Almonte - the Butcher of Roseville BEWARE

I went in for a consultation with Dr. Almonte in 2021 to get his opinion on some concerns I had as I was approaching my mid 40's. My main concern were deep nasal labial folds, marionette lines, the corners of my lips, and sagging jowls. During the consultation I explained how I wanted these corrected and primarily to have the nasal labial folds smoothed out and if it was a good time for it or if I should wait. At the end he told me he could get me the results that I wanted with the addition of fat grafting to my face which would be an additional charge. He also recommended to do the procedures now as opposed to waiting since the problems that I had would only get worse. I booked my surgery and paid the deposit.

The surgery was in April 2022 and the sedation was horrendous as I woke up in the middle of it which was traumatic. As the swelling went down, I noticed no improvement whatsover. The deep nasal labial folds were still there, the jowls were back and I didn't see any difference with the fat grafting that I paid extra for. I went to see him during a follow up and just burst out in tears. I had spent so much money, only to look the same. He suggested that we go in again and do a revision in a year. At this point I had also talked to other women in facelift support groups and they told me that a deep plane facelift is the only type that would have given me the improvements I was looking for and questioned why that wasn't done or offered to me. They also pointed out how horrible the scarring on my ears were. My tragus was gone, I had deep scars that were red and the stiches was obvious. Since I wasn't sold on doing another surgery, in follow up visits, I asked what would be different. I tried to discuss the different types of facelifts as I had been learning more on my own and from others but he dismissed what I said and my questions. Dr. Almote told me if I wanted a different type of facelift to go to someone else. I also tried to show pictures on my phone of other people and their results to talk about placement of stitches, what I was looking for, etc and he told me to put my phone away, and that he didn't want to see any pictures. I didn't understand why he got so defensive and I just started feeling like I couldn't open up or talk him frankly. I felt torn since I had paid so much and I didn't know what to do since the scars were so bad, I would need a revision just for that anyways. What made it worse was I was still paying for the surgery on credit cards and I didn't have the money to go to another surgeon.

In another follow up visit with Dr. Almonte, he told me that he could improve the scars and that he would pull my skin more tighter this time. I told him that I didn't want to wake up again in the middle of surgery since it happened the first time and it was a horrible experience, he reassured me they would adjust things so that doesn't happen again. I hesitantly agreed to a revision, I had to pay the surgery fees again and the deciding factor for me was that at least my scars could be fixed. I had the revision exactly a year later, in April of 2023. During the surgery I woke up again in the middle of it, I was scared again and it was traumatic.
As the swelling subsided I noticed no improvement again, just my skin pulled tighter and with worse scars. I was besides myself. In the follow up visits I told him how this was a waste and how I endured yet another surgery with no improvements and the scars were worse. His response was that there was nothing else he could do for me and that, "I pulled your skin as tight as I could.." He also told me during this appointment during the discussion that when he initially saw me, he didn't think I needed surgery at all. I was shocked and I actually didn't know how to respond. It angered me later as I started to think about what he said, if he didn't think I needed a facelift, why didn't he tell me that during my consultation? Why did he sell me on the whole process and encourage me to do it? Why would he tell me he could give me the results that I wanted?

My last visit with him, he gave me steroid shots to help with the scarring. I felt so defeated and tired at this point. Exhausted from the whole experience and just angry and sad. I told him that the scars are constantly irritated and it was not getting better despite using scar gels and scar tape. He told me that he can't help that and I would need to see a dermatologist that could help with laser treatments like C02. This was three months ago or so. Shortly after that, I visited a dermatologist in the same city and as soon as I told him my story, he responded by saying he knew it was Dr. Almonte. I asked him how he knew that and he stated that he has seen a lot of Dr. Almonte's patients that were also botched in the same way. He went on to say that Dr. Almonte does not have a good reputation and that he has advised other people not to go to him. The dermatologist recommended that I see another surgeon because of how horrible the scarring was and that there was nothing he could do for me in terms of lasers. I was heartbroken.
I consulted with another surgeon who pointed out that I have all of the classic signs of a failed facelift. He told me that my tragus is gone and would need reconstructive surgery to fix it. My sideburns are gone too which is another sign of a poorly performed facelift. There is also extreme tension on my skin which has caused the scar to widen and that it would need yet another revision. The issue though is I have a "wind tunnel look" now due to how much my skin was pulled yet there was no release from the ligaments and muscles below the skin so the skin has just settled back into place which is why I see no improvement. I hope to warn others about my experience. His skills are mediocre at best, he is not up to date on current techniques. His goal is to get people booked, sell you on additional procedures and then dismiss you when you bring up concerns.

My results speak for themselves. Please take a look at all of these pictures. My ears constantly feel itchy and irritated, the redness has not improved and I have extreme tightness around my ears at even 9 months post-op. I have been using mederma scar cream, scar tape every day and when I go out I use sunscreen and I keep the areas covered with a hat as well with my hair. If there is anyone out there that can help or has had a similar experience, please contact me.

2/29/24 Follow up:
I consulted with a plastic surgeon in the Bay Area last week who specializes in facelift revisions. He confirmed what the last surgeon that I consulted with told me: Dr Almonte placed all the tension on my skin causing the scar to widen. In a proper facelift all the tightening and tension is supposed to happen below the skin and then the skin sits on top with no pulling. So, Dr Almonte did exactly what you're not supposed to do. This surgeon also advised me that I lack facial balancing, that this is something the surgeon should have looked at. Dr Almonte lipo'd a section under my chin which has created an indent. The surgeon explained how this type of procedure is an art and that you need to have a good eye and to look at each person individually. Overall, I was happy to have yet another consulation with another competent surgeon. It gave me some hope. The unfortunate part is, he declined to the surgery on me for now since there is too much tightness and advised me to come back in a year. I just want people to know that there are very skilled surgeons out there that do beautiful work and that really care about their patients, that are more interested in their happiness and well-being and not money. Dr Almonte is not one of them. If anyone would like the names of some of these wonderful surgeons that I was referred to please message me.

I have consulted with another wonderful surgeon in the bay area that specializes in facelifts and is just top notch! I feel like I will be ok eventually with a competent surgeon. The surgeon that I consulted with this week was horrified at what Almonte has done to me and confirmed what the other surgeons told me: that Almonte pulled my skin way too much placing all of the tension on my skin whereas a skilled surgeon should know not place any tension on the skin but on the underlying layers. This will cost over 50k to fix. I'm just devastated at this cost since I will also need hair transplant to fix what Almonte took away from around my ears and in front. I asked Almonte for my money back but he did not even respond back to me. After what he has done to my face this is the least he could have done for me in order to fix the damage. I have already saved numerous people through following him on his social media and warning other people as well as reporting him on all of the facelift/plastic surgery support groups that I am on. I am warning as many people as I can to stay away from him and I will follow him into his retirement and I will ensure that because he has cost me so much money, I will do the same to him. The more potential clients that I can pull away and encourage them to go to other places, I will keep doing it. People that are reading this - you have been warned! Please reach out to me for the names of some excellent and very competent surgeons. Spare yourselves the nightmare that I have, and continue to go through due to Almonte! Horrible, horrible surgeon that lacks in basic skills. Also, I am now over a year post op from revision with Almonte please contact me for current pictures.