So Disappointed - Foster City, CA

I am a 35 year old mother of 2. I first met with Dr. Beck in 2013, and we explored options for removing some excess fat; he told me I was a good candidate for Smart Lipo and that the recovery would be nominal (down time of 4 days) and that I would see results quickly, 80% within 6-8 months and 100% at a year. In October of 2013, he performed the procedure in 2 sessions on 6 areas: upper abdomen, lower abdomen, flanks, inner thighs, outer thighs and lower back. There were issues from procedure day forward. I have waited this long to write the review because I wanted to allow ample time for healing and final results.
Pre-op, I was given a Post-Op instruction paper that was half a page long and didn’t address many standard issues that arose, and I had to do online research and keep calling his office for info that should have been included in the instructions (as a comparison, a colleague of mine had Smart Lipo in one area and received a 5 page Post-Op instructions from his physician). The next issue was the pain. Dr. Beck did not offer anesthesia as an option and said there would be minimal discomfort during the procedure and that the standard painkillers would be sufficient (pill and local injection, if I recall). I have a pretty high pain threshold and I have to tell you that the procedure was excruciatingly painful, both sessions. I cried so much that I was congested. Again, in comparison, I went to another surgeon (Dr. Hoffman in Palo Alto) for a special post-op laser treatment that wasn’t available at Dr. Beck’s office), and they said they always recommend anesthesia for a procedure involving 2 or more areas because pain can be an issue. When I spoke to Dr. Beck about the level of pain in a follow up appt, he said that they weren’t equipped to offer anesthesia at that time and he didn’t think it would be necessary. The recovery time and level of discomfort was also much more prolonged and intense than what I was told it would be. There were complications with the upper abdomen that have never resolved, and besides outer thighs, I haven’t noticed a difference, but was hoping it was because I had gotten used to the changes. I went in today to take final pictures (17 months after) and compared pre and post pics with Dr. Beck side by side. The only area with a noticeable change is outer thighs and the low abdomen BUT his abdominal incisions were high (well above the bikini line) and one of the scars is very noticeable in a bikini. When I asked why he didn’t make the incisions lower so that they could be hidden, he said that the equipment he was using at the time wouldn’t allow him to get the upper abdomen with lower incisions and that he has since gotten new equipment that does allow for it. My upper abdomen protrudes more than it did pre-op because of scar tissue and the other areas look no better than they did pre-op. I exercise much more now and my diet is good, so it is not because I have gained weight back. I expressed my disappointment to Dr. Beck today and he has offered no solution. To pay nearly 10k and go through the pain and a much longer, more painful recovery than described with nearly no result is beyond upsetting. I highly encourage you to go somewhere else.