# From Air Force to Solo to Retirement — Michael Edwards, MD (Ep. 356)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/beauty-and-the-biz-581032/from-air-force-to-solo-to-retirement-michael-edwards-md-ep-356
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/beauty-and-the-biz-581032/from-air-force-to-solo-to-retirement-michael-edwards-md-ep-356.md
Podcast: [Beauty and the Biz](https://stenobird.com/podcast/beauty-and-the-biz-581032)
Published: 2026-04-03T23:38:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.catherinemaley.com/podcast/from-air-force-to-solo-to-retirement-michael-edwards-md-ep-356/
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catherinemaley/From_Air_Force_to_Solo_to_Retirement__Michael_Edwards_MD_Ep._356.mp3?dest-id=1247585
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Duration seconds: 3417

## Resource

📅 Schedule Your Practice Growth Strategy Review ⚙️ Restart your practice in 7 days ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Michael Edwards, MD, shares his journey from being in the US Air Force, going into solo practice, and then transitioning into retirement. Hello, and welcome to "Beauty and the Biz," where we'll discuss the business and marketing side of plastic surgery. As always, I'm your host, Catherine Maley, author of "Your Aesthetic Practice – What Your Patients Are Saying." and consultant to plastic surgeons, helping them get more patients and more profits. From Air Force to Solo to Retirement Initially, Dr. Michael C. Edwards is a board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of Plastic Surgery Vegas. Furthermore, he is a past president of the Aesthetic Society. Previously, he served as a U.S. Air Force officer. Specifically, he commanded a field hospital in the Middle East. Subsequently, he transitioned from military medicine to solo private practice in Las Vegas. Remarkably, he was operating on patients his first week out of uniform. Now, in this episode of "Beauty and the Biz," Dr. Edwards breaks down exactly how he did it: First, he reveals why he stayed in the same city. Consequently, that single decision made his practice launch almost effortless. Next, he discusses being solo for 12 years before a group merger. Ultimately, it took a year of conversations, attorneys and consultants to get it right. Then, he reviews his private equity decision. Specifically, they looked into private equity and walked away. Furthermore, he explains why. Later, he details the one-year retirement announcement. Unsurprisingly, he shares what happened when his phone "lit up." Moreover, he is transferring 30 years of patient loyalty to the new surgeon taking his place. Importantly, he does this without a singl…

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