Neil T. Chen, MD

Excellent and exceptional. Dr. Chen is a true professional and excellent surgeon with a fine sense of aesthetics. I had corrective breast implants, a tummy tuck, and a mini facelift. He did the implants about 20 years ago; other local surgeons wanted to do reconstructive surgery including lifting which would product very visible scarring for my hypoplastic tuberous chest, but Dr. Chen said it wasn't necessary; it was all in his expertise. My chest looks totally natural, 34C. He just replaced the saline implants with silicone and did a crescent lift, after I breast fed within the last 20 years (yes, I was able to breast feed!) He also did a mini lift and under the chin lipo. The last 5 years have been very hard and my face and jowls were showing it, I inherited jowls and chin and I was looking my age. He did a mini lift and chin lipo and took 15 years off my face (I have very good skin to begin with). Finally he did a tummy tuck. The tummy tuck was truly masterful. I had severe diastis recti (I have always had it but it was very much worsened after having a child, and c section). I worried I would develop a hernia because I lift heavy weights. I now actually have not only a flat stomach, it is slightly concave, and it goes in at the sides, and I'm only at 3 weeks out. His tummy tuck technique is part of the mastery - recovery for me is estimated at a month or so, because of his superior drainless tummy tuck method. Last, Dr. Chen is truly kind and wants to help his patients. I appreciate him. I won't recommend anyone else in Albuquerque except for his practice, Plastic Surgery Institute of New Mexico.

Dr. Chen is an amazing doctor. In addition to being a talented artist when it comes to women’s bodies, he is one of the kindest and most caring doctor you will ever meet. His bedside manner is incomparable. I had no complications and minimal pain. His staff is very responsive and his surgery scheduler/tech Yvette is awesome. He does surgery at Sandia Surgery Center and you are well taken care of there. The nurses and anesthesiologists provide exceptional care. I highly recommend Dr. Chen. He gives you realistic expectations in your consult, he’s very honest and humble and takes very good care of his patients. He personally checks on you the day after your surgery and is available by phone if you have any issues, questions or concerns after surgery. My results are also beautiful , I provided a picture of what I wanted and my results almost look exactly like the picture I provided. I would definitely have more work done by him.

Debated whether or not I should post, but I am so extremely pleased with the whole experience I just had to. My BA took place exactly three weeks ago.
I am in my 40s and had my kids in my 20s. I nursed all of them, evidently so! I requested a "mini boob job" during my consultation and expressed that I wanted to look natural, a cup size larger at most. Dr Chen wanted me to not focus so much on cup size and but rather on how I felt when I tried on each sizer- 175cc and then 200cc. I decided on 200cc, Mentor smooth round, medium plus profile silicone implants placed submuscular.
I couldn't be happier. Recovery is going well. No pain. Still getting used to feeling the muscle on the implants as I become more mobile in my upper torso. Included a before pic with a tube top wearing a lightly padded strapless bra and the same tube top with just the new boobs one day post op (you can still see the pen marks). And current 21 days post op pics. No regrets ladies, I love my new "mini" boobs!

Updated on 21 Sep 2020:
Feeling awesome at a little over 6 weeks post op. Last Thursday, Dr gave me the ok to resume all normal activity. Yay! I can't wait to get back to upper body workouts! Boobs are feeling so much softer after a weeks time, so much so that I love massaging them! Lol. As instructed, I massage for 15 min in the morning and 15 min before bed using Bio Oil. Love that stuff. Sorry not the greatest pic I posted.
Ahh, and I finally did my own bra measurement. Band size 31.5 and bust size 35.5. That makes me a 32DD. BUT, I tried on a 32 DD bra and the band was way too tight! I tried on a 34C bra and it felt much better. Still not sure what size to spend money on. As for the scarring. I think it's healing pretty well so far. Dr did a fabulous job keeping scar thin and flat. I alternate between Prosil and MedDerma to help with the scarring. So far I am still very happy with my BA with no regrets!

