Jeffrey C. Dawes Plastic and Dermatologic Surgery

Transformations that go beyond skin deep

Dr. Jeffrey C. Dawes braced himself for the inevitable slump in his practice when the pandemic hit. But it didn’t happen.

“There is a phenomenon, I guess, where there was a spike in interest in aesthetics both for injectables and for surgery and I’ll tell you, it was surreal,” says the Calgary-based board-certified plastic and dermatologic surgeon.

Perhaps, he says, that underscores a healthy shift in perspective prompted by fallout from COVID-19.

“One lady said, ‘Well, I can’t go to Italy, so I’ll book plastic surgery,’” Dawes says. “Maybe people were getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life and then they had the opportunity to sit back and look in the mirror a little bit more and maybe focus more on self.”

Dawes’ work is split between reconstructive procedures and a diverse aesthetic practice which includes everything from Botox and fillers to breast augmentation and gynecomastia surgery to remove breast fat tissue from men wanting a more chiseled look. Oh, and Brazilian butt lifts.

“If they want really large breast implants, I’m not their guy,” says the surgeon who pursues natural-looking results.

“The vast majority of my cosmetic patients are women between ages 25 and 45 who have had their children and are just looking to restore what they had.”

“This is not about perfect people coming in to be more perfect. This is about imperfect people not looking to stand out or get attention but to make a positive change and feel better about themselves. I’m honoured to be part of it.”

He also cares for skin cancer patients and is one of only two plastic surgeons in Canada fellowship-trained in Mohs micrographic surgery – a technique to eliminate the cancer cells while sparing the greatest amount of healthy tissue.

Some of his most satisfying work is with patients who managed to lose a significant amount of weight only to be burdened with excess skin on their newly-found figures – which Dawes removes from areas like the belly, breasts, legs and arms.

“It’s always a good story,” he says. “I have never seen a group of patients more grateful for what we have done.”