POSTED UNDER Breast Lift with Implants Reviews
This is THE Surgeon: Surgical Skill, Personal Warmth and an Amazing Eye to Proportion and Symmetry. LOVE This Dr
ORIGINAL POST
This is THE Surgeon: Surgical Skill, Personal Warmth and an Amazing Eye to Proportion and Symmetry. LOVE This Dr
WORTH IT
I am currently 3 weeks post op having had a mini breast lift and augmentation with Dr. Kolker.
TL;DR
This is THE surgeon. He's the one. You can consult with every PS in NYC and I can ensure they will not measure up against the balance of incredible surgical skill, mindfulness of safety, eye to beautiful balance and perfect proportions, personal warmth AND post-op care.
I will preface by saying that I am not an easy patient; truly, I was so concerned about pain/discomfort and I did so much research (as one should, to some degree) that in some ways, I knew more than I wish I had. In doing that research, I consulted with a number of surgeons, all of whom came as recommendations from Dr friends in Manhattan. I am an exacting patient when it comes to selecting care providers. I was looking for as natural of a result as possible while accounting for the after effects of 2 pregnancies and years of breastfeeding and pumping (the latter is what really got me).
Here's what truly stood out about my journey with Dr. Kolker and his team:
The Office/Team: They have it together. The consult process (virtual, followed by in-person) was seamless and you can tell a lot about a practice based on how well (or not) they handle these seemingly basic operations/logistics (which are anything but easy to manage IRL, btw).
Virtual Consult: He was warm and immediately put me at ease. Unlike every other Dr I had consulted with, he was not annoyed with my line of questioning but rather, embraced it was was excited to have a deep conversation about the many things to consider with this surgery. I never felt judged or uncomfortable nor did I feel I was taking up too much of his time. Many of the other surgeons seemed to be rushing me along even whilst I was clearly being thoughtful in my approach.
Attention to Detail: Dr. Kolker was the FIRST and only consult where I was given specific scenarios based on my chest dimensions and challenges around choices I had to achieve the most ideal outcome. For instance, he was the first to note that I might not be able to achieve the volume I had wanted without a lift due to the mild sag and location of my nipples without ending up with too much upper pole fullness. He also immediately took note of my proportions and was able to discuss what 'ideal' really looked like on my body type given a number of factors that other surgeons simply didn't surface. They would have just placed an implant because I was on the smaller side with almost no tissue which didn't scream, 'I need a lift'. Not Dr. Kolker - you don't select this surgeon for 'larger breasts' or a 'tighter waistline', etc. You select him because he is absolutely meticulous in achieving ideal proportions and symmetry, no matter the body area. I also asked Dr. Kolker about some other procedures and he talked me out of them explaining (by quantifying) the percentage of improvement I might see based on what he thought he could achieve with particular approaches.
Referrals: When I back-channeled him (yes, I did this) through some Dr friends, all reviews were stellar with one using the term that I kept feeling throughout my journey with him which was, 'Meticulous.' Let me tell you, if you're going to have anyone operate on you, you want them to have more than just an eye to the details. In fact, I have found that most PS falls just short of perfection not because of some glaring issue but rather, the details. Implants that are just a touch too large, tummy tucks with a just so oddly placed belly button, rhinoplasties that are just a touch too up-turned, etc. Dr. Kolker takes it to the extreme by combining both science and artistry to his process and the results are simply, beautiful.
Trust: At the end of the day, you need to trust the person who will be operating on you. After all, they may need to make decisions in the OR when you're not available for consult. I trusted him implicitly and this has proven to be 100% the right move. I trusted his vision and his decision making. No matter what, tiny decisions must be made in the OR and you want this Dr making them.
Post-Op Care/Bedside Manner: A lot of people 'poo-poo' the notion of selecting a surgeon based on bedside manner. While I agree that it shouldn't the only criteria or even the leading criteria, the true leading criteria is a given: Safety & Outcome. After that, bedside manner is crucial because in my experience, it is a direct indicator of your ability to communicate your ideal outcomes/goals/wants AND your comfort in communicating with them during post op. Post Op is crucial to a great outcome and so many surgeons who are wonderful with their craft drop the ball here because they're either doing too much volume to handle it OR they think they don't need to because they've already given their best in the OR. This is the wrong approach and it was imperative to me that I find the right fit all around and this team/office/Dr was superb. Let me share that I had a scare at 2am on NYE night and guess what? I had a call back from Dr.Kolker within 3 minutes and I never felt uncomfortable.
Look no further. This is the best choice you'll make when it comes to cosmetic surgery.
