Professor Iain Whitaker is a Consultant Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeon at Sancta Maria Hospital, Swansea, and the only Professor of Plastic Surgery in Wales, holding the Chair in Plastic Surgery at Swansea University Medical School. In the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours, he was appointed OBE for services to Plastic Surgery.

He was named as Best for Bodies in the Top Doctors section of the Tatler Health and Beauty Guide 2024, and is internationally recognised as a key opinion leader in body contouring, breast surgery and cosmetic surgery safety. He has completed over 8,000 plastic surgery procedures and his results can be followed on Instagram.

Cosmetic Surgery at Sancta Maria Hospital

Prof Whitaker specialises in body contouring and breast surgery and performs several hundred cosmetic procedures a year. He is renowned for his tummy tuck results, known on social media as the #whitakerwaist, and for his mummy makeover transformations.

Body Contouring

• Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)
• Mummy makeover (combined procedures)
• Liposuction
• Fat transfer and fat grafting
• Body contouring following weight loss

Breast Surgery

• Breast augmentation
• Breast reduction
• Breast uplift (mastopexy)
• Combined breast augmentation and uplift
• Male breast reduction (gynaecomastia)
• Breast implant exchange and revision

Facial and Other Aesthetic Surgery

• Facial reconstruction and aesthetic surgery
• Skin lesion excision and reconstruction

Why Choose Prof Whitaker?

Prof Whitaker trained at some of the most prestigious surgical institutions in the world, including Cambridge University, Harvard Medical School, centres in the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Australia. He was the first plastic surgeon ever to receive the Rowan Nick’s Award, the most prestigious of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons international awards, and was awarded the European Association of Plastic Surgeons Young Plastic Surgeon Scholarship to work in Paris. He also holds an Academic Scholarship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, the first award of its type to a UK-trained surgeon.

He won the Mentor Prize in Aesthetic Surgery from BAPRAS during his training, along with multiple other prizes from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, BAPRAS and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Research

Prof Whitaker is Director of the Reconstructive Surgery and Regenerative Medicine Research Group at Swansea University, the largest plastic surgery research group in the UK, and Surgical Specialty Lead for Health and Care Research Wales. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and five books, with an H-index of 38. He is leading the world’s largest study of tummy tucks and has been a keynote speaker on the topic at international conferences. He is Chief Specialty Editor for Frontiers in Surgery and Associate Editor for the Annals of Plastic Surgery.

Media and Patient Safety

Prof Whitaker is regularly featured across broadcast and print media including BBC, ITV, BBC4, TalkTV, The Times and Times Radio, frequently as a commentator on cosmetic surgery safety. He works with BAAPS to highlight the risks of travelling overseas for cosmetic surgery and is a BAAPS Honorary Advisor on Council as Wales Representative.

Professional Memberships

• Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Plastics) FRCS(Plast)
• BAAPS Honorary Advisor on Council, Wales Representative
• British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS)