David B. Reath, M.D.

• American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• American Board of Plastic Surgery
• American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
• American Board of Surgery

LocateADoc Q&A

Describe the most rewarding experience that you have had working with a patient?

I am fortunate to have many rewarding experiences. These range from someone who had the function of their leg restored from reconstruction from trauma, to a women who feels whole again after having their breast reconstructed following mastectomy, to a someone in whom I have change a part of their body that has never been the way they wanted it to be. However, on experience that stands out in my mind is taking care of a child who was born with a cleft lip. And what is special is that her mother was also a patient in whom I had repaired a cleft lip.

What is your charity organization of choice and why?

FISH is a local hunger ministry, and a favorite charity of mine. They have several distribution centers that provide food for those in need. Over fifty local churches are involved and together FISH feeds about 11,000 hungry families each month. And they do this with great economic efficiency. Through bulk buying and gifts of food, five dollars will feed a family of four for three days.

What makes your specialties the right fields of medicine for you?

Plastic surgery combines the art and science of improving the shape or form of the body while maintaining or improving normal function. There are important elements of aesthetics, design, and problem solving that appeal to me. I have always understood that once a person has recovered from an operation whether it is plastic surgery or other surgeries, what they are left with is a scar. So minimizing their scar while improving their overall appearance is very important.

Can you tell us in your own words what you consider a perfect outcome of a surgical procedure?

It may be rare to get a perfect outcome. And really, this is not what I strive for. Because the pursuit of perfection can lead to results that fall far from the mark. A saying I like is: the enemy of good is better. Our goal, rather than perfection, is excellence. Too many times, either in surgery or in life, we make an excellent result worse when we try to make it perfect. Some results may in fact be perfect. And it's really hard to know when you're there. But an excellent result is one in which, after the patient is fully recovered, the patient has achieved what they wanted, the aesthetic result is excellent, and their function is normal or improved.

What procedure would you like to do more of and why?

My favorite operation is probably a tummy tuck. I have always liked my results from this operation, and over the years, by adopting improved techniques, these results have gotten even better. But what we are able to do with this operation is to restore or improve the appearance of a part of the body that, in women, has been changed by pregnancy and child bearing. The changes that are made with this surgery cannot be achieved by diet and exercise alone. And, we are restoring what has been changed by bringing another life into this world. Cool stuff, really. I also love doing breast augmentations. In so many women this really helps them with a part of their body that just doesn't fit with the rest of their body. And by making them more proportional, there are tremendous improvements in what they can wear, and how they feel about themselves.

What Sets Us Apart

"The personal approach to personal change" is more than just our theme line, it's our attitude. Our patients tell us it's what really sets us apart. They are constantly amazed at the time Dr. Reath spends with them and with the warmth of our office staff.

Education

• Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery- 1986- present
• Postgraduate Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship - Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) 1984-1986
• General Surgery Residency - Medical College of Virginia (Richmond, VA) 1980-1983 Chief Resident 1983-1984
• Categorical Surgery Internship - Medical College of Virginia (Richmond, VA) 1980-1979
• Medical School - University of Texas - Southwestern Medical School (Dallas, TX) 1975-1979
• Undergraduate - Trinity University (San Antonio, TX) 1971-1975 (Cum Laude)
• High School - St. Paul High School (Concord, NH) 1971 (Cum Laude)

Other Affiliations

• Chairman Public Education Commitee, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• Board of Directors, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, October 2006
• Board Certification: Diplomate - American Board of Surgery (1985)
• Board Certification: Diplomate - American Board of Plastic Surgery (1988)
• Tennessee Society for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (Past President)
• American College of Surgeons - Fellow
• American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• Southern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• American Association for the Surgery of Trauma
• Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma
• American Trauma Society
• American Cancer Society
• American Medical Association
• Southern Medical Association
• Southeastern Surgical Congress
• Tennessee Medical Association
• Knoxville Academy of Medicine
• Knoxville Surgical Society
• Humera Surgical Society
• International Society of Aquatic Medicine
• American Cleft Plate-Craniofacial Association