Affordable Gynecomastia Surgery Offered at a Teaching Hospital: Good Idea?

There is a teaching hospital in my city which offers affordable plastic surgery, where I had a consultation with a resident who I really liked. If I choose to have surgery there, the resident would be supervised by a very well-known, board-certified NYC plastic surgeon during the surgery.

Are the results that one gets from this type of setup comparable to those you would get in a non-teaching setting? Are there greater rates of complications when (supervised) residents perform your surgery?

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6 Doctor Answers | Asked by violabro in New York, NY

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It is all about experience

There is no substitution to experience.In this case of the attending physician that may or may not have experience with certain cases of gynecomastia.So always ask who is going to be the supervising attending surgeon,and see how much experience he has with gynecomastia surgery,especially the complex cases ,and what kind of surgery he intend to perform.You may get lucky,but you have to do your homework. see video

Having surgery at a teaching institute

There are risks associated with any surgery. You have to weigh the pro's and con's of having the procedure performed at a teaching institute. Ask to see before and after photos from the surgeon who will perform your surgery as well as the proctor - Ask who will actually be performing the surgery and their experience with this specific procedure. If you get this information and are comfortable proceeding - go for it! Residents have to learn somehow and this is a good way for... more

Go fo it

This type of program have been around for many years. It provides you with a way to afford surgery and it helps teach the resident how to perform the surgery. This can be a win-win. The surgery will be closely supervised by an experienced plastic surgeon. However, if you are looking another approach with a seasoned plastic surgeon, the this cost 6 to 10 thousand dollar. You must way out the risk and benefits. see video

Gynecomastia surgery at a teaching hospital?

This is a difficult question to answer. I think it comes down to the surgeon's experience who will be performing the surgery. In a teaching environment I think that this equals the resident's + the attending physican's experience with the procedure. Also, I think the level of supervision is very important. Ask if the attending physician will be present for the entire procedure and if they will actually be "scrubbed" in the case. If the... more

Surgery in teaching hospitals

Believe it or not, I would ask the resident to show you some of his or her before and after pictures. If none are provided, you are taking a slight risk with your results, but for the most part patients are very pleased at teaching hospitals.

Affordable Gynecomastia Surgery Offered at a Teaching Hospital: Good Idea?

Interesting prespective on resident vs attending surgery. The resident is learning while the attending surgeon is teaching, that is why the fee difference. Thus the low complication rate is still very low but just by the force of experience there can be risks.