Dr. Keith A. Denkler, MD

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Get to know Plastic Surgeon Dr. Keith A. Denkler, who serves patients in Larkspur, California.

Dr. Denkler is an accomplished, board-certified plastic surgeon, serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1989. His private practice in Marin County offers both aesthetic and reconstructive surgery.

“As a plastic surgeon, I love restoring the face and body when aging, pregnancy, scars or trauma cause undesirable changes. I am motivated on a daily basis to achieve the best surgical results possible for each individual. 

Some patients are ambivalent about undergoing plastic surgery for cosmetic improvement. Is it vanity or is it maintenance? It is easy to comprehend the validity of a reconstructive procedure, but one may be uncertain about a cosmetic procedure. In the European perspective, cosmetic surgery is equivalent to “restorative” surgery, which is also my philosophy. It gives me great satisfaction that the restoration of one’s natural appearance also restores confidence” expressed the doctor. 

Whether a patient wants subtle improvements or a more sophisticated look, Dr. Denkler is able to achieve their goals in a way that does not make them look “done”. His wife and medical partner, Dr. Rosalind Hudson, calls him “the naturalist’s plastic surgeon”.

In addition to his work in cosmetic surgery, he also performs reconstructive surgery for traumatic problems (after injuries), revisions of previous reconstructive or cosmetic  surgeries, and skin cancers, including after MOHS excision. 

Dr. Denkler  is internationally renowned for his use of multiple approaches in treating the debilitating effects of Dupuytren contracture of the hand. His pioneer investigational work, documenting the safety of epinephrine with local anesthesia in the hand, contributed to the origination of “wide-awake hand surgery”. He was also one of the first doctors to publish a study showing that Dupuytren contracture surgery can be performed in an in-office procedure under local anesthesia with epinephrine.

His expertise in the release of Dupuytren contracture also includes Needle Aponeurotomy, a minimally invasive procedure that uses subcutaneous needles to release the contracture, and Xiaflex, a subcutaneous injection of collagenase that digests the contracture.

In addition to his private practice, Dr. Denkler serves as a Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at UCSF, teaching plastic surgery residents. He has been heavily involved in the plastic surgery residency-training program since 1988, and was elected President of the Association of Clinical Faculty in 2006. He has also generously given his time through volunteer work at UCSF and the Marin Community Clinic.

A San Francisco Bay Area native, Dr. Denkler trained at prestigious medical institutions in the United States and Europe. He attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, followed by residency training in plastic and reconstructive surgery with the Cronin, Bauer, and Biggs group, also in Houston. Additionally, he completed a fellowship in hand surgery with Dr. Eugene Kilgore in San Francisco and one year of fellowship training in craniofacial surgery with Dr. Paul Tessier in Paris, France. 

In 1992, Dr. Denkler attained board certification through the American Board of Plastic Surgery, whose mission is to promote safe, ethical, and efficacious plastic surgery and maintain high standards of education and certification of plastic surgeons. Dr. Denkler is a also member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the California Society of Plastic Surgeons, the California Medical Association, and the San Francisco Marin Medical Society.

Dr. Denkler’s physician colleagues regularly recommend him as one of the leading physicians practicing in the Bay Area. As a result, he has been listed as a Top Doctor in Plastic Surgery in Marin Magazine’s annual 415 Top Doctors List. Additionally, he is included in Castle Connolly’s America’s Top Doctors list.

On a more personal note, Dr. Denkler and his wife Dr. Hudson met in their residency programs, and were brought together by their love of medicine, music and nature. They also share the philosophy that being a physician and helping patients is a very special privilege and responsibility.

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