This is Long, but I Urge You to Read This if You Are Considering Going to Strax Aesthetics.

In February 2020 I had a  “drainless” mini tummy tuck. That night I began to develop on each hip, what I was later told were, seromas…but they were extremely large liquid filled blisters that had to be drained again and again. I was seen in office twice before the pandemic shut everything down, which put meant I had to care for myself with only the instructions that were given to me by the doctor. I followed the instructions to the letter. The results of the mini tummy tuck were otherwise great, but the seromas and caring for them made for a much longer, more painful, uncomfortable, expensive, inconvenient recovery. In fact, my scar from the actual surgery healed so wonderfully that every doctor, nurse, and massage therapist that has seen it since has commented on how uncommonly wonderful it looks. I didn’t feel that I could lay blame or fault with anyone so I chalked it up to “one of those things”. I say this to explain why I returned to Strax when I learned of a procedure to improve my breasts appearance without implants.
I went in for a consultation Dr. Dean, who specialized in fat transfers to breasts. I learned that it would require liposuction to achieve the result I sought. I had surgery on August 1, 2023 and was happy with my results. This time, I was instructed to get lymphatic massages fo the best recovery and final result. I purchased a package with one ot the massage therapists at the Strax Aesthetics. She was very good, BUT when it was time to change into a smaller compression garment that I was instructed to wear, the massage therapist insisted that the one the surgical center had sold me wasn’t going to be small enough. She said I was “more her size and needed a small, not a medium”. Trusting her expertise, I let her help me into a small compression garment. She and all of my extensive research indicated that it would feel very tight and should feel that way for best results. By the time I got home, there were open wounds on my back from the rubbing of the garment. At mu follow up visits, Dr. Dean was concerned about them. He told me to clean them and put aloe vera gel on them multiple times a day even though I still had to wear the garment 24 hours a day for months. I followed instructions and expected them to heal. Instead they became painful hypertrophic scars. Dr. Dean continued to check on them and said we needed to give them time to heal…that maybe they would improve. They did not. After months of recovery and countless more lymphatic massages combined with tools to improve results further and work on the scars on my back (peformed somewhere else), there was still  a stubborn cirlcle of “donut-sized” fat around my navel. It even showed through my clothes. I pointed it out at one of my follow-up visits for the scar monitoring and Dr. Dean said that was a very easy fix…that he could go in and remove that fat, under local anesthesia if I liked. At some visits he would say he didn’t think I needed it and then go back to saying how simple it would be. He also said we could do a scar revision on my back, if the scar(s) were particularly uncomfortable or bothered me especially. He said only one scar could be done at a time, so I chose the largest most painful one, that impeded natural movement in my torso the most…I could also get the fat around my navel removed at the same time. I just had to wait. We waited until February of 2023.
When Dr. Dean decided it was time to schedule my surgery in February 2023, I paid and set my surgery date for February 13, 2023. After the surgery I went home to recover. That evening, my stomach felt extremely hot. I removed my compression garment to see redness and swelling, that very quickly got worse and worse and developed into countless blisters. I reached out to Dr. Dean and sent him a picture. he said it was lipo burns. They were so painful and unsightly. I was heartboken. I had follow up visits and Dr. Dean seemed to feel badly, but ultimately assured me it could be “fixed”. Again, I followed his instructions exactly. Vitamin C, collagen daily, later cocoa butter, keeping the very large area clean and changing the many bandages multiple times a day, etc…There was improvement, but I am still horribly scarred and some areas became hypertrophic. I continue to experience pain in the scarred area. In addition to the scarring, the healthy skin and tissue above and below my navel have been displaced, so I now look quite lumpy from a side view. When I tried to point it out to Dr. Dean, he basically blew it off as though it wasn't connected to the lipo burn situation. He suggested more scar revision. 
Side note: the scar revision is acceptable but definitely not great.
Fast forward again to November 2023. Before going back to Strax Aesthetics, I got a second opinion from a plastic surgeon not affiliated with Strax Aesthetics. I was told that the only way to remove the scarring would be to basically do a full tummy tuck which would leave a horizontal scar across my navel, which he felt would not look right. On December 1, I went back to Strax Aesthetics for another consultation with Dr. Dean, as well as a different surgeon in the practice with a different specialty. I met with the other surgeon, Dr. Schwitzer, first. He checked me thoroughly. He asked about the scars on my hips and my back, and I explained about my previous surgeries (all done at Broward Surgery Center/ Strax Aesthetics). He checked how I typically scar…mini tummy tuck scar, lipo scars, and fat transfer scars under my breasts…I even showed him a recent random healed scar. I have quite a lot of tattoos and he noted that they were all healed well. He told me he felt confident (almost cockily…which I didn’t mind in a plastic surgeon) that he could remove at least 75% of the scarring with a full tummy tuck, but that it would leave the horizontal scar through my navel, as the other plastic surgeon mentioned. I was fine with that. When I showed him my back scar revision and what Dr. Dean was suggesting, he smiled and said, “I’m not Dr. Dean…I am a board certified plastic surgeon and he is not, and I am VERY good!” He said another option would be to gain 30 lbs and do a typical low incision tummy tuck, but that I would look like a different person. That was not a viable option for me. He agreed. I had been super emotional while waiting to be seeen that day of the consult because I had begun to believe nothing could be done. I was relieved and happy with the proposed resolution. Next, I met with Dr. Dean. He marked me up, and showed me where he wanted to do 2 separate surgeries to remove 2 small sections of the scarring where the hypertrophic scarring is most obvious. Neither surgery would address the displacement of the healthy skin/tissue or the bulk of the dark scarring on my abdomen. He commented on what the Dr. Schwitzer had proposed, stating that it sounded like a good option, but somewhat questioned whether he’d be able to “close me up”.
