POSTED UNDER Breast Reduction Reviews
25,000 Improvement???
UPDATED FROM LostforWords09
11 months post
$25,000 IMPROVEMENT???
$25,000
I am updating this review because Dr. Wendel continues to describe my outcome as an “improvement.” I paid $25,000 for this revision and a butt lift after weight loss and I want people to clearly understand what happened to me.
At my follow-up appointment, when I said my goals were not met, Dr. Wendel told me my breast crease had already been “destroyed” before he operated. That was not explained to me in those terms prior to surgery, and it completely changed how I understood what I had agreed to nor did he lower the areolas or what I call the pepperonis of the breast. I paid $25,000 and nothing I paid him for was achieved. Hey made it much worse and painful.
When I later asked for accountability and a refund, I brought my elderly vet father with me for support. Instead of a professional discussion, Dr. Wendel raised his voice and said, “I don’t care how many family members you bring up there, I’m not giving you your money back,” and stormed off.
What I am left with physically is not what I had before:
• Thick, jagged, dark scarring where my incisions had previously healed smoothly
• A deep, painful crease across my lower back area that did not exist prior to this surgery
• Loss of the nipple graft from an additional $5,000 procedure, which did not survive
Photos are included. They speak for themselves.
During the same appointment, he ended my care while I was still in recovery. He told the nurse to send me my medical records. I was left to figure out next steps without ongoing support.
This has been physically, financially, and emotionally devastating.
At my follow-up appointment, when I said my goals were not met, Dr. Wendel told me my breast crease had already been “destroyed” before he operated. That was not explained to me in those terms prior to surgery, and it completely changed how I understood what I had agreed to nor did he lower the areolas or what I call the pepperonis of the breast. I paid $25,000 and nothing I paid him for was achieved. Hey made it much worse and painful.
When I later asked for accountability and a refund, I brought my elderly vet father with me for support. Instead of a professional discussion, Dr. Wendel raised his voice and said, “I don’t care how many family members you bring up there, I’m not giving you your money back,” and stormed off.
What I am left with physically is not what I had before:
• Thick, jagged, dark scarring where my incisions had previously healed smoothly
• A deep, painful crease across my lower back area that did not exist prior to this surgery
• Loss of the nipple graft from an additional $5,000 procedure, which did not survive
Photos are included. They speak for themselves.
During the same appointment, he ended my care while I was still in recovery. He told the nurse to send me my medical records. I was left to figure out next steps without ongoing support.
This has been physically, financially, and emotionally devastating.
LostforWords09's provider
ORIGINAL POST
25,000 Improvement???
I hired Dr. J.J. Wendel for a revision surgery to define my breast fold (IMF) or the crease and lower my areolas. My experience resulted in deformity and a total breach of professional conduct.
The Physical Facts:
The "Nipple Pop" Failure: I paid nearly $5,000 specifically for a "nipple pop" procedure. Instead, my nipple fell off in the shower. I sent emails in distress numerous times after my surgery and one in particular at 4:15 AM before my nipple went down the drain, but he refused even a partial refund for this failure when asked.
Deformity & Scarring: My stomach and breasts still appear as "one piece," as do my back and buttocks now. I paid for a butt lift, not implants just a lift after losing weight, and I am now left with a deep "ditch" crease extending from my butt crack to my mid-back which is tight, hideous to look at and painful. Instead of a shapely but now it’s flat when I’ve had a curvy physique. I kept asking him prior to the surgery and he kept saying “it will be you just better”. I am not better. I am worse and I now have painful "black popcorn" rugged scars that did not exist before and they extend under my armpit and to my back.
Failed Revision: My areolas, the pepperonis as I call them, were not moved lowered which is something I specifically paid for. He kept saying he would prove it. It was not improved. They are still in the same spot. After one of my follow-up appointments after I expressed concern on how I was progressing, he saw me in the hallway after I had dressed and said, "At least they look good with your clothes on." No I don't. If he only knew how painful it was for him to say that with a smile on his face, like he was proud of his work. I sent him a picture of me wearing office attire with the one nipple sitting near my collarbone poking through my office shirt on a Zoom call! Can you imagine how embarrassing that was? I wondered why people were looking at me like that. You can see it sitting way up high in the photo, right breast, and no nipple on the left. I begged him for at least a partial refund for this and nothing. I can't even wear office clothes without feeling humiliated. I close my eyes when passing mirrors. I can't bear to look at myself. I told Dr. Wendel how my ex abandoned me because of my breasts, and that I'd spent my life savings for this surgery to get my life back after my mom died I’m going through he’ll. He has refused.