I have always been very small chested, over the course of the past three years I have gotten very into weight lifting and as a result I lost what little breast tissue I had and became completely flat. I couldn't even fit into an A cup anymore.
I decided enough was enough, I wanted to feel more feminine and have my body look more proportional. I booked a consultation in June of 2020 with Dr. Chen. during the consultation, he answered all my questions and let me try on sizers. I wanted to go as big as possible, we agreed on 350cc at first. I came back a week later because I was wanting to go larger(450CC)and he told me the biggest we could go was 400cc. I immediately knew he was the doctor for me after being honest with me and telling me the limit my body could take. I booked my surgery that day and was scheduled for the end of June. However, my COVID test results did not come back in time so the surgery center was kind enough to put reschedule me. and after being rescheduled once again because i still did not receive my results the surgery center was able to get me in right away for the following week (June 1st, 2020). When I arrived the staff made me feel very comfortable and at peace while I waited for my turn. Everything was very smooth and went great! I will insert some pictures of me before and after.

Updated on 17 Aug 2020:
The first week- 2 weeks were the most uncomfortable for me. I had extreme tightness and was not able to move my arms around very much the first 8 days. I wouldn't say it was painful, just very uncomfortable, especially since my skin had stretched so much! I had heard of morning boob before but I had no idea what to expect! Haha, let me tell you that was probably the worst part! after I would get up from lying down I could feel all the swelling and tightness almost weigh down and I would have extreme uncomfort that lasted about 5 minutes. It finally went away after the three-week mark! just an FYI you will need help doing things for the first week! you will need help taking sponge baths and washing your hair, grabbing things, and especially pulling up tight pants! make sure to wear loose ones! it's a struggle to pull your pants up for the first 5 days, also invest in some wet wipes! It will be a struggle to wipe yourself for the first 5 days. Also driving will feel very strange the first few days because you have a limited range of motion. I drove after 8 days and had to make very quick small turns whenever I needed to turn. Overall I am sooooo happy with the results and it was definitely worth some of the uncomfort! If anyone has any questions just ask and I will answer! I'll post more updates and things I remember about my recovery through the upcoming weeks.

Updated on 17 Aug 2020:
I feel so much better about the way my body looks in clothing not to mention it makes me look even thinner now! I fill out my clothes now and I finally have the curvy look on top to match my hips. Everything was so worth it!

Updated on 11 Feb 2021:
I took these pictures between November and January. I am now about 7-8 months PO. Everything is going great. I can work out and lift heavy weights comfortably. The only thing I will say is cardio is a little more difficult as I need to wear a very tight sports bra to keep everything in place. Other than that things are going great! My scars are a bit squishy to touch still, but I am hoping that will go away with more time. I am so happy I did this and do not regret a thing! :)

My breasts stopped growing at 7th grade. Being 32 and barely a 34B wasn't cutting it for me anymore. 3 weeks until surgery!! I'll keep this updated with my journey.
Stats 32 years old, no kids, 5'4," barely 34B, no upper pole, 115lbs.

I am a thin person. 5 foot 10, 135. I am 53 and genetically carry all my weight in my middle and my flanks. My whole life I have been camouflaging to not see muffin top etc. I have hips that are 35 inches, size 2/4. And My waist is always 28 to 30. Size 8-10. Sometimes even a 12. You can imagine how frustrating and difficult it is to buy clothes when your body proportions are so off. I did it yesterday!!. Went to an amazing doctor here in Albuquerque , Dr. Neil Chen. I had fat taken out of my upper and lower abs & flanks.
So the good and the bad. The good was the procedure was so short. They knocked me out I woke up It was done. Bad as there was quite a bit of pain right afterwards. Nursing staff was wonderful and immediately gave me some more pain medicine.
Got home last night and slept at home. Took a couple Ativan and about three extra strength Tylenol’s and that did the trick and I slept all night. I can’t do any kind of narcotic painkillers
Today which is now October 5th..24 hours after. I do have some swelling, the pubic bone that area looks like a balloon And it’s completely discolored with black and blue LOL ! doc says that it’s completely normal as the compression garment and gravity will move a lot of fluids down to that area. It should clear up in the next seven days .
Play wise today. Her to get up this morning I felt like I literally got run over by a truck. No sharp pains it’s all very breezy but it hurts. Again extra strength Tylenol and I feel better. I am as mobile as possible because standing up is actually less painful then sitting down.
The compression garment I’m wearing is fairly comfortable. Feels like it’s keeping everything together LOL!
I’m also going to watch my son play baseball for a couple hours today. It’s full season and I think it will do me good to get out of the house and into the sunshine.
I will post pictures at some point so you can see before and after.

