Training and board certification
- Graduate of George Washington University, 1982.
- In practice since 1989.
- Board-certified; Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).
- Member, American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).
- Past Chief of Plastic Surgery, Johns Hopkins/Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, MD.
- Attending plastic surgeon, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
- Burn Unit Director, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, during Desert Storm; awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.
- President, National Capital Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2002.
- Certificate of Advanced Education in Cosmetic Surgery, ASAPS.
Source for all rows: source. The certifying board is not named by name on this page.
Eyelid surgery work
Cosmetic Surgery Associates is a three-surgeon practice (Richards, A. Dean Jabs, Keshav Magge); the eyelid procedure and gallery pages are shared practice pages, not attributed to one surgeon, except the upper eyelid page's "Top-rated doctors" section which names Dr. Richards's expertise in eyelid surgery specifically.
- Upper blepharoplasty. Incision hidden in the natural upper-lid crease; excess skin and fat removed, underlying muscle tightened (source).
- Lower blepharoplasty. Incision just beneath the lower lash line or inside the lower lid; excess fat and tissue removed or repositioned (source). The male eyelid page distinguishes a transconjunctival incision (inside the eyelid, best for fat pockets) from a subciliary incision (near the lash line, best for drooping) (source).
- Upper and lower blepharoplasty. Combined procedure page separately names the transconjunctival lower-eyelid technique as leaving no visible scar (source).
- Double eyelid surgery (Asian eyelid surgery). Creates an upper-lid crease via an incision in the natural lid line for patients with a monolid, while preserving ethnic eyelid characteristics (source).
- Male eyelid surgery. Blepharoplasty adapted to preserve masculine features, thicker eyelid muscle and a heavier brow line (source).
Other procedures
The practice also offers brow lift, facelift (NaturalLift and deep plane), neck lift, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, chin augmentation, lip lift, breast and body procedures, and non-surgical injectables and skin treatments. The brow lift page describes it as treating loose skin and wrinkles on the forehead and notes it can be combined with blepharoplasty (source).
Insurance and cost
"Eyelid surgery is covered by insurance only when the excess skin obstructs vision" (upper-lower-eyelid-surgery FAQ).
Each procedure page prints a cost estimate in a stat box: upper blepharoplasty "$5K+"; lower blepharoplasty "$7K"; upper and lower blepharoplasty "Starts at $5K"; double eyelid (Asian) surgery "$7K+"; brow lift "Starts at $5K"; male eyelid surgery "Starts at 5K." Printed recovery windows: upper blepharoplasty 7-10 days; lower blepharoplasty 10-14 days; upper and lower 10-14 days; double eyelid surgery 2 weeks; brow lift 1 week. Results stated as visible by 3 months (3-6 months for combined upper and lower).