Meet Dr. Shim Ching, MD
Dr. Shim Ching is a plastic surgeon based in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the creator of The Ascend Lift™. Before a consultation, patients should be able to review a surgeon’s credentials, professional background, recognitions, and practice location through sources beyond the surgeon’s own website.
A patient-first standard
A polished biography should not require patients to take its most important statements on faith. This page is designed as a practical starting point: it distinguishes independent credentials and recognitions from the practice’s own description of The Ascend Lift™, and it links directly to public sources wherever possible.
Those sources are useful, but they do not replace a consultation. A private evaluation is where a surgeon should explain the proposed plan, alternatives, recovery, material risks, facility and anesthesia arrangements, and the limits of what any procedure can address.
Independent sources
These are direct, third-party or professional sources. External sites may change their search tools, listing formats, or availability over time.
Board certification
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons lists Dr. Ching as an Active Member and states that he is board certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery®. For primary-directory verification, use ABPS’s public search and enter “Shim Ching.”
Canadian specialty credential
The Royal College’s public directory lists Shim Ching in Honolulu as a Fellow, using the designation FRCSC, and lists a primary certification in Plastic Surgery. Search first name “Shim” and last name “Ching.”
Physician recognition
Castle Connolly’s public profile identifies Dr. Ching as a Top Doctor in Plastic Surgery since 2015. Honolulu Magazine’s 2025 Top Doctors listing names Shim Ching in Plastic Surgery.
Training & affiliation
Hawaiʻi Pacific Health lists Dr. Ching in Plastic Surgery, an affiliation with Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children since 2005, and published education and fellowship information.
Professional foundation
Hawaiʻi Pacific Health’s provider profile lists Dr. Ching’s medical school at the University of British Columbia, plastic-surgery residency at Hamilton General Hospital/Hamilton Health Services, and a Hand and Microvascular Surgery fellowship entry at the University of California San Francisco.
That record gives patients a concrete way to understand the professional path behind the consultation. It does not, by itself, predict an individual outcome; candidacy, risks, and the right surgical plan remain personal clinical questions.
As listed on Hawaiʻi Pacific Health’s public provider profile. Open source ↗
Practice location
Asia Pacific Aesthetics in Honolulu is where Dr. Ching and his surgical team are based and where the large majority of his surgical care is performed. The practice’s office is located at 1330 Ala Moana Blvd., 4th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96814.
Dr. Ching also periodically works as a visiting surgeon and educator in the Middle East, including Dubai and Doha. Those temporary engagements are distinct from his Honolulu practice; he does not maintain a permanent plastic-surgery practice outside Hawaii.
The Ascend Lift™
The Ascend Lift™ is Dr. Ching’s trademarked facial-rejuvenation approach. The useful question is not whether a label sounds advanced; it is what each proposed component is designed to address, what it cannot address, and what tradeoffs it adds to recovery and risk.
Ask which concerns relate to laxity or descent, which tissues a proposed lift is intended to address, and what the plan does not change.
Ask whether an area reflects volume loss, why a volume treatment may or may not be discussed, and what uncertainty accompanies any fat-transfer plan.
Ask what affects skin quality, how surgery and recovery are planned, and which instructions and follow-up arrangements govern your care.
Public education
Published credentials are one part of due diligence. Patients can also review Dr. Ching’s public educational content and the main practice website before deciding whether to request a consultation. Social media is a source of education and context—not a substitute for an examination, personalized advice, or informed consent.
A better next step
If the professional background and surgical philosophy feel aligned with your goals, use the education library to prepare specific questions about candidacy, procedure scope, recovery, photographs, facility, anesthesia, and follow-up.