Know Your Health Pro: Dr. Ross Clevens, plastic surgeon Ross Clevens is a plastic surgeon at the Clevens Center for Facial Cosmetic Surgery in Melbourne. / George White/For FLORIDA TODAY Dr. Ross Clevens,plastic surgeon Age: 48 Hometown: Boston City of residence: Merritt Island Education: Bachelor's degrees in biology and psychology, Yale University; Harvard Medical School; master's in health policy and management, Harvard University Family: Wife, Dani, and sons, Bernie, 18, and Max, 16 Philanthropic activities: Include medical missions for Outreach Africa. He and his wife have formed Face Of Change, a nonprofit group that helps provide food for the needy in Brevard and East Africa. Contact: Clevens Center for Facial Cosmetic Surgery, 200 S. Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne, 321-727-3223   Plastic surgeon Dr. Ross Clevens started college on what might be considered a different career path … or maybe not so different. "I entered college actually planning on being a Greek and Latin major and a classics art history major," he said. "Somehow, I ended up in medical school. Interestingly, what I do now is very visual, very spatial and has clearly some artistic or creative component to it. What I'm doing in medicine really is full circle from my original interests. It's aesthetics,'' he said. Clevens talked about his practice and how philanthropy has become a major part of his career. QUESTION: What does your practice consist of now? ANSWER: The majority of it is cosmetic surgery, like eyelid, facial and nasal surgery, and there’s functionality in several of them. About a third of the practice is reconstructive surgery, usually for skin cancer surgeries. Q:Would you consider plastic surgery an emerging field? A: There are always new laser or laserlike devices coming to market, and there are always new treatments and injectables. It’s a very technique-driven field. Q:What technique or new technology has made the biggest impact? A: The development of laser technology that allows us to remove wrinkles, tattoos and lesions. We can do minimally invasive techniques. Q:What is on the horizon in your field? A: One of the things that is interesting are platelet gels. Platelets are those cells in your blood that float around that are responsible for healing by having growth factors. If you're injured or cut, your platelets flood the area and clump together and release enzymes for healing to occur. A platelet gel is made from a small amount of blood drawn from the patient and made into a highly concentrated solution, which is sprayed on the area. We show quicker healing and less bruising and scarring. What's new and very exciting is that we are using platelet gel in conjunction with lasers by injecting it into the skin, which is supercharging the healing. Q:Does it make you feel good to help people overseas needing facial surgeries? A: This is an opportunity to step away and to use my skill and craft for people who are profoundly needy. It’s really my opportunity to impact somebody’s life in a dramatic way who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity for that kind of benefit. Every day, you’re brought to tears or (get) emotional about something. Q:How important is appearance to self-esteem? A: I think that we’re probably born with self-esteem, which is comprised of all of those characteristics we think of in childhood: amazement, wonderment, interest. I think it’s disrupted as we grow up. As we develop and encounter things, we become inhibited. Follow us