Dr. Kao was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and moved to Seattle, Washington, when he was eleven. He knew he wanted to be a doctor at the age of six and started volunteering at Harborview Trauma Center in Seattle while he was in college. During that time, he saw his first operation and decided he wanted to be a surgeon. In medical school, his mentor was a plastic surgeon, and he saw the beauty his mentor was able to create with his hands. This inspired him to become a plastic surgeon as well.

After graduating from medical school at the University of Washington in Seattle, Dr. Kao completed a five-year General Surgery program at the same institution and received his board certification by the American Board of Surgery in 1997. He quickly developed an interest in surgical endoscopy (minimally invasive surgery through the use of a small camera scope). He became a clinical professor at the University’s Center for Video Endoscopic Surgery and taught residents and fellow surgeons this technique. Dr. Kao then completed a three-year plastic surgery program at the University of Southern California. He continues to expand his interest in Endoscopic Surgery to facial plastic surgery. He has taught other surgeons these specialized techniques at the Endoscopic Plastic Surgery Educational Seminar in Los Angeles, CA.