Geoffrey Fenner Plastic Surgeon Dr.

Not even sure where to start as there were so many bad things that happened. My son lost 175 pounds and had some excess skin on his stomach and breasts. I had personally used Dr. Fenner in the past and decided to go there for my son. First of all, the person taking the pictures to submit to insurance didn't know what they were doing and didn't even take a picture of his rashes and such. Needless to say, insurance did not approve. Next, we were quoted a cost for surgery (in writing). The day before surgery we get a call asking for more money. Apparently, their quote was wrong - they forgot to include the operating room costs, which added thousands of dollars to the bill (duh). We ended up paying the extra money as my son was scheduled for surgery during spring break from college and we didn't have time to reschedule or argue. The tummy tuck and breast surgery were performed and the results were HORRIBLE. My son ended up with scar tissue the size of a grapefruit due to failed drains and the doctors poor support post surgery. Additionally, his breasts are a mangled mess. Tried to work with the office to fix my son, as he is so much worse off then before his surgery. The only thing they offered was to see if insurance would pay to fix their botched mess. Of course, insurance denied. My poor 22 year old son cannot take off his shirt in public and is too self conscious to have a girlfriend. I feel so bad for him. He is so ashamed and has become lonely and depressed. This doctor should not be allowed to practice. It is one thing to have a poor result, it is another thing to refuse to make it right.

Dr Fenner and his staff were amazing. He was congratulatory on my weight loss (100+) and was willing to help me even though I had more weight to lose. (I had another surgery planned and wanted to remove my pannus at the same time if possible). He agreed and they even got that section covered by insurance (I had bad psorasis under it).

I will be going back when I hit goal! Oh, by the way, he is not in Evanston anymore - he has a beautiful office/spa in Kenilworth.

The surgical chairs are very large without arms, so very 'obese-friendly'. I thought his staff was very supportive as well, I never felt anything but kindness. My surgery went great and I love my new tummy!

Highly recommended.

Wow. Dr Fenner is a highly skilled artist. Top in his field. He's kind and caring as well.
The office staff is fantastic. They will work with you on insurance. My insurance unfortunately would not cover it so I had to self pay.
Dr Fenner does keep crazy hours and you will have to wait in a packed office when you go to see him. It's worth it! You won't be rushed when you do get in. Just know that is what you are signing up for when you go.
I had a lot done and at about 6 weeks I'm thrilled with the results! I would not go to anyone else and I will be back for more when I'm up to it.

I had my first round of PS with Dr. Fenner April 14th. I had an Inner Thigh Lift, LBL, TT with MR, BA and BL. Needless to say everyone said there would be pain like giving birth. Well, there was hardly any pain in the hospital and none when I got home. Drains were all out first week and everything went fantastic. The amount of skin that I had was so bad. If you want to know how great he is just think about removing over 1300grams of skin. Cutting someone up like a puzzle and then sewing them up and making them not only look human but so great!! He did the LBL incision so low that you can't see it wearing pants or undies. All the incisions are so well placed they are hidding by clothes. I am healing nicely and I left the implant size up to him and they are FABULOUS!

Dr. Fenner you ROCK. Getting ready for round 2 June 30th. Doing the arms, back and lower face.

By the way, I am now wearing a size 1, yes you read this right a size 1. I didn't even know they made a size one. Thank you Dr. Fenner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree... I don't think 'Excellent' quite expresses how amazing Dr. Fenner is... there needs to be a higher menu-option than that!

I was referred to Dr. Fenner by a friend of mine, and I will forever be grateful. I had gastric-bypass surgery in February 2004 and lost over 125lbs. I knew I needed help with my excess skin, and when I saw my friend's results and heard about her experience, I knew I couldn't go to anyone else but Dr. Fenner. I had seen too many pictures of bad plastic surgery results on post-gastric bypass patients and stories of unethical practices to put myself in the hands of someone who didn't know what he was doing or lacked integrity. All of the results I have seen of Dr. Fenner's work have been stellar.

