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Choosing a Dr. for Breast Augmentation, If a Doctor has had a Bad Review Should I Keep Looking?

asked 5 months ago by ItsKasey in Tucson, AZ
Latest answer by Jay Burns, MD
Question viewed 365 times
Tags: choosing a surgeon

Hello,I was recently informed that the Dr. I had in mind for awhile is responsible for symmastia(a fellow JBI member informed me that she had this complication after having her breast augmentation done by him a few years ago) Now I was comfortable because a lot of my friends (5) have all had beautiful results with him and to find out that someone was not pleased with his work makes me uneasy.. is this acceptable or should I just look for another Dr. Any advice?

21 answers to Choosing a Dr. for Breast Augmentation, If a Doctor has had a Bad Review Should I Keep Looking?

Stick to your gut feeling about the surgeon and your friends recommendations - much more reliable than internet reviews

I would strongly advise you to make an appointment for the consultation with surgeon of your choice first. It is important to meet the doctor, talk to him in person about your expectations. Ask for the before and after pictures to see for yourself his work. The problem with the reviews on the internet is that you can not be certain it was done by real patient. Internet is sometimes a great source of information, but unfortunately can also be misleading and not an accurate description of... more

Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Bad review

God, i wish every surgery came out perfectly. unfortunately we all have complications. the trick is to know how to deal with them while maintaining a professional doctor - patient relationship. i am sure that no matter what you do for a living, you have some days where things just dont gho exactly as you want them to.the unfortunate thing is that the unhappy patient is so much louder than the happy patient, and on the internet there is no way to give an explanation. if you were... more

Jonathan Saunders, MD
Newark Plastic Surgeon

Informative ways to choose the right Plastic Surgeon for Breast Augmentation

Great question-thank you. You want to know as much as possible about your surgeon’s skills, experience, and credentials. Although complaints on the internet could represent a problem, it is important to note that not all complaints are valid. Any patient can say anything on the internet and such complaints can not be defended by the surgeon. Your surgeon cannot violate the privacy of his or her patients, but he or she should be able to tell you how many complications he/she has... more

Jay Burns, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Breast Augmentation & Online Doctor Reviews

One thing to remember today, online reviews are totally subjective and most of the time categorically have not been confirmed or checked by anyone as they are totally voluntary. They can be done by a plastic surgeon’s competitor, a patient, or a fictitious individual, so there is no way to verify or confirm whether the review is good or bad. Therefore, that is why most review sites have been called in to question and have been the subject of many legal and ethical debates. I think,... more

Rod J. Rohrich, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Choosing a plastic surgeon for BA

I know of no surgeon, including myself, who is without complications. It happen even to the best of us. If a plastic surgeon tells you that he/she never has complications, then he/she is either lying to you or doesn't do any surgery. The key is being able to promptly recognize and take care of problems when they arise. Fotunately, this doesn't happen very often. If you have confidence in your doctor and have the experience of five friends to back it up, then i see no need... more

J. Jason Wendel, MD
Nashville Plastic Surgeon

www.mc.vanderbilt.edu

Choosing a Plastic Surgeon for Breast Augmentation

Any plastic surgeon that claims to have never had a complication or an unhappy patient is either untruthful or very inexperienced. One bad review gives credibility to other favorable reviews. Make sure you check your doctor's certifications as well as reviews. Your plastic surgeon should be a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and a diplomate of the American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. When you meet with your surgeon you wioll get a... more

Mary Lee Peters, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Online Reviews-Perspective

Patient reviews can be an important source of information in choosing a surgeon. Contributing factors to a bad review may include complications associated with the procedure, miscommunications, etc. Excellent surgeons will have complications while trying to perform their finest work so an occasional bad review should be regarded with some perspective. If there is a preponderence of bad reviews you may want to be concerned.

Michael Sundine, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

All plastic surgeons have complications. We all have patients out there from hundreds to thousands of patients we have performed surgery for over the years. We do not hit home runs for all patients. It really depends on how the complication was handled that can turn a bad experience into a better one. The five girls friends of yours that give a thumbs up in the most telling. But, go with your gut.

Miguel Delgado, Jr., MD
San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

www.dr-delgado.com

Good doctor, bad reviews....

This is such a great question. Every surgeon has a personal goal of 100% patient satisfaction. Sometimes, a patient and surgeon may disagree about an outcome, perhaps expectations are not clear or worse yet a patient misunderstands or fails to follow post op instructions....maybe a physician recomends a procedure that the patient wasn't ready or prepared to hear....there are 1000 reasons for a patient to post a negative review, valid or not. The sad part os if the patient had... more

Thomas B. Lintner, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Plastic surgery reviews

I would agree with the other doctors who answered your question. One or two bad reviews is by no means an indication of a bad surgeon. If you have met with him/her and like what they have to say, have in your case 5 happy friends, and otherwise feel confident about moving forward then surgery with this individual is probably a smart decision.

