Quick Facts
- Board certified: American Board of Plastic Surgery and American Board of Surgery, with a Certificate of Added Qualification in Surgery of the Hand
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons
- More than 30 years in aesthetic plastic surgery
- One of 22 Principal Investigators, Motiva Implants Core Clinical Study (FDA IDE G170186); highest patient enrollment (73) of any investigator
- Investigator, Motiva FDA post-approval studies (PACS and NEPAS)
- Among the first 36 U.S. surgeons trained in Preservé breast augmentation
- 174 Preservé procedures performed as of July 14, 2026
- 62 plastic surgeons trained in the Preservé technique
- Designer of surgical instruments including the Epstein Breast Preservation Channel Dilator
- Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery), Stony Brook University Medical Center, since 2002
- Chief of Plastic Surgery, North Shore SurgiCenter, since 1995
The Motiva FDA Clinical Trial
In May 2018, Dr. Epstein was selected as one of 22 Principal Investigators in the Motiva Implants Core Clinical Study, a 10-year, prospective, multicenter trial conducted under FDA guidelines across 23 investigational sites in the United States and Europe. Of the 560 patients enrolled in the study, Dr. Epstein enrolled 73 at his Hauppauge facility, the highest enrollment among all participating investigators and the largest single-site dataset in the trial. That trial supported FDA approval of Motiva breast implants on September 26, 2024, the first new breast implant Premarket Approval granted by the FDA since 2013. Dr. Epstein continues as an investigator in the two FDA-mandated post-approval studies: PACS, which follows the original trial patients through the full 10-year endpoint, and NEPAS, a new prospective study enrolling up to 2,400 patients to assess long-term safety outcomes.
Preservé Breast Augmentation Experience
Preservé is a tissue-preserving approach to breast implant placement developed by Establishment Labs that minimizes disruption to native breast anatomy during surgery. Dr. Epstein was among the first 36 U.S. plastic surgeons formally trained in the technique. As of July 14, 2026, he has performed 174 Preservé procedures, one of the highest volumes in the United States. He also performs Wide Awake Preservé, the procedure done under local anesthesia without general anesthesia, for appropriate candidates.
Teaching Other Surgeons
Dr. Epstein has trained 58 plastic surgeons in the Preservé technique through a structured program at his Hauppauge facility, combining didactic instruction covering patient selection, surgical planning, instrumentation, and the clinical evidence base with direct observation of live Preservé procedures in his operating room. Surgeons travel from across the United States to attend.
Surgical Innovation
Throughout his career, Dr. Epstein has designed surgical instruments to reduce tissue trauma and improve outcomes in aesthetic breast surgery. These include the Epstein Breast Implant Retractors (manufactured by ASSI), the Epstein Abdominoplasty Retractors, the Epstein-Deaver Breast Retractor (manufactured by Black & Black Surgical), the Epstein Carpal Tunnel Knife Guide, and most recently the Epstein Breast Preservation Channel Dilator, designed to facilitate atraumatic introduction of the implant during Preservé breast augmentation.
Education & Training
Dr. Epstein received his medical degree from the State University of New York Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn in 1984. He completed his internship and residency in General Surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, serving as Chief Resident, and his residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA, again serving as Chief Resident. He completed clinical fellowships in Reconstructive Microsurgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan, Hand Surgery at the Raymond Curtis Hand Center in Baltimore, and Microsurgery at Brigham and Women's/Children's Hospital at Harvard in Boston, along with a research fellowship at the Shriners Burns Institute in Cincinnati.
Certification & Affiliations
Dr. Epstein is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, and holds a Certificate of Added Qualification in Surgery of the Hand. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and The Aesthetic Society. He has served as Chief of Plastic Surgery at North Shore SurgiCenter since 1995, the first plastic surgical facility on Long Island to receive Joint Commission accreditation, and as Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic Surgery) at Stony Brook University Medical Center since 2002. His hospital affiliations include University Medical Center at Stony Brook and St. Catherine of Siena Hospital.
FAQs
Disclosure
Dr. Epstein is a paid investigator in the Motiva U.S. FDA clinical trial and is compensated by Establishment Labs to train surgeons on the Preservé breast augmentation technique. He discloses this relationship in all public communications involving Motiva or Preservé.
