August 28, 2026
We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Natalia Ziolkowski, or Dr. Z, to The Plastic Surgery Clinic.
An accomplished, board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Ziolkowski brings advanced aesthetic training, a PhD focused on scar outcomes, international surgical experience, and a deeply thoughtful approach to patient care. But her relationship with our clinic began long before she officially joined the team.
Dr. Z first came to The Plastic Surgery Clinic during her plastic surgery residency at the University of Toronto, where she completed part of her aesthetic surgery training alongside Dr. Frank Lista. Years later, she has returned as a permanent member of our surgical team.
Dr. Z didn’t enter medical school knowing that she would become a plastic surgeon. In fact, she originally thought she might pursue psychiatry. It was during her surgical training that she discovered how much she loved the combination of technical precision, problem-solving, and the ability to make a tangible difference for a patient.
That interest ultimately led her to plastic surgery and, during her residency at the University of Toronto, to her first aesthetic rotation at The Plastic Surgery Clinic.
Alongside her surgical training, Dr. Ziolkowski completed a PhD focused on scar outcomes and how scars affect patients’ appearance, symptoms, quality of life, and overall experience. That research helped shape the way she practises today, with the individual patient at the centre of every surgical decision.
She later pursued additional international training in Australia and Brazil, further broadening her surgical experience and perspective.
For Dr. Z, a successful consultation begins with understanding the person in front of her.
Her approach is built around three things: understanding each patient and their goals, determining what is safe and achievable based on their individual anatomy, and building a genuine partnership throughout the surgical process.
That means having honest conversations about what surgery can and cannot accomplish, helping patients understand their anatomy and options, and making sure they feel comfortable asking questions at every stage.
“I want my patients to leave happy where they feel that they’ve been heard, they feel acknowledged and also supported.”
That philosophy extends well beyond the consultation. Dr. Z sees surgery as a partnership, from planning through recovery, with both surgeon and patient working together to achieve and protect the best possible result.
Dr. Lista has worked with generations of plastic surgery residents over the course of his career. Dr. Ziolkowski stood out.
He first worked with her when she rotated through The Plastic Surgery Clinic during her University of Toronto residency and saw firsthand her surgical ability, intelligence, attention to detail, and the way patients responded to her.
But technical ability was only part of what made her such a natural fit for the clinic.
As Dr. Lista explains, Dr. Z shares the values that have always shaped care at The Plastic Surgery Clinic: honesty, integrity, excellent surgery, and genuinely looking after people.
“She’s the kind of person that you want taking care of you or the people you love.”
Today, Dr. Ziolkowski’s aesthetic practice focuses on surgery of the face, breast and body, including labiaplasty and other intimate surgeries. She brings not only extensive surgical and academic training to that work, but the warmth and attentiveness that patients have responded to since her earliest days at the clinic.
For Dr. Z, returning to The Plastic Surgery Clinic feels like coming full circle. For Dr. Lista, having another surgeon beside him every day creates something integral to great plastic surgery outcomes: the ability to think through complex decisions together.
The two regularly discuss patients, surgical planning, challenges and different approaches to achieving the right result. Dr. Ziolkowski brings her own training and perspective to techniques and principles Dr. Lista has developed over more than 30 years in aesthetic surgery.
That collaboration reflects something larger about the way the clinic works. A great result matters, but so does everything that happens around it. Our surgeons understand just how important it is having questions answered, feeling supported, being treated with patience, and knowing that your care team is there for you from the first conversation all the way through recovery.
As Dr. Lista puts it, patients often tell us about those things before they ever mention the result itself.
We couldn’t be happier to have Dr. Ziolkowski back at The Plastic Surgery Clinic, this time as one of our surgeons.
Interested in meeting Dr. Ziolkowski? Book a free consultation at our clinic.
Did we answer all your questions? Our goal is to ensure you have the best information possible to make your decision. If you still have questions, we’re here to help.
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