Dr. Melissa Bender is a double board certified Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon and Head and Neck surgeon who specializes in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face and neck, non-surgical facial optimization, and hair restoration.
Dr. Bender grew up in Houston and completed her undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania with a major in Biological Basis of Behavior and a double minor in Hispanic Studies and Chemistry, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the prestigious Baylor College of Medicine in her hometown of Houston, Texas. She then completed an internship and residency in Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She was privileged to be selected for a humanitarian trip performing cleft lip and palate repair in the Philippines during her training.
Following residency, Dr. Bender was selected for a highly competitive fellowship through the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery under the direction of Dr. Edward Buckingham in Austin, Texas. She then pursued additional training with multiple surgeons around the country in order to offer hair restoration procedures including both follicular unit transplantation (also known as linear strip excision) and follicular unit extraction.
She is an active member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Houston Society of Otolaryngology, and the Texas Medical Association.
During her time off, Dr. Bender enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. Her husband owns a travel company and she loves being able to travel to new places with her family. She enjoys being active, yoga, hiking, rock climbing, and reading.
