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Breast Augmentation Nightmare
I've been going back and forth for the last few years about whether to leave a review, but I had a truly awful experience with Dr. Kim, and no explanation or apology from him - so here I am. Now that I've had a breast revision surgery with a truly stellar surgeon, I understand that Dr. Kim is not the compassionate and skilled surgeon that he appears to be online.
I had my first breast augmentation with Dr. Kim not long ago. The consultation was cold and sterile, but I ignored the weird gut feeling (mostly because I was 19 and dying to finally have boobs).
The surgery happened as planned. I was on the road to recovery until one day, 4 months into recovery, my left breast became inflamed and began sagging. It quickly dipped to 1 inch lower than my right breast. The lower pole turned beet red — a telltale sign of infection — and my whole left breast was swollen and tender. If I accidentally tapped it, I'd be doubled over in pain. This was when I knew something was very, very wrong.
So I emailed him and told him what happened. He brushed it off and told me to check back within a week. A week goes by and I let him know the pain hasn't subsided, and in fact, is getting worse. He tells me to fly down to LA for an emergency implant removal, so I book a last-minute ticket and go in for emergency surgery.
I was in tears the second I woke up from the anesthesia. Anyone who's had a breast augmentation knows that you get attached to your boobs — they become part of who you are! — so of course, I was looking for some explanation as to what happened.
All Dr. Kim gave was a weak attempt at disclosing what really happened. He told me I got an implant infection, he had to remove skin on the infected breast due to necrosis, and I wouldn't be able to put them back in for 3 months. I sadly accepted this and scheduled my breast revision for 3 months later.
3 months later, I go in for my breast revision. When I wake up, I am BOTCHED. Absolutely botched. He chose to perform a capsulotomy (which means he left scar tissue behind — so of course I immediately developed another capsule). I've attached photos 1 month post-op — the scarring became worse over time, and they became very lopsided and uneven with downward-pointing nipples.
In a misguided attempt to fix the pain of an uneven and unpleasant appearance, I reached out to Dr. Kim for another revision surgery. He never answered my emails. (I later learned that a lot of surgeons won't take breast revision patients because the cases are more complicated, they take a long time, and the outcome is unpredictable... and they don't want to shoulder that liability.)
Honestly, self-conscious doesn't even begin to cover it. I felt ugly, and I could hardly look at myself in the mirror. And I was too traumatized to go back under the knife for a long time. So instead, I learned to camouflage my botched job behind push-up bras and bikinis and high-neck tops for years.
The craziest thing is that I didn't even realize what it was like to have a caring surgeon until I met my new surgeon, who managed to undo all of Dr. Kim's mess while also having stellar bedside manner.
I'd recommend that you think long and hard before moving forward with Dr. Kim. Everything is great until you develop a complication — then he disappears into thin air.
I'm happy to share about my experience in more detail - just reach out.
I had my first breast augmentation with Dr. Kim not long ago. The consultation was cold and sterile, but I ignored the weird gut feeling (mostly because I was 19 and dying to finally have boobs).
The surgery happened as planned. I was on the road to recovery until one day, 4 months into recovery, my left breast became inflamed and began sagging. It quickly dipped to 1 inch lower than my right breast. The lower pole turned beet red — a telltale sign of infection — and my whole left breast was swollen and tender. If I accidentally tapped it, I'd be doubled over in pain. This was when I knew something was very, very wrong.
So I emailed him and told him what happened. He brushed it off and told me to check back within a week. A week goes by and I let him know the pain hasn't subsided, and in fact, is getting worse. He tells me to fly down to LA for an emergency implant removal, so I book a last-minute ticket and go in for emergency surgery.
I was in tears the second I woke up from the anesthesia. Anyone who's had a breast augmentation knows that you get attached to your boobs — they become part of who you are! — so of course, I was looking for some explanation as to what happened.
All Dr. Kim gave was a weak attempt at disclosing what really happened. He told me I got an implant infection, he had to remove skin on the infected breast due to necrosis, and I wouldn't be able to put them back in for 3 months. I sadly accepted this and scheduled my breast revision for 3 months later.
3 months later, I go in for my breast revision. When I wake up, I am BOTCHED. Absolutely botched. He chose to perform a capsulotomy (which means he left scar tissue behind — so of course I immediately developed another capsule). I've attached photos 1 month post-op — the scarring became worse over time, and they became very lopsided and uneven with downward-pointing nipples.
In a misguided attempt to fix the pain of an uneven and unpleasant appearance, I reached out to Dr. Kim for another revision surgery. He never answered my emails. (I later learned that a lot of surgeons won't take breast revision patients because the cases are more complicated, they take a long time, and the outcome is unpredictable... and they don't want to shoulder that liability.)
Honestly, self-conscious doesn't even begin to cover it. I felt ugly, and I could hardly look at myself in the mirror. And I was too traumatized to go back under the knife for a long time. So instead, I learned to camouflage my botched job behind push-up bras and bikinis and high-neck tops for years.
The craziest thing is that I didn't even realize what it was like to have a caring surgeon until I met my new surgeon, who managed to undo all of Dr. Kim's mess while also having stellar bedside manner.
I'd recommend that you think long and hard before moving forward with Dr. Kim. Everything is great until you develop a complication — then he disappears into thin air.
I'm happy to share about my experience in more detail - just reach out.
Provider Review
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
436 N. Bedford Dr., Beverly Hills, California