In this episode of Open Heart, Priya Rao, MD, interventional cardiologist and host of the Open Heart Podcast, sits down with Deepak Dugar, MD, a world-renowned Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon whose reputation has been built not only on extraordinary technical skill, but on something far rarer: ethical clarity, humility, and the courage to refuse surgery when it is not truly needed.
Dr. Dugar specializes exclusively in rhinoplasty, one of the most complex and psychologically charged procedures in all of medicine. He spent nearly a decade training under elite mentors, studying anatomy obsessively, shadowing cases while others vacationed, and committing himself fully to mastery. Yet what ultimately distinguishes him is not just what he can do with a scalpel. It is when he chooses not to use one.
Throughout this conversation, Deepak shares why turning patients away has become one of the most important parts of his practice. He speaks candidly about the responsibility physicians carry when patients project insecurity, longing, and identity onto a procedure. Why saying “you don’t need surgery” can sometimes be more transformative than any physical alteration. And why hearing that truth from a physician carries a weight that no mirror ever could.
Together, Priya and Deepak explore the deeper terrain beneath ambition, perfectionism, and success, the emotional and spiritual undercurrents that medicine often does not name, but encounters every day. They unpack how insecurity can quietly erode us or, when brought into awareness, be consciously harnessed into excellence, service, and purpose.
Both reflect on growing up as first-generation Indian Americans, internalizing cultural pressure to be exceptional, disciplined, and flawless, checking every box, achieving every milestone, and still sensing an unnamed emptiness underneath it all. It is a conversation about what happens when external success outpaces internal alignment, and what healing actually requires in those moments.This episode moves fluidly between modern medicine and spirituality, between surgical precision and soul-level inquiry. It is as much about consciousness as it is about care.
📘 Deepak’s Book: Be-YOU-tiful: Flip the Script and Celebrate Your True Beauty
Purchase here: https://a.co/d/9LO2KIP
