Dr. James Fernau, MD, FACS

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Get to know Plastic Surgeon Dr. James Fernau, who serves patients in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.

Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Fernau, is a second-generation physician in private practice in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Named as one of America’s “Top Doctors” by the American Consumer Research Council seven years in a row, he specializes in cosmetic, plastic, and reconstructive surgery. His privately owned practice, Dr. James Fernau, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery & Medical Spa, puts patient satisfaction and safety first, and he is known for his compassion, surgical skill, and gorgeous outcomes.

Professionally, Dr. Fernau serves as Chairman of the Patient Safety Committee for the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Chairman of the Patient Safety Committee for the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and Assistant to the National Secretary for the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He also holds privileges at Heritage Valley Sewickley, Heritage Valley Beaver Heritage Valley SC, Trinity West (Steubenville), Valley SC (Steubenville), and Magee-Women’s Hospital of UPMC.

In his early days growing up in Wyoming, he watched his father take care of the community and would often go on house visits with him. He marveled as to how his father – who was a family doctor – loved every aspect of his profession, and how he was well respected by the people and the community in which he served. Dr. Fernau decided early on to devote his life to taking care of others.

On the road to becoming a doctor and a surgeon, he received his bachelor’s degree, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Wyoming. He received his medical degree from the University of Utah, where he graduated in the top 10% of his class. This earned him the honor of Alpha Omega Alpha and the vote of Outstanding Graduate. 

Thereafter, Dr. Fernau completed his internship in general surgery at Mount Carmel Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio in 1987 and his residency in otolaryngology at the Eye and Ear Hospital of Pittsburgh in 1991. This was followed by a residency in plastic surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1993, a fellowship in aesthetic plastic surgery with Richard A Mladick, MD, in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1993, and finally, a fellowship in Brazilian buttock implants/ body contouring with Raul Gonzalez, MD, in Brazil in 2012.

Throughout the course of his professional practice, Dr. Fernau has received numerous awards for advanced education, as recognized by the American Society for Plastic Surgery. He continues to advance his knowledge and training from year to year so that he can continue to be the best plastic surgeon for his patients. For instance, he recently did an intensive training with Dr. Barry DiBernardo, a board-certified plastic surgeon based out of New Jersey, who has extensive experience with some of the newest, promising technologies such as Smartlipo, Cellulaze, and PrecisionTx.

The doctor’s background in reconstructive surgery has given him an eye for beauty and perfection in the human anatomy. It has also provided him with great expertise in the field of cosmetic surgery. He precisely tailors every treatment plan based on the desires of each patient to ensure their overall satisfaction with the anticipated outcomes. Patients will find that he creates world-class body enhancements such as breast augmentations with gummy bear implants, breast lifts, Brazilian tummy tucks, body lifts, liposuction, Brazilian buttock lifts, and Brazilian buttock augmentations. His Aesthetic Surgery Center and Medical Spa provide comprehensive skin care services, laser hair removal, vein treatment, acne scar removal, Botox and filler treatment for the correction of facial wrinkles. Additionally, Dr. Fernau is a certified NeoGraft Specialist.

A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the doctor is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Rhinoplasty Society.

He is board-certified in plastic surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, whose mission 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. Furthermore, he is board-certified through the American Board of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and the American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive 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.

In addition to maintaining a thriving plastic surgery practice, Dr. Fernau is dedicated to giving back to the local community in various ways. He assists the women of Pittsburgh who require cosmetic or reconstructive surgery due to trauma and focuses on the Women’s Shelter in Pittsburgh to fulfill this. He also does pro bono surgery, working with one child per month, offering such procedures as otoplasty (ear pinning) and other cosmetic treatment work.

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