Francisco Canales, M.D.

Board-certified Plastic Surgeon

Meet Dr. Francisco Canales

As a board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Francisco Canales specializes in aesthetic services for men and women in the Northern California area. Prior to establishing himself in Santa Rosa, he began his own private practice in Boston, MA. Additionally, he worked as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School in the division of plastic surgery. Upon moving to Sonoma County, Dr. Canales was appointed the chief of plastic surgery at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and the chief of surgery at Warrack Hospital. With his wife, Dr. Heather Furnas, he co-founded Plastic Surgery Associates and Allegro MedSpa of Santa Rosa in 1992.

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Skills And Specialities

At Allegro MedSpa of Santa Rosa, Dr. Canales utilizes his expertise to provide an array of aesthetic services in order to create desirable outcomes for his patients. As a part of skin enhancement procedures, he offers laser skin resurfacing, microdermabrasion, microneedling, and IPL photofacials. For the body, he performs Cellfina, CoolSculpting, tattoo removal, vaginal rejuvenation, and nonsurgical skin tightening. Additionally, he provides injectable and nonsurgical procedures for areas of the face and body for rejuvenated, younger-looking results.

Education And Training

At Harvard College, Dr. Canales earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors before going on to complete his medical degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine. With a particular interest in plastic surgery, Dr. Canales completed additional surgical training and a plastic surgery residency at Stanford University Hospital.

Professional Memberships

In addition to being board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Canales is a member of several prestigious surgical organizations, including:

Humanitarian Work And Hobbies

Originally from Puerto Rico, Dr. Canales enjoys volunteering his expertise and skills to help correct cleft lips and birth defects for children in Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina, and Kenya. When not volunteering or providing results for his Santa Rosa patients, Dr. Canales enjoys swimming and spending time with his wife and two children, Diego and Siena.

Coffee Break With Dr. Paco Canales

The best thing about working at PSA/AMS is the esprit de corps of our team. A day at work doesn’t seem like work because everyone is so talented at their job, and they project an upbeat mood to our patients. Patients notice and appreciate how they are each treated like VIPs. I love seeing patients who have been coming to us for many years and catching up with everything that has happened in their lives since their last visit.

The biggest influence on me has been…the teachers at Colegio San Ignacio, my high school in Puerto Rico. My father died when I was in 8th grade leaving my mother and my 3 siblings in a precarious financial situation. I was only able to attend the Jesuit high school that my parents had chosen because of a scholarship. Both the Jesuit faculty and the lay faculty at the high school were top-notch, and they encouraged me to shoot as high as I could for college. They taught us in French, English, and Spanish. I graduated at age 16 and, later that summer, left Puerto Rico to attend Harvard College, and then both Yale and Stanford Medical Schools. I am very grateful that, during a time of grief and family uncertainty, the teachers at the high school were able to provide a safety net and the spark that lit my education.

My favorite procedure/treatment is…a mommy makeover, which usually involves breast enhancement and a tummy tuck. After they are done having children, many mothers work very hard to get their pre-baby bodies back. When they reach a plateau, it is often due to stretched skin and muscle separation – things they can’t control. Those are the changes we make in surgery. In 3 or 4 hours, we can make dramatic changes, restore their bodies, and give a boost to their confidence. Because mommy makeovers are longer surgeries and I have the luxury of working with my wife (Dr. Heather Furnas), we can shorten the surgery and anesthesia time for patients. That allows for a quicker recovery from anesthesia. A shorter surgical time also means a quicker return to their activities.

The best part of my next weekend will be…Zooming with my children. Family has always been my number one priority and I love to hear from our grown children. Our son, Diego, lives in San Francisco, where he co-founded a tech company called ClearMetal. Our daughter, Siena, is in graduate school at Columbia University in New York City. When we all get together, even remotely, it’s like getting a big dose of joy.

My hidden talent is…my memory. Names, faces, numbers, addresses, sports minutiae, and even what size breast implants a patient had many years ago. All those facts float to the tip of my tongue without much effort. It can startle someone who thinks they just met me for the first time and I say “Yes, we met before. On a plane to LA, 16 years ago. You were doing a New York Times crossword puzzle. Your pencil fell to the ground and I picked it up for you. You are a lawyer who, at the time, was working for….” You get the idea. Our children would sometimes warn me, “Papa, don’t freak people out with some obscure fact from 20 years ago!” In my next life, I might work for the CIA.

The most surprising thing most people don’t know about me is…that I swam in the Olympics. No, I did not medal, but the experience of being with the best athletes in the world was incomparable. Swimming also allowed me to travel the world from Puerto Rico to Europe, the USA, Canada, and Central and South America. Being captain of the Harvard Swim Team forged many life-long friendships and taught me life-changing skills.

My all-time favorite movie is… Any movie with James Bond in it! I love the intrigue, gadgets, travel, and even the phony suspense. I can’t wait for the latest Bond movie release later this year!

The words I try to live by are… “Treat everyone with respect, regardless of their station in life.” Whether the person is a cab driver, a restaurant server, a colleague, or a billionaire, I treat each one as if they were my family. That was one principle I instilled in our children, who learn by watching what you do, not necessarily what you say.

My favorite quote is…by Winston Churchill. “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it means to sit down and listen.” In today’s world, any individual can voice an opinion. We all have a potential megaphone, whether through our work, or social media channels like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. It is easy to talk, but carefully listening to others who may disagree with one’s opinion is the most important skill we can have if we are to solve the problems that weigh down our world today.