About me
Laura Tom, MD, is an attending physician in MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery department, whose work is all about uplifting patients. As a general plastic surgeon, Dr. Tom uses inpatient and outpatient cosmetic and reconstructive surgical treatments to improve and/or restore the patient’s quality of life that has been affected by a wide range of conditions, including skin cancer, acute and chronic wounds, lymphedema, and hernias.
More specifically, Dr. Tom specializes in microsurgical complex reconstruction techniques, including microvascular reconstruction and super-microsurgery for lymphedema. Surgical treatment for lymphedema—the swelling in limbs that occurs after the damage or removal of lymph nodes—is a relatively new field of surgery because microscope, instrument, and suture technology have all improved to make the necessary techniques feasible. Most providers and patients are more familiar with the non-surgical means of treating lymphedema, such as massage and compression. But promising surgical approaches are now on the horizon: Using microsurgical techniques, it is sometimes possible to move tissue or attempt reconstruction to bypass lymph nodes that are not working.
Dr. Tom completed her surgical training at the University of Washington in Seattle ,where she helped treat a high volume of patients from all around the Pacific Northwest. She joined Medstar Washington Hospital Center after completing a specialized fellowship in microsurgery and lymphatic surgery at Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona, Spain. During her fellowship, she visited hospitals across Europe and Asia, learning from and networking with experts in complex reconstruction from around the world.
Dr. Tom’s practice at MedStar Washington Hospital Center includes pressure wound surgery, breast surgery, body contouring, complex reconstruction for trauma, cancer and limb salvage, and the surgical treatment of lymphedema. She looks forward to expanding the hospital’s practice, focusing on educating patients about new or developing procedures with the potential to save limbs that would otherwise require amputation, as well as prevent advanced lymphedema from occurring through early interventions.
Philosophy of Care
“My passion is trying to help patients reclaim some of what they feel they’ve lost. I credit my philosophy of care to one of the pioneers in plastic surgery from the 1500's, Gaspare Tagliacozzie, who wrote: ‘We restore, rebuild, and make whole those parts which nature hath given, but which fortune has taken away. Not so much that it may delight the eye, but that it might buoy up the spirit, and help the mind of the afflicted.’
“Whatever misfortune, whether it be trauma or cancer, has happened to the patient, our job is about trying to get them back to what and where they were before, or as close to that as possible - back to work, back to fishing, back to being themselves.
“I completed my fellowship training abroad because I wanted to work with some of the world’s leading experts in specialized lymphatic procedures, so that I could bring their wisdom and experience back to my practice here in Washington, DC. I hope to offer patients solutions they didn’t even know existed.
“The patients here at Washington Hospital Center are phenomenal, and our staff is rock solid. It is a pleasure to come to work every day.”
Clinical areas of focus
- Abdominoplasty
- Body Contouring Surgery
- Breast Augmentation
- Breast Reconstruction
- Gynecomastia Surgery
- Lymphedema
- Mammoplasty
- Microsurgery
- Panniculectomy
- Scar Revision
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Abdominal Scars
- Acquired Absence Of Breast
- Acquired Deformity Of Reconstructed Breast
- Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
- Basosquamous Carcinoma
- Benign Neoplasm Of Skin
- Breast Asymmetry
- Breast Deformities
- Breast Implant Leak
- Breast Implant Rupture
- Brow Droop
- Burn Scars
- Capsular Contracture
- Cold Extremities
- Compromised Skin Grafts
- Compromised Tissue Flaps
- Congenital Nevi
- Cyst
- Deformity Of Reconstructed Breast
- Disorder Of Earlobe
- Disproportion Of Reconstructed Breast
- Eyelid Trauma
- Facial Lesions
- Facial Nerve Injury
- Facial Nerve Palsy
- Forehead Nodule
- Frostbite
- Frostbite Of Ear
- Frostbite Of Face
- Frostbite Of Nose
- Ganglion Cyst
- Hemangiomas
- History Of Breast Cancer
- Lipedema
- Lipomas
- Lymphedema
- Macrostomia
- Nerve Injury
- Non Healing Wound
- Occipital Mass
- Prominent Ears
- Ptosis Of Breasts
- Radiation Induced Breast Deformity
