In the name of charity, Las Vegas plastic surgeon cares for the faces of fighters

At one southwest Las Vegas plastic surgery office, VIP treatment isn't reserved just for world champion fighters or notable socialites -- although Dr. Jeffrey Roth has worked on them, too.

Despite Roth's experience in freshening up the pretty faces in the city's spotlight, he also specializes in treating the average locals who stand behind the tables.

To ease the aging look from a card dealer's tired hands, Roth said a microdermabrasion and filler is a safe bet for $50. Other locals find affordable options in chemical peels and skin treatments, he said, noting that not everybody needs surgery to look a little younger.

"Most often, my clientele is just people who want to look and feel better for themselves," he said. "Little things can make a difference. It doesn't have to be surgery."

Roth said he enjoys treating the locals in the valley he has called home most of his life. He moved here in 1977 and graduated from Chaparral High School in 1984. After extensive training at top schools across the country, Roth said he returned to the southwest to give back to the community that raised him. His practice often sponsors youth sports and contributes to about a dozen charities, from Keep Memory Alive and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to Nathan Adelson Hospice and the Nevada Cancer Institute.

Growing up in Las Vegas, Roth said he remembers legendary boxing matches at Caesars Palace in an era when "everybody was a fight fan."

After watching the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II fight in 2008, someone recognized the doctor and asked him to jump in and save Pacquiao. Not in the ring, Roth added with a laugh , noting he wouldn't last, but behind the scenes where two doctors from the Philippines were using what looked like World War II instruments to stitch the world champion's face.

"Now, he expects me to be there," Roth said of working dozens of fights in the past three years.

"The boxing stuff has been really neat," he said, rattling off the big names he has sat next to ring side. "There's really nothing like 18,000 people going bananas at a fight."

As exciting as contributing to the sport might be, he says making an impact in someone's life beats it.

Watching a young girl look in the mirror after you fix her deformed ears; witnessing a man move his arm after you reattached the limb that was hanging by a thread; removing extra skin from a 92-year-old woman's eyelids so she could see again -- "Those cases stand out, " he said.

Now that his career has progressed, Roth said he focuses mostly on more aesthetic work, but that can be just as rewarding.

It means "taking the edge off" for a 50-year-old who wants to look how he feels because he's still racing in triathalons or giving a mom her body back when the gym just won't cut it.

"I think physical appearance is an important adjunct to people feeling good about themselves," Roth said.

"You get to make a big impact in someone's life."

Contact Southwest and Spring Valley View reporter Jessica Fryman at jfryman@viewnews.com or 380-4535.