When Christopher Sanders, MD, of St. Luke’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery started his general surgical rotation as a medical student at St. Luke’s University Health Network in 2005 before beginning his surgical residency there, he was not interested in plastic surgery. Then, he was assigned to a surgical rotation with plastic surgeon Edward Salgado, MD. To his surprise, Dr. Sanders was impressed by the scope of the practice and found he enjoyed the specialty. Dr. Salgado encouraged him to complete a surgical rotation at St. Luke’s-affiliated Temple University Hospital.

“One of the first surgeries I saw was a reconstructive surgery for a man who had been shot in the face. He had no jaw left,” said Sanders of St. Luke’s Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. “The plastic surgeon took part of the man’s fibula in the leg and created a new jaw.” The surgeon then reattached the microscopic blood vessels in the face and some of the muscles to the bones in the leg so he could walk without deficits

“From a technical standpoint, that sold me,” he said. “A lot of times in surgery, we are taking something from people, limiting the patient’s function. In plastic surgery, we are giving something back, whether through reconstruction or giving them that sense of self-worth through an aesthetic procedure. Usually, it’s surgery that people want to have.”

People see the Hollywood version of plastic surgery and think it’s all about vanity. At St. Luke’s, 60-70% of plastic surgeries are major reconstructive procedures for patients who have had a traumatic accident, facial lacerations, breast or head and neck cancer. These surgeries can have a dramatic effect on patients’ lives.

For example, a young woman in her early 40s had complications after breast reconstruction at another health system. She had to have her implants removed. A body conscious dance instructor, she was devastated. She sought help at other health systems, including centers in large cities and was told nothing could be done.

Then, she came to Sanders because he performed microsurgical breast reconstruction - a procedure that takes tissue from one area of the body, such as the belly, along with its microscopic blood supply, and re-attaches it to another. The most technically challenging type of plastic surgery, Sanders and his colleague Jonathan Lam, MD, both trained at Louisiana State University in New Orleans, alongside some of the “founding fathers” of microsurgery where they had extensive training in these particular procedures.

“I thought she was an excellent candidate for a microsurgical procedure, so I performed the surgery, and she had excellent results. When I see her in the office now, she’s a ray of sunshine,” he said.

Sanders also enjoys caring for patients who have lost weight after bariatric surgery. Extreme weight loss leaves patients with excess skin; it can take three or four surgeries over a couple of years to remove it.

“These patients have made conscious and difficult decisions to make a positive life change to be healthier, but they’re not always satisfied because they have loose skin.” For example, abdominal skin can extend as far as the patient’s knees.

One of his favorite patients, who weighed close to 400 pounds before surgery, lost more than half of her body weight. She was in her late 20s when she had her first body contouring surgery. Several years and surgeries later, she is a workout enthusiast, but more importantly she can keep up with her kids and be the active mother she wanted to be.

Before returning to St. Luke’s, Sanders worked for several different health systems but returned to St. Luke’s because of its culture and focus on enabling patients to have the best outcomes and experiences. He sees patients in Palmerton, Stroudsburg and Bethlehem.

“I grew up in Pottsville and always wanted to come back and serve this area,” he said. “I like to come to the more rural areas because it’s home to me, the patients are very appreciative, and it’s the right thing to do. When I was a child, my Nana needed a hip replacement and there was no surgeon in the region to perform that particular procedure, so she had to go to Philadelphia. It was difficult for her and my family. Patients do better in their own community with their support system.”

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Sanders, call 484-526-1260 or visit us at https://www.sluhn.org/plastic-reconstructive/make-an-appointment.