Lawrence Zachary Plastic Surgeon M.D.

Dr. Zachary is excellent in all regards: talent, skill, knowledge and bedside manner. I cannot recommend him strongly enough. His office staff is great as well. If you live in the midwest he is the best by far and worth the drive.

Approximately a year out of weight loss surgery, Dr Zachary was referred to me by my bariatric surgeon surgeon, Dr. Alverdy. I had my first consult with Dr. Zachary sometime in 2003 and I knew that Dr. Zachary was going to be my plastic surgeon no matter what it was going to take to make it happen. Dr Zachary and his wonderful office staff worked with me and the insurance company every step of the way. By the end of 2008, after being denied and appealing 7 times, I had to come to accept that I would only be approved for hernia repair. Then in January of 2009, I obtained different insurance and once again Dr. Zachary was submitting a letter of medical necessity for the much needed panniculectomy. Dr Zachary had just hired a new assistant, Kara McIntyre. Kara dealt with the insurance and always promptly returned my call and kept me informed of what I need to do before surgery was scheduled. Due to the letter from Dr Zachary and the follow-up from Kara and me, the surgery had been approved. Another one of Dr. Zachary’s staff, Therese, who not only greets the patients but makes you feel important and welcomed.

Unfortunately, I had regained more than half my weight back. My pannus was almost down to my knees and walking was very difficult. Dr. Zachary told me that approximately 30 pounds would be removed off of my stomach. He also said I would become a whole new person. I had my surgery on June 22, 2009 which took approximately 6 hours instead of 4 because hernia repair took longer than expected. I came out of surgery 30 pounds lighter and I had something that I hadn’t had in many years…..a lap.

Even though, I still have quite a bit of weight to lose; I feel beautiful, vibrant and alive.
Dr Zachary didn’t only change the physical look of my body; he indeed helped to make me a whole new person with self-confidence and self-esteem that I hadn’t felt for years. Due to Dr. Zachary’s phenomenal work, I was able to become mobile again. Since I became mobile again, I have been able to lose approximately 60+ pounds over the last year. I feel absolutely wonderful and I attribute it all to Dr. Zachary. I have no doubt there are good surgeons in this field. The difference between a good surgeon and a great surgeon are the qualities they have as a human being. I truly believe that Dr. Zachary is a great surgeon not just because of the tremendous skill he has but because of his quality of caring, compassion, sensitivity, generosity and loyalty as a human being. Once you meet Dr. Zachary, you will soon realize that you not only do you have the best surgeon but that you are in the best of care. If that isn’t enough, Dr. Zachary is really easy on the eyes and an excellent dresser. :)

Words can not express the wonderful work Dr. Zachary has done. You would absolutely have to see the before and after pictures to even understand. I truly believe I am a work of ART. I was his canvas!!!! It's been a few years since my last visit with him and a lot has changed. I have since then re-married and believe it or not had twins. Has this affected my weight loss and the beautiful work Dr. Zachary did? Not at all. I have maintained 135lbs and my skin has bounced right back. People are amazed whenever they see me. I get really emotional whenever I think of what Dr. Zachary did for me. He gave me a big hug and told me it was a new begining for me...he was right!!!!!

Where do I begin to describe this amazing plastic surgeon and his assistant Kelly. Dr. Zachary truly appreciates the beauty of a woman’s body and all God created it to be. I am sure he is equally appreciative of men. He doesn’t lead you to unrealistic expectations and explains that while he can’t make you look like 16 again, he can make you better and bring you closer to what you were meant to look like and your new weight. Most patients are very pleased with the result. I am personally amazed!
He is very careful to explain what he wants to do; how he will do it and why. Often we want to change things around because we have heard from others a better method or different combinations, but I assure you he knows exactly what is best for each individual. He is always willing to hear about other methods or thoughts and then explains why he feels his way is best for you. I have been more than pleased. His aftercare has been marvelous and he knows if you need to be tweaked! He is an advocate for the formerly obese and believes that plastic surgery is truly reconstructive surgery, the last portion of a renewing of one’s body and health. His staff will work with your insurance to attempt getting your surgery approved. His assistant Kelly is equally loving and professional and always ready to help you when needed.
I would recommend Dr. Zachary to everyone! I would travel to have him do my surgery if I were not fortunate to have him here in Chicago.

Where do I begin? This man is a God-send. He is so easy to talk to and his staff is amazing! They bend over backward for you and you have a good laugh in the meantime. Dr. Zach is so interested in his work that you seem very precious to him. He treats you like you are his only patient and gives you all the time you need to ask questions. His office door is always open and ready to help you for anything you need. Taz and Mary Beth are amazing. And his fees are so reasonable that I was able to get more surgery than I hoped for. Dr. Zach's work is amazing. My scars are hardly noticable 2 years out. After my 3 surgeries with him, if I had any little worry during recovery, he and his office were Johnny-on-the-spot to help me with it. He personally visited me in the hospital after each surgery and has an incredible bedside manner. DON'T HESITATE! CALL HIM NOW!

