About Nicolas Villanustre, MD

Dr. Nicolas Villanustre offers exceptional, compassionate care in plastic surgery. A board-certified and fellowship-trained plastic surgeon, he performs a wide range of breast, body and facial procedures at Reflections at St. Luke’s. Dr. Villanustre is the medical director at Reflections at St. Luke’s. He is a featured regular on Channel 8′s Daytime Today show as the WFLA Health Advisor for plastic and cosmetic surgery In 2000, after graduating from the Universidad de la Republica in his native Uruguay, Dr. Villanustre entered a highly competitive foreign medical residency program. After being accepted, he moved to the United States and trained in general surgery and plastic surgery at Indiana University. “I wanted to do surgery,” Dr. Villanustre says, “because I love all medicine, but surgery allows me to obtain a therapeutic result right away. I was able to fix a patient quickly and get patient satisfaction quickly, rather than just treat an illness for months with medications. That was one of the reasons I wanted to be a surgeon: I was able to perform and produce a result with my hands.” Once he was qualified to practice surgery, he traveled to South America to undergo an international fellowship with Dr. Ivo Pitanguy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Working with Dr. Pitanguy, a world-renowned plastic surgeon and philanthropist, Dr. Villanustre learned the value of the natural beauty and harmony of the body. After honing his surgical techniques in one of the world capitals of plastic surgery, he returned to practice in the United States. Dr. Villanustre soon became a full-time member of the Department of Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine, rising to the position of Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery. While living in Indiana, he and his wife were blessed with two children. Dr. Villanustre is fluent in both English and Spanish.