Immorality - Erie, PA

A few years ago, I got a terrible result from Dr. Stephen J. Heaney in his Erie, PA office. I feel that he totally destroyed my self-esteem by performing an operation that he should NOT have chosen to do! Here are the facts: I originally consulted with him about very thin, flat, pale, (almost un-noticeable) linear scars located on my arm that bothered me because they looked self-inflicted, and were difficult to hide and explain under public discretion. During the consultation, it was decided that Dr. Stephen J Heaney, MD would remove them by excising a large chunk of skin from my arm in a SINGLE STAGED OPERATION! This surgery left me with a scar almost 1-inch wide, and is still angry red several years later----even after multiple treatments from the pulsed dye laser at a facility in New York. Stephen J Heaney, MD would most likely argue that the manner in which a wound heals is unpredictable, unique to each individual, and that there is no way to guarantee a satisfactory result. While these arguments are valid and generally true, it is well documented throughout the medical literature, and widely accepted by other plastic surgeons and doctors that the volar forearm is an area of the body that DOES NOT generally heal well because of the location and amount of tension present on the skin due to the underlying muscle tissue. When I asked Stephen J Heaney, MD. about the width of the scar he drew a line with his pencil. He then went on to say that I was his miracle patient. I trusted his knowledge and experience and was horribly disappointed. In fact, upon completion of the operation he told me to keep the tape on the scar forever........indicating he knew well ahead of time that the resulting scar would be unsightly. Dr. Stephen Heaney DID NOT thoroughly address these issues during the consultation. The only positive thing I can say about the operation is that there were no major complications (ie. infection, wound dehiscence)... Because of my questionable psychological state of mind, Stephen J. Heaney MD. should have tried his best to talk me out of surgery. Ultimately, if you are considering plastic surgery and live in the Erie area------------go else where, preferably to a reputable plastic surgeon in a larger city.