Erik J. Nuveen, MD, DMD

Dr. Nuveen and Dr. Caplin are Oklahoma City's only triple board-certified cosmetic surgeons, having achieved diplomate status with The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, The American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery, and The American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Erik Nuveen performs surgeries of the face, breast, and abdomen. His education includes both dental (University of Connecticut) and medical (Case Western Reserve University) degrees. His fellowships in Craniofacial surgery (Toronto Sick Children's Hospital) and General and Facial Cosmetic Surgery (Salt Lake City, UT) allow him super specialization in Facial Restoration and Rejuvenation as well as Massive Weight loss management. All of this past has allowed him to complete more than 25,000 cosmetic surgeries of the body and face with greater than 99% satisfaction since 2002. 

Our goals are quite clear — to lead the nation in safety and satisfaction in cosmetic surgery. We do so through the performance of surgery and our dedicated contribution to science and research by publication and presentation, nationally and internationally. This level of dedication to the art and science of Cosmetic Surgery is unparalleled. He makes it abundantly clear that his career is his life, and he is proud and grateful for this gift. Dr. Nuveen has been honored with more than 20 national and international awards for his dedication to cosmetic surgery and the evolution of patient care. Dr. Nuveen never hesitates to provide his direct cell phone number should any questions or concerns arise at any hour. He also is proud to refer to colleagues of equal qualification without hesitation when appropriate.

Throughout his expansive career, Dr. Nuveen has performed more than 25,000 major cosmetic surgeries. Dr. Nuveen’s specialties include breast, body, and facial cosmetic surgery, all with formal fellowship training (craniofacial and cosmetic surgery) Statistically, there are very few physicians in the world who have performed as many cosmetic surgeries as Dr. Nuveen has. Annually, breast surgery is performed by Dr. Nuveen more than 500 times and includes breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast lifts with implants, breast reductions, as well as male chest reductions. Other areas of focus include more than 100 tummy tucks, 200 facial rejuvenation treatments (including the patented SmartLift facial procedure), and nose reshaping procedures. Facial rejuvenation continues its evolution and growth with routinely performed fat transfer to the cheeks and face, rhinoplasty, septoplasty, and chin enhancement and reduction. Major body procedures are often associated with massive weight loss or post-childbearing and include full body lifts, buttocks lifts, thigh lifts, buttock implants with fat transfer (Brazilian butt lift), liposuction, and arm lifts. Dr. Nuveen has dedicated a major portion of his life to his obsession with rhinoplasty where he continues to pursue mastery of the greatest of all surgical challenges. Dr. Nuveen is also very accomplished in revisions where he is often requested to repair complications of rhinoplasty performed elsewhere.

While achieving his B. A. in Biology from Lafayette College in 1989, Dr. Nuveen was proud of his student-athlete status and competed in Div. I college wrestling. The son of an orthodontist, Dr. Nuveen then earned a Doctorate in Dentistry (D.M.D.) from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine in 1994. He then completed a one-year transitional/rotational year at Sepulveda VAMC/UCLA Medical Center focused on surgery and anesthesia. This was immediately followed by the first year of his five years devoted to maxillofacial surgery at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA. Dr. Nuveen was then fortunate to transfer to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland under the supervision of Dr. R. Haug, a world-famous facial reconstructive surgeon, author, and mentor. Dr. Nuveen then completed his residency in oral/maxillofacial surgery in Cleveland and its associated hospital system. Dr. Nuveen then earned his medical degree (M.D.) at the prestigious Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH. He then completed his second year of general surgery at Hershey Penn State Medical Center.  

Due in part to the nature of his extensive surgical and medical training prior to his medical degree, Dr. Nuveen was accepted for an additional year of rotations in sub-specialized areas of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery for the completion of his medical school rotations (13 months). Pediatric craniofacial surgery, plastic surgery, microvascular surgery, and cosmetic surgery at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles, Loma Linda University, the Institute of Facial and Cosmetic Surgery, Utah, and The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto diversified his medical and surgical exposure beyond comparison. Dr. Nuveen then completed an additional year of residency in general surgery at Pennsylvania State University/Hershey Medical Center. The final year of Dr. Nuveen's 9 years of surgical training was under the supervision of Brent D. Kennedy, M.D., D.M.D., F.A.A.C.S. and Lane F. Smith, M.D., F.A.C.S. at the highly esteemed A.A.C.S.-accredited fellowship in facial and general cosmetic surgery in Murray, Utah.

Holding special distinction, Dr. Nuveen is triple board-certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, the American Board of Facial Cosmetic Surgery, and the American Board of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery. Highly respected by his peers, Dr. Nuveen has and continues to present at various national and international professional meetings and has been involved in and written more than 28 peer-reviewed publications and 10 book chapters. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Dr. Nuveen has been an invited board examiner on the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery since 2008.

In 2023, Dr. Nuveen was awarded the most outstanding poster presentation for his original work on the evaluation of Operative Efficiency within a cosmetic surgery facility. In  2015, Dr. Nuveen was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Science in Original Publication Award by the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. In 2005, he received the Sunshine Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Department at OU Medical Center. In 2001, Dr. Nuveen received an Acknowledgement Award for the presentation of his research. Further, Dr. Nuveen earned a Scientific Achievement Award for biomedical research at Case Western Reserve in 1998.

Dr. Nuveen received certification as an instrument-rated private pilot in 2007. When he’s on the ground, Dr. Nuveen enjoys spending time with his sons, Cooper and Diederik. Dr. Nuveen also enjoys hard work on his property and home restoration projects, as well as automobile restoration and modification. At the forefront of his career and personal life is helping others through education, research, and publication of other physicians, dentists, nurses, and students of all ages. Dr. Nuveen was also recently selected as CEO of Cosmetic Surgery Group, LLC, a national partnership with VSS Equity Group with goals of national expansion.