Frequently Asked Questions

Plastic surgeons receive specialized surgical training to resolve medical conditions and repair trauma injuries relating to burns, fractures, wounds, and amputations for many body regions such as the hands, upper limbs, face, and breast just to name a few. Plastic surgeons are experts in microsurgery and can graft your skin, nerves, tendons, and muscles from other healthy regions of your body to repair your site of injury. To learn more about the plastic surgery specialty, please visit the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons.

When plastic surgeons are restoring the body to its natural function and appearance due to trauma (car accidents, burns, workplace injury) or cancer, this typically is considered reconstructive surgery. When plastic surgeons are adjusting and contouring the body for enhanced visual appearance, this is typically considered as cosmetic surgery. In both scenarios, the surgical techniques used by the surgeon will overlap, likewise, patients must carefully understand that some procedures require strict eligible criteria, and the risks of surgery and expectation of outcomes need to be comprehended, including unavoidable scarring.

On your first visit to our office, please have your health card available to register. It is also helpful to bring a list of your current medications and active medical issues. You will be asked to fill out an intake form upon your arrival prior to your consultation.

All major procedures will be performed at Headwaters Health Care Centre, Orangeville Hospital, which provided over 5000 surgeries last year. Both plastic surgeons are staff at Headwaters Health Care and run the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery. For more information, visit the Headwaters Health Care Patient Check-In Website.

If you have a time and date booked for a minor procedure, please show up 30 minutes before your booked time to register with your health card. You will fill out a consent form at that time and your surgeon will answer any questions you may have. A local anesthetic may be used that can be painful initially, however, facilitates a more comfortable procedure. It lasts the duration of and up to 6- 8 hours after the procedure. Wound care instructions will be given afterward as well as a follow-up appointment. If you miss your appointment date, know that it may take weeks or months to find another available time to access the minor procedure suite and there will be a penalty fee charged for the procedure room.

If you have surgery booked, our office will be in touch with you with specific pre-surgical instructions as well as your time and the location within the hospital to show up for your surgery. Do not consume food or drink 12 hours prior to surgery as that will interfere with your anesthesia, please call our office if you have any questions. Come to the Hospital at the designated time and register at the Eaton Ambulatory Care Unit Reception desk (off the main lobby). To avoid delays, please have your health card ready. You will be given your Hospital ID bracelet and escorted to the Day Surgery Unit. A family member can accompany you. Please visit the Headwaters Health Care Patient Check-In Website for more information about the hospital admission process.

If you miss your appointment date, know that it may take weeks or months to find another available time to access the operating room and you may be billed by the hospital for the unused operating room time.

The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) typically covers reconstructive and trauma. Surgeries for non-functional or cosmetic reasons are not covered. Once a referral has been sent to our office, and the plastic surgeon has had a chance to assess and discuss your situation, OHIP will then consider the coverage on a case by case basis following the submission of the surgical request form. Similarly, workplace injuries may be covered by WSIB, such as upper limb trauma.

Your health payments through OHIP do not cover legal notes or forms for your workplace and private insurance, some medications and procedures that OHIP does not yet cover, or administrative medical record duplication and transfer.

Any time a cut is made to your skin, scarring will occur as your body heals afterwards. As a plastic surgeon, our unique specialty training involves techniques to minimize scarring and make incisions in locations on the body that are hidden from sight when possible. Scars vary depending on the severity of surgery, expected recovery time, your own body’s ability to heal, and other lifestyle factors, such as smoking.

If you are a smoker, there are some procedures that you will not be able to qualify for as the increased risks outweigh the benefit. Try your best to stop smoking, or decrease how much you smoke well before your surgery. If the procedure you are receiving is known to take a longer time to heal, the more noticeable the scar will be since smoking slows down your ability to heal, thus resulting in more scar tissue.

Depending on the type of treatment or procedure you are receiving, the resources involved will vary. Things that we factor into costs include the surgeon’s time, facility costs, anesthesia fees, cost of prescription medication or implant, post-surgical garments/bandages, medical tests and supplies.

We accept certified cheques, Debit Cards, MasterCard, Visa, as well as financing plans through Medicard. The procedural pricing will expire 30 days from the date of the original surgical cost analysis. To schedule your cosmetic surgery full payment is required to confirm and hold the date of surgery. Once the prescription medication or implants have been ordered, they are not refundable.