Mahlon Kerr, MD
Austin Plastic Surgeon

A surgeon and reviews

Bad reviews on line is the bane of any doctor and/or business. Remember an unhappy patient will more likely post than a happy one. It does not mean your surgeon you chose is bad. Breast surgery can lead to unfavorable outcomes on occasion and our goal is have 0 complications or unfavorable results, but the reality is that is impossible. 5 friends happy sounds like a good number.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Choosing a Surgeon and Reviews?

Thank you for the question. When choosing a plastic surgeon, online reviews may be helpful. The specific surgeons' reviews should be looked upon as a whole; if the majority of reviews are positive and then this should give you peace of mind. One or 2 unfavorable reviews are to be expected. Best wishes.

Tom J. Pousti, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.poustiplasticsurgery.com

Understanding Online Doctor Reviews

Very few pitchers hit a perfect game in their whole careers. There is no team which ever had a 100% winning streak which would not stop. But things are harder for Plastic surgeons; our work is reviewed by subjective (not objective) observers AND because of privacy laws we cannot respond to less than favorable online comments. When you read such comments online you have to understand that the majority of happy patients go on with their lives and forget to put positive reviews online. On... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Bad and good reviews neither make a particular surgeon "Bad" nor "Perfect!"

Reviews are helpful in determining what a majority or consensus view is about a particular surgeon. I agree that bad reviews often speak more strongly than multiple good ones (your own admission is that 1 bad experience you uncovered has now caused you to consider 5 good experiences you are personally aware of somehow invalid)! Everything must be taken with a grain of salt. So let's get real for a moment here. No surgeon is perfect. Period. Even the most well-trained,... more

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS
Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

You are really looking at a pattern

Hello, One glowing review or one bad review should not make or break any decision. A bad review may indicate a bad result but it can also indicate a bad interaction between patient and surgeon. If you feel comfortable with the surgeon, like his/her results, and your surgeon is well qualified and has overall good feedback you will likely be ok. All the best. Dr Repta

Remus Repta, MD
Phoenix Plastic Surgeon

www.aaaplasticsurgery.com

Choosing the right doctor for you

Reading a review about a doctor can be positive or negative, just like any other business or products. It is a good tool to have as a reference. However, please understand that there is more to the credibility of your plastic surgeon then just one bad review. You need to look at his/her credentials, board certification, training, his/her patients' experiences, other reviews, and of course, through word of mouth. A lot of your friends have had good experiences with this plastic... more

Kim-Chi Vu, MD
Portland Plastic Surgeon

Keep doctor reviews in perspective

Everyone has an opinion and when it comes to doctor reviews, it is especially important to bear in mind that you are hearing only one side of the story. (Privacy laws prevent the doctor from responding online.) There are many reasons for symmastia and simply reading an online review tells you nothing about whether the surgeon caused it or it was some other factor. If 5 of your friends have had good results then there is certainly no reason why you should not at least see the doctor and... more

Richard Baxter, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Online reviews of plastic surgeons can help, but is not everything....

Online reviews are a great way for patients to tell others what they thought of a particular plastic surgeon. While these are important and helpful, there are some things to keep in mind. A busy plastic surgeon may perform several hundred surgeries per year. It would be highly unlikely (impossible?) for every single patient to be happy. This is just the nature of the business. A single bad online review, or even a few bad reviews, should not be valued more highly than your... more

Matthew Schulman, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

You need to feel comfortable with your decision...

If you look at any store that has reviews or any business or any surgeon some of the online reviews will be positive and some will be negative. It is hard to please 100% of people despite trying. Furthermore the anonymous nature of the internet makes some people complain vocally. Some of a surgical result depends not only on technique used but preexisting asymmetries, medical issues affecting healing, patient follow through with postoperative instructions, smoking, and... more

Evan Sorokin, MD
Cherry Hill Plastic Surgeon

www.delawarevalleyplasticsurgery.com

Should I choose another doctor?

Regardless of the surgeon you choose, complications are possible. These potential problems are as much or more related to individual variability between patients, unpredictable response of host tissues to implant, and the imperfect nature of implants themselves as they are to surgical technique.

Steve Laverson, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

Surgeon Reviews and Complications

There are two separate issues to consider: Are Online Reviews Useful? Generally, 1 or 2 bad reviews are not concerning as any physician will have some patients who are unhappy with the care they received. The online rating sites are not considered valid by any scientific method are are prone to recommendations that are very extreme, either very positive or very negative. This does not reflect the reality seen in properly done physician evaluation systems. So don't let this... more