60yo and Having Breast Reduction/Lift and Abdominoplasty with Lipo, Frisco, TX - Mckinney, TX

I’ve wanted a breast reduction for years. I had upper back and neck pain, and bra straps dug into my shoulders. I constantly had to apply powder under my breasts to avoid chaffing from my breasts laying on my chest. Aside from those issues, wearing anything with buttons was totally out of the question. Even though I wanted the surgery, I just couldn’t get past the idea of it. I am African American and I tend to develop pretty hefty keloids from scars. I didn’t want my breasts to look like roadmaps from the incisions so, for years, I just tolerated the pain. In addition I had the added concern of a previous surgery to treat breast cancer.
Seven years ago I was diagnosed. I had a lumpectomy, radiation and chemotherapy performed as part of a treatment plan for cancer in my left breast. The result of the surgery was first and foremost the blessing of my restored health. Conversely, it also left me with an enormous (1/2 inch wide and 4 inches long) keloid scar, and a significantly reduced breast size. My left breast had always been slightly smaller than the right, but now it looked almost half the size of the right one. After the initial surgery I had a significant problem healing. I was one incision repair away from the breast surgeon recommending a mastectomy because of the issue. Needless to say that was a scary time. Once I finally passed that hurdle and the breast healed, I resolved that I’d just have to tolerate the back and shoulder pain and the harnesses I had to wear for bras. I was too frightened to have surgery on that breast again.
Eventually the pain in my back and neck was enough to make me look into breast reduction surgery in spite of the potential issues. I did quite a bit of research before I chose a plastic surgeon. I got a list of those who took my insurance within a 10 mile radius of where I lived. There were almost 30. By a process of elimination, I narrowed the list down to three. Anyone lacking the following was eliminated:
Board certification
Experience with breast reconstruction
Experience with African American skin and minimizing scars/keloids
The absence of reviews or negative comments in a review or through social media
A gallery of photos of work from previous patients
My first consult did not go well. The doctor was totally devoid of personality, and he seemed more afraid to operate on my left breast than I was in having it done. He made a lot of drawings on my breasts and finally recommended not touching the left one and only reducing the right one to match the left one. I’m no expert, but that did not pass the sanity check to me. I knew I wouldn’t be happy with that since I started out telling him I wanted both breasts smaller, and I didn’t want them still looking at the floor when all was said and done. After that appointment I almost changed my mind about the whole thing.
Dr. Setty was my second consult. It was a complete 180 from the first one. Everything about him and his staff was outstanding. From my first contact to my last follow up appointment, I was incredibly impressed with their professionalism, comforting demeanor, and support during my recovery.
Dr. Setty is a phenomenal doctor. In the consult room he introduced himself and made me feel very comfortable about the whole process. His staff took pictures and uploaded them into their system. I redressed and Dr. Setty came back in to discuss a game plan. He displayed my pictures onto the screen in the consult room, and used them to discuss how I could best achieve the results I wanted. His interactive IPad allowed drawings to be overlaid on the pictures to illustrate the changes (instead of drawing on me). That made it much easier for me to see what he was talking about instead of pointing or trying to show me in a mirror. He was very patient, very personable and made sure that any and all questions I had were answered. I did not feel rushed in the least. We spoke about my concerns and he made recommendations about the best course of action. His calm and confident demeanor allayed my fears about proceeding. I asked about how he would handle the reduction for the left breast. I wanted to know if he was concerned about what could be done. He explained that there are different approaches he could use depending on my situation, but he was confident it could be done safely and successfully. After some thought I realized that if my breasts were smaller, I was going to look pregnant because of the size of my stomach. I asked about smart lipo, but Dr. Setty said I would not be happy with the result because there would be too much loose skin and it may not heal smoothly. He recommended a tummy tuck with lipo. Even though my consult lasted much longer, I knew within 10 minutes that he was the one I wanted to do my surgery.
I told him that I if I did the surgery I wanted to do hyperbaric oxygen therapy in conjunction with it because of previous issues with healing. He was very receptive to the idea as well and very supportive. I purchased a package of 10 treatments from the Hyperbaric Healing Center in Plano. I had one before the surgery and nine after. I believe those treatments were very instrumental in how fast I recovered.
I just love it when a plan comes together! I could not be more pleased with the outcome of the surgery (ok, thrilled silly). The results are even better than I imagined. Since the surgery my back has been singing his praises. In addition, my fluffy midsection is now slim, smooth and sleek. My scars are minimal, thin lines. Everyone is elated about how well the surgery turned out, and how fast I bounced back. I credit the stupendous outcome to God, Dr. Setty, my husband’s great care during recovery, and hyperbaric oxygen.
Dr. Setty is a true artist and I highly recommend him to anyone considering plastic surgery whether you live in McKinney, Frisco, Dallas, or anywhere else!