Unprepared Post-Op: I was sent home with surgical drains despite no prior disclosure or care instructions. Just a bag full of stuff I didn’t understand. I was so lost after my surgery. It was absolutely awful. I was very confused. Why I had drains in. I had no idea what to do.
The Professional Conduct:
The October 2025 Sixth Month Appointment When It Wasn’t Getting Bette: At my six-month checkup, he told me to wait until May 2026 for a revision. He marked my body again with his pen, showing where he would make the incisions between my breasts—an area he admitted surgeons normally avoid. He was willing to scar me further even though he admitted the crease was "destroyed" and the surgery wouldn't fix my problem. And said I had to pay for my revision, even though I had nipples falling off.
Aggressive Behavior: I sent an email to his office manager asking for a refund and she asked me to make an appointment with Dr. Wendel to see what could be done. This appointment led to even more injury and humiliation. For support, I took my senior citizen Vietnam veteran dad with me. Dr. Wendel was verbally aggressive and yelled that he "didn't care how many family members I brought up there he wasn't giving me my money back”. AND I QUOTE. He then stormed out. My dad was there to support me because he knows how much I have suffered. All he could say was I’m daughter. He said that Dr. Wendell before the surgery was shaking his hand thanking him for his service and for him to treat my father the way he did after i complained was beyond disrespectful. My dad did nothing but try to support me, just like any parent would support their child, no matter their age. I wouldn't expect a second class basement mechanic to behave that way let alone a physician who has sworn to give duty of care. Never have I had a doctor behave that way and he NEVER apologized for his conduct not even to my dad. At the six month appointment when he said I will have to pay for my revision, I told him I had already paid him 25,000 and he didn’t do a good job but he insisted I pay even more above the nearly 25k and told me how just that morning he’d gotten letters saying his taxes or something would go up and made it all about himself, and his time. Nothing I paid him for was done, as a matter of fact it's worse. At least the incisions before were smooth and neat from the previous surgery.
Medical Risk: He has since "divorced" me by emailing me the consent form to release my records, at his request not mine. I am on HRT (hormones) and need mammograms, but I am now left without a physician to consult with my gynecologist for these necessary screenings.
I signed consent forms while nurses called him the "boob whisperer" and told me i could trust him and as a Christian and fellow woman, I trusted them. I believed what the man and his nurses told me but I did not consent to this outcome and definitely not the disrespect shown to my father. I told him over and over in email and at my last appointment with my dad over a month ago or so that I just wanted my life back and that I did not want to be alone for the rest of my life. I explained how I hide my body and have worn a bra 24- for nearly a year because he made me believe and said that if I wear a bra may be crease will form knowing that’s not true. He told me my curse was destroyed when I came to him. So if it was truly destroyed, how could he say it was improved? And why would he take $25,000 from me? He told me I should be grateful that he took my case and did the surgery, saying no other doctor would even want to touch me, which is not true. Another doctor said they could help me, but I cannot get the surgery because he refuses to even give a partial refund. he just kept saying how it’s improved. It’s not improved. It changed not improved and certainly not my life savings to try and get my life back.
The Physical Facts:
The "Nipple Pop" Failure: I paid nearly $5,000 specifically for a "nipple pop" procedure. Instead, my nipple fell off in the shower. I sent emails in distress numerous times after my surgery and one in particular at 4:15 AM before my nipple went down the drain, but he refused even a partial refund for this failure when asked.
Deformity & Scarring: My stomach and breasts still appear as "one piece," as do my back and buttocks now. I paid for a butt lift, not implants just a lift after losing weight, and I am now left with a deep "ditch" crease extending from my butt crack to my mid-back which is tight, hideous to look at and painful. Instead of a shapely but now it’s flat when I’ve had a curvy physique. I kept asking him prior to the surgery and he kept saying “it will be you just better”. I am not better. I am worse and I now have painful "black popcorn" rugged scars that did not exist before and they extend under my armpit and to my back.
