Plastic Surgery

New Patient Appointment or 214-645-2353

UT Southwestern Medical Center's plastic surgery experts provide care to adult and pediatric patients from North Texas and around the world. We offer access to the latest plastic surgery innovations available – making what might be considered complex for some plastic surgery centers more straightforward at UT Southwestern. Patients can rely on our team for reliable facts and information, with an intense focus on doing what’s safe and effective for each person we treat.

UT Southwestern is at the epicenter of changes in the way cosmetic and reconstructive procedures are performed. These changes include groundbreaking discoveries on how the face ages, innovations to improve healing after surgery, new reconstructive procedures for patients with cancer, and many other advances in plastic surgery techniques and technology.

A group of Plastic Surgery faculty standing and sitting together in a clinical setting, posing for a group photo. — "We feel our diverse faculty can address any problem or concern you may have that plastic surgery can address. We use cutting edge innovation and our expertise to bring a diverse spectrum of treatment options to you. We can’t wait to welcome you personally to our office." - Jeffrey Kenkel, M.D.

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We offer access to the latest plastic surgery innovations available - serving both your surgical and nonsurgical goals safely and effectively.

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World-Class Surgeons and Experts

UT Southwestern’s Department of Plastic Surgery is one of the largest, most highly regarded academic medical center-based plastic and reconstructive surgery programs in the world. Our faculty members have gained international recognition for their work.

Each of our plastic surgeons has completed extensive training and adheres to a strict code of ethics. We have published thousands of articles, papers, and books; chaired national and international symposia on all aspects of plastic surgery; and are highly recognized for presenting groundbreaking findings. In addition publishing in leading medical journals, our team is featured regularly in such media outlets as Allure, CNN, The View, TODAY, ABC World News Tonight, The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, KXAS-TV, and many others.

Members of the Plastic Surgery faculty are consistently named in best doctor listings, such as U.S. News & World Report’s “Top Doctors” in the United States, D Magazine’s Best Doctors in Dallas, Texas Monthly’s Super Doctors, and the Consumers’ Research Council of America’s Guide to America’s Top Plastic Surgeons.

Our surgeons hold leadership positions in the world’s most well-respected plastic surgery organizations, such as the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dallas Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Rhinoplasty Society, and many others.

Highly Ranked Patient Care

Our physicians develop personalized treatment plans for each patient, whether cosmetic or reconstructive. We are personally committed to helping patients make informed decisions and are available to provide clear explanations and answer any questions someone might have – both before and long after a procedure.

UT Southwestern Plastic Surgery consistently scores in the highest percentiles for patient satisfaction. One measure is our Press Ganey scores, which rank consumer satisfaction in health care services. We consistently rank in the 90th percentile and above.

Our state-of-the-art cosmetic and reconstructive surgery procedures include:

Body contouring, such as arm lift, liposuction, and tummy tuck
Breast surgery, such as augmentation, lift, and reduction
Facial cosmetic surgery, such as blepharoplasty
Botox® injections and dermal fillers
Hand surgery
Peripheral nerve surgery
Hernia and abdominal wall surgery
Reconstructive surgery for breast, skin, and trauma
Wound healing

Medically Accredited Facilities

All outpatient and inpatient procedures are performed at our medically accredited University Hospitals and Clinics, University Hospital Outpatient Surgery Center, Children’s Health, or UT Southwestern’s new Plastic Surgery location in Frisco. In addition, many of our patients choose to recover and rest at our Medallion Guest Suites, which combine a medically safe environment with a hotel-like atmosphere.

Patient Essentials

For patients planning their first visit to a UT Southwestern Medical Center plastic surgeon, it’s natural to have a lot of questions about what to expect. Our physicians can answer questions about specific conditions or procedures at the appointment.

Elective Plastic Surgery Procedures

Making an appointment: To schedule an initial consultation with one of our plastic surgeons:

First appointment: Evaluation is necessary prior to scheduling the procedure. The evaluation allows our plastic surgeons to determine the appropriate options for addressing each patient’s objectives. We will discuss alternatives with each patient and help set realistic expectations. New patients might want to bring old photos of themselves to assist in discussions regarding facial rejuvenation.

