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POSTED UNDER Breast Implant Revision Reviews

Left breast severely deformed & so much volume loss due to nipple necrosis

UPDATED FROM chai1836
1 year post

PHOTOS from Devastating surgery with William Leighton

$12,500

chai1836's provider

William D. Leighton, MD (in memoriam)

William D. Leighton, MD (in memoriam)

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

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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When I tried to question dr. Leighton and suggested seeing a wound care specialist, to confirm what he told me I was basically in no uncertain terms told absolutely not, he informed me he was a wound care specialist, and they dont call him and I quote "the boob fairy for nothing". Although I wanted to try some of the products for wound care I represented being a sales rep in medical field he told me to my face they didnt work and werent effective. Although, at the beginning he was attentive, and kind after issues occurred there was a dramatic change in how I was treated and spoken to. I was disrespected and talked down to as well as my husband who is a Dr.(although not in the plastic surgery field) I always brought my husband with me when I went to the appointments as I never knew what to expect or how I would get treated. It was a devastating experience with devastating results. Had I known then, what I know now, I would have had it done in two procedures as all the other experts informed me.

Replies (11)

I couldn't have said it better myself.....thank you for your post, it is so appreciated.
My family member is a mess due to "the boob fairy" she is a young cancer patient and was told from the beginning she would look great. I found him abrasive, arrogant and unwilling to answer her questions honestly. He seemed to forget what he had done or the issues from visit to visit. It's bad enough for a young women to have Brest cancer, but this has taken its toll on her physically and emotionally. She has had two surgerys so far and is looking at more, she has been on antibiotics all summer. This man should NOT be practicing medicine. I am aware that a form is signed absolving the physician of liability, but malpractice is malpractice. A patient unhappy with a result is much different than neglances or incopitance. I thank you lady's for coming forward telling a story that needed to be told.
My heart goes out to these women. My husband had a different experience. At first I thought Dr. Leighton was marvelous. However, after numerous surgeries which left my husband more deformed, my opinion has greatly changed. I read about Dr. Leighton's work with a well known burn victim in the Phoenix area and talked my husband into going to Leighton to have oral reconstruction. He had mouth cancer (no he did not chew), and it left him with a "deformed" mouth/nose. One surgeon told us that he did not understand why Leighton performed one of the surgeries he did -- Leighton had used tissue from my husband's "upper lip" to "pretty up" his nose. This destroyed any hope of creating a lip for my husband. Dr. Leighton also created a mouth way too big. Now my husband has difficulty eating and almost never goes out in public to eat. He feels he looks like a monster and says he scares little children. I very much would like to do something but don't know what. Like most of you, this story continues (with Leighton's attitude as time progressed, etc), but I don't want to bore y'all.

Hey there, we would love to know how you are doing since your last update.

Doing OK. Trying to build my strength back since I had had 4 surgeries within 13 months and my " reserve" was depleted. Feeling much better though, looking forward rather than dwelling on the hand dealt, and very grateful that I had fabulous surgeons to take care of me. My oncologist is also a wonderful man, so I am in good hands there too.

Thanks for checking in mm3. :)  I am so glad that you are doing better considering all that you have been through. Keep up the positive attitude, and stay strong. Hugs

It sounds like this "doctor" has more than an ego problem. I am sorry you had to go through this awful situation but pray you found someone else better qualified to get you back on track. I had had a mastectomy last year and underwent reconstruction surgery with a PS here in New Jersey. I can't be happier with the results and knew I was in the best of hands. Also, he parked his ego at the door and not only made me whole again, it is probably better than what I had before the mastectomy. I would report Leighton to the AMA for this. Hang in and know you are in my prayers.
UPDATED FROM chai1836
1 year post

Additional photos from my devastating surgery from Dr. William Leighton

Replies (11)

Thank you so much for your kind post. I genuinely care about people and just want to help others.xoxo
The treatment you have received from this unprofessional is horrid. Hopefully he was reported to the medical board. Isn't there a code of ethics with the medical board? My love, compassion and thoughts are with you and your husband.
@beachmaddy, please forgive me for my late response. I just wanted to reach out and express my since thanks to you for taking time out of your schedule to respond to my post. It is so appreciate and from the heart...I thank you! Gd bless you
Chantexas, my main goal is to make people aware of what happened to me, and hope and pray that if I can help save one person go through what I did, everything I went through will have been worth it. The only positive thing that came out of this devastating experience is I am blessed with a wonderful group of people on this site. Thank you for your comments...much love to you xoxo
What really bothers me was his attitude and justifications about this after it happened.
Still thinking of you and praying for a good solution!
Alliegb hello and thank you for your prayers. Although I will never be whole again, and there is nothing that can be done for me, I am blessed with a wonderful family who loves me. Thank you for your wishes...such a kind caring person you are. Gd bless you.
I think you should put you pictures back up so that the viewing public can better appreciate your characterization of your results.
@foxyboxy...thank you for your response. It is one thing to just "talk" about an experience...but its quite another to see for yourself what I endured and this doesnt even go into what it did to me not just physically which is quite obvious, but mentally as well. This will always be a reminder to me as there is NOTHING that can be done for me. Even my tattoo didnt hold because my skin is so damaged and thin. Thank you for your response.

