Misleading and Disappointing

Although Rozina Ali is a skilled surgeon my experience was misleading and unprofessional. There were also hidden, surprise costs I was not informed of, despite her being one of the most expensive surgeons for this procedure. I foolishly thought more money meant a better result/experience but sadly this was not the case for me:

- On examination Miss Ali advised I could expect '1-2 cup size increase', however, after I had paid in full and on the day of the operation, she said I could expect ‘1 cup size, anything else is a bonus'. She only injected 100cc to each breast and stated afterwards that this was ‘all she ever expected’ to transfer and she thought the procedure had gone 'excellently'. Most surgeons would advise against injecting so little, bearing in mind you will lose 40% - 50%. I understand that the results are unpredictable and being a slim patient there were limits to what she could take, however I can’t work out the huge disparity between what was initially advised and what she then deemed an 'excellent' result. Had she been honest about the half a cup size at most I was likely to see, I would have reconsidered spending over £10,000 on it.

- I was advised I needed to come for additional tests three working days before the operation so me and my partner had to book more time off work and an extra night in a hotel. Had we known before, we could have got these tests done at our local doctors (I had sent off the health questionnaire weeks in advance.) I was then informed at the hospital desk that this would cost over £300 and the operation couldn't go ahead without them but I didn't have the available funds to cover this. I tried to phone Rozina's assistant (you will only ever be able to speak to her assistant) and she said she would speak to the hospital but never got back to me and proceeded to ignore my calls so I was left completely in the dark. The hospital eventually came back and said I could skip the blood tests altogether. This made me uneasy after they had just told me I needed them, but what choice did I have? If the operation had to be cancelled the day before I would still have to pay for it. This was an immensely stressful and anxiety inducing experience, which the practice never so much as apologised for.

- I had made clear that I wanted fat removed from my middle region as priority, but she focused on the legs, where I said I wanted as little removed as possible. Miss Ali advised she would do this right before I was anaesthetised as she said I would get the best results. I won't pretend to know more than the surgeon, but I do know my body and where I store fat. After surgery my stomach/flanks have got much bigger and I've lost definition on my waist as my body has tried to pile the fat back on. This is unlikely to happen in areas that have already been lipo'd so it would be interesting to know the result if my wishes had been prioritised.

- Miss Ali also used terms such as 'flat as a pancake' and 'barely anything there at all’ to describe my breasts, which despite being incorrect (I was, and still am an A cup) is quite offensive. Fortunately, I have done a lot of work towards loving my breasts and have only ever had partners who felt the same, had I been younger or more insecure this really could have affected me.

…I could go on, about how the operation started an hour later due to train strikes and the time wasn’t made back, or the dismissive response when I raised all these issues with the practice - 'Thank you for providing our practice with your feedback. We will be sending you a final review appointment in September if you would like to attend.' That was it. I will say consider you choices very carefully; don't book your surgeon because you like them or because their female (the anaesthetist will probably be male anyway) but seek multiple opinions. Bear in mind that surgeons may tell you what you want to hear rather than the truth and make huge profits from such naivety.