- Ruptured Implant
- Scar Hypertrophy
- Scar On Neck
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of Skin Of Lip
- Upper Extremity Lymphedema
- Vasculitic Ulcers
Procedures I perform
- Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
- Abdominoplasty
- Aesthetic Surgery
- Anterolateral Thigh Flap
- Arm Lift
- Augmentation Mastopexy
- Back Lift
- Blepharoplasty
- Body Contouring Surgery
- Body Lift
- Breast Asymmetry Correction
- Breast Augmentation
- Breast Implant Deformity Correction
- Breast Reconstruction
- Breast Reduction
- Breast Reinnervation
- Breast Revision
- Brow Lift
- Burn Reconstruction
- Circumferential Liposuction Of Calves And Ankles
- Cleft Lip Repair
- Complex Wound Management
- Components Separation
- Coronal Brow Lift
- Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap
- Dermal Fillers
- Direct To Implant Reconstruction
- Ear Plastic Surgery
- Earlobe Reduction
- Excisional Biopsy
- Eyelid Repair
- Fat Grafting
- Fingertip Repair
- Flap Surgery
- Free Tram
- Ganglion Cyst Removal
- Gender Affirmation Surgery
- Gluteal Artery Perforator Flap
- Gynecomastia Surgery
- Implant Based Breast Reconstruction
- Inferior Gluteal Artery Perforator Flap
- Latissimus Flap
- Limb Salvage
- Lip Surgery
- Lipectomy
- Liposuction
- Liposuction Of The Abdomen
- Liposuction Of The Arms
- Liposuction Of The Buttocks
- Liposuction Of The Cheeks
- Liposuction Of The Chin
- Liposuction Of The Face
- Liposuction Of The Hips
- Liposuction Of The Knees
- Liposuction Of The Legs
- Liposuction Of The Love Handles
- Liposuction Of The Neck
- Liposuction Of The Thighs
- Lymph Node Transfer
- Male Breast Reduction
- Mammoplasty
- Mastopexy
- Mastoplasty
- Micro Neurovascular Free Muscle Transplant
- Microsurgery
- Microvascular Surgery
- Mini Abdominoplasty
- Mohs Defect Repair
- Muscle Sparing Tram
- Muscle Transplant
- Neck Lift
- Nerve Transfer
- Nipple Repair
- Nipple Sparing Mastectomy
- Oncologic Reconstruction
- Oncoplastic Breast Surgery
- Panniculectomy
- Pedicle Tram
- Pelvic Reconstruction
- Percutaneous Pinning
- Post Child Birth Body Reshaping
- Post Pregnancy Body Restoration
- Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction
- Profunda Artery Perforator Flap
- Radial Forearm Flap
- Reconstructive Microsurgery
- Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
- Release Scar Contracture
- Scalp Reconstruction
- Scar Revision
- Scrotoplasty
- Skin Cancer Reconstruction
- Skin Cancer Surgery
- Skin Graft
- Skin Resurfacing And Rejuvenation
- Skin Sparing Mastectomy
- Skin Tag Removal
- Sternal Wound Flap
- Superior Gluteal Artery Perforator Flap
- Surgery For Hidradenitis Suppurativa
- Thigh Lift Surgery
- Thoracodorsal Artery Perforator Flap
- Tissue Expansion Surgery
- Top Surgery
- Total Contact Casting
- Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap
- Transverse Upper Gracilis Flap
- Tug Flap
- Turbinate Surgery
- Upper Extremity Reconstruction
- Vacuum Assisted Closure Therapy
- Vacuum Assisted Wound Closure
- Vaginal Rejuvenation
- Vascularized Bone Graft
- Vertical Rectus Abdominis Muscle Flap
- Wound Care
Practice locations
Distance from Change LocationEnter your Location
106 Irving Street Northwest POB Ste 3400 North Tower Washington, DC, 20010
202-877-3300Fax 202-877-3303
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Medicare Fee for Service
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- Cigna HealthSpring Medicare Advantage
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- CFBCBS EPO
- Aetna Better Health of Maryland
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
- Open POS II
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Open EPO Plus
- Opoen HMO Option
- Open HMO
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- BlueChoice Open Access
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- Choice Fund PPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Network OA
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- United Healthcare Choice
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- United Student Resources
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Tricare Prime
- FIRST HEALTH
- First Health PPO
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- CIGNA Indemnity
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery
Residency: University of Washington School of Medicine (2017)
Residency: University of Washington School of Medicine (2014)
Graduate: Yale University Office of the Registrar (2011)
Medical School: Yale University School of Medicine Medical Degree Verification (2011)