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

Bizarre breast profile, spitting stitches, botched elbow

My new photos are disturbing, but this is a place of honesty and truth so I'll share!
Breasts make a funny looking profile when I elevate my arms, because the nipple projects down. Its aspect is very cartoonish, reminds me of Scrat (the ice age squirrel) so I'm not a guinea pig but a squirrel now, how fun yay.
This is my 4th week and I started to spit stitches, it was expected for me because I also got an allergic reaction to surgical tape and guess this is related in sensitive skin.
So I removed the stitches with a tweezer, cleaned the area and applied mupirocin (bactroban) ointment, covered with gauze ... in 24hs the holes closed without any sign of infection. I stopped newgel and silicon strips in the stitch area until it heals completely, I guess in 5 days I'll resume.
I see there are more stitches making little bulges under my skin, I hope these stay there and dissolve!
The lipoaspired areas of my arms look lumpy, I started massaging my elbows as soon as noticed (2 weeks post op) they look better now but the surgeons just took fat in wrong patterns so the lumps probably would need fat transfer in a future.
Last week was my monthly appointment with my surgeon and again revisited the topic of being a guinea pig. This time he didn't mentioned my supposed fragile health, he said it just was his way to work and that students helps him in most surgeries. It was infuriating, anyway next thursday I have an appointment with a legal counsellor to see how can I solve this situation.
I guess even if in my informed consent I'd written something like 'this surgeon is he only person allowed to perform the procedure from start to finish in both sides of my body', he would have done things exactly the same since I was unconscious and couldn't defend myself. I just got in the wrong hands, he could make such a positive impact in people's lives but his teaching interests come before than patients rights.

Comparison side by side

As the inflammation is almost gone, I took some pictures to compare the work done by a certified plastic surgeon and the resident (remember I was the used as a guinea pig without my consent). I know this is not looking THAT bad, but please imagine how armonic and beautiful would have been this surgery if the plastic surgeon made the whole procedure.
Well this is all the text I can produce today, i need to go to cry a little more. But before that, I wanted to highlight the important message B.6074 left in my previous entry:

*"This is legal and common in the US as well. We sign releases and it is frequently included in the 'fine print" that residents, fellows, and even students will participate or observe. A football stadium full of people is welcome to watch my surgeon but participation is different. I was in and out of consciousness during a surgery 30 years ago and I woke while a young lady was working being directed by the highly experienced surgeon with talented hands and then he was directing a young man until he finally said that time was running long and then took over to finish after someone said "it broke". However, there are clinics located a medical colleges where you know that a resident may be doing your work under the supervision of a Board Certified Surgeon and your fees are greatly reduced, so this is acceptable. If I had a brush in my hand and van Gogh was telling me how to use it, many mistakes would be made but we would not then sell the piece as the painting by van Gogh. I am glad your brought up this topic because many people do not realize this is legal and common. I question whether it is actually informed consent."*

Unwilling guinea pig

After removing my dressings, I noticed more bruising and less fine sutures on one side of my body, like if 2 different doctors performed the surgery. As my surgeon always was surrounded of residents during my pre-op appointments and for my surprise, also in the operative room, I started to think that maybe he used my body to teach residents. So I asked politely to one of these residents if he sutured my body and he said yes, and of course it was the bruised side.

I was devastated by this, because I paid to a certified plastic surgeon to perform a very intimate and important surgery, only to be the experiment of a resident. When I mentioned this to my surgeon, he said that he needed help with sutures because the procedure was too long (3 hours) and I was a high risk patient since I lost much weight. Even tho my pre-op tests were good, I'm a non smoker, no longer obese after years of exercise and dieting, I'm not that old (I'm in my late 30's) he considered my health poor so didn't want to take any risks and that's why the resident sutured my body, to avoid a long time in the OR under anaesthesia. He recognised the difference in results between one breast and the other and said that he would correct it free of charge. Also said in case I don't believe he took the right decision, I should ask to another surgeon if this was the right course of action (I have an appointment with another certified plastic surgeon next week to discuss this)

Where to begin to tell how devastated I am? How could they take advance of an unconcious person, HOW!?!?!
If I would have liked a resident to perform a mastopexy, I'd have gone to a public hospital where they do it for free!!
Or if my health was really that delicate, I'd only ask for the mini arm lift since this is one of the few doctors who perform it successfully, in order to shorten time exposure to anaesthesia.

Well, bye by now friends, today was a long day and I gotta go to cry myself to sleep a little more, but first I needed to vent. And yes, this is perfectly legal in my ridiculous country.

Provider Review

Horacio Mayer