Failed Revision: My areolas, the pepperonis as I call them, were not moved lowered which is something I specifically paid for. He kept saying he would prove it. It was not improved. They are still in the same spot. After one of my follow-up appointments after I expressed concern on how I was progressing, he saw me in the hallway after I had dressed and said, "At least they look good with your clothes on." No I don't. If he only knew how painful it was for him to say that with a smile on his face, like he was proud of his work. I sent him a picture of me wearing office attire with the one nipple sitting near my collarbone poking through my office shirt on a Zoom call! Can you imagine how embarrassing that was? I wondered why people were looking at me like that. You can see it sitting way up high in the photo, right breast, and no nipple on the left. I begged him for at least a partial refund for this and nothing. I can't even wear office clothes without feeling humiliated. I close my eyes when passing mirrors. I can't bear to look at myself. I told Dr. Wendel how my ex abandoned me because of my breasts, and that I'd spent my life savings for this surgery to get my life back after my mom died I’m going through he’ll. He has refused.
Unprepared Post-Op: I was sent home with surgical drains despite no prior disclosure or care instructions. Just a bag full of stuff I didn’t understand. I was so lost after my surgery. It was absolutely awful. I was very confused. Why I had drains in. I had no idea what to do.
The Professional Conduct:
The October 2025 Sixth Month Appointment When It Wasn’t Getting Bette: At my six-month checkup, he told me to wait until May 2026 for a revision. He marked my body again with his pen, showing where he would make the incisions between my breasts—an area he admitted surgeons normally avoid. He was willing to scar me further even though he admitted the crease was "destroyed" and the surgery wouldn't fix my problem. And said I had to pay for my revision, even though I had nipples falling off.
Aggressive Behavior: I sent an email to his office manager asking for a refund and she asked me to make an appointment with Dr. Wendel to see what could be done. This appointment led to even more injury and humiliation. For support, I took my senior citizen Vietnam veteran dad with me. Dr. Wendel was verbally aggressive and yelled that he "didn't care how many family members I brought up there he wasn't giving me my money back”. AND I QUOTE. He then stormed out. My dad was there to support me because he knows how much I have suffered. All he could say was I’m daughter. He said that Dr. Wendell before the surgery was shaking his hand thanking him for his service and for him to treat my father the way he did after i complained was beyond disrespectful. My dad did nothing but try to support me, just like any parent would support their child, no matter their age. I wouldn't expect a second class basement mechanic to behave that way let alone a physician who has sworn to give duty of care. Never have I had a doctor behave that way and he NEVER apologized for his conduct not even to my dad. At the six month appointment when he said I will have to pay for my revision, I told him I had already paid him 25,000 and he didn’t do a good job but he insisted I pay even more above the nearly 25k and told me how just that morning he’d gotten letters saying his taxes or something would go up and made it all about himself, and his time. Nothing I paid him for was done, as a matter of fact it's worse. At least the incisions before were smooth and neat from the previous surgery.
Medical Risk: He has since "divorced" me by emailing me the consent form to release my records, at his request not mine. I am on HRT (hormones) and need mammograms, but I am now left without a physician to consult with my gynecologist for these necessary screenings.
I signed consent forms while nurses called him the "boob whisperer" and told me i could trust him and as a Christian and fellow woman, I trusted them. I believed what the man and his nurses told me but I did not consent to this outcome and definitely not the disrespect shown to my father. I told him over and over in email and at my last appointment with my dad over a month ago or so that I just wanted my life back and that I did not want to be alone for the rest of my life. I explained how I hide my body and have worn a bra 24- for nearly a year because he made me believe and said that if I wear a bra may be crease will form knowing that’s not true. He told me my curse was destroyed when I came to him. So if it was truly destroyed, how could he say it was improved? And why would he take $25,000 from me? He told me I should be grateful that he took my case and did the surgery, saying no other doctor would even want to touch me, which is not true. Another doctor said they could help me, but I cannot get the surgery because he refuses to even give a partial refund. he just kept saying how it’s improved. It’s not improved. It changed not improved and certainly not my life savings to try and get my life back.
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