Dr. Kelly Gallego is a board certified plastic surgeon who has built a strong reputation for being compassionate, skilled, and knowledgeable. He is a member of the Sutter North Medical Group and his practice is located in Yuba City, CA. After graduating from college, Dr. Gallego attended the UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles. Following medical school he traveled to Portland, Oregon to train in general surgery at Oregon Health Sciences University. After three years, he ventured to the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver to complete his training in plastic surgery. Throughout his career Dr. Gallego has received numerous awards and honors for his scholarship and dedication. In addition, he has co-authored a number of articles in highly respected publications, and has been a presenter at several conferences. Dr. Gallego is a board certified plastic surgeon, also known as a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. In addition, he is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Gallego performs a wide variety of both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. His most common cosmetic surgeries include breast augmentation, breast lift/mastopexy, abdominoplasty/tummy tuck, and liposuction. The most common reconstructive procedures performed by Dr. Gallego include breast reconstruction, breast reduction, the treatment of facial injuries, skin cancer operations and hand surgery. In addition to surgical procedures, he also has an extensive experience with minimally invasive treatments such as Botox® Cosmetic and Juvederm™.
I had my breast reduction by Dr. Gallego five months ago. I had put this surgery off for a long time and had scheduled it once before with someone else, but after checking their review decided against it. My friend had hers done by him and they looked amazing and she felt great. I am so glad I had this surgery done now and wish, like so many others, I would have it done many years ago. My back doesn't crack anymore like it used to, and my neck doesn't hurt at all anymore. I was apprehensive because I have researched this surgery for a long time, but had seen so many times it looked like the nipples had been pasted back on the breasts and the scars looked awful. Dr. Gallego does wonderful work. My breasts look natural and the scarring gets lighter as time passes. The sensation in my breasts are great. We truly are lucky to have Dr. Gallego in our local area. Updated on 4 Jun 2021: These are m results two years later. Should have posted a pic. Still very happy with my results!
Doctor Gallego is an experienced doctor, very professional and human. Very attentive to my questions and doubts. Dr. Gallego explained to me the procedure before the surgery. Dr. Gallego is a kind person and always helping his patients. I am very grateful to Doctor Gallego and the staff. Doctor Gallego always gave me an appointment when I needed it and he also answered my call messages. I am very happy with the result of my surgery.
I had a tummy tuck and liposuction. I love my new figure. Dr Gallego is amazing. He was always kind and very informative, i had lots of questions and he answered all of them, he spent a lot of time with me. His staff is very nice and professional.
From the time I called his office and met Dr. I liked the disposition of him and his staff. He is always happy to discuss his profession and his plan to make me happy too. I had a breast augmentation and a tummy tuck. I couldn't be happier with his artistry and bedside manner. He also, is happy with how well I turned out. After care has been a pleasure and I would recommend his and his staff services to all.
What a great doctor and team! I have been getting Botox for over 10 years and have learned to really appreciate friendly professional offices with a great doctor- at the same location ha. Thank you Dr. Gallego for taking the time to listen to what I prefer and don't prefer with my botox and keeping those wrinkles away! I am glad I found my new home for my Botox treatments.
Had breast reduction Dec. 14th 2017 with Dr. Gallego. I'm 45 and after two kids my breasts had pretty severe sagging. I really don't know what my real bra size was as all I could wear was an XL Genie Bra but if I had to guess it was approx. 38F. My back was hurting all the time and I kept thinking about reduction but was afraid. I finally took the plunge and found Dr. Gallego. I booked a consultation with him and was instantly impressed by his personality and professional demeanor. He agreed reduction would help and his staff handled the insurance paperwork. Because insurance was being billed we were able to discuss size and asthetics but Dr. Gallego assured me I would be happy with the outcome. I trusted him and I'm so glad I did. Dr. Gallego removed 4 pounds from my chest. It's such a relief. Clothing now fits. I'm no longer self conscious. I no longer feel like my breasts enter the room before I do. I feel like people don't gawk at me anymore. I'm no longer hunched over from heavy breasts. My posture is so much better. I can wear normal bras now. I'm so thankful to Dr. Gallego and his staff. He really is skilled at his art. I plan on losing a few more pounds and will go back to him for a tummy tuck.
50 yrs old, raised two kids and have lived with the discomforts and restrictions of having large breasts. I am so glad I had the procedure done. The discomforts and restrictions of large breast was a lot harder to deal with then the surgery or after care. I am so happy with the masterpiece my doctor designed!
