Dr. Joseph Mlakar, MD

Expert Publications

• Lack of long-term durability of cultured keratinocyte burn-wound coverage: a case report.
• Template for a zigzag coronal incision.
• Allograft is superior to topical antimicrobial therapy in the treatment of partial-thickness scald burns in children.

Media Releases

Get to know Plastic Surgeon Dr. Joseph Mlakar, who serves patients in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Dr. Mlakar, also known as “Dr. Joe”, is a well-respected plastic surgeon whose extensive training, skilled hand, and personable nature make him the go-to plastic surgeon in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area. Specializing in a wide range of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, he is the Founder of Plastic Surgery Innovations. 

As the name indicates, Dr. Joe and his staff are constantly looking for innovative solutions in aesthetic plastic surgery, which lead them to utilize ultrasound technology for more efficient fat removal surgery, as well as skin treatments for hair removal and wrinkle reduction. They establish a caring bedside manner that helps them to focus on each patient individually, inform them of what they need, and best match their wishes for final results.

With over 30 years of experience to his credit, Dr. Joe has extensive experience in performing cosmetic facial and eyelid surgery, breast enhancement surgery, surgical body contouring, as well as breast reconstruction, breast reduction, and pediatric reconstructive surgery. He is also considered an expert in rhinoplasty, having performed several hundred of these treatments.

Committed to compassionate care and the artistry of cosmetic surgery, the doctor is board-certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). The mission of the ABPS is to promote safe, ethical, efficacious plastic surgery to the public by maintaining high standards for the education, examination, certification, and continuous certification of plastic surgeons as specialists and subspecialists.

Growing up in Amherst, Ohio, Dr. Joe finished high school at the age of 17, college at the age of 19 years, and medical school at the age of 23 at Northeastern Ohio College of Medicine (1985). After completing a combined general surgery/plastic surgery residency at Michigan State University and Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan (1990), he performed an advanced fellowship in burn surgery and critical care at the University of Texas Medical Branch (1991). He also completed an advanced fellowship in craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles Children’s Hospital (1992). 

Following his training, he served as the Blodgett Burn Center Director in Grand Rapids, Michigan (1992-1994), and then as the Cleft Clinic Director at the Shriners Hospital in Galveston, Texas (1994-1996).

After his son was born, Dr. Joe moved back to the Midwest to be closer to his extended family and began his plastic surgery practice in Fort Wayne in 1996. He served as the Director/Co-Director of the St. Joseph Hospital Regional Burn Center (1996-2006) and as the St. Joseph Hospital Chief of Surgery (2000-2006). Finally, he founded Plastic Surgery Innovations in 2006.

A regional expert for a variety of plastic surgery procedures, he is a Co-Founder of the Kids-First Cleft/Craniofacial Clinics, a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals who are dedicated to the treatment and care of children with birth anomalies. Kids-First Clinics is nationally verified by the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association and one of three verified cleft care programs in Indiana.

Encompassing exceptional knowledge and expertise in his speciality, Dr. Joe is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, as well as a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Burn Association, the American Medical Association, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction, or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories – reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. A plastic surgeon’s primary responsibility is performing surgical and non-surgical procedures, and they use a variety of reparative and reconstructive techniques to get the job done.

On the subject of his professional recognitions, Dr. Joe is the recipient of the American Medical Association’s Physician’s Recognition Award, the Bausch and Lomb Science Award, and the Golden Scalpel Award. He has been honored with the Krist/Mlakar Endowment for Burned Children (1998), and has won clinical teaching awards as an outstanding plastic surgeon in Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. In addition, he has been listed in “America’s Top Plastic Surgeons” (2002-2017), “America’s Top Surgeons” by the Consumers Research Council of America (2007-2017), and “Top Doctors in Fort Wayne” by Upstate Indiana Business Journal.

On a more personal note, he is happily married. He and his wife, Lori, have a son.

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