Dr. John Simon McGrail:
An Uncommon Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgeon
By Debra Rutherford and E. St. Abes
If you are someone who has ever entertained the idea of a little nip and tuck here and there to correct a perceived "flaw" or simply help nature keep you at your "best" you are not alone.
Women and men alike have increasingly realized that cosmetic surgery, although not intended to keep one forever young, is an intervention that can give one a social edge. Distinct from reconstructive surgery which is typically done to correct a physical condition with potential health impacts, cosmetic surgery is largely undertaken to improve one's appearance, with aesthetics as an end to itself.
According to many who have contemplated cosmetic surgery, the biggest challenge is not the decision itself to have one; it is deciding who is going to do it.
How do you choose a cosmetic surgeon? Apart from skills, what other attributes should the surgeon to whom you are entrusting your body possess? Are endorsements from other patients worth anything? Is the cost of the procedure an indication of the quality of service? What should one look for in a cosmetic surgeon?
I have had the great pleasure of observing Dr. McGrail while in consultation with patients at the La Fontaine Cosmetic Surgery Centre. After watching his gentle hands and discerning eye as he performed various cosmetic surgical procedures. I realized that here was a cosmetic surgeon who was a cut above. As he interacted with his patients, I could see his patients putting their trust in him - really in a sense trusting that their physical vision of themselves would be "delivered" by this man.
All good cosmetic surgeons are familiar with the latest techniques in the "youth revolution," techniques such as the latest in hyaluronic acid injectables. What separates Dr. McGrail from other cosmetic surgeons, however, are not his skills and knowledge of the latest in surgical beauty procedures but his unusual ability to make his patients feel they have come to the best surgeon there is in town. In other words, Dr. McGrail has the gift of earning your trust and confidence. Surgical skills being a given, the ability to make patients feel they can entrust their cosmetic surgeon with their "self" is the most important attribute.
This great surgeon has had a remarkable career. Aside from his cosmetic and reconstructive surgery practices, he has also dedicated himself to providing surgical services to members of the Canadian Armed Forces from his 2nd home in Nova Scotia.
Born in Manchester, England Dr. Simon McGrail obtained his medical degree there where he also began his intense specialty training. While training to be a doctor, Simon played professional Soccer in Division 1 in England and dated an aide to Queen Elizabeth. Despite this "charmed" life, Simon uprooted to Michigan and later Toronto. His love of sports stayed with him, as he became the physician to the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey League from 1977 until 1994, which included all the Team Canada World Championships.
Along the way, Simon became a professor and department chief of Otolaryngology, University of Toronto, and later at the Wellesley Hospital from 1967-1987. He is a general ear, nose, and throat surgeon with particular emphasis on head and neck cancer and facial cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. His curriculum vitae is extensive and overwhelming, with numerous publications and lectures around the globe.
When Dr. McGrail first met Sonia La Fontaine - a dynamic woman and owner of her own surgical clinic in Toronto - there began a professional partnership still in effect today. Sonia, no stranger to cosmetic surgery herself, approached Dr. McGrail with a revolutionary model for providing cosmetic surgery. Sonia had worked previously with a renowned plastic surgeon from New York, and this partnership had planted the seed of the new medical model. This model offered patients access to the best cosmetic surgeons and the highest standards of medical practice with personal service in the privacy of the La Fontaine clinic instead of in a hospital setting!
Not long after the partnership with Dr. McGrail was formed, hundreds of cosmetic procedures were undertaken at the clinic. These included breast augmentations, hair transplants, and nose, ears and eyelid surgeries. Patients prefer the clinic's more comfortable and private setting to that of a cold, impersonal hospital. Along with other well known cosmetic and plastic surgeons, Dr. McGrail performed hundreds of surgeries at La Fontaine through the 1980s.
The partnership that began in the 1980s between Dr. McGrail and Sonia La Fontaine continues today. Asked to what he attributes his longevity and enduring popularity with his patients, Dr. McGrail says simply, "Cosmetic surgery is as much art as it is science. I always keep in mind that regardless of how good I am as a doctor, I have to earn the trust and confidence of my patients each and every time. A big part of this trust is understanding their aspirations- but being able to communicate to them the achievable reality of their aspiration without having them expect too much or shattering their dream. In essence, it is a journey that is shared by both patient and doctor. I think that may be the secret of my success."
