Dr Patti Piper: Experienced Cosmetic Doctor in Auckland
Dr Patti Piper is the founder and sole treating doctor at Aesthetica, a cosmetic clinic in Grey Lynn, Auckland. She holds BHB, MBChB, FRNZCGP, Dip. NZSCM and Dip. SCCA, and is a full member of the New Zealand Skin Cancer Doctors (NZSCD). Every treatment at Aesthetica is delivered personally by Dr Patti, never handed to a nurse or junior injector.
From general surgery to neurosurgery.
Dr Patti Piper graduated from Auckland School of Medicine and entered the surgical training scheme, training first in general surgery and then in neurosurgery for around five and a half years before changing direction into general practice. That surgical grounding is unusual among cosmetic doctors and shapes how she works today: a precise understanding of facial anatomy, careful technique, and comfort operating close to nerves and blood vessels that many injectors have never studied in depth.
After several years in surgical training, Dr Patti moved into general practice and founded Sunset Road Family Doctors, which holds Cornerstone accreditation from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. She achieved Fellowship of the College (FRNZCGP) and taught doctors on the RNZCGP training scheme while they were on placement at Sunset Road, work she greatly enjoyed. She has since sold the practice to concentrate on cosmetic medicine.
Years of experience that shape every treatment decision.
Years of experience in diagnosing and treating skin cancer and lesions.
An accredited member of the NZ Society of Cosmetic Medicine.
Who trains other doctors.
Dr Patti holds the Diploma of Cosmetic Medicine from the New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Medicine (NZSCM) and received the Dr Ralph Saxe Outstanding Trainee Award for her year. Thread lifting has become her particular area of expertise, and she has gone on to train other doctors in thread lifting technique, a rare distinction for a cosmetic doctor in New Zealand.
Her skin cancer credentials run alongside this: a Diploma from the Skin Cancer College of Australasia and full membership of the New Zealand Skin Cancer Doctors, reflecting years spent examining and removing suspicious lesions as well as treating cosmetic concerns.
An eye for natural proportion, and a genuine sense of humour.
Away from the clinic, what sets Dr Patti apart is how personally she cares about her patients: down to earth, non-judgemental, and known for bringing warmth to appointments that can otherwise feel clinical. She approaches every face individually, working to improve proportion and balance rather than chasing a fixed template. Outside the clinic she is a mother, and her family remain closely involved in Aesthetica.
Questions about Dr Patti
Dr Patti Piper holds BHB and MBChB from Auckland School of Medicine, is a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (FRNZCGP), and holds a Diploma of Cosmetic Medicine from the New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Medicine (Dip. NZSCM). She also holds a Diploma from the Skin Cancer College of Australasia (Dip. SCCA) and is a full member of the New Zealand Skin Cancer Doctors (NZSCD). She trained first in general surgery, then neurosurgery, before moving into general practice and later cosmetic medicine.
Dr Patti Piper is not a certified surgeon. Early in her career she spent around five and a half years training in general surgery and then neurosurgery, before changing direction into general practice. That surgical training still shapes her work today: she has performed skin cancer surgery within her own general practice for years, and it underpins the anatomical precision she brings to thread lifting and injectable treatments at Aesthetica.
Yes, Dr Patti trains other doctors in thread lifting technique as part of the NZSCM Diploma of Cosmetic Medicine, and she has also taught doctors on the RNZCGP General Practice training scheme while they were on placement at her former general practice, Sunset Road Family Doctors, which she has since sold to concentrate on cosmetic medicine. Thread lifting is her area of particular expertise at Aesthetica, and her ongoing role training other doctors in the technique reflects a depth of experience that goes beyond simply offering the treatment to patients.
Yes, every treatment at Aesthetica, from thread lifting and anti-wrinkle injections to skin cancer checks and mole removal, is performed personally by Dr Patti. Nothing is delegated to a nurse or a rotating team of injectors. This is a deliberate part of how the clinic is run: patients see the same doctor at every visit, which Dr Patti believes matters for both safety and the quality of an aesthetic result built up over time.
Dr Patti's approach is conservative and considered rather than dramatic. She favours natural, proportionate results over an obviously “done” look, and will tell a patient honestly if a request is likely to look overdone or if another treatment would serve them better. Appointments are unhurried and thorough, with time built in for a full consultation, examination and discussion of risks and cost before any treatment goes ahead.
Dr Patti Piper graduated from Auckland School of Medicine before training in general surgery and neurosurgery. She then moved into general practice and founded Sunset Road Family Doctors, which holds Cornerstone accreditation from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, and where she taught doctors on the RNZCGP training scheme. She has since sold that practice to concentrate on cosmetic medicine. She later trained in cosmetic medicine through the New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Medicine, receiving the Dr Ralph Saxe Outstanding Trainee Award for her year, before founding Aesthetica.