Be aware and informed - I was treated like a number

I will continue to post reviews on this surgery center to make sure all of my fellow beauty-seekers are at least made aware of circumstances that may factor into their decisions. I was not fully aware, and I wish I was.... I simply can't understand how anyone can care so little about their patients, yet still HAVE patients. I guess it's because this practice is cheaper than others for the same procedures. They are nice to you all right. They smile at you all right, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty of the surgery and afterwards, they do exactly what they want. I did figure out that unless a doctor totally maims a patient (or worse KILLS them) that the medical community (read officials) DO NOTHING. That's why I am posting this review. BEWARE. Beware of surgery centers that are not affiliated with a hospital. Beware of some obscure certification of a surgery operating room that really doesn't do anything for the safety and dignity of the patients in the OR. I know that if I have to have surgery again for any reason, I will stick with surgeries done at centers affiliated with major hospitals, or in major hospitals. That way, I WILL HAVE SOMEONE TO HELP IF THINGS GO WRONG. The medical community has carte blanche to pretty much do what they want to a patient. They can always claim some medical necessity. I have NEVER been treated so badly EVER in all my years, for very little to no improvement. Now I can definitely say that my eyes have been opened to the dangers of blindly trusting ANY medical professional. If there is a next time, I will go in with skepticism and a keen eye for making sure my needs are met. I intend to ask, ask, ask a lot of questions, and sign on the dotted line only after reviewing all the documents, and MAKING SURE MY WANTS AND NEEDS ARE IN WRITING. I will never again assume that any medical professional will be kind, and do the right thing, just because they say they will 'take great care of me'. They don't have to. All any medical professionals have have to do is get your money, and not kill you. Everything in between that is up to them, and quite frankly, I trusted the wrong people, and I won't do that again. I do believe that if any doctor is more concerned about their online reviews than how they are treating their patients, that that is a red flag and a signal to go elsewhere. My hope for you all is that you find the beauty you seek, and that the journey is memorable in the best way possible.

After four months, I am still mad at myself for doing this surgery. It totally wasn't worth it. From start to finish, I was stupid to trust anything I was told. I was told that the only way to lessen the wrinkles at the corners of my mouth was to do a lower and neck lift. On the day of surgery, Dr. Yousefi contradicted himself and said that fixing the wrinkles wasn't possible. I should have gotten up and left then, but I just sat there. What was in the IV that they put in my hand before he came in? I assumed that during my pre-op visit when Tiffany said that they would be 'taking great care of me' would mean just that, and it certainly did not. I have a hard time sleeping because I keep flashing back to that man Peter removing my robe and staring at me, and my inability to do anything about it. What did they do to my genitals that resulted in injury, when they said NO urinary catheter? My trust in medical 'professionals' is at it's lowest point. For someone to say 'well, no one else has complained about this' is disingenuous at best. To say 'well, we are all professionals here, so you shouldn't mind' negates any feelings on the part of the patient. It is the abuser telling the abused if they have been abused. Backwards to say the least. I can't forgive myself for doing this. It was stupid and didn't accomplish anything except make me upset all the time. I don't want the people treating me to 'think nothing of it'. I want them to value my dignity as much as they value their own. What determines my level of trust and comfort is how the I feel about the treatment, not how the doctor or nurse feels. It's about me, the patient, not the medical staff. This wasn't emergency surgery, where my life hung in the balance, this was ELECTIVE and I shouldn't have elected to do this at all. Choosing this surgeon was the WORST DECISION OF MY LIFE. I have requested my records FOUR times from this surgeon, and only got a re-written OR letter that doesn't list all of the personnel in the OR or the medications used. THIS IS ILLEGAL. Dr. Yousefi did not do one of the procedures I paid for, and instead of giving me my money back, he gave me a 'store credit' and told me to 'get a massage or something'. After I left my reviews on YELP, he didn't like them, so when I went in for one of my 'massages or something' he told me to get out of his office. He actually wrote me a check for the balance on my 'store credit'. I wish I could forget the whole experience.......

My physical healing has been pretty good. I didn't need that much 'pulling', and really, he couldn't do a lot and not make me look like I had a 'joker' mouth. I still am very upset about how they treated me. The callous nature of thinking that it was OK for a male nurse to remove my robe because I wasn't moving fast enough says about all you need to know about this practice. It is a money making machine, and although Dr. Yousefi is a talented surgeon, the trauma inflicted on me because of how they treated me (and the fact that FOUR nurses were in the room and did NOTHING), makes me very WARY of having surgery again. I think a lot of things are being done to patients that aren't medically necessary, but make it easier for the medical personnel to do their jobs. There seems to be this feeling that you leave your rights and your dignity at the OR door. That's what hurts the most. Dr. Yousefi said I was obsessing about this and to seek help.........so his personnel treat me badly and it's my fault? There was NO reason I couldn't have worn my own cotton underwear. I was having surgery on my FACE. There was NO valid medical reason for why they tried to push a catheter on me. I am post-menopausal, and catheters are contraindicated unless the patient is undergoing a long surgery, or will be unable to use a bed pan during their recovery. This was a two-hour surgery. If they were concerned about me being able to urinate afterwards, they could have let me wake up enough to use the bathroom. Instead, they dress you while you aren’t even really awake, and take you to the car of whatever person is going to watch you. I want to be the one who says 'this happened to me, be careful'. Like the 'me too' movement, I always wondered why no one spoke up during all those 'Harvey Weinstein' years. It's hard to get people to believe you, and quite frankly, the laws don't help. BUT, and this is important, WE CAN HELP ONE ANOTHER BY NOT STAYING SILENT. If you do choose this surgeon, BE PREPARED. In your pre-op, WRITE ON THE CONTRACT what your wishes are. I was assured that I could leave my cotton underwear on, and then denied the day of surgery. I refused a catheter at the pre-op, after a lengthy pertinent conversation.  If they can't accommodate your wishes during the pre-op, then at least you are only out the deposit. Be aware that the male nurses they hire are VERY PUSHY, and not sensitive to a patient's emotional state. Be prepared to tell them to back off. In fact, if you do agree to a catheter, make sure you put on the contract that ONLY A FEMALE NURSE may insert it/remove it. They have to keep notes on your surgery for liability purposes, and you can request a copy to make double sure. If they know you are watching, maybe they will straighten up and treat you well. I am sorry I agreed to this surgery. I could have spent the money on a lot of other things, and saved myself sleepless nights being angry and hurt. I don't want that for you. Good luck to you in your search for beauty, wherever that make take you.