Dr. David Janssen | Fox Valley Plastic Surgery Fox Valley Plastic Surgery

Meet Dr. David Janssen

In 1994, Dr. David Janssen opened a plastic surgery practice in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. More than 30 years later, he’s still there. Still operating, still developing new techniques, and still helping patients throughout Appleton and Oshkosh feel more confident in their appearance.

Longevity like that tells you a lot about the kind of surgeon he is. It tells you his patients trust him enough to send their sisters, daughters and friends to him year after year. It tells you his outcomes have held up over time. And it tells you he has spent three decades watching techniques evolve, adopting what works and filtering out what doesn’t.

His practice today is not the same one he ran in the mid-nineties, and that’s by design. Three decades in, he continues to refine not only his techniques, but the way he listens to patients, manages recovery and structures the care experience.

Credentials & Published Research

Credentials & Memberships

Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)
Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
Member of The Aesthetic Society, formerly known as the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)
Associate member of The Rhinoplasty Society
Member of the Wisconsin Society of Plastic Surgery
Member of the Midwestern Association of Plastic Surgeons
Member of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery

Published Research

Read Dr. Janssen's Complete CV

A Wisconsin Kid at Heart

Dr. Janssen grew up in Adams-Friendship, a small town halfway between the Dells and Wisconsin Rapids, surrounded by strong medical influences. His grandfather was a surgeon, and his father was a family doctor. From a young age, it only felt right that Dr. Janssen went into medicine, too.

“I always knew this was what I was going to do,” he shares. “There was never anything else. This is what I was meant to be.”

By his senior year of high school, he was already working as an EMT and running an ambulance, a job he kept all through college and into his early medical training. Five years of emergency response work before ever stepping foot into a residency program gave him the kind of composure and judgment that serve a surgeon well. He learned early that when the stakes are high, patients need someone who can think clearly, act decisively and own the outcome.

Those same instincts are central to how he operates today.

The Value of Classical Training

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That early sense of calm under pressure was only strengthened by the training that followed.

Before specializing in plastic surgery, Dr. Janssen completed a full seven-year residency in general surgery, where he also served as chief resident. “I’m classically trained, which makes us more versatile as surgeons,” he says. “It’s different than how they do it now.”
This kind of training has become increasingly uncommon. Many plastic surgeons today enter the specialty through shorter, more direct pathways and skip the broader surgical foundation. The difference shows up when something unexpected happens in the operating room.
A classically trained plastic surgeon has managed bleeding in a trauma bay and seen a hundred unpredictable situations before ever performing an elective procedure. So when surgery doesn’t go exactly to plan, they have the skill and judgment to manage complications. “It gives you the confidence you need to be effective in the operating room.”

Along with his training, a strong sense of responsibility shaped the kind of surgeon Dr. Janssen would become. “Resonsibility was ingrained in us,” he says. “We own the problem, no matter what it is. You never blame somebody else. You never blame the patient.”

Rethinking Pain Management

For Dr. Janssen, being responsible for the outcome also means being responsible for the recovery experience.

Most surgeons talk about pain, but few have developed a thoughtful approach to managing it. Thanks to a harrowing experience during his medical training that left him as a trauma patient himself, Dr. Janssen understands pain from both sides of the hospital bed.

“When I was a resident in plastic surgery, I needed multiple surgeries on my face,” he explains. “It was a bad experience. So I have a desire for my patients to have as little pain as possible.” Years later, his daughter would face her own painful ordeal when she needed a large tumor removed from her stomach. “I’ve been the patient, and I’ve been the parent of the patient,” he says. “You can tell quickly who cares and who doesn’t.”

That experience shaped a clinical focus most plastic surgeons don’t share. He has developed his own protocol for managing pain from the very start, refined over years of practice.

“I call it the ‘special sauce,’ and it combines fast and long-acting local anesthetics with an antibiotic and a low-grade steroid,” he shares.

For his breast augmentation patients, this infusion helps manage pain for up to seven days and decreases the risk of capsular contracture. He also uses TAP blocks for his tummy tucks and has presented across the country on why other plastic surgeons should do the same.

“Some people care about pain, but a lot don’t. I do. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously, so I really do everything in my power to make sure my patients wake up and have a painless experience.” — Dr. Janssen

“Tell Me Your Story”

Most plastic surgery consultations follow a similar pattern. The patient sits down, the surgeon introduces themselves, and within a few minutes, the conversation has shifted to anatomy and surgical options.

Dr. Janssen does something different. He starts with your story.

He asks where you grew up. What you do for work. Where you live. What your hobbies are. He’ll interrupt, ask follow-up questions and occasionally find a connection, perhaps a shared interest or a family member from the same small Wisconsin town. By the time the conversation turns to the procedure itself, the two of you already know each other.