I will be honest - I have heard some negative feedback about Dr. Fenner. This feedback involved mix-ups with paperwork, patients being under the impression they had insurance approval and then having to pay additional fees that insurance didn't cover, and extremely long wait times for office visits. I've experienced all of those things (even the mix-up with insurance approval), but that didn't change my high regard for Dr. Fenner. It actually annoys me that people would be so selfish and so unaccountable to slander Dr. Fenner's name by complaining about such things. Forgive the tone of my comments, but I just think so highly of Dr. Fenner that I can't imagine how anyone could say anything but positive things about him.

The bottom line is that Dr. Fenner does his ABSOLUTE BEST with every single one of his patients... without question! And his absolute best is not "just getting by" - he's all about going above and beyond. He sincerely cares about each one of his patients. There are times when things can't be controlled, and we need to be flexible in those situations. As a patient, we have to be accountable for ourselves rather than expecting the doctor to be solely responsible for our proactive care. Dr. Fenner is extremely busy, and he has a TON of patients. You may be thinking, "that isn't my problem and it shouldn't affect my experience!" However, ask yourself this... WHY do you think he has a ton of patients? Because he is an EXCELLENT DOCTOR!!! With an overwhelming number of patients comes an overwhelming amount of coordination, paperwork and follow-up. Sure, I can easily sit here and compare him to my primary care physician (PCP), whose office is a well-oiled machine where the paperwork is always perfect and I'm in and out in under a half-hour... but that's comparing apples to oranges! First of all, insurance coverage for office visits for a PCP is very different (and MUCH easier) than insurance coverage for a reconstructive procedure. Also, primary care physicians treat us for ordinary, EXPECTED situations. They practically have a checklist of what to do for each illness, because the treatment doesn't differ very much from person to person. If I go in with a cold, I get an antibiotic and get sent home. And when I'm there, I'm a number. I am a simple insurance claim they need to file. I just get moved through as they check off their checklist. It's a cookie-cutter world. There is no way that you can apply that type of expectation to Dr. Fenner's practice, and I wouldn't want to! When I went in for my consultation, Dr. Fenner sat with me for almost two hours thoroughly answering every single question I had with patience and kindness. When I think of the amazing bedside manner and care that Dr. Fenner provides, it doesn't even compare to the "in-and-out, I'm just a number" feeling I have when I'm at my PCP's office. No other doctor that I have ever had in my life has worked as hard as Dr. Fenner and still found time to come visit me in the hospital at 5am after my surgery. Dr. Fenner's practice is his life... he makes enormous sacrifices to give everything he can to his patients. He works every day of the week... he has office visits starting at 6am, then has surgery during the day (which can always run late unexpectedly), then does office visits in the evening. He works hard to see as many patients as he can. He could easily change his schedule and force patients to wait 6 months to a year for an appointment, but he doesn't. So I will gladly wait an hour or two for my appointment NOW rather than having to wait a year. Go ahead- look at other really good doctors - you will see their waitlists are LOOOOOOONNNNGGGGG!!! And another thing to consider is the fact that when you DO get to see Dr. Fenner, you are not rushed in and out. He takes his time with each patient. Dr. Fenner saw me twice in his office and stayed with me answering my questions until after 10pm! Where else can you find that kind of dedication?! And I know I couldn't personally go through each day with the kind of pressure and stress and fatigue that he endures and still maintain such a pleasant demeanor. Yes, I have had to wait several times for my office visits, but isn't it selfish to think that another patient's care isn't worth my time? OK, I might have to wait for a long time for my office visit, but I know that when I get in that room, he's giving me his sole attention and as much time as I need without rushing me... and I know that he gave that same care to the patients before me and after me... no complaining, no rushing. And again, I can't forget that his surgeries earlier in the day may have unexpectedly run long because he is a perfectionist and doesn't rush through. And then when I think of all the work Dr. Fenner's staff does and how well they work under pressure while being understaffed, it amazes me. Not to mention that those staff-members are people, too... they get sick and have their own medical issues (like cancer!), and when a new person comes in to try to help, we need to cut them a little slack if they're not experts right away. The whole world doesn't revolve around a single patient, so we just need to be understanding and patient when it comes to mix-ups. When it comes to insurance approval, there are a lot of plastic surgeons that don't even accept insurance coverage. First of all, it's a very time-consuming process to even GET insurance approval. It takes time for Dr. Fenner to write letters requesting pre-authorization and to compile all of the necessary documentation. He does this in addition to all of the other work he does. He does it because he cares. He could easily stop accepting insurance coverage and make everyone pay cash out of pocket. His life would be a lot easier... but no... he continues doing whatever he can to help his patients. Furthermore, even when patients do get insurance coverage, the payment does not even come close to the appropriate rate for the procedure. He'd get a lot more money if he stopped accepting insurance... but he still does.

Overall, I cannot say anything negative about Dr. Fenner. In fact, I can't say enough positive things about him! He has changed my life so much for the better, and when I think of everything that he sacrifices for his patients and his practice, I am speechless. I mean, just thinking about how much time he spends away from his family... it just breaks my heart, and it makes me so grateful for the time and effort he gave to me. He is an angel... a gift. I know he has touched many, many lives, and he deserves our respect, patience and loyalty. I will never ever let anyone else do work on me except him. Thank God for Dr. Fenner!!!

It took me a year to find the right PS for me. I live in Iowa and drove over 4 hours just to have Dr. Fenner do my surgery. So that should tell you a lot.

Dr. Fenner is a very soft-spoken caring person. At my pre-op appointment, the first thing he did was ask me to tell him what procedures I thought he would be doing in the surgery. I really respected that as he was making sure that we both had the same expectations.

I had a abdominoplasty, breat lift (w/no implants), inner thigh lift, and lipo on the inner knees outer thighs, and posterior hips.

My scars look great, just like little scratches. His office staff including his nurse Joy are always friendly and responsive when I call.

Though I am only 4 weeks out and still swollen, I am very pleased with result. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him. If I have addtional PS done, there is no doubt that I would have Dr. Fenner do it.

I had quite a bit of work done last month (oct 5, o5) and have to say this was the best surgical experience of any I have had. (7th surgery) I will more than likely have a revision to my breast lift/aug and would not even consider going to any other plastic surgeon. Dr. Fenner is a very kind, soft spoken, caring PROFESSIONAL man who has your best interest and happiness as his number one priority. He has a very busy practice but as someone said, he is worth the wait. I have recommended him to a family member and a good friend already and would send my own mother to him! If you want to ask me anything about my experience with this very tallented and skilled surgeon you can email me at [email protected]

There has to be another word over and above 'EXCELLENT' because that word doesn't even come close to touching Dr. Fenner's surgical abilities, his caring, his bedside manner or his artistic eye. Outstanding, incredible, beyond belief...those come close but still can't touch him. This man CARES about his patients. You are not just a body to him, you're a PERSON. He doesn't just care about making your body better, he genuinely cares about improving your quality of life. I don't want to get all mushy, but I want everyone to know that in my never-to-be-humble opinion, Dr. Fenner is indeed the Gold Standard when it comes to plastics. He didn't become Chief of Plastic Surgery at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country by NOT knowing his stuff. He is quiet and pretty reserved...but when he looks at you pre op, you can see the wheels turning! He's picturing what he can do for you:) He is so great about taking time with you at your consult and your pre op appts. as well as when he's marking you immediately pre op. He never rushes you and he always makes you feel like youre his only patient, whether he's been in surgery all day and comes to see you at night or whether you're his first of the morning....he really makes you feel like you're the only thing he's focusing on. Let me sum it up by saying this: If my Mom/daughter/best friend needed/wanted plastics, I would NOT let them see anyone but Fenner. I know his work, and if you have ever met him, you know his heart as well. Another surgeon I know also said he would send his wife or his child to Fenner above anyone else for plastics. That speaks volumes. He has worked with many post gastric bypassers and knows our unique needs. It just doesn't get any better than Dr. Fenner!

This surgeon came highly recommended but my experience and lack of communication within his office lead to a huge problem days before my surgery. Late on a Friday night before surgery on Monday a bombshell was dropped. 8 months of planning, 3 pre-op appt and came down to a communication issue within his office. He seemed more interested in the bottom line verses my health. Office does very little with insurance stating that most of the work is cosmetic and not covered.