Dr. Malena Amato

Dr. Amato is a board-certified eyelid and facial plastic surgeon who practices at the clinic alongside Dr. Somogyi. She has worked in medicine for roughly 20 years and has been in Austin since 2013, and she has spent more than 17 years in oculoplastic surgery. Her education started with undergraduate work at Boston College and Oxford University. She received her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, then trained through a surgical internship at Stanford Health Sciences Center, an ophthalmology residency at Georgetown University Center for Sight, and a two-year oculofacial plastic surgery fellowship at Texas Ocuplastic Consultants that is accredited by ASOPRS. Board certification came after her residency. Her caseload includes endoscopic brow lifts, upper and lower blepharoplasty, fat transfer to the face, and mid-facelifts, frequently paired with injectables and laser work. She also handles revision blepharoplasty and post-Mohs reconstruction of the eyelid, and repairs lids that have shifted because of scarring, age, facial nerve palsy or a congenital condition. Her clinical interests extend to the lacrimal (tear duct) system, the orbit and the face more broadly. She personally carries out the medical spa treatments, which include Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and dermal fillers for lines and facial hollows. She is known for a patient-first approach, spending time on each person's cosmetic, medical and personal aims, including those of parents and working professionals, and educating them about expectations. After surgery, she phones patients directly and provides her own number. She has been president of the Austin Ophthalmology Society and an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown and Stanford, while also working at Kaiser Permanente in the Bay Area. She has taught orbital and reconstructive eyelid surgery to trainees, carried out research, and authored book chapters and peer-reviewed papers. She serves on the editorial board of EyeNet Magazine and acts as a reviewer for the Journal of Ophthalmology. She has taken part in surgical missions providing facial and cleft lip reconstruction, and has volunteered with several organisations, among them SEE International, Medical Missions for Children, Eyes on Africa, International Medical Relief Foundation, About Face and Austin Smiles. Texas Monthly listed her in Super Doctors from 2015 through 2023, and Austin Monthly named her to Best Doctors from 2014 through 2022. She received an ASOPRS Research Award in 2008 and a Distinguished Woman Physicians award in Texas in 2017.