Botched Calf Lipo with Many Complications

I debated writing this review for a long time but after almost 7 months I feel compelled now that some significant time has passed and I have encountered nothing but a slew of complications. My first complaint is that I was woken up and told i needed to leave rather abruptly. I was a morning patient so I’m assuming the doctor had another surgery to perform. Upon trying to stand I realized I couldn’t. It felt as though my muscle on my left leg was ripped. I couldn’t put any weight on it. They shuffled me out the door in a wheelchair and I made it home only to use crutches and not walk normally for months. Just an FYI I scheduled one or two days off work and ended up needed a week and a half out of the office. This could have been my wishful thinking but still, something seemed not right. After several weeks I developed a seroma in my right leg. I was told to keep coming back so they could aspirate it. I live on the westside and work full time; this was less than convenient but I did what I had to do in hopes of it healing. Well, it never did. I called the doctors and expressed my frustration. I felt like I was not being heard as I kept being told to keep getting it aspirated and that it would eventually go away on its own. Dr. Lui suggesred that I put a drain in my leg and if it didn’t go away after two weeks he would consider surgery. I know my body and I knew this wasn’t going to work so, after three months with the seroma and getting nowhere, I sought a second opinion. The second surgeon told me I had a chronic seroma which would require surgery. I informed Dr. Lui what the doctor had told me and that I was going to go through with the surgery. At this point I did not trust Dr. Lui to deal with the complication he created. When my current surgeon went in he said it was one of the worst seromas he had ever seen and that it would have not closed on his own. Now I have a large scar on my leg from where the seroma was removed. That is not the least of it. I have had a terrible time healing and the results have me looking disfigured and botched. Dr. Lui took way too much fat out of my legs as they are uneven, bumpy and the skin is very thin. I saw my doctor today and he said he would probably have to put fat back into my legs but wants to wait until we get to the one year mark. Looking back at Dr. Luis photos I can see that he has experience dealing with people who are clearly significantly larger with more fat than me but he hasn’t, from his pictures, done Lipo on the calves of a fit individual like myself. This whole experience has left me extremely upset and has affected my life negatively in a multitude of different ways. I have developed anxiety and depression and can’t even imagine wearing shorts or a dress outside let alone a bikini. Also, it has left me in a terrible financial situation. Not only did I have to pay for the Lipo, I had to pay for the seroma surgery ($5k - a 50% discount from my current surgeon who felt bad for me) and endermologie treatments ($90/session). If you are on the leaner side and are considering getting Lipo from this doctor please don’t. He is WAY too aggressive and doesn’t own up to his mistakes. I wish I would have asked to see more pictures and just asked more questions in general before agreeing to this surgery. My current surgeon says he can help me look a little more normal but that my results will never be smooth and perfect. This is a mistake I will have to live with for the rest of my life and I am truly mad at myself for choosing Dr. Lui.

I recently have met with Dr. Perry Liu's partner, Dr. Edwin Kwon, and feel significantly better about my situation. I initially spoke to Robert, the patient care coordinator, and explained my situation, voicing my disappointment. He was very kind and said that he would do anything he could to fix it. He invited me back in to meet with the doctor and I agreed but only on if I could see Dr. Kwon. During my post operative time where I was having many difficulties with my legs and the healing process Dr. Kwon was very kind and understanding. I truly appreciated the way that he explained in detail the issues that I was having with my legs and what possible remedies could be. I always felt heard and like he genuinely cared about my problems. He is extremely articulate and knowledgable about the human body and, after coming back and meeting with him to show me my concerns, I felt more than comfortable having him do my revision surgery. He spent multiple visits with me at extended lengths answering all of my questions and explaining in detail what was going to happen to my body during and after the surgery. I am about a week away from having my surgery and I could not be more excited to have my irregularities corrected and move on from all of this. Robert and Dr. Kwon also are waiving the surgery fee and have agreed to do the procedure with me paying only for OR and anesthesia fees. I really do appreciate all of the time and genuine concern that I received from Robert and Dr. Kwon during the delicate months where I was upset and seeking a solution to my problems. I will update again after the revision surgery :)

It's been on year since my surgery and I am still extremely dissatisfied with my results. Dr. Lui's partner was gracious enough to try and help fix all of the mistakes but the results of that second procedure were minimal and, therefore, I am still unhappy and in search of a way to make my legs look normal again. When I expressed that I was still unhappy Dr. Lui's partner, Dr. Kwon, recommended something called Renuva. It's basically where you use cadaver fat as a filler instead of using your own and having to undergo a fat graft. I was excited because at this point I am more than done with having surgery (three in 9 months is more than anyone should have to endure). I was told at the three month mark I could go back in and they would do some touch ups with the Renuva. When I texted Robbie asking to schedule my appointment I mentioned getting a discount since I've literally been through hell and spent tens of thousands of dollars to fix this. He replied that he could get will talk to Dr. Kwon today and get me a deal but that he could get me "an even BETTER deal if I took down the negative review off of RealSelf". Honestly, when I saw that I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't believe that, after all they knew I went through this past year and how negatively this impacted my life, that they would have the audacity to basically "bribe" me with lowered treatment costs to take this review down. I called him immediately after receiving the text and vented my frustration. He said he "understands my point but that they've been helping me out so much and this has been hurting their business, along with his own". WTF!?!? Well then maybe you shouldn't botch your patients to begin with and you wouldn't have people writing negative reviews directly affecting your business. (Also, by the looks of their new fancy office, they're doing just fine. I'm sure nobody's filing for bankruptcy anytime soon...)

In my honest opinion, Dr. Lui did absolutely NOTHING, I mean NOTHING, to help me during all of this. He never called me, never offered to fix it. I felt like he didn't even hear the concerns I was voicing when I would go in for my post-op checkups. He didn't even acknowledge me when I was sitting in the waiting room to see Dr. Kwon a couple months ago. The only person throughout this whole thing that has been kind and treated me like a human being was Dr. Kwon. Robert would "check in" on me every few months or so with a text saying "hi love how are you?" and then I would respond and he would never respond back. They made me pay over $5000 to have my "corrective" procedure. The doctor that fixed my seroma CAUSED by Dr. Lui offered to do my surgery for less than that because he felt so bad for me and he wasn't even the one who caused the problem. If anything, I feel like I have been the one who has been patient and understanding and not wanting to cause any drama with this whole situation but that text from Robert was the last straw.

I am beyond disgusted with this entire situation and would never recommend this place to anybody I know. For a brief moment I had a fleeting thought that I would take the review down if they gave me all future treatments for free but I am embarrassed to say that thought even crossed my mind. So, even though it is going to cost me thousands and thousands of dollars again, I decided to keep my review up so that people can save themselves from the experience that I had to go through (By the way, after I posted this review another girl reached out to me saying she had the same issues and has to go back in for a follow up procedure as well to "fix" what Dr. Lui did to her.) I would take a doctor with integrity, honesty and compassion any day over Dr. Lui and look forward to never stepping foot into Avant Plastic Surgery again.