Finally, feeling good about the proposed plan from Dr. Schwitzer, I paid for the sugery and set my surgery date for January 8, 2024. I went in for blood work at Strax Aesthetics on December 21, and paid for the post-surgery items I was told I needed from them. I am the sole bread winner for a household of 6, I had to take time off with no pay, and make arrangements for myself and my youngest child for the weeks I would need to recover. I made the necessary purchases and informed key friends and family members, etc…Dr. Schwitzer had scheduled an appointment for on January 4, 2024, to see and speak with me once more before surgery day. The appointment  was cancelled on the evening of January 3, 2024  due to his surgery schedule. I was in touch with his assistant to meet with or speak with him at another time, I had to work and I didn’t receive a call on January 4th or 5th as expected. On the evening of January 4, 2024 someone from the preoperative department texted me that she had sent my prescriptions to my pharmacy and that I needed to pick them up. She also said she would be confirming my surgery time the next day. I picked the meds up on Friday, January 5th and received a confirmed surgery/arrival time of  7 am for January 8, 2024, along with all of my pre-surgery instructions. THEN on Saturday morning I received the following text messages back to back from the preoperative department.
“Good morning. Thank you for confirming. If you could please call me when you have a chance. Dr. Schwitzer needs to speak with you regarding your procedure.”
“Please call Dr. Schwitzer as soon as you can. He is having some reservations regarding your surgery.”
“Your arrival time has also changed. I was informed by surgery center Your arrival time is now 11:30am.”
“However. Dr. Schwitzer still needs to speak with you”
I called immediately…already anticipating what he was going to say 2 DAYS before surgery. He told me was no longer confident that he could do my procedure successfully. He claimed to be unaware that I had had the mini tummy tuck (even though we discussed it fully, especially in regards to the scars on my hips and the mini tummy tuck scar that had healed so nicely when he was checking how I scar. Not to mention, he had my file! I would imagine all 3 surgeries with notes are in the file with my name on it…or should be). He went on to say that the doctors in the practice look at cases together (understandable) and that 2 of the older more experienced doctors had concerns regarding the risks of this surgery. Bottom line, the scarred tissue is so damaged, he wasn’t sure he would be able to “close me up”. Also since I had had a mini tummy tuck before, he could not excise any of the scarring below the navel. He was afraid the result might be worse than it already is…BUT he said that one of the colleagues, with more experience, Dr. Hamm was willing to do the sugery as planned if I wanted to proceed. I could speak to him right then. ABSOLUTELY NOT! I told him if HE was worried I was wayyyy more worried. THEN he said he’s never seen a patient have the kind of scars that I have post-surgery and that maybe I don’t heal well…”does that sound about right?” I told him it DOESN’T sound right. Again, I told him about the SEROMAS most likely due to a DRAINLESS mini tummy tuck just before the pandemic shutdown and the Strax Aestthetics resident massage therapist that made a decision to put me in a compression garment that was too small, probably too soon…and that I had to continue wearing it 24 hours a day for months. I reminded him that he saw that all of my other scars…the ones that were deliberately made, that healed better than most people’s scars. He dropped it. I had trusted what the professionals told me to do! He said he thinks I need a reconstructive plastic surgeon and told me why, etc….I was in tears for most of the conversation. I am grateful that he told me WHAT he told me, just not WHEN he told me. Less than 48 hours before scheduled surgery!!! I understand now, that my only options are to consult a reconstructive plastic surgeon or just learn to live with the disfigurement. I am devastated from the pain, stress, rollercoaster of emotions, the inconvenience, personal and financial sacrifices only to to end up worse than I started. I feel I was misled and in the end somehow it had it be implied that all of the negatives are my fault. This has now been years and thousands of dollars. I am left with few options and something very unnatural to be self-conscious about.
What I cared about the most was the situation being resolved. I NEVER intended to or wanted to go through so many elective sugeries. The recovery for each one, even without the complications, would have been painful and extended. The complications just made it all so much worse. I just don’t want my body to look so much worse than when I began. I wish the doctors had been more thorough and responsible. All I want is to be done with this heartbreaking ordeal and move on. I was excited about getting the last surgery, because it meant I could do just that. I was blown away to have the rug pulled out from under me less than 48 hours before the surgery. Especially after Dr. Schwitzer was SOOOO confident initially, and had over a month to tell me otherwise. I am doing my level best to fight off depression at this point. To get my hopes up like that just to dash them at the last minute is horrible. The mental, professional, financial, physical and emotional preparation took so much effort. Now I feel like I may be beginning a much more involved, possibly painful, mentally difficult, and financially demanding journey to get to any sort of physical resolution.