Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
Breast Reduction - Correction
I mistakenly said I wanted to reschedule my appointment to November from November. Whoops! I originally scheduled my appointment for JANUARY (2020) and then changed my mind and moved it to November. Apparently I can't edit my original post, so I just wanted to make sure to clarify.
Breast Reduction - Incredible Results (And Experience) with Dr. Tannan!
TL;DR up front: Dr. Tannan is a truly incredible surgeon, an even better human (which sounds like it's discounting her surgical skills - it's not), and I wish she were somehow my best friend. If you need or want surgery that she performs, run, don't walk to set up a consultation. You will not regret it.
If I'm being perfectly honest, this review is about a zillion years late. However, the good news is that it's because my experience with Dr. Tannan was so delightful that I didn't want it to end and this review seems like it's the obvious signifier of that, so I kept putting it off. Not to mention that I apparently get some sort of performance anxiety around trying to fit all the details in, and here we are - six months behind schedule.
I'm long-winded by nature, so I'll try to hit the highlights without writing a novel. Here goes:
I have wanted a breast reduction for over half of my life (since I was 15/16 - I'm 32 now). I was hoping to eventually have insurance that would cover it, but mine never seemed to, I love my current job (so my insurance won't change soon), and the idea of jumping through a ton of hoops for a company to decide what size boobs I should have made me realize that it was time to face the facts and plan to pay out of pocket.
I found Dr. Tannan on Google because she was near my dentist's office and had stellar reviews. I do my best to go to female practitioners whenever I can (PCP, gynecologist, and even my dentist) and when I read that she had an all-female staff, that caught my attention.
Given this is a procedure that I've spent so much of my life thinking about, I felt that being in the presence of women was ideal to making sure I got the results I wanted and felt comfortable expressing myself openly around everyone there. I am not shy, but nearly every time I have mentioned wanting a breast reduction in the company of men, I get a "WHY would you do THAT!?" response, and I was way over it.
I figured this consultation would be a starting point for finally making this surgery a reality and that hers would be the first of many offices I'd visit. It turns out that she was the only office I visited, and I have zero regrets.
My initial consultation with Dr. Tannan put me immediately at ease. We somehow started off talking about books (specifically David Sedaris) and then transitioned to what I was there for. As said before, I am not shy, but I am definitely an introvert by nature and skeptical of most new people I meet. It was not like that with Dr. Tannan. We hopped into talking about the boobs I'd lugged around for 32 years and what she could do to help me, while making sure my expectations were realistic and answering any questions I had, along with having a very reassuring and well-prepared answer about the potential for breastfeeding (in sum, and not as eloquently: there is always a possibility that breastfeeding will not work, with or without breast surgery; the impact from a well-performed reduction does not change the likelihood of this by any significant amount).
After my initial meeting with Dr. Tannan, I then talked to Yolanda (love her) about cost and next steps, including scheduling. I believe I called back in that next week or so to (initially) schedule surgery for November but then got the wild hair to move it up to November and she made it super easy to do.
My parents are both medical (mom's an RN, dad's a PA) so in one of the intro meetings she said that if I wanted, she would happily speak with them on the phone to put any of their fears to rest, since she rightly figured they would have more questions about everything involved than the average bear. They did their own research (my dad was impressed as hell that she is a hand surgeon!) and felt comfortable since my mom would be there with me on the surgery day, but that was a very kind option to offer, and it made me feel much better about the whole process.
My nurse, Deb, was hilarious. She and I had a similar sense of humor and she was just the best (that's not very eloquent, but just trust me). I am so sad she wasn't there for my "graduation" (it was during this COVID-19 pandemic and she was not working at that time) and I secretly hope she reads this because I want to make sure she knows how incredible she is (and not just because she gave me ginger ale and snacks after surgery - though that didn't hurt).
Okay, so, surgery day. My mom came with me bright and early and was thoroughly impressed by their on-site operating room. I had nothing to compare it to, so it was awesome to see her reaction. They have a super nice waiting area (it looks more like a spa with a TV, to be honest) that is reserved for one family at a time, so she got to kick back and use their internet while I was sleeping slash getting reassembled.
Speaking of which, I don't know if the anesthesiologist is always the same (and I forget her name - it's been so long; I'm sorry!) but mine was a woman who usually does anesthesia for children, which also impressed my mom, as she works in a NICU. I had never been under anesthesia before except during my wisdom tooth removal (I think that was anesthesia) and had heard horror stories of people reacting badly (during or after), so I was slightly worried. During my wisdom tooth surgery I was groggy for wayyyy longer than usual afterwards and I'm pretty sure it was due to getting too much of whatever they gave me (I'm 5'2" so that probably had something to do with it).
Lucky for me, this time I had a very easy time of it, likely due to the expertise of the anesthesiologist. I remember going to sleep super quickly (after saying that the surgery prep made me feel like I was in a weird spa) and waking up in a reasonable timeframe. I kept my food and beverage down immediately after and didn't have any lingering ill effects, which was delightful since I already had to navigate the aftereffects of surgery and appreciated that being my only concern.