Please keep in mind while reading this that I am usually not comfortable with regular visits to the doctors not to talk of having major surgery....I had gastric bypass in July of 2003. I waited until my weight stabilized and was mentally prepared before I came in to have my follow-up plastic surgery. I had lost a total of 150 lbs. and the initial excitement wore off as my skin started settling/sagging. I really felt like a deflated balloon and was becoming a bit self-conscious about it. This surgery was really important to me. It not only effected the way I felt about myself but also effected my pocketbook:) I was careful to select the right surgeon so I interviewed and consulted with several before deciding to have Dr. Zachery perform mine.

You can tell alot about the doctor and practice by meeting the doctor, hearing what they have to say, meeting their support staff and just getting a general vibe of their interest in the operation. I KNEW I was interested in my surgery since it effected my health, my life, etc.. I wanted to see how interested the doctor and staff was with my surgery.

My first encounter was with Mary Anne. She set up my appointment over the phone. I felt like I was talking to one of my sisters or a good friend. She shared a great deal of information with me, directed me to this web-site for additional information and then told me how much she repected Dr. Zachary and enjoyed working with him. It really put me at ease for the appointment. the appointment came and I was a bit self-conscious after a few other experiences with the other plastic surgeons I interviewed. Dr. Zachary and his crew
(Tas and Dr. Cindy) came bounding in. They were all very professional yet the way they interacted showed me how well they worked as a team. The other surgeons I had met all but rolled their eyes at my excess skin where Dr. Zachery & crew were so considerate with their suggestions and complimentary on my recovery from gastric bypass I felt like a super-model walking out of there. (Remember, this was just the CONSULTATION!) I am so happy I had Dr. Zachary perform my full-body lift. The pre-surgery visits were informative and Taz was a great help with all my crazy insurance paperwork.

It has been just over 3 months since my surgery. They told me it would take a minimum of 3 weeks to recover. I thought I was super-woman after my gastic bypass because I was back to work within a week. I figured "They are telling me 3 weeks like they told me for gastric bypass so I should be fine after 1 week."----Well, of course, they were right and I was sooooo wrong. It really took 3 solid weeks to recover so make sure you budget the right time that they tell you when you plan:)

Overall, I am doing great! I feel great and am back to excercising and all activities. I fit into my clothes so much better that people have been giving me some ooohs and ahhhs that we all secretly enjoy. I am so lucky to have had Dr. Zachary perform my surgery. Many, many thanks to Dr. Zachary, MaryAnne, Tas and Dr. Cindy for making a queasy, Dr.-visit-fearing woman so comfortable and well cared for during thsi very important surgery. It meant so much to me but they made me feel like it meant so much to THEM too. (The whole group is just so engaging and fun but still manage to be professional and imformative. Great chemistry!!!)

Dr. Zachary is a most brilliantly talented body scupturer. He is charming, handsome and always smells soooo good. Every woman falls in love with him, me included. I know this sounds mushy and unreal, but Dr. Z is what fantasies are made of...he has 'designed this bagging, sagging, ugly body of mine. Losing 200lbs. leaves you looking UGLY, makes your skin droop like you are a hundred years old. Dr. Z has systematically shaped my body into its current condition...I am super fine!!! And he is doing, yet again a revision on my breast. They used to look like two horse's oatbags...UGH!!! In the upcoming revision, Dr. Z is lifting my breast...I came from a 50HHH to a 36D...next stop the buttocks and thighs, can hardly wait...I would follow this man anywhere for any reason so it goes without saying that I am completely confident that he is ALWAYS going to treat me wel, answer all of my questions, explain everything to me until I understand and take excellent care of me as a patient...Dr. Z takes each surgery personally, our breasts hese are 'his' breast and he shapes and molds them until he is satisfied...Dr. Z makes plastic surgery an art form...just can't say enough about this man, his kind only come around once in a while, we all need to give him his roses while he can still smell them...in fact, how about we all send Dr. Z some roses, or take him one when you go into the office, we need to constantly let him know how much we appreciate the work that he does...just love him...Roslyn

I have never met a doctor that is so caring and is truly interested in you.
He goes above and beyond to make the process of reconstructive surgery successful. He spends time with you and is always there for you with your concers before and after surgery. I can not say enough about this brilliant surgeon. Dr. Zachary has the only support group for reconstructive surgery after WLS. He attends every meeting.

Dr. Zachary is a very friendly, down to earth person. I had a belt lipectomy on Dec. 23, 2005, I'm still in a binder but from what I can see everything is looking really good! He even called me on Christmas morning to see how I was feeling and doing. I would highly recommend him.

I am very pleased with not only Dr. Zachary, and his staff of Tas (RN) and Clem (office mgr) and they have a boat-load of experience with plastic surgery and have never let me down. I am a person who does NOT deal well with pain, and they work with me and have always been very positive and supportive. Their support group (3rd Saturday every month) is informative as well. Dr. Zachary is a great person and has an excellent bedside mannor and is a great surgeon as well.