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POSTED UNDER Breast Lift with Implants REVIEWS

Not Sure, Looking for Positive Results

ORIGINAL POST

I had a consultation with add. Colgrove a few...

alakecFebruary 11, 2018
$6,450
I had a consultation with add. Colgrove a few weeks ago. After doing some research I was really excited about the ideal implants. His prices for a lift and an augmentation are much cheaper than the other surgeons I have seen like by $3000. Which concerns me because cheaper may mean not as good. I am going to have to have a lift and after seeing some reviews, I am concerned about the nipples not being even in the end. So should I pay $6450 for what might turn out to be uneven nipples or save a few more thousand and pay $9700? I am considering Dr. Alderman at the Swan center and she wants $9700 for the lift and saline implants and they don’t use the ideal implants. I don’t want to have any revisions. I want to choose the right person the first time. Has anyone had really good results with nipple placement and lifts with an implant? I have seen some good reviews but they don’t have pictures. I see Dr. Colgrove is good with implants but what concerns me is how good he is with lifts and repositioning the nipples. Any advice on how to make a final decision would be greatly appreciated.

alakec's provider

Robert Colgrove, Jr., MD

Robert Colgrove, Jr., MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

4.8 | 328 Reviews
PROFILE

Replies (11)

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Mdlg5
February 14, 2018
Hi there, you bring up some very good questions. I definitely wouldn’t make my decision based on price. Breast lift surgery is one of the most complicated surgeries out there. It also has a very high revision rate. I would take your time and look for a board-certified surgeon that specializes in primarily in breast lift surgery. I would look for someone that performs this procedure on a frequent basis; and has been doing this particular surgery for many years. Btw it’s my opinion that not many PS perform this particular surgery well. Make sure your PS think has many before/after photos to show in addition to numerous great reviews. I went to five different consultations before making my final decision.

Also I did not just stick to my local area in my search. I ended up flying out of state (to Colorado) to have my surgery with a surgeon that I felt would do a better job than the surgeons that were available in my local area. If you’d like to see my results and read my journal click on my profile name and scroll down the page to find my “shape over size - Breast lift with implants” review. Below I’m also linking you too the RealSelf “breast lift with implants guide” for where you may find other helpful info. Good luck with your search.

https://www.realself.com/guide/breast-lift-with-implants-overview#doctor
alakec
February 14, 2018
I appreciate your response. But the reality is that unless someone has an unlimited amount of funds, they have to consider price when making any decision. And I certainly can’t add to the price flying to another state to have the surgery. I have read tons of reviews and looked at a lot of pics. I think it would have been helpful to have people who have been to Dr. Colgrove respond with their results. But ultimately I think I have decided on Dr. Alderman.
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Mdlg5
February 14, 2018
True price is a concern. But keep in mind the cost of one good surgery can be much less than two or three surgeries (the second and third being revisions). Also what’s interesting is that is pricing is very regional. Turns out plastic surgery costs in Colorado are quite reasonable compared to other areas of the country. When everything was said and done I actually ended up spending less money flying to Colorado and paying for hotel and airfare then I would have for the highest quote I got in my own area (Central Florida) all that was not my intention to save money. My total costs including travel were about 11,500. In Central Florida I was given quotes as high as 15K! This was for my augmentation, breast lift and capsulectomy. At the very least make sure to ask about your PS his revision rate. My PS in Colorado does not charge for revision rates. Where as all the surgeons that I consulted with locally had revision fees. Also beware of vague answers such as “we will work with you” when it comes to revision fees. As I mentioned above breast augmentation and lift surgery has a very high revision rate. What you ideally want to hear is there would be “no charge” for revisions. Good luck and wishing you the best! :-)
alakec
February 14, 2018
I still have several more appointments to go with the swan center. But so far they have answered all of my questions with no issue. One of the first things I have asked all of the surgeons I have consulted with is what do they charge to fix it. Because I am concerned about the skin and the nipples with a lift. Everybody is different but I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting surgery done with a doctor in another state. I need someone I can visit if I feel I need to so they need to be close to be. So 30 mins away works for me. The costs here seem to be much cheaper than even 11k. I have only had 1 doctor quote more than that. I considered Dr. Colgrove not just because of price but because I have seen some great results with lifts and implants from people who have been to him. Oddly enough the assistant to add. Alderman had her breasts done with him years earlier. What concerns me is even 1 bad review. It kind of overshadows a lot of good ones. I have to be really comfortable with whomever I choose and I have been to the swan center twice and feel like it’s the right place for me.
alakec
February 14, 2018
When I wrote this I was still trying to decide. So I was looking for more people with lifts and implants to see their results.
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Mdlg5
February 14, 2018
Totally understand. One bad review can overshadow a lot of good reviews especially with this particular surgery. Also prior to this surgery I would have never considered traveling for surgery before. However due to the complexity of BL surgery (and seeing some of the disasters on these boards not to mention areola loss) I felt it was less of a risk to travel for a PS with a great reputation and no bad reviews. Btw if there’s a blood source compromise to the areola (due to sloppy surgical skills) it doesn’t really matter if the surgeon is 30 minutes away. There’s not much that can be done to save a dying areola. I was comforted by the fact that my PS has never lost an areola with any of his patients in his 20+ yrs of practice. My sister (who is also an M.D.) had two botched breast lift surgeries; she actually tried to talk me out of doing this surgery. But instead I did my due diligence and found a great PS. Once again good luck in your search. :-)
alakec
February 14, 2018
You probably wouldn’t know what bad experiences your surgeons patients have had because no one would know unless they posted about it online. There are probably hundreds of patients of a particular surgeon who don’t take to the internet even when they have a bad experience. So you chose them based off of the information that was out there. And again, as I said, if you were comfortable traveling to another state great, glad that worked it for you. I don’t suspect that I will lose my areola but if I have any issues, my surgeon will be close by.
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Mdlg5
February 14, 2018
Interesting point although they say that statistically it’s usually the opposite - people are usually more inclined to complain than to say something positive. To clarify I wasn’t entirely “comfortable” traveling. I just would’ve been less comfortable choosing from the surgeons available locally. And I’m also very picky. The one in Denver just happened to have over 160 five star reviews (now it’s over 175 reviews) more before/afters pics not to mention more BL surgeries under the belt than the other PS I consulted with. You had asked questions (i.e. “advice on how to make a final decision”), which is the only reason I responded. I hope the feedback you receive on these message boards and the realself “breast augmentation/breast lift” guide I linked you to is helpful. Wishing you the very best! :-)
alakec
February 14, 2018
Well the surgeon I ultimately chose has no bad reviews and around 330 so I have confidence that she will get me the results I am looking for.
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Mdlg5
February 14, 2018
Great to know! I look forward to following your progress… :-)
clf8811
April 27, 2023
More money doesn't always equal better results.. I went this route and paid $12000 to Alderman expecting the best results and am now looking for another Dr. for revision- check out my review.
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