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POSTED UNDER Breast Lift REVIEWS

bad results - Seattle, WA

ORIGINAL POST

I went to Dr. Richard Rand in 2004 for my first...

Esperanza
$4,000

I went to Dr. Richard Rand in 2004 for my first breast lift, on the advice of a friend who had had augmentation implants done by him just a few months earlier. She was happy. So I met with him as well as another plastic surgeon just for comparison.

Dr. Rand definitely had a wonderful "bedside manner." He was ever so attentive and gave me a good explanation of the procedure and his special breast lift technique and I was convinced I had selected the perfect doctor for the job...OMG! Was I ever mistaken. I followed all the protocols, and was completely optimistic about the outcome.

First problem after the surgery was a very large--2 in. X 4 in. hematoma in my left breast. So the day following the surgery I had to go back and he opened the incision and drained it. Still, I was undaunted until the bandages came off a few days later. My Left nipple was markedly higher than the Right one. At my post-op appt. I expressed my concern about this and was assured that as soon as the swelling subsided it would be "fine." So I waited several weeks. The asymmetry of my nipples was still obvious--the Left being ONE INCH HIGHER than the other. I called to speak w/ Dr. Rand, but could only speak w/ his assistant who continued to tell me that my breasts had not yet "settled" enough to see the final results.

I continued to call as the weeks rolled by, but never could speak to the doctor and finally just gave up as I decided that I would never allow him to operate on my breasts again considering how he did not care at all about my satisfaction with his "special technique."

I kept pictures of the disparity and now, nine years later have finally had the breast lift redone by a skilled surgeon, and my nipples are on a symmetrical level. Finally. And only a few days have passed since the surgery. The earlier surgery done by Dr. Rand was a fiasco that cost me thousands of dollars and left me self-conscious about wearing clothing that could possibly show the outline of my uneven nipples. My solution was to always wear a slightly padded bra even though I certainly did not need extra volume.

Esperanza's provider

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS (retired)

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS (retired)

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Esperanza rating for Dr. Rand:

Overall rating
Doctor's bedside manner
Answered my questions
After care follow-up
Time spent with me
Phone or email responsiveness
Staff professionalism & courtesy
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Replies (14)

February 20, 2013
So sorry about your experience but thank you for sharing it! I'm happy you received corrective surgery from a talented surgeon.
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April 7, 2013
That's unfortunate. I even thought about consulting with dr rand. Now im at a loss of who to go to. Happy you now have a great outcome.
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May 16, 2013
Please review my photographs on my web site and you will see that this is not the kind of work I do. Unfortunately, you will never be able to make everybody happy but I always give my very best effort.
February 13, 2014
No, Dr. Rand, you cannot always "make everyone happy." However, if you gave me your "very best effort" then you should return to medical school for a refresher course in breast lifts. OR was it one of your assistant doctors who actually did the surgery? I don't really know since I was totally sedated. In any case, You should have responded to my many calls and tried to rectify the very obvious error. You might enjoy reading Carl Hiassen's book, Skin Tight, as one of the main characters sounds a lot like you.
March 25, 2017
wow... Thank you for posting your review. I had "saved" him as a maybe for me, but not anymore. I expect to have my doc every step of the way, and yes I'm want to be happy with the surgery outcome, it's not a lottery.
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August 15, 2017
I live in Alaska and also have been looking into Dr. Rand. We have very few Dr's here. I will have to travel to Anchorage and I don't know even if I'll be able to finance it. But I'm hoping I will be able to maybe feel a bit sexy and walk tall. Plus it's my husband's and I 25th this year. Our youngest is 19 and would really like to rekindle the romance. I had marked him as first choice.. Although in his patient reviews he does sound rather prideful and puffed up.
But I think you should have pride in your work.
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August 16, 2017
There is a care credit card for things like this operation.
February 12, 2014
Seems it isn't a matter of " making everyone happy" though in your business that's exactly what you should strive for. But if this woman had such unevenness why didn't you talk directly with her instead of letting your staff deal with her? That and not taking the time to make it right shows what kind of doctor you are Nd has me continuing my search. While everything doesn't always go right, standing behind your work and caring about the patient is most important. Your response to her complaint on this site was very telling.
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March 12, 2014
Reviews such as this are needed within this community. The doctors may object, but finding the right surgeon is of utmost importance to patients. Thank you for posting your experience, and I am glad your revision surgery went well! :)
March 13, 2014
I appreciate your comment. Thankfully, my revision surgery gave me the results I had anticipated 10 years ago. I'm comfortable and no longer feel self-conscious about looking "lopsided." I guess one lesson I learned (a little late) is that just because a surgeon may be good at doing implants doesn't necessarily mean s/he's good at breast lifts. Very different procedures. I based my choice of doctors on the results of a friend who had implants and was very happy. I should have pursued checking with women who had lifts, but 10 years ago, it seemed hard to find women to discuss these operations.
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March 13, 2014
My best friend had a lift with implants from a top doc in Salt Lake City. He made her lopsided and one nipple an inch higher than the other. She had to have her implants removed 9 weeks later bc she was severely allergic to silicone! She almost died. Now she has flat, abnormal breasts. She can't even have saline put in bc the shell is still made from silicone. After her experience, I did hours an hours of research so I am well aware of the possible complications now. I'm so glad you are happy now! :)
March 13, 2014
So sorry for your friend. It is hard to overstate how devastating a sudden decline in your physical appearance can be. It feels irreversible, but hopefully in the near future she can find a good surgeon to remedy the results of the complications. How kind of you to help her research her options. Best of luck!