Ahmed Alkadhi MBChB FRACS

Plastic, cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon

Ahmed Alkadhi currently works both at Waikato Hospital and Tristram Clinic.

At Waikato Hospital, he is mostly involved in cleft lip and cleft palate surgery, which takes a big chunk of his available operating theatre time. Other cases include head and neck reconstruction, lower limb trauma, advanced skin cancer surgery including melanoma, and breast surgery with reconstruction. Often, these cases require microsurgery and free tissue transfer.

Mr Alkadhi is also involved in training and supervision of plastic surgery registrars.

At Tristram Clinic, there is more emphasis on reconstructive skin cancer cases and melanoma surgery, as well as cosmetic surgery.

Mr Alkadhi regularly attends medical meetings and conferences in New Zealand and overseas. He is in compliance with Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program.

He also takes part in Operation Restore Hope, which is a charity cleft lip and palate surgical mission that takes place in the Philippines once a year.

What happens if I make an appointment to see Mr Alkadhi?

First you will have a consultation, which is often relatively short, informal and relaxed. Mr Alkadhi will discuss your condition and the options for treatment. He will answer your questions and put you at ease. During this time a plan is formulated and agreed on. You'll be given a date for surgery, if it's needed; urgent cases take priority and will be done in reasonable time. A written quotation can be provided to help with insurance claims.

During your consultation at Tristram Clinic, Mr Alkadhi can often show you before-and-after photos of the procedure, showing both the best and the average results.

Often, surgery can be performed using local anaesthetic at Tristram Clinic. More complicated cases require sedation and/or general anaesthetic, and admission to a private hospital – Braemar Hospital is then used.

Follow-up will be arranged at Tristram Clinic to check wounds, remove sutures and review.

What procedures are performed?

Skin cancer surgery: may involve a simple excision performed under local anaesthetic, or a more complex procedure that needs to be done in a major operating theatre. Most patients go home the same day (day cases). Skin flaps are used when possible, in preference to skin graft reconstruction, to reduce healing time and speed up recovery.
Cosmetic surgery: includes blepharoplasty (eyelid reduction), forehead lift (sometimes done at the same time as blepharoplasty), rhinoplasty (this is surgery to enhance the appearance of the nose, whether or not due to previous trauma), otoplasty (surgery to set back the ears of adults and children above the age of 7-8 years), abdominoplasty (to remove redundant tummy fat), face lift and neck lift.
Breast surgery: includes breast augmentation (implants), breast reduction, and breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
Reconstructive surgery: for example, complex wound closure after cancer excision or trauma, burn reconstruction, pressure ulcer care and surgery. One area of interest is nose reconstruction, which may require more than on operation to give the desired results. Also, cleft lip and palate surgery including secondary touch-up procedures.
Hand surgery: Dupuytren contracture, carpal tunnel and other nerve entrapment procedures.