Covered Plastic Surgery Procedures

Making an appointment: Patients can self-refer or be referred by a physician. Patients with insurance coverage that does not require a referral by a primary care physician can make an appointment through the following options:

Complete an online Request an Appointment Form
Call 214-645-8300

Physicians referring a patient can use the above options or the following:

Complete an online Physician Referral Form
Call 214-645-8300

First appointment: New patients should bring all pertinent medical records to their first appointment or verify that our staff has received them from their referring physician. These records can include reports, X-ray films, and test results.

Transformative Research in Plastic Surgery

Our goal is to have a direct impact on the understanding of the effectiveness of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures and improve results for patients. Our research efforts have led to discoveries, advanced techniques, and various innovations that improve clinical outcomes.

UT Southwestern Plastic Surgery has groundbreaking research underway in anatomical studies, facial aging, wound management and healing, using stems cells in reconstructive and surgical procedures, how adipose (fat) cells work, the effectiveness of devices and new technology, abdominal wall reconstruction, nerve regeneration and growth, and many other areas.

Here are just a few of the areas already influencing patient care:

Our team has identified many characteristics of the fat pads that compose regions of the face, as well as how they change over a person’s life. Understanding this element has a significant impact on individualizing facial rejuvenation procedures to achieve results that look natural and last as long as possible.
We have investigated how stem cells can promote healing.
Our discoveries with flaps and graft techniques for breast reconstruction, along with surgical innovations, are increasing options to create new breasts that look and feel natural for patients with cancer.
Understanding which products and techniques are more effective in preventing and decreasing scar formation after surgery is part of our research.
We know more now about how Botox® can be used to treat migraines.
Because of our work with lasers, UT Southwestern Plastic Surgery has been at the forefront of work to determine the safety and efficacy of new technology on body contouring (laser liposuction, for example).

We have more than 100 preclinical and clinical studies designed to examine various devices, drugs, and techniques.

Highlights of these investigations and examples of ongoing research projects include:

Anatomical Studies

One of our areas of research is the development of new flaps and reconstructive strategies that have been translated into clinical use, such as procedures involving breast reconstruction and skin cancer. Since 2005, the Department of Plastic Surgery has investigated more than 300 flaps as part of an effort to better define the blood supply and vascular territory of commonly used perforator flaps in reconstruction. This volume has allowed our researchers to provide a thorough analysis of the intrinsic blood supply. In addition, our team has investigated a wide variety of perforator flaps (such as DIEP, ALT, TDAP, SGAP/IGAP, and others) and conventional flaps.

Emerging Technologies

With new technology and products, more opportunities than ever are available to improve outcomes for patients undergoing aesthetic and reconstructive surgery. We have conducted extensive work with emerging technologies, such as the role of lasers on improving chronic wound outcomes, in particular as a minimally invasive method of enhancing transdermal delivery of drugs. Our studies also include techniques to isolate stem cells from adipocyte (fat) tissue, investigating the role of these stem cells in conjunction with fat grafting in wound healing.

Nerve Biology

The basic science of peripheral nerve reconstruction remains largely undefined. This topic impacts a wide variety of patients, such as those being treated for brachial plexus injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, hand transplantation, and even migraine headaches. We are investigating strategies to improve peripheral nerve regeneration such as tissue-engineered approaches for the reconstruction of long nerve gap peripheral defects (those that measure greater than 3 cm in length).

Wound Healing

This research increases our understanding of how to manage and treat various types of wounds. Ultimately, our goal is to develop new wound care strategies. We have a wide range of work underway – from understanding how to improve the treatment of chronic wounds from diabetes to managing surgical incisions. Some of the current research includes exploring the use of adipose-derived stem cells as a tool for soft tissue reconstruction. An important aspect of ongoing studies is to investigate the adipose depot-specific characteristics of whole lipoaspirate, adipocytes, and adipose-derived stem cells.

Committed to Education in Plastic Surgery

One of our missions is teaching the next generation of plastic surgeons. UT Southwestern’s Plastic Surgery residencies are among the most sought after in the country. UT Southwestern also presents some of the largest teaching conferences in the world on cosmetic procedures.