On that note, I took painkillers for a few days, but stopped the heavier duty stuff after about half a week? I don't remember the details since it was in November, but I remember switching to Tylenol only after a handful of days.
My healing process was shockingly easy. I'm in reasonably okay shape, youngish, and had nothing to compare this to, so I didn't know what to expect (and again had heard horror stories from people on the internet).
Dr. Tannan doesn't use drains, so there was some swelling to contend with (I had lipo on the sides as well, as that helps make the end result look significantly better than just a reduction alone), but I never had any of my wounds open or stitches give me any trouble. Everything she uses dissolves, so there was really no muss, no fuss - just some tape that eventually worked its way off after a couple of weeks (she used a different tape over my scars than usual because my skin is very sensitive - I didn't ask for that, Dr. Tannan just noticed how my skin reacted to other things during the surgical process and made the call - and I was very thankful! Her attention to detail is truly stellar).
After surgery, I was going to take off of work for a week with my mom on hand and then work from home the second week to recover, but I felt pretty great after a few days (I was careful not to lift anything but I felt pretty normal after about three days and my mom felt bad she couldn't help me out more, but I really didn't need it!) and went into to the office after my one-week follow up appointment. I'm a software engineer, so obviously YMMV, but I was happy to be back and just made sure to take it easy during the day. I went to a book club meeting after work that night because I felt good enough to do so, and aside from being a bit sore, I was so happy to be out and about again.
I credit a lot of my incredible healing to the care taken during the surgery and prep ahead of time, which is why I mention it. With Dr. Tannan's blessing (due to where I was in my healing), I was able to drive to Maryland two weeks after surgery to have an early Thanksgiving with my extended family. This was something I worried about prior to surgery because I assumed I'd still be down for the count two weeks post-surgery, but I felt great and was pleased as punch to experience that so quickly.
My recovery after that time was similarly smooth. Dr. Tannan's office provided silicone scar gel after a few weeks for me to use and my follow up appointments slowly tapered off over a total timespan of six months.
I just graduated at my six month appointment a few weeks ago (on 5/12/20 - during the pandemic and a day after they had reopened the office) and was sad that I couldn't give Dr. Tannan a hug after everything that she'd done for me, but such is life. Hopefully I can swing by one day when things are back to normal, but in the meantime, I figured I could (finally) write this review.
I never expected to find a surgeon I liked so much, much less so quickly, but I'd recommend Dr. Tannan to anyone I met who needed or wanted something done that she could provide them. Even though I'm only one of their many patients, they treated me like family and I will truly miss having them in my life.
(As a note, this review is too long for most places, so I wanted to post the full thing here to link from elsewhere. I have photos but do not plan to post them - I have given Dr. Tannan my permission to use my photos as desired, however.)
If I'm being perfectly honest, this review is about a zillion years late. However, the good news is that it's because my experience with Dr. Tannan was so delightful that I didn't want it to end and this review seems like it's the obvious signifier of that, so I kept putting it off. Not to mention that I apparently get some sort of performance anxiety around trying to fit all the details in, and here we are - six months behind schedule.
I'm long-winded by nature, so I'll try to hit the highlights without writing a novel. Here goes:
I have wanted a breast reduction for over half of my life (since I was 15/16 - I'm 32 now). I was hoping to eventually have insurance that would cover it, but mine never seemed to, I love my current job (so my insurance won't change soon), and the idea of jumping through a ton of hoops for a company to decide what size boobs I should have made me realize that it was time to face the facts and plan to pay out of pocket.
I found Dr. Tannan on Google because she was near my dentist's office and had stellar reviews. I do my best to go to female practitioners whenever I can (PCP, gynecologist, and even my dentist) and when I read that she had an all-female staff, that caught my attention.
Given this is a procedure that I've spent so much of my life thinking about, I felt that being in the presence of women was ideal to making sure I got the results I wanted and felt comfortable expressing myself openly around everyone there. I am not shy, but nearly every time I have mentioned wanting a breast reduction in the company of men, I get a "WHY would you do THAT!?" response, and I was way over it.
I figured this consultation would be a starting point for finally making this surgery a reality and that hers would be the first of many offices I'd visit. It turns out that she was the only office I visited, and I have zero regrets.
My initial consultation with Dr. Tannan put me immediately at ease. We somehow started off talking about books (specifically David Sedaris) and then transitioned to what I was there for. As said before, I am not shy, but I am definitely an introvert by nature and skeptical of most new people I meet. It was not like that with Dr. Tannan. We hopped into talking about the boobs I'd lugged around for 32 years and what she could do to help me, while making sure my expectations were realistic and answering any questions I had, along with having a very reassuring and well-prepared answer about the potential for breastfeeding (in sum, and not as eloquently: there is always a possibility that breastfeeding will not work, with or without breast surgery; the impact from a well-performed reduction does not change the likelihood of this by any significant amount).