Oh! I am so sorry this happened to you. I had a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction in 2008. I did the home work and discovered that right here in New Orleans, on St Charles Ave we have a practice, The Center for Restorative Breast Surgery that does breast reconstruction. A hospital adjacent to the doctors office is dedicated to the full restoration of breasts. The whole place is wonderful. Dr Frank Della Croce is my surgeon (Dr Dreamy) and after my surgery I developed a tiny spot of necrosis in my left nipple. I was sent immediately to the hospital and he fixed it that day! They are the most wonderful people and you can rest assured that if there is any problem, he will make it right. If you contact them and send the photos they will take care of you. I know its a long way to travel, but it is worth it. You can contact them at ***phone number removed***and ask for Liz. Good luck and best wishes. That doctor sounds like an awful person, and his work looks awful. You do not have to take this and you can be returned to full health with beautiful breasts!

UPDATED FROM chai1836
1 year post

15 months later-breasts look terrible...Regret having the work done by Dr. Leighton

The tattoo HAS NOT HELD the pigmentation and my left breast is severely deformed, I have lost so much volume due to the nipple necrosis. Prior to Dr. Leighton doing the surgery if he would have taken the time to throughly review my chart he would have found that I had a larger implant in my right breast, as my breasts were different sizes. He put the same size implants in both breasts, so now not only am I a whole cup size smaller (I was to go larger than what I was before) but one breast is considerably smaller than the the other. I still have so much (hard) scar tissue and my scars are awful.. they are so long and so visible even after using Mederma advance scar gel. I am so disappointed the way my whole situation was handled and these results are devastating both physically and mentally.

Replies (58)

I'm sorry you have this problem? How long after the initial BA surgery did it show up?
I do hope you meant sorry I had this problem! And not ? I don't quite understand your question but it's pretty well documented if you review it. Thank you for stopping by, I see you just joined real self this month, how did you come across this post ? Have a nice day
How are you doing Beauty??
hello dear sweet friend.....so nice to hear from you! I hope and pray for a better 2014. My tattoo didnt hold, which was very disappointing as it was very painful to have done. When I was at my appointment at the tattoo artist a few months after it was done normally they like to re fill in the areas but she didnt want to redo anything because she informed me my skin was so thin and comprised and now it has almost completely faded. It truly is devastating as I initially was suppose to be larger breast size wise, and I am not only a full size smaller but am also so uneven as the same size implants were put in and womens breasts are normally different sizes, my first set of implants one side was larger as one breast was larger than the other, it was in my chart, not sure why he would have put the same size in, makes no sense. The left side is so much smaller due to the necrosis and the I lost so much volume, so now not only am I missing a nipple, I am so lopsided....I so appreciate you....I truly want to say I am feeling and doing great, but...I cant and dont bend the truth and cant say something that isnt so. How are you?? Have you made any decisions yet? Know I am here for you and I care!
I seen where he paid for tattooing , that tells me he knew he did a bad job. The last set of pictures show a lot of improvement hopefully the skin will get thicker and the tattooing will stay.
Hello dear kindrayo, thank you for your time and your post. Unfortunately, the tattoo did not hold and the tattoo artist will not reapply as the skin is so thin and so damaged. I don't wish this experience on anyone, the pain alone of the tattoo on both nipples were devastating. What it has done to me physically and mentally is something that will be with me for the rest of my life.It is a loss and a feeling of being broken that can not be fixed. If I can save one person going through what I did, I will feel as though I have made a difference. Before pursuing any surgeon one has to dig into the dr.s history, if there are lapses in his employment find out why and then go with your gut, had I done that I wouldn't be in the situation I am in today. There needs to be Laws in place for the public to know what kind of issues dr.s have/had, when they return to practice....as I truly believe this impacts the way patients are treated and has so much to do with the way if a mistake is made how it's handled. As I always say, we are human, mistakes happens but the difference is how the we handle the issues when they arise, that's what sets the real professionals and ethical dr.'s apart from the "others".
Thinking of you Friend.
YOU are always in my thoughts and prayers....happy holidays to a very special friend lots of
LOVE
Thank you :)
To call oneself an "expert" PS for breast reconstruction, and ending up with the results you have so far suffered, borders on criminality, not just probable medical malpractice. I think women of America need an association through which these doctors are forced to be claimants in class action medical malpractice lawsuits. If our laws don't support this, then our laws need to be changed. No man would want to have pieces of his penis fall off, have thick blatant scars, emotional torment, and probable altered intimate relations. Women are not second class citizens to be dictated to, and sometimes mutilated by, the male dominated medical industry.
You are so correct....I applaud you for your intelligence if i can just get more people to feel and think the way you do, we would all be so much better off! Thank you thank you for your insight, your time and above all for your honesty. G-d bless you my friend....and thank you again!
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