. Who would you want your partner to be? I would want an honest and upfront surgeon about the surgery, possible risks, and realistic outcomes. I would want to know how they have managed past complications and how their practice has changed with experience. Every surgeon has complications. What sets others apart is how they manage those complications, learn from them, and change their practice accordingly.

As a patient, I would want my entire experience to feel streamlined and require minimal extra steps. For example, we deliver your post-operative prescriptions BEFORE your surgery, so you don’t need to stop at the pharmacy. We also accept one payment from you and, in turn, pay your anesthesia and OR fees on your behalf, minimizing extra phone calls and stress on you.

For every procedure, I put myself in the patient’s shoes. I would prefer to recover without a drain if my surgeon could safely perform my tummy tuck without one (using progressive tension sutures). For a breast lift or reduction, I would want the axilla and lateral breast liposuction to be included to get the best possible result. Some aspects of surgery should be included because the patient shouldn’t be expected to know what to ask for or what will improve their final outcome.