After my initial meeting with Dr. Tannan, I then talked to Yolanda (love her) about cost and next steps, including scheduling. I believe I called back in that next week or so to (initially) schedule surgery for November but then got the wild hair to move it up to November and she made it super easy to do.
My parents are both medical (mom's an RN, dad's a PA) so in one of the intro meetings she said that if I wanted, she would happily speak with them on the phone to put any of their fears to rest, since she rightly figured they would have more questions about everything involved than the average bear. They did their own research (my dad was impressed as hell that she is a hand surgeon!) and felt comfortable since my mom would be there with me on the surgery day, but that was a very kind option to offer, and it made me feel much better about the whole process.
My nurse, Deb, was hilarious. She and I had a similar sense of humor and she was just the best (that's not very eloquent, but just trust me). I am so sad she wasn't there for my "graduation" (it was during this COVID-19 pandemic and she was not working at that time) and I secretly hope she reads this because I want to make sure she knows how incredible she is (and not just because she gave me ginger ale and snacks after surgery - though that didn't hurt).
Okay, so, surgery day. My mom came with me bright and early and was thoroughly impressed by their on-site operating room. I had nothing to compare it to, so it was awesome to see her reaction. They have a super nice waiting area (it looks more like a spa with a TV, to be honest) that is reserved for one family at a time, so she got to kick back and use their internet while I was sleeping slash getting reassembled.
Speaking of which, I don't know if the anesthesiologist is always the same (and I forget her name - it's been so long; I'm sorry!) but mine was a woman who usually does anesthesia for children, which also impressed my mom, as she works in a NICU. I had never been under anesthesia before except during my wisdom tooth removal (I think that was anesthesia) and had heard horror stories of people reacting badly (during or after), so I was slightly worried. During my wisdom tooth surgery I was groggy for wayyyy longer than usual afterwards and I'm pretty sure it was due to getting too much of whatever they gave me (I'm 5'2" so that probably had something to do with it).
Lucky for me, this time I had a very easy time of it, likely due to the expertise of the anesthesiologist. I remember going to sleep super quickly (after saying that the surgery prep made me feel like I was in a weird spa) and waking up in a reasonable timeframe. I kept my food and beverage down immediately after and didn't have any lingering ill effects, which was delightful since I already had to navigate the aftereffects of surgery and appreciated that being my only concern.
On that note, I took painkillers for a few days, but stopped the heavier duty stuff after about half a week? I don't remember the details since it was in November, but I remember switching to Tylenol only after a handful of days.
My healing process was shockingly easy. I'm in reasonably okay shape, youngish, and had nothing to compare this to, so I didn't know what to expect (and again had heard horror stories from people on the internet).
Dr. Tannan doesn't use drains, so there was some swelling to contend with (I had lipo on the sides as well, as that helps make the end result look significantly better than just a reduction alone), but I never had any of my wounds open or stitches give me any trouble. Everything she uses dissolves, so there was really no muss, no fuss - just some tape that eventually worked its way off after a couple of weeks (she used a different tape over my scars than usual because my skin is very sensitive - I didn't ask for that, Dr. Tannan just noticed how my skin reacted to other things during the surgical process and made the call - and I was very thankful! Her attention to detail is truly stellar).
After surgery, I was going to take off of work for a week with my mom on hand and then work from home the second week to recover, but I felt pretty great after a few days (I was careful not to lift anything but I felt pretty normal after about three days and my mom felt bad she couldn't help me out more, but I really didn't need it!) and went into to the office after my one-week follow up appointment. I'm a software engineer, so obviously YMMV, but I was happy to be back and just made sure to take it easy during the day. I went to a book club meeting after work that night because I felt good enough to do so, and aside from being a bit sore, I was so happy to be out and about again.
I credit a lot of my incredible healing to the care taken during the surgery and prep ahead of time, which is why I mention it. With Dr. Tannan's blessing (due to where I was in my healing), I was able to drive to Maryland two weeks after surgery to have an early Thanksgiving with my extended family. This was something I worried about prior to surgery because I assumed I'd still be down for the count two weeks post-surgery, but I felt great and was pleased as punch to experience that so quickly.
My recovery after that time was similarly smooth. Dr. Tannan's office provided silicone scar gel after a few weeks for me to use and my follow up appointments slowly tapered off over a total timespan of six months.
I just graduated at my six month appointment a few weeks ago (on 5/12/20 - during the pandemic and a day after they had reopened the office) and was sad that I couldn't give Dr. Tannan a hug after everything that she'd done for me, but such is life. Hopefully I can swing by one day when things are back to normal, but in the meantime, I figured I could (finally) write this review.
I never expected to find a surgeon I liked so much, much less so quickly, but I'd recommend Dr. Tannan to anyone I met who needed or wanted something done that she could provide them. Even though I'm only one of their many patients, they treated me like family and I will truly miss having them in my life.
(As a note, this review is too long for most places, so I wanted to post the full thing here to link from elsewhere. I have photos but do not plan to post them - I have given Dr. Tannan my permission to use my photos as desired, however.)
Provider Review
