A Decision I Have Regretted Every Day for 6 Years

Providing pictures of bilateral hairline loss, unsightly skin roll on neck (later removed in revision which caused hairline to move back even farther & a plethora of complications) & scarring behind ears. Also have pictures of cobra neck & tilted ears. Hairline has not recovered 6 years post op and skin remains scarred.

I continued to experience & be treated for ongoing pain from, among other issues, the unsightly skin roll the surgery left on my neck, and ~two months post-op Dr. Cross performed what he referred to as a little “scar revision”, (“no more involved than removing a mole” he had advised) that opened up the entire descending length of the scar behind my ear to my neck and “changed the vector” of the skin roll, requiring 10 stiches (see picture). He added a filler, Restylane* 0.3cc to the “left hairline indent” caused by the roll ‘to elevate skin until healing matures” (see large, discolored area in picture). (*Restylane package contains FDA Warnings with regard to injecting in areas with prior surgical procedures and the “known adverse event” of “delayed-onset inflammation near the site of dermal filler injection”). That evening and over the next week I experienced extreme pain far in excess of the pain from surgery, muscle spasms in my neck, and loss of neck mobility. I contacted Cross Medical staff multiple times via text and telephone but was informed that they were unable to see me in the Philadelphia office until a week later. The nurse prescribed pain medication. By the time Dr. Cross was able to see me in Philly, there was significant inflammation, requiring first a nurse, and then with a larger needle and more aggressively Dr. Cross, to very painfully drain a significant amount of fluid from my head. I had to return to be checked for draining every 2 days.

Following this "in-office" procedure I experienced tightness and pain over a much larger area of my head on an ongoing basis and Dr. Cross referred me to a pain specialist. The tightness & pain persists 6 years on, not only at the “headstrap” but following this revision, in the entirety of the back of my head.

Note on Medical Records:

When I requested my medical records for the pain specialist, I found glaring omissions, and misstatements. My post-op medical records did not document the pain and tightness (or the long skin roll) even though my first seven post-op appointments were spaced 3-10 days apart in attempts to address the pain and administer numerous Kenalog injections (~10 or more each session). The Kenalog injections were also not consistently documented and when they were they were only mentioned as “1 cc kenalog 10 mixed 1:2 w/lido 1% epi” but without specifying the number of injections, the specific areas being injected, or the medical necessity for the injections. Instead, my medical records stated repeatedly “Patient is pleased. Patient has no complaints. Patient is progressing normally” “No significant problems”. Citing HIPPA, I requested my medical records be corrected. Following my insistence, Dr. Cross included pictures of a one-dimensional face with circles that were intended to convey where he had injected kenalog, and a list of medications that I had been prescribed both post-op and following the “revision”. He did not amend the narrative in the original records. When I argued that the omissions continued to be too sizeable to accurately convey my experience to another physician, Dr. Cross suggested that I have any physician that treated me in the future call him. In a final attempt to ensure the accuracy of my medical records, I provided Dr. Cross’ office with copious details from the notes I had taken at each appointment. Dr. Cross agreed that my notes would be incorporated into my official medical record with a brief note from him stating that he had reviewed them.  When I requested a copy of my records, I was provided with a pdf in which my handwritten notes were often barely legible alongside his typed records, and would prove difficult for any physician to decipher. Regrettably, this approach only created a parallel and competing narrative since it would be impossible for anyone to reconcile my notes with Dr. Cross’ own notations (“intense pain that required numerous steroid injections to control” versus “patient is pleased/no significant problems”). As a result of both circumstances, I explain to each new physician that I do not have any accurate medical records of my post-operative experience and that my verbal account is all that is available. This complicates my ability to secure appropriate care on an ongoing basis.

I underwent a lower facelift and neck lift procedure with Dr. Cross at age 54. I came in as a healthy patient with specific expectations for the outcome.

My Post-Operative Experience: Pain, tightness and an unsightly roll of skin on my neck.

Following surgery, I experienced significant & prolonged pain & tightness and was left with an unsightly and thick roll of skin (~3 inches) clearly visible on my neck (see photos). My post-op medical records did not document this pain and tightness (or the long roll of skin) or consistently document treatment even as Dr. Cross was injecting multiple steroid shots into the area every 3-10 days.  My records instead stated repeatedly “Patient is pleased. Patient has no complaints. Patient is progressing normally” “No significant problems”.

 My Concerns About the Surgery:

The description of the procedure in my operative reports is unusually brief for an approximately 5-hour procedure (2 hours longer than estimated pre-op)—with just over 1/2 page of narrative of which ~40% is dedicated to preparation & fat extraction for transfer. Dr. Cross came in to mark me in the examination room prior to the surgery, but I did not see Dr. Cross in the surgical theater before being placed under anesthesia. When I awoke from surgery, Dr. Cross was not present. A man was present in the surgical theater whose name does not appear anywhere in my medical records & who was not introduced to me as a member of the surgical team, which I find concerning. Additionally, I spent the night in a hotel near Dr Cross so he could check in on me the next morning, but he canceled.

Cosmetic Outcomes:

The visible results include what appears to me as a "cobra neck" appearance, a hairline that has receded significantly revealing scars in the area behind my ears and on my neck that, in my view, resemble significant burn damage.  My ears appear tilted back in a way that is noticeable to others. I experience ongoing nerve-related sensations and discomfort that have not resolved in the six years since surgery and neurologists are still trying to address. While there was initial improvement in facial appearance, these changes have not held over six years.

My Request and His Response:

When I requested a refund of my surgical fees to help cover ongoing medical expenses related to complications, Dr. Cross declined. Since I work in banking he compared his surgical outcomes to investments: "Banks try their very best to make proper investments for their clients, but they don’t pay the clients back if the investment doesn’t go as expected.”

Overall Assessment:

In my opinion, this surgery has been profoundly negative for my quality of life. I experience daily discomfort and visible changes I find distressing. I deeply regret having this procedure. I would not recommend Dr. Cross based on my personal experience with this surgery and its aftermath.