Gallaher Plastic Surgery & Spa

He was five years old at the time. On a walk with the family dog, Tom Gallaher trotted along unaware of how the next few minutes would change his life. The dog bolted, with Tom’s hand caught in the leash. The dog turned, biting him on the bridge of his nose, lower eyelid and scalp. He had to have reconstructive surgery to repair his injuries.

Fast forward to 2018, and it’s hard to imagine that such a terrible incident would actually help shape the course of this boy’s life.

“I was fascinated with all the different aspects of how I was helped in this tragedy,” says Gallaher.” It was this fascination, along with stories he heard from his grandmother about her physical father, that inspired Gallaher to pursue plastic surgery as a career.

A University of Tennessee College of Medicine graduate of the 90s who completed his plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Gallaher knew that one day his work would take him home to Knoxville.

In 1997, Dr. Gallaher served as Director of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with the North Texas Affiliated Medical Group in Fort Worth. But he wanted to direct and provide a higher level of care. Five years later, he felt a calling to open his own practice—Gallaher Plastic Surgery and Spa—in the Knoxville area. He has now been practicing for 11 years.

Alongside a team of 23 in four office locations in Powell, Bearden, Tellico Village, and Fairfield Glade, Gallaher provides cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery services to individuals from all walks of life, who are undergoing all sorts of life experiences.

“Over the years, I have been privileged to take care of thousands of patients,” Gallaher says. “My ability to impact lives with so many different procedures humbles me on a daily basis.”

Gallaher spends his time aiding women who are undergoing breast cancer and in need of breast reconstructive surgery. Additionally, he performs breast augmentation, tummy tucks, and breast lifts. His practice also offers extensive ancillary spa services, including nonsurgical procedures such as facial rejuvenations and fillers such as Botox.

It’s a full-service practice, and Gallaher’s passion for his work seems to inform every aspect of his business.

Eden Stewart, the practice’s patient coordinator, has been with Gallaher since the beginning. She began her career as a massage therapist out of the simple desire to help others, wanting to make a difference in other people’s lives.

“I interviewed with Dr. Gallaher, but hadn’t yet passed my boards,” Stewart says. “I just remember thinking, ‘Wow. This is a really great guy,” hearing about his vision as a plastic surgeon and how he wanted to help people. “He offered me the job on the spot.”

Stewart was hired as a front desk receptionist, but her role grew over the course of her 11 years at the practice. Today, she guides patients through every aspect of their journey—from talking through the procedures they will receive and making them feel comfortable, to bringing the cost and recovery discussions down to approachable levels.

“Everybody has a different story of why they want plastic surgery,” she says. “I’m here to make sure they feel comfortable. Dr. Gallaher makes it easy because he makes them feel at ease.”

Patient care comes first at Gallaher’s practice. It’s simply the culture, the environment they’ve created as a team there.

It’s about trust. Hundreds come through Gallaher’s doors seeking an opportunity to change for the better. To feel inspired. To feel reborn in their own skin. To once more feel confident in themselves. Time and again, Dr. Tom Gallaher is who patients choose to help them feel like themselves again.

For 28 years, Dr. Gallaher has been practicing this work, a work he loves and one he knows is changing lives one step at a time. And for those walking through his doors, or looking to learn more, he’s ready and open to welcoming them in to his safe and inspiring space.