About Dr. Francel
Thirty-five years in plastic surgery will teach you something about what patients actually need. It is rarely more procedures or the newest technique. Most of the time, what a patient needs is a surgeon willing to be honest with them before they ever reach the operating room. That has been the foundation of Dr. Thomas J. “Tom” Francel’s practice since he opened his doors in St. Louis, and it is the foundation of his books.
Training and Credentials
Dr. Francel received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. He completed his surgical training at Harvard Surgical Services in Boston and at the Royal Aberdeen Infirmary in the United Kingdom, serving as a Clinical Fellow in Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He trained further in plastic surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and has held academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
He is board-certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) in both plastic surgery and general surgery, a distinction he considers nonnegotiable for anyone performing aesthetic procedures. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
His contributions to medical literature include more than twenty-two peer-reviewed articles, nineteen book chapters, and over twenty national and international presentations. He received the Teacher of the Year award four times, as determined by the plastic surgery residents he trained. He has also been featured on ABC’s 20/20 to discuss the causes and treatments of severe post-surgical infections.
“Almost 90 percent of the patients I’ve operated on were referred by previous patients. Not by advertising, not by a ‘Best Of’ list—by someone who looked in the mirror and was happy with what they saw.”
Francel Aesthetics
For more than three decades, Dr. Francel has maintained a private practice in St. Louis at Francel Aesthetics, a small and deliberately personal office where he evaluates patients for everything from skincare to major reconstructive surgery. He performs all injectables and laser treatments himself and has performed approximately 10,000 aesthetic and reconstructive operations over the course of his career.
He is equally at home with a patient considering her first Botox treatment and a breast cancer patient planning reconstruction. That range—and the willingness to tell patients honestly which path is right for them—defines his practice.
For a full account of Dr. Francel’s education, publications, and clinical background, visit drfrancel.com.