You Can Trust Him With Your Feminine Vanity - Layton, UT

After posting my original review (written in 12/11, if my memory is accurate) I want to report a bit further on my experience. At some point several months out of my revision surgery, upon follow up, I presented with some incredibly minor irregularities. Though these irregularities were NOT caused by Dr. Bitner and were all-but-invisible to anyone but my perfectionistic self, Dr. Bitner was again mind-bogglingly receptive to my concerns and committed to ensuring that I was nothing less than delighted with my long-term results. To this end, he agreed, at no cost, to perform some very, very subtle "tweaking." The outcome was that my nose was once more (and IS) as God intended it to be. ;) (Seriously, every time I look in the mirror I can't help but think what a gorgeous nose I've got!) =D If anybody reading this review is considering either rhinoplasty or revision rhinoplasty with Dr. Bitner and has questions about what it's like to undergo this whole experience from the perspective of a patient and would like some personal support (including suggestions for how to make the most of your consultation, effective ways to communicate your concerns and desires, what to expect prior to surgery, what to expect in the operating room, what to expect during recovery, as well as hand-holding for potentially scary stuff like "being put to sleep" and psychological issues that tend to come up when surgically altering your appearance) please feel very welcome to reach out and connect with me directly at BrandyGeorge@gmail.com! I'd love to hear from you! =D

For over six months, from my first consult with Dr. Bitner for a rhinoplasty revision, I've been wanting to post a raving review. However, I managed to restrain myself in the realization that his consummate professionalism, stellar aesthetic sensibility, interpersonal prowess, impeccable ethic, and above-and-beyond communication skills were insufficient reason for me to post a compelling review (first, he needed to actually get his scalpel on my nose!) But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I came to Dr. Bitner, I'd been researching revision rhinoplasty for nearly ten years. In fact, I started researching revision rhinoplasty within days of my first rhinoplasty in January of 2002, because I knew, even before the splint was removed, that something was not right. What I quickly learned from my research is that revision rhinoplasty is an incredibly challenging procedure that relatively few cosmetic surgeons are adequately trained to successfully perform, and that I was going to have be very disciplined in my investigation of a surgeon lest I end up with bigger problems than I was currently facing. In my efforts to select a surgeon, I traveled all around the country, consulting with the big names and "celebrity" surgeons of revision rhinoplasty, including Toriumi, Gunter, Nassif, Ellenbogen, Becker, Pearlman, Kanodia, Davis, Rizk, Naderi, etc and combed through online forums to hear about other people's personal experience with these and other surgeons. I also saw over ten facial cosmetic surgeons in my home state of Utah, understanding that just because a surgeon was well known didn't mean s/he was necessarily more skilled than someone who received relatively little publicity for his or her work (and that just because a celebrity surgeon could get away with charging 20K for a revision, it didn't necessarily mean they'd deliver a better result than a surgeon who charged far less than half this amount). Dr. Bitner was actually the very last surgeon I saw in consult (I had come across his website and was very impressed with the aesthetic of his work). As cosmetic surgery patients go, we prospective revision rhinoplasty seekers can make ourselves fairly obnoxious with our understandable concerns about achieving the stellar result were we after in the first place. I peppered Dr. Bitner with questions (e.g., Do you use permanent sutures? What's your opinion on costal vs. septal cartilage? Do you prefer a closed or open approach? Have you seen the article in such and such medical journal on powered rasps? What size osteome do you use? ETC, ETC, ETC). Not only did I feel that Dr. Bitner tolerated my questions, I felt he actually WELCOMED them. In fact, he gave me his email address and corresponded with me extensively (and always in a timely manner) about my many questions and concerns, and when I would email him a powerpoint presentation from a cosmetic surgery conference or an article from a medical journal, he exemplified a very touching humility in never reminding me that it was HE who had gone to medical school for ten years and who was I to be so presumptuous as to try to educate him on various techniques and approaches? Throughout our extensive communication he was reassuringly personable, unfailingly professional, impeccably ethical about what he felt was possible to achieve, and always kind, respectful, and comprehensive in addressing my multitude of concerns. Needless to say, he completely secured my trust (something NO other surgeon had been able to do due to their inability to effectively communicate with me), and I excitedly scheduled a surgery date. (Incidentally, I found Dr. Bitner's fees to be among the most fair and reasonable of the many, many surgeons with whom I consulted). At my one week post-surgery follow up visit where the splint and taping were removed from my nose and I was able to assess Dr. Bitner's work for the first time, I was utterly ECSTATIC. I had high aspirations for my nose, but it looked better than anything I had actually been able to envision for myself (even with the help of the digitally morphed photos I'd been provided at my initial consultation)! As someone who is known for my "All Scrutinizing Eye" (I'm not proud of it, but I can spot an aesthetic "flaw" from 50 yards), the fact that I couldn't find ANYTHING to legitimately critique was nigh unto an act of God! In fact, my nasal tip symmetry (which absolutely no surgeon had expressed confidence in their ability to achieve) was restored beyond reproach, the pinching that resulted from my previously overresected lower lateral cartilages was beautifully corrected, I felt my dorsum was the ideal angle and height, my knobby nasal bones had vanished, and the width of my nose was now narrow and sleek. The attention to detail and overall facial harmony was unmistakable! Frankly, I'm surprised that when Dr. Bitner removed my splint and took a look at me before handing me the mirror to see for myself that he didn't exclaim, "Damn, Bitner, you're good!" =) As of writing this review (12/2/2011), it has been three weeks to the day since my surgery, and I continue to be thrilled with my new nose! Not only does it look great (and will only continue to look better as the swelling gradually subsides), but it no longer bleeds or constantly runs! If you are looking for a revision rhinoplasty specialist or simply a stellar facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Bitner is your man! Tell him Brandy sent you! =D