Meet the Duo Behind the Plastic Surgery Center of Nashville
Get to know the women behind the Plastic Surgery Center of Nashville, two surgeons blending skill, artistry, and heart to help patients feel like their best selves. Image: Ashley Hylbert
Plastic surgery isn’t just about glamour. For Dr. Mary Gingrass and Dr. Melinda Haws of the Plastic Surgery Center of Nashville with HKB, it’s about restoring confidence and comfort. Dr. Gingrass followed her father’s footsteps in medicine, while Dr. Haws found her calling in the artistry of surgery. Today, they focus on breast and body procedures, united by one mission: helping patients feel truly seen, supported, and whole. We are excited to share their journey as today’s FACES of Nashville.
What led you to a career in plastic surgery?
Dr. Gingrass: I’m a third-generation plastic surgeon, so I was exposed to the field early! My father was a professor and chairman at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I remember looking through his plastic surgery textbooks and journals at a young age and being fascinated by the pictures of reconstructive procedures. I would beg my dad to take me on rounds with him so I could meet some of his patients. I specifically went to medical school to become a plastic surgeon.
Dr. Haws: I started medical school thinking I wanted to be an obstetrician. I had no family members with a background in medicine, so I was going in pretty fresh-faced. What I discovered was that I loved surgery, particularly plastic surgery, because it encompasses a wide range of avenues to restore form, function, and confidence in our patients. I also firmly believe plastic surgeons work best with an ability to think three-dimensionally and have an artistic bend. The human body varies a lot from one person to the next, so cookie-cutter approaches don’t work.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Dr. Gingrass: I absolutely love what I do. It is so rewarding to see patients for long-term follow-up when they say that their surgical procedure changed their life for the better, whether that’s making them feel better about themselves and how they go about their day, or simply making them more comfortable.
I also just LOVE TO OPERATE. I feel like some of the cosmetic procedures I do are like “doing alterations.” Sometimes I make things a little bigger or smaller, or simply reshape things a bit.
Dr. Haws: Early on, when I did a lot of reconstructive plastic surgery and congenital reconstruction, I was rewarded by restoring lost form or function to a patient. Whether rebuilding a breast after cancer, or fixing a baby’s cleft lip or palate, it was incredibly rewarding for a patient to look in the mirror and see reflected how they felt on the inside — to help them feel whole. For the last several years, I’ve primarily been a cosmetic or aesthetic surgeon, doing only elective surgeries.
It’s still incredibly rewarding because, again, I help patients see in the mirror who they feel they are on the inside. Unlike reconstructive surgeries, all my patients now see me by choice and are happy to have surgery. They’re invested in their care and achieving the best outcomes possible.
What’s one of the biggest misconceptions people have about plastic surgery?
Dr. Gingrass: That it’s all glitz and glamour. There are glamorous parts of the aesthetic surgery side of it, but there’s a whole other side of the field that’s reconstructive surgery! Reconstructive surgery is all about making the body whole again after cancer or trauma, for instance.
Dr. Haws: I think people sometimes forget that aesthetic or cosmetic surgery is still surgery. I often tell patients that it’s not like getting your hair cut. Hair grows back, but I still get nervous when I go to a new hairstylist. They should be a little nervous before cosmetic surgery because it is still surgery. For that reason, when I see a patient, it’s important that I make sure they’re healthy and in the best position to heal well.
Tell us about your specialties.
Dr. Gingrass: Although I performed reconstructive procedures for many years, I’m currently doing all cosmetic surgery. I particularly love breast and body contouring surgery. I do a lot of secondary and tertiary breast implant procedures. Breast implants have been around since the early 1960s, so many women now require implant revision procedures, whether to downsize, upsize, or even remove their implants … Breast implant maintenance is a good reason to maintain a relationship with your plastic surgeon.
Dr. Haws: Early on, I ran the gamut of reconstructive surgeries — limb attachment, burn care, trauma, facial fractures, and reconstruction after cancer. Now, my practice is focused on breast and body cosmetic surgery. Believe it or not, doing all those complex reconstructions and trauma surgeries makes you a better aesthetic surgeon. I fully appreciate the complexities of the human body and its ability to heal.
What’s something most people would be surprised to learn about you?
Dr. Gingrass: I have a green thumb! I enjoy gardening immensely. I’m also a seamstress. I made all my bridesmaids’ dresses!
Dr. Haws: I love Nashville because I love music. I can’t tell you the hundreds of concerts that I’ve been to over my lifetime. And living in Nashville certainly makes that easy.
What do you do to recharge outside of work?
Dr. Gingrass: Hot Yoga at Fahrenheit, weight training at IronTribe Belmont, and sunsets.
Dr. Haws: Hiking, shopping, going to concerts, and spending time with my family, including my two Maine Coon cats.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Dr. Gingrass: To have children.
Dr. Haws: It’s a tie between “It’s none of your business what anyone else thinks of you” and “Be kind because you don’t know anyone else’s struggles.”
LIGHTNING ROUND
Three things you can’t live without:
Dr. Gingrass: My morning coffee, my curling iron, and mascara.
Dr. Haws: Chocolate, books, and new shoes.
Last best meal in Nashville?
Dr. Gingrass: Sweet corn agnolotti at Rolf and Daughters.
Dr. Haws: Bakersfield Taco! We went in for dinner before the Mumford and Sons concert last month. Their queso with short rib rocks!
Favorite local hidden gem?
Dr. Gingrass: Bucca Reflexology for a one-hour foot massage!
Dr. Haws: Climb Nashville! It’s my favorite workout. With their auto belays, I can go on my own and have a great and efficient workout pulling my body weight up those walls. They change the routes often, so I’m never bored. I’ve been a member for 12 years now.
Favorite recent book or podcast?
Dr. Gingrass: The Rosie Project
Dr. Haws: I’m still thinking of my two most recent reads! The Skies Belong to Us is about the commercial airline hijacking epidemic that happened in the U.S. through the ’60s and early ’70s. I can’t believe I never knew about anyone but DB Cooper!
The recent fiction book Gone Before Goodbye, written by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben, was a great audiobook. Reese, Chris Pine, and other actors narrate it. And Harlan Coben is always great for an engaging thriller!
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.