“I changed how I meet patients maybe eight or 10 years ago,” he muses. “Sometimes, people start crying when they tell me their story. It’s completely different than, ‘You’re here for a tummy tuck. I do tummy tucks. Here are your options.’ This way, you find out you’re actually connected, and it doesn’t take long to find those connections.”

There’s also a clinical purpose behind the warmth. Listening to a patient’s story reveals whether their expectations are realistic, whether the procedure matches their lifestyle, and whether they’re likely to be happy with the result. It’s helpful insight that informs his recommendations.

“You can’t do a formal tummy tuck on a single mother who has to be at work within a week and has to lift her babies,” Dr. Janssen explains. “But a moderate tummy tuck that removes loose skin without disturbing the abdominal muscles… that might be a better match for her life.”

Dr. Janssen’s Expertise

Three decades of experience don’t mean three decades of doing things the same way. Dr. Janssen has spent his career refining his approach, and the procedures he performs today deliver the best, safest and most natural-looking results. A few have become his calling cards.

Facelift

Dr. Janssen performs a combined MACS (minimal access cranial suspension) and LSD (lateral skin displacement) technique that lifts the cheeks and tightens the lower neck in a single procedure. The approach uses smaller incisions than traditional facelifts, which means less scarring and a faster recovery, without sacrificing the longevity of results.

The technique has earned Dr. Janssen serious recognition, with Fox Valley Plastic Surgery consistently ranking among the top facelift practices in Wisconsin.

Breast Surgery

Dr. Janssen performs breast augmentation, reduction and reconstruction, with particular attention to the perioperative pain protocol he has developed over the years. For reconstruction patients, the goals have shifted considerably during his career. Where the conversation once centered on restoring what was lost after mastectomy, many patients now come in wanting a result they genuinely love, not just one that looks whole. Dr. Janssen meets them there.

Moderate Tummy Tuck

The tummy tuck is one of Dr. Janssen’s most requested procedures, and it’s also one where his commitment to refinement really shows. Over the years, he developed and perfected a technique called the moderate tummy tuck, an in-house innovation that has become one of Fox Valley’s signature offerings.

The moderate tummy tuck removes and tightens excess skin without the muscle repair component of a full abdominoplasty. For the right patient, that means comprehensive body contouring results with less downtime, fewer lifting restrictions and lower surgical risk. It’s a particularly strong fit for busy mothers and patients who don’t want to undergo a full tummy tuck due to age, BMI or other health considerations.

Dr. Janssen’s tummy tucks also incorporate an ultrasound-guided TAP block that keeps patients comfortable for up to three days after surgery, and progressive tension sutures that eliminate the space where fluid can collect for a drainless recovery.

Low-Tech, High-Touch Process

When you call the Fox Valley Plastic Surgery office, you’ll be talking to a real person, not an automated system, a recording or an AI assistant. And when you come in for your consultation, you’re greeted by a friendly face in an environment that leans warm and residential.

“Our decor is kind of Renaissance Italian,” Dr. Janssen observes. “It’s not stark white and sterile-looking.” Patients often comment that it feels more like a home, as if you’re walking into someone’s living room instead of a medical center. The lighting is softer, the furniture is comfortable, and the atmosphere is calming.

The building’s layout was also designed with privacy in mind. After your surgery at the ThedaCare Surgery Center, you aren’t paraded through a busy waiting room, but are taken through a back hallway that leads directly into a heated garage. In winter, the nurses will even bring your car to you and warm it up.

Why do Dr. Janssen and his team go this extra mile?

It’s all about patient comfort and creating the best experience for every person they treat. “You’re already a little shaky and jittery after surgery. We don’t want anybody to sit in a cold car or ride in a wheelchair across a frozen parking lot,” he explains.

You’ll find this low-tech, high-touch process at every step of your journey. Throughout your recovery, if you have a question or a concern, you can reach a provider directly. “You dial the office and push four, and it rings our cell phones — whoever is on call. It could be myself, Dr. Doubek or our PA, but we’re available 24/7, 365 days a year.”

Outside the Operating Room

When he’s not working, Dr. Janssen enjoys pickleball, traveling with his wife and testing his limits as an endurance cyclist. He and his wife met in college and have been married for 43 years.

Together, they have five grandchildren, who are, by his own admission, the best part of his life outside of medicine.

Slow pontoon boat rides. Slower four-wheeler rides. Reading storybooks on the couch.

“Nothing beats it,” he beams.

Schedule Your Consultation Today

If you’re ready to connect with a board-certified plastic surgeon who takes the time to listen and understand your needs, call Fox Valley Plastic Surgery to meet with Dr. Janssen today. Consultations are offered in person at the Oshkosh and Appleton locations, with virtual consultations available for patients traveling from farther away.

To schedule, call 920-233-1540 or request your appointment online.

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