Updated on 6 Oct 2019:
Today is 48 hours after and wow I’m really swollen. Even with the swelling I can tell I’m smaller. I think my biggest complaint is the swelling in the groin/mon pubis area. My doc did warn me, however until you experience it, you really can’t imagine it. It’s gross lol and uncomfortable..not painful just uncomfortable. Can’t wait to see what 4 weeks out looks like. I’ll just have to be patient. I was up this am and out of bed walking again today. Walking really helps with the pain and swelling. I’ll post another update after my follow up with the doc on 10/10..

Updated on 10 Oct 2019:
Today is just about a week after my surgery. I had my surgery on Friday, October 4, today is October 10. Wow! Went for my 1st post op appointment today and took off the compression garment and the bandages to get a good look at my results so far. Even with swelling I am so excited! I posted a before and after pic. On the left is my after to the right is my before. Some of you will see my before is just fine, however are you ladies know the skinny days. The picture on the right was taken and skinny day. Most days I didn’t look like that. Even still you can really see the difference and I still have a lot of swelling. I posted a before and after pic. On the left is my after to the right is my before. Some of you will say my before is just fine, however all you ladies know what a skinny day is. The picture on the right was taken on a skinny day. Most days I didn’t look like that. Even still you can really see the difference and I still have a lot of swelling. I couldn’t be more pleased at this stage. I have a lot of lumpiness I will continue to wear my compression garment to ensure a smoother outcome sooner and will also start massage maybe next week.

Updated on 11 Oct 2019:
Day 7 after surgery and the itching is maddening! I think it’s a combo of healing and nerves waking up. Not sure there’s anything to do other than lightly scratch...it’s a deep itch so to be honest...scratching really isn’t working. Anyone else have this and any ideas to help?

Updated on 17 Oct 2019:
Hi! So it’s 2 weeks post op. The itching has stopped... I think it was from the tape I had been wearing. When the tape came off one week post op shortly after the itching started. Showering a few times to ensure all residue was off really helped and moisturizer and Tylenol. Many comments say Benadryl helps, Benadryl didn’t work for me. I understand it’s a really good option though. I wouldn’t rule it out for others. I think my swelling continues to go down, swelling in the mons area is better too, bruising is almost all gone. My skin is still sensitive and i am still wearing my compression garment. I wore a pair of my jeans 2 days ago, they fit better already! Can’t wait to see what next week brings. So far, so good!!

Updated on 17 Oct 2019:
Tried on an outfit I’m going to wear next Saturday night for my best friends daughter‘s 21st birthday. I cannot believe this fits. Amazed when I look in the mirror and there is no muffin top hanging out all over my jeans. I’m super thrilled with my results so far!

Updated on 24 Oct 2019:
Ugh, not feeling as excited as I was last week. I’ve been feeling large lately and pictures confirm I am bigger than last week. Not exactly sure why that is. Almost everything I’ve been reading says much of the swelling goes down by 3 to 4 weeks and there is definitely swelling that can last anywhere from 3 to 6 months after. So at this junction I expected to look either the same as last week or maybe a smidge smaller. I’m actually bigger. I go see my surgeon for my one-month follow-up next week. I will ask him what is going on. Has anyone else experienced this? Were you at a place where you felt you looked really great and then all of a sudden you were bigger later down the road? Let me know and let me know if it eventually went back to normal.

Updated on 25 Oct 2019:
So yesterday I was feeling a little down that I was so much bigger than where I was last week. Today it’s completely the opposite. This really is a roller coaster people, I think I’m gonna stop looking at myself in the mirror and stop comparing photos LOL. Seems like swelling one day could be bad and the next day can be fine and all of that doesn’t stop until your 3 to 6 months out. That said I will post another picture next week at my one month mark!

