Dr. Sam Fuller, MD, is a South Bend–based, board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon known for cosmetic breast surgery, body contouring, reconstructive procedures, and advanced hand and upper-extremity surgery. Through Sam Fuller Plastic Surgery and his affiliation with South Bend Orthopaedics, he provides individualized surgical care guided by each patient’s anatomy, personal goals, safety considerations, and expectations. His background combines aesthetic plastic surgery with extensive knowledge of soft tissue, muscles, tendons, nerves, bones, and microvascular reconstruction, allowing him to approach cosmetic and functional concerns from a comprehensive surgical perspective.
Dr. Fuller graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, where he completed a double major in Pre-Professional Studies and Spanish Language and Literature. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and subsequently completed his Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He then pursued advanced fellowship training in hand, upper-extremity, and microvascular surgery at the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore. Dr. Fuller is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and holds additional Subspecialty Certification in Surgery of the Hand. His education and certification are documented by South Bend Orthopaedics and Saint Joseph Health System.
His academic contributions include research involving tendon reconstruction, fat transfer, hand surgery, and emerging surgical technologies. Dr. Fuller received the 2016 Michael S. Murphy Research Award for work involving a novel coupling device for tendon repair and reconstruction. He and his co-authors also received the 2014 Best Hand Paper recognition from Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for research examining fat transfer to the extremities in patients with Raynaud’s phenomenon. He holds a United States patent connected to a tendon-repair technique and has participated in presentations, teaching programs, medical missions, cadaver dissection courses, and professional publications.
Dr. Fuller’s cosmetic practice encompasses procedures addressing the breasts, abdomen, torso, arms, thighs, and male chest. His publicly described areas of focus include breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, breast revision, breast reconstruction following cancer treatment, gynecomastia correction, tummy tuck surgery, drainless abdominoplasty, rectus-muscle repair, mommy makeover, liposuction, 360-degree liposuction, fat grafting, torsoplasty, belt lipectomy, lower-body lift, arm lift, and medial or lateral thigh lift. He also treats patients experiencing loose or redundant skin after substantial weight loss. Nonsurgical and office-based options may include neuromodulator injections, dermal fillers, scar care, skin treatments, and selected body-contouring services. Available procedures should always be confirmed directly during consultation because treatment options can change over time.
A distinctive element of Dr. Fuller’s work is the integration of cosmetic, reconstructive, and upper-extremity expertise. His hand practice addresses conditions involving the hand, wrist, and forearm using both nonsurgical and surgical approaches. Depending on the diagnosis, treatment may involve therapy, injections, conventional surgery, microvascular or soft-tissue reconstruction, endoscopic techniques, arthroscopy, or Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet surgery. This combined training enables him to consider skin coverage, tendon function, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, and bones as interconnected parts of a functional anatomical system. His consultation process emphasizes understanding the patient’s concern, discussing realistic options, explaining anticipated trade-offs and recovery, and developing a plan suited to individual anatomy rather than applying a standard procedure to every patient.
Based in South Bend, Dr. Fuller serves patients from South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Notre Dame, Elkhart, Goshen, Plymouth, La Porte, Niles, Buchanan, and communities throughout Northern Indiana and the wider Michiana region. Plastic and reconstructive consultations are also publicly listed at South Bend Orthopaedics locations in Mishawaka, Elkhart, and Plymouth. His South Bend practice offers access to cosmetic and reconstructive care closer to home for regional patients while also assisting individuals who travel from elsewhere in Indiana and neighboring Michigan. His professional approach centers on careful planning, proportionate outcomes, clear patient education, and the balance between surgical science and aesthetic judgment.
Services include breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction, breast revision, breast reconstruction, gynecomastia surgery, tummy tuck, drainless abdominoplasty, rectus plication, mommy makeover, liposuction, 360-degree liposuction, fat grafting, torsoplasty, belt lipectomy, lower-body lift, arm lift, thigh lift, post-weight-loss body contouring, scar revision, neurotoxin injections, dermal fillers, hand surgery, wrist surgery, forearm surgery, tendon repair, nerve surgery, microvascular reconstruction, soft-tissue reconstruction, carpal tunnel treatment, endoscopic procedures, arthroscopic procedures, and selected nonsurgical aesthetic treatments.
📍 Location: Sam Fuller Plastic Surgery / South Bend Orthopaedics, 53880 Carmichael Drive, South Bend, Indiana 46635, USA—serving South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Notre Dame, Elkhart, Plymouth, La Porte, and the broader Michiana region. The current South Bend address is confirmed by South Bend Orthopaedics and Saint Joseph Health System.
