Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery

Dr Alexander Gardetto, MD (med. univ.)

Specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery

Dr Gardetto began his medical career in 1991 at the Medical University of Innsbruck. He subsequently completed his specialist training in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery at the University Hospital in Graz before further enhancing his expertise with a specialisation in hand surgery, certified by the Austrian Medical Association in Vienna.

Dr Gardetto has a distinguished track record within the South Tyrolean Health Service. In 2006, he established the Department of Plastic Surgery at Brixen Hospital, which he continued to develop in the following years. Today, he brings this experience to his patients at Brixsana, a clinic he co-founded in 2016 with Dr Pedrini and Dr Oberdrill, where he now serves as a board member, shaping its strategic direction. Among his most notable scientific achievements – besides numerous awards and accolades – is the development of an innovative surgical technique enabling patients with bionic prostheses to not only control them but also experience sensations.

Bionic prostheses

Reconstructive surgery: restoration of body parts after illness or injury; correction of congenital malformations

Plastic surgery: breast augmentation and reduction, tummy tuck, eyelid lift, liposuction, facelifts, etc.

Hand surgery: treatment of deformities, tendon and joint diseases and compression symptoms (e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome)

Regenerative medicine: innovative hair stem cell transplantation for thinning hair or after chemotherapy/hormone therapy

Migraine therapy using botulinum toxin or surgical intervention with local anaesthesia

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and laser treatments for wrinkles, acne scars, warts and other aesthetic concerns

2024-present

Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery, University of Padua, Department of Plastic Surgery

2019-present

Head of the Centre for Bionic Prostheses, Brixsana, and Chief Medical Officer at Saphenus Medical Technology

2016-present

Medical Director of Brixsana and Head of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery with Hand Surgery

2006–2016

Founder, Head of Development and Medical Director of the Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Brixen Hospital, Clinic for Plastic Surgery, South Tyrolean Health Service

2001–2006

Specialist at the University Clinic for Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Innsbruck

1991–1997

Studied at the Medical University of Innsbruck and trained as a specialist in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery at Graz University Hospital

Innovative noninvasive gait-synchronized vibrotactile feedback system: “I can feel myself walking again”

Kalff MN, Witowski V, Hoursch V, Kirsten N, Niehage L, Kramer H, Gardetto A, Sehmisch S, Ernst J. Innovative noninvasive gait-synchronized vibrotactile feedback system: “I can feel myself walking again”. Unfallchirurgie (Heidelb). 2024 Aug 13. doi: 10.1007/s00113-024-01466-6.PMID: 39136753.

Vibrotactile Feedback for a Person with Transradial Amputation and Visual Loss: A Case Report

Peternell G, Penasso H, Luttenberger H, Ronacher H, Schlintner R, Ashcraft K, Gardetto A, Ernst J, Kropiunig U. Vibrotactile Feedback for a Person with Transradial Amputation and Visual Loss: A Case Report. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 Sep 25;59(10):1710. doi: 10.3390/medicina59101710. PMID: 37893428.

Reduction of Phantom Limb Pain and Improved Proprioception through a TSR-Based Surgical Technique: A Case Series of Four Patients with Lower Limb Amputation

Gardetto A, Baur EM, Prahm C, Smekal V, Jeschke J, Peternell G, Pedrini MT, Kolbenschlag J. Reduction of Phantom Limb Pain and Improved Proprioception through a TSR-Based Surgical Technique: A Case Series of Four Patients with Lower Limb Amputation. J Clin Med. 2021 Sep 6;10(17):4029. doi: 10.3390/jcm10174029. PMID: 34501477; PMCID: PMC8432479.