TL;DR
This is THE surgeon. He's the one. You can consult with every PS in NYC and I can ensure they will not measure up against the balance of incredible surgical skill, mindfulness of safety, eye to beautiful balance and perfect proportions, personal warmth AND post-op care.
I will preface by saying that I am not an easy patient; truly, I was so concerned about pain/discomfort and I did so much research (as one should, to some degree) that in some ways, I knew more than I wish I had. In doing that research, I consulted with a number of surgeons, all of whom came as recommendations from Dr friends in Manhattan. I am an exacting patient when it comes to selecting care providers. I was looking for as natural of a result as possible while accounting for the after effects of 2 pregnancies and years of breastfeeding and pumping (the latter is what really got me).
Here's what truly stood out about my journey with Dr. Kolker and his team:
The Office/Team: They have it together. The consult process (virtual, followed by in-person) was seamless and you can tell a lot about a practice based on how well (or not) they handle these seemingly basic operations/logistics (which are anything but easy to manage IRL, btw).
Virtual Consult: He was warm and immediately put me at ease. Unlike every other Dr I had consulted with, he was not annoyed with my line of questioning but rather, embraced it was was excited to have a deep conversation about the many things to consider with this surgery. I never felt judged or uncomfortable nor did I feel I was taking up too much of his time. Many of the other surgeons seemed to be rushing me along even whilst I was clearly being thoughtful in my approach.
Attention to Detail: Dr. Kolker was the FIRST and only consult where I was given specific scenarios based on my chest dimensions and challenges around choices I had to achieve the most ideal outcome. For instance, he was the first to note that I might not be able to achieve the volume I had wanted without a lift due to the mild sag and location of my nipples without ending up with too much upper pole fullness. He also immediately took note of my proportions and was able to discuss what 'ideal' really looked like on my body type given a number of factors that other surgeons simply didn't surface. They would have just placed an implant because I was on the smaller side with almost no tissue which didn't scream, 'I need a lift'. Not Dr. Kolker - you don't select this surgeon for 'larger breasts' or a 'tighter waistline', etc. You select him because he is absolutely meticulous in achieving ideal proportions and symmetry, no matter the body area. I also asked Dr. Kolker about some other procedures and he talked me out of them explaining (by quantifying) the percentage of improvement I might see based on what he thought he could achieve with particular approaches.
Referrals: When I back-channeled him (yes, I did this) through some Dr friends, all reviews were stellar with one using the term that I kept feeling throughout my journey with him which was, 'Meticulous.' Let me tell you, if you're going to have anyone operate on you, you want them to have more than just an eye to the details. In fact, I have found that most PS falls just short of perfection not because of some glaring issue but rather, the details. Implants that are just a touch too large, tummy tucks with a just so oddly placed belly button, rhinoplasties that are just a touch too up-turned, etc. Dr. Kolker takes it to the extreme by combining both science and artistry to his process and the results are simply, beautiful.
Trust: At the end of the day, you need to trust the person who will be operating on you. After all, they may need to make decisions in the OR when you're not available for consult. I trusted him implicitly and this has proven to be 100% the right move. I trusted his vision and his decision making. No matter what, tiny decisions must be made in the OR and you want this Dr making them.
Post-Op Care/Bedside Manner: A lot of people 'poo-poo' the notion of selecting a surgeon based on bedside manner. While I agree that it shouldn't the only criteria or even the leading criteria, the true leading criteria is a given: Safety & Outcome. After that, bedside manner is crucial because in my experience, it is a direct indicator of your ability to communicate your ideal outcomes/goals/wants AND your comfort in communicating with them during post op. Post Op is crucial to a great outcome and so many surgeons who are wonderful with their craft drop the ball here because they're either doing too much volume to handle it OR they think they don't need to because they've already given their best in the OR. This is the wrong approach and it was imperative to me that I find the right fit all around and this team/office/Dr was superb. Let me share that I had a scare at 2am on NYE night and guess what? I had a call back from Dr.Kolker within 3 minutes and I never felt uncomfortable.
Look no further. This is the best choice you'll make when it comes to cosmetic surgery.
lady184008's provider
Replies (4)
I should update the thread: I’m now 3-months post op and I couldn’t be happier. They’re getting better with time and I didn’t know that was possible. I’m so thankful for Dr. Kolker; if I ever do any type of cosmetic surgery again, he’s the only one I would ever consider. There’s no comparing the experience I had with him and his team, especially based on the other consults I did and the extensive research. Please feel free to message me with any other questions!
Best of luck!