Updated on 1 Nov 2019:
Hi everyone! This has been such an experience. Overall my surgeon is a genius and did exactly what I expected him to do. I think I look great. I look 1000 times better in clothes LOL! I am 53 so I wasn’t expecting a bikini body. I was expecting a wrinkly stomach that would be smaller than my fat smooth stomach before. I mentioned this is a rollercoaster before and I really mean it. I am one month out and definitely see more changes this week then last. I have lost (depending on the day) more than 2 inches on my waist..which is so nice. I haven’t dropped a pant size, my pants just fit a lot better now. No muffin top. I’ve noticed a lot of the swelling has gone down this week. And I can really see lumps and bumps more clearly now that general swelling is gone. Lumps and bumps, I can feel them under my skin, and every day they get better. By 3 months I know they will be resolved. I wear my compression garment every day, sometimes it gets a bit much at the end of the day and I’ll take it off for an hour or two so I can relax on the couch comfortably. I also have done no massaging. That doesn’t seem to have an impact. My swelling is pretty minimal. In fact my swelling has been ridiculously minimal all throughout the last month. I attribute that to the compression garment and staying away from salt and other foods that make you hold on to water. My skin still feels weird and I still have several places where I am completely numb. I am not in any pain though. I see my surgeon next Thursday. I do have some asymmetry. My left side is larger than my right in certain spots. I’ll get his opinion on whether or not he thinks that’s swelling or if in the spring time I will need a little bit of a revision. My body shape was weird to begin with my left side was always shaped different than my right. This could just be me. Pictures attached

Updated on 1 Nov 2019:
Photos. Had to remove the photo and couldn’t add another photo to the original post. And the section requires 200 characters so I’m just gonna keep typing until it’s minimum is satisfied. I wish they made it easier to remove the photo and replace it with another one. This is my four week journey. Left to right. Week four, three, two, one. Very pleased with my results so far.

Updated on 14 Nov 2019:
Well this swelling is really crazy. One day I’m thin, the next I’m bigger than before I had surgery. Today is a fat day. Also think that I will need a revision come March on the left side .. it’s a small area so I think i will be awake and just local anesthesia. Can’t wait for the swelling rollercoaster to end. Ugh...just not feeling happy about my results today...

Updated on 15 Nov 2019:
Hi everyone, today is 6 weeks, and although I definitely feel like I have significant results, I’ve not seen any changes really in the last 4 weeks almost. My shape seems to be the same. Hoping I’ll get a little smaller...I do have swelling still and it seems to be going down at a snail’s pace. Here’s a pic from this am. Trying to stay positive that this will get a little better.

Updated on 22 Nov 2019:
Hi everyone. This is 7 weeks. Honestly I think I look the same as 4 weeks ago. My husband says he thinks I look smaller today. I don’t see it. I think this might be my final result. I’m not unhappy with my shape. It feels really good to have no muffin top. Was just hoping for more drastic of a change. I will talk to my surgeon in January about a slight revision on my left flank. Not sure I’ll get the revision, I’ll decide what I think then.

Updated on 30 Nov 2019:
I think i finally see a difference from the last few weeks. Overall recovery is going well..still have days where I have swelling. I still have lots of numbness and sometimes my skin hurts or is super itchy...a deep in the tissues kind of itch. I finally ordered a size smaller in my jeans so that’s cool! Can’t wait to see what another month brings.

Updated on 24 Feb 2020:
So it’s been about four months since my liposuction And I’m really happy with my results. Clothes look amazing now! Even though I was super happy I had some asymmetry on my left side. It looked fine when I was wearing clothes but in a bathing suit it looked weird. I had the procedure done today and it was strange to say the least. Since it was a small pocket of fat it was done under local anesthesia. The numbing was the worst. A 3 inch needle was used to numb the entire area and it hurt! The Liposuction itself was just a very weird sensation because you could feel all the pressure. When my doc got close to the edges that are not numb holy crap! That hurt really bad. I am glad I had it done, however I will not have it done again. If I’m still unhappy with the results I will go back under general anesthesia and have everything evened out. On a positive note you’re in and out in 30 minutes and the recovery time is really short. I will post pictures in a few weeks. Anyone else have a revision done under local Anastasia?

