The coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc around the world. Curbing the horrors of the virus entailed some stern steps that governments had to take, which included the cancellation of flight operations and travel restrictions that disrupted economies and affected hordes of organizations and people. Dr. Ross Blagg was one of the affectees as his humanitarian missions in Haiti and Guatemala were canceled.
“I was used to going overseas a few times a year where I could combine surgical missions with some sort of travel and adventure. It was a great way to give back to people who lacked access to care, and to scratch my itch for adrenaline travel,” says Blagg. But with borders closed, this passionate surgeon just pivoted and decided to pursue his trademark adventure philanthropic traveling in his home country.
His newest project was born out of these unique circumstances. Plastic Surgery Road Trip (PSRT) is a docu series now airing on YouTube that followed Dr. Blagg and friends as they road trip across the US finding people with amazing stories that need plastic surgery to help complete their journeys. Along the way, he goes to extremes to create a travel adventure before delving into his patient’s life and ultimately granting them a plastic surgery makeover. He likes to describe it as “Queer Eye” meets “Parts Unknown”.
Lyfe in Plastic productions is a group of filmmakers specializing in producing content, including philanthropy, adventure, and storytelling. It is ‘focused on bringing medical universes to life in a story-driven, adventurous manner’. The company has plans for other documentary style productions and you can follow the PSRT adventure on their YouTube channel.
Being creative isn’t new to Dr. Blagg. He was naturally gifted in art at an early age. In fact, it was the possibility of fusing art with science that first propelled his interest in plastic surgery. He has continued creating mixed media art throughout his career and with PSRT, he is taking his creativity in a new visual content direction.
Dr. Blagg hopes that PSRT will help tell a different story about plastic surgery and those who benefit from it. “I think there are many misconceptions about my job and my patients in the public,” remarks Blagg. “I love traveling and learning new things, but I also enjoy getting to know the story behind the person when I am able to help someone with surgery. So PSRT lets me do those things and the fact that we’re filming it allows others to join in on the experience. It’s like I have a whole group of people going on the trip with me. It’s been really rewarding.”
The Plastic Surgery Road Trip is open to nominations. If you want to hop on with Dr. Blagg, you can fill out the nomination form here. And you can follow the daily adventures of Dr. Ross on Instagram: @dr.rossblagg.
