Plastic and reconstructive surgery

Plastic and reconstructive surgery is concerned with the restoration of form and function.

Plastic surgeons manage conditions affecting all parts of the body, across all age groups, including abnormalities that have existed from birth, post-cancer reconstruction and trauma.

We are based at the Royal Devon and Exeter (Wonford) hospital, but you may also be seen in clinic at another site depending on your care. 

Breast reconstruction

All patients who are recommended or choose a mastectomy will have the opportunity to discuss breast reconstruction. If you are suitable, breast reconstruction can be offered at the same time as your mastectomy (immediate) or at a later stage (delayed). Your surgeon will discuss these timings with you.

In addition to treating patients with breast cancer, we can offer breast reconstruction to patients seeking surgery because of a high risk of breast cancer within their family. It may be necessary for your GP to refer you to this service.

Find out more

Elective hand surgery

We provide assessment, diagnosis and management for patients with painful, deforming or otherwise functionality-limiting problems of the hand and wrist. Our team of experienced hand surgeons see and treat a range of hand and wrist problems.

Common conditions we treat include carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger fingers, cubital tunnel syndrome and instability of the ligaments of the wrist.

Exeter Plastics Elective Hand Unit is made up of a wide range of experts, including plastic surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, hand therapists and wound assessment nurses. We work together to manage elective and emergency hand patients within our dedicated procedure room in J0. We provide specialist paediatric hand surgery within our hand unit.

Contact us

If you wish to get in contact with the department, please call 01392 402893.

Meet the team

  • Patrick Gillespie
  • Andrew Watts
  • Paulina Witt
  • Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon: Oliver Stone
  • Nurse Specialists: Kevin Williams and Joanna Findlay
  • Clinical Lead Hand Therapist: Suzannah Blake

Clinics

We provide weekly clinics for new patients in person and provide telephone and face-to-face follow-up appointments. 

If you have been referred to us by your GP, but have not been offered an appointment and your condition has deteriorated significantly, please ask your GP to re-refer you.

Referrals 

Only patients who meet the NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) guidance for being eligible for elective hand surgery should be referred. GPs should agree funding with the CCG in advance for treatments not normally available through the NHS.

Head and neck services

We provide reconstruction services for the head and neck, including the nose, lips, eyelids, cheeks and jaw, often following cancer or trauma. A significant element of this involves specialised microsurgery.

We work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, including ear, nose and throat (ENT) and maxillofacial surgeons. We work closely with every single member of the team to ensure we can provide the very best care for all patients needing the head and neck services.

Exeter is the regional centre for head and neck surgery, caring for patients from neighbouring Taunton, Torbay and North Devon.

Paediatric head and neck surgery is available, but some patients may need to be referred onward to specialist paediatric hospitals.

Contact us

If you wish to get in contact with the department, please call 01392 402647.

Meet the team

  • Katerina Anesti

  • Chris Wallace

 

Hypospadias service

Hypospadias is a birth defect that causes the opening of the urethra to form on the underside of the penis instead of at the tip.

Most forms of hypospadias can be corrected in a single surgery that's done on an outpatient basis, although some forms will require more than one surgery.

Surgery usually restores the normal appearance of your child's penis and will allow for normal urination.

A hypospadias specialist clinic is run once a month.

Contact us

If you wish to get in contact with the department, please call either 01392 402647 or 01392 402890.

Meet our team

Mr Chris Mills

 

Sarcoma service

Soft tissue sarcoma treatment usually involves surgery to remove the tumour. This might be followed by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Your treatment will depend on where the cancer developed, the type of sarcoma it is, how far it has spread, your age and your general health. Our team will discuss the most appropriate kind of treatment for you.

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Skin cancer

Surgery is the main treatment for skin cancer. If surgery is recommended for you, you will usually be placed on a waiting list to have this done in our department on another day. If the treatment is deemed urgent, the surgery may be carried out on the same day as your clinic appointment.

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Plastic trauma services

Our trauma service manages soft-tissue injuries referred from our Emergency Department, or directly from GPs. We run a daily day-time service from the Plastics Elective Hand Unit, assessing and treating trauma minor injuries, such as nail-bed repairs.

We also run a 24/7 service to manage serious trauma.

Contact us

If you wish to get in contact with the department, please call 01392 402635.

Meet our team

  • Katerina Anesti
  • Nick Cawrse
  • Patrick Gillespie
  • David Oliver
  • Chris Mills
  • Chris Stone
  • Rachel Tillett
  • Chris Wallace
  • Andrew Watts
  • Andrew Wilson
  • Paulina Witt
  • Kevin Williams
  • Suzannah Blake - Clinical Lead Hand Therapist

All patients referred by GPs should be given a specific appointment or arrive via the Emergency Department. The plastics trauma unit does not accept walk-in patients without prior referral.

 

Research and innovation

The plastic surgery department is actively involved in research. As a plastic surgery patient, you may be approached to participate in one of our research studies.

07471 025582

Last updated: April 03, 2023

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