Updated on 10 Mar 2020:
Overall really pleased...the revision is healing great and swelling is down lots. Here’s a compare of July of 2019 and March 2020. I haven’t dropped a pants size at all...everything just fits great now

I was a C cup in 7th grade, an F cup by the time I finished high school, and now at 25 I wear a 34I. I've had enough of the back, shoulder, and neck pain, not fitting into clothes, paying $60 for uncomfortable bras, having a hard time exercising, the list goes on and on.
I put off getting a reduction thinking that it would help if I lost some weight or told myself it just wasn't a good time. Last fall I decided to commit to losing weight and started training for a marathon. By the time I ran the marathon I had lost 17 lbs and my boobs hadn't changed at all. The bouncing during the race was so uncomfortable and I finally decided that was the final straw and I was going to get a breast reduction. I had two consultations and decided to go with the second surgeon I met with. He put me at ease right away and answered all of my questions. So far it has been the best decision and I can't wait to go enjoy my new boobs!

Updated on 23 Jul 2019:

First consult Dr. Chen suggested crescent lift with implant to accomplish some fullness. I first wanted 210cc based on sizers. I never wanted to be huge just restore fullness. I wanted to look how I do with my padded bra. After my consult, and research I went back to try more sizers I ultimately decided on 255cc. I'm fairly small 5'1 130lbs and curvy bottom. A large top with my small torso didn't seem apealling to me but I know it's rare of woman picking implants below 300cc. Dr. Chens office staff was super helpful and nice and offered that I come in at any time if I still wasn't sure on sizes. The staff at Sandia surgery center where surgery is performed was very nice and caring. My only criticism was for me I feel like I would've like Dr. Chen to be more vocal and give me more input, when I was choosing sizes it was more of "what you feel is best" like he didnt wanna push anything which I understood but I felt like I wanted to hear "well in my professional opinion I think this certain size will best give you what your looking for" Dr. Chen was very supportive and easy going I just felt I was looking for more guidance and advice. Over all everything went well and I'm post ok day 2. Dr. Chen also gave me phone call the night of surgery to check in and see gow I was doing. He was very caring.

Updated on 23 Apr 2019:
So I had my surgery April 12th and my follow-up visit April 17th. My very first week was a struggle as my implants felt like they were healing very differently. My right implant was comfortable and in less pain. My left side was sore, painful and very swollen. There was a very big difference an size. I've heard plenty of people reporting healing different and implants dropping at different times but my left side was really bothersome and how swollen it was you could definitely tell it was retaining some fluid but I tried to be patient. At my post-op doctor told me I could start massaging my implant down which really helps with the soreness and it did help in appearance on the left side. Well Monday morning the 22nd of April I really became fond of the way they were looking, they were really starting to look pretty but I noticed under my left breast the one that was really swollen I have some stretch marks under my nipple :-( I did some more research and quite a few people do you get stretch marks and unfortunately I've been one of them. I hope they fade only time will tell.

I almost never write reviews but I had to write this one. Dr. Chen did a breast reduction on me and removed some skin off of my lower belly. He is like an artist, everything is perfect. I had a different plastic surgeon years ago for a different procedure and it was not a good. I had been putting off doing the breast reduction because of my previous experience. I'm so glad I found Dr. Chen. I can't say enough about this procedure and how well it went. 5 stars from the first time I walked in his office to when I had my bandages removed. Everyone was professional and friendly. I am healing well and have had no complications whatsoever. Easy Peasy!

11 years ago at the age of 64, Dr. Chen performed my facelift. He said at the time he thought I'd look 15 years younger!! What's truly wonderful is that at 75 I'm never guessed to be over 60! I thank Dr Chen every time I look in the mirror.