I am a breast cancer survivor which resulted in a bi-lateral mastectomy. Dr. Gallego did my reconstruction. I was a candidate for bi-lateral tram flap reconstruction. I thought I would I’ll never like the way my body looked again but I was wrong. He was professional and considerate throughout the reconstruction process. After countless hours in surgery and recovery I could not be happier with my results. The office staff is also friendly and helpful as well! Would definitely recommend his office to my friends.
Awesome plastic surgeon and office staff!! I had my breast reduction 6 months ago and am very pleased with my results. Dr Gallego answered all of my questions and was very informative. I definitely recommend him!!!
I was 66 years old, 5 ft tall and wore a 34H bra at the time of the breast reduction. I was always in pain in my neck, shoulders and arms because of the weight of my breasts, but for the previous 2 years the pain had become increasingly severe. I didn't realize until after the surgery how much I had extremely curtailed activity because of pain. I requested pre-approval from my insurance company but was denied because my coverage didn't include breast reduction, even for chronic pain. Dr. Gallego's office offered to do the surgery for a total of $5,000, which also included the anesthesiologist and follow up care. This price made it possible for me to have the surgery and and Dr. Gallego's office kindly scheduled it around my schedule. The only other charge was for pathology for $276 and my insurance, for some reason, picked this up. I now wear a 34D bra and since the surgery, I haven't had any pain in my shoulders, neck and arms. Dr. Gallego and his wonderful staff were very supportive before and after the surgery. Scars are healing well and, about 6 weeks after surgery, I increased activity to a level I'd not experienced in a long time. Initially my primary doctor suggested I travel to Sacramento, which is 1 1/2 hours away from my home, to have the surgery. Instead, after talking to Dr. Gallego, I elected to have him do the surgery. I was especially happy to have the surgery at the Sutter Surgical Center because I'd had a hysterectomy there 7 years before and had been very happy with the care I'd received from their positive friendly staff. I highly recommend Dr. Gallego because I received excellent treatment in his care.
Breast augmentation is a very popular procedure and patient satisfaction rates tend by quite high. I can see why some patients might be tempted to select the surgeon with competitive prices. It is hard to wait and be patient. Still, I think it is best to find someone near you, or at least in driving distance. I typically see my patients back for a number of follow up visits even if everything goes perfectly. If you were were to have a complication, the proper management might be challenging. You would likely then need to see someone locally. In the end, it is better to make your choice based on experience, reputation, and your personal interaction with the office.
It is always challenging to evaluate post-operative photos without seeing pre-operative ones as well. From the photo you submitted, it looks like you may still have a rectus diastasis. Pregnancy can cause a dramatic weakening and stretching out of the fascia (connective tissue) in between and overlying the rectus abdominis muscles. Most plastic surgeons experienced with abdominoplasty, consider repair of the diastasis to be a vital part of the procedure. You should discuss your concerns with your surgeon, and ask how your diastasis was intially repaired. It is certainly possible that your diastasis was repaired appropriately, but the repair failed early on, causing a recurrence.
It can take up to three months for the swelling to subside after an abdominoplasty. Sometimes even longer. However, swelling tends to be relatively symmetric. If one side of your abdomen is noticeably larger than the other, it might be a sign of a persistent seroma. Small seromas are quite common, and typically resolve on their own without any treatment apart from compression. Larger or persistent seromas require aspiration in the office. Infrequently, it becomes necessary to place another drain. Seromas are typically diagnosed with physical exam, and can be confirmed by ultrasound.
Well, five weeks after surgery is still pretty early to draw conclusions about your result. I think it takes at least 4-6 weeks for all of the swelling to go away after an abdominoplasty, and sometimes up to a year to get completely back to normal. If liposuction of the abdominal tissue was performed during the procedure, you might expect some skin retraction during the coming months. If not, I think it is unlikely the skin is going to drastically change in the future. You are doing the right thing by being honest with your surgeon and expressing your concerns. At this point it is probably best to try and be patient and continue to heal from your surgery.
From the photos, it likes you are dealing with an exposed stitch, a.k.a. suture material. Plastic surgeons use a wide variety of dissolvable and permanent sutures. This could be either. Regardless, it can be taken care of in a matter of seconds by your plastic surgeon. The exposed portion will be grasped and then trimmed at or just below the level of the skin.