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POSTED UNDER Tummy Tuck REVIEWS

28 Yrs Old, 2 Csections, Large Diastasis Recti - Long Beach, CA

ORIGINAL POST

I had a floating TT a few weeks ago. Before the...

MiniLA
$7,500
I had a floating TT a few weeks ago. Before the big day I had visited about 8 different surgeons all of which agreed I needed a TT. I had a lot of excess skin around my BB and a ventricle hernia.

After several meetings I decided to go with Dr. Marcel Daniels. He made me feel comfortable and agreed he can meet all my expectations to the point where I'd feel confident in anything I'd wear.

Surgery date came and all seemed well. I was up and about with such ease! My husband and I were surprised. I was told it was a real tough surgery to recover from, and day 1 I was almost upright.

Well, it wasn't until I took off my binder that my confidence shot out the door. My Diastasis recti had completely been repaired BUT, my aesthetic part of the surgery looked horrible! I didn't know if to cry or just be angry.

I visited twice so far and on the first visit he said "to give it time" since it was just a day that had gone by. On my second visit (2 weeks later) it looked even worse. My swelling had gone down and now more wrinkled skin was apparent. On that second visit I addressed my disapproval of the outcome. I asked why he gave me a floated TT as that was a bad choice since it was not going to give me optimal results of which a full TT would have. He never admitted his fault (I went to him being the expert) and again suggested "I give it time" and that maybe in the future he could give me "laser treatments". Not sure how this laser treatment will fix anything. Now my BB is at stake since he floated it.

It really does look bad, I look like I have a clitoris where my belly button should be :(

So now it's just a waiting game. I see him again in a month at which I will again stress my disappointment. I do not want to pay more money since I already paid him enough to do something he did not. I paid for a BMW and he gave me a Corolla. Hopefully he sees and agrees with my disappointment and does a revision that I can be totally happy with.

MiniLA's provider

Marcel Daniels, MD

Marcel Daniels, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

MiniLA rating for Dr. Daniels:

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Answered my questions
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Replies (9)

October 8, 2014
Did you guys have in writing or a paper you signed saying what the surgery would be..? If he said a full tummy tuck and did not do it I would make him redo the surgery. The skin does not look pulled tight enough for a tummy tuck. I really hope he completes this for you. I understand you being unhappy with results. We spend so much money and with all the possible complications we should all be very happy with the end result. Keep us updated! Good luck!
October 8, 2014
Yes I do. It literally states "standard abdominoplasty with removal of excess skin" this is the part he seems to hve forgotten to do. I agree with you, I hate that I had to be away from my two toddlers for two weeks and all for nothing :(
October 9, 2014
Oh no!!! So sorry :'( I went to a teaching hospital with a fellow Dr. And my belly button looks good. Hopefully he will fix it in good faith. I shocked and hope he fixes that, After all you paid good money for it. Most likely you have to wait a little but make sure you keep your notes. Good luck and please keep us posted..may you continue to heal and have improvement
October 9, 2014
Sorry you are bummed about your outcome. You look very tiny like myself. I had a PS that wanted to "float" by belly button, but I ended up going with a different PS that created a "fake" belly button and completely excised my old one. Because my umbilicus was shattered, she thought it was the best option. This may be an option for you during revision? Best of luck.
October 9, 2014
Hey I am so sorry your doctor did not give you the results you paid for.. I am going for a TT in Dec and literally have looked at thousands of TT pictures and your end result is not normal. I do not want you to feel bad but I want you to know that you are not crazy and your results are not typical. You should ask him to revise immediately or sue and I believe you have every right to.. Now I will make sure to get what I want in writing specifically.
October 9, 2014
Yes. I really did feel I was crazy at first. As a matter of act please ask in detail how your surgery will take place. How much skin will be recected? How right will your skin look etc. I didn't think I needed to ask those questions since it is part of a "TT"! But apparently I should have also asked. I feel very uncomfortable with my body. More than before. To think I will have to wait kills me. Especially not knowing what his decision on revising will be. I don't feel I should pay one cent more. I have also seen many pictures. That why I knew something wasn't right. Good luck on your surgery. Do you hve before pictures up?
October 9, 2014
I don't but I guess I should add some.. I had twin boys four years ago and I still haven't found many women my weight and size I'm 5'7 and 105 pounds so I will post something tonight now that you mention it.. Good luck on your journey and I hope your revision turns out well.. :)
October 9, 2014
I felt the same way. I am a little over 5'3" and weigh around 98. I think that's why I chose Dr. Alexander. She is super tiny (actually commented when I first met her that we were the same size) and I knew she would understand just how low the scar would need to be to be concealed in a bikini. My thought was that men have never and are never going to wear a bikini and that sometimes they do these weird "u" shaped scars. Bikini lines go straight across - not curved. That's why I chose a female. Lol.
November 5, 2014
Just checking in.....Did you ever meet back with your PS to discuss your concerns? How are things healing at the almost 2 month mark?
UPDATED FROM MiniLA
28 days post

1 month PO

MiniLA
Today hits my 1 month PO. Nothing has changed at all other than the swelling has gone down. I seem to be able to see more wrinkled skin now. It really looks like a clitoris instead of a belly button. I called the office today to let them know I wanted to sit and talk to the dr. The front desk attendant was so comforting and helpful. She literally said "we want nothing more than for you to be happy with your outcome. The dr and staff here all want to see you happy and I'm sure Dr. Daniels will do everything in his power to correct anything you are unhappy with".

I felt much better knowing they understood I was unhappy and will give me the time to discuss my outcome. Hopefully it wasn't her just being nice and the Dr agrees. I'll be updating after my visit with him in 2 weeks.

Replies (0)

UPDATED FROM MiniLA
2 months post

6 week PO

MiniLA
Updates. I went to see my surgeon and I could literally see in his face that he was unhappy with my results. Just as I am of course. BUT instead of assisting me after paying him that much money he said this... He said I kept my expectations too high because my skin laxity was so bad I'd never look flat. Also he said he never suggested a FULL TT because he'd never be able to close the umbilical hernia completely. Therefore my only option was a Floating TT. Which of course I was never told. All the other surgeons I saw said if be having a full TT. Why I went with this dr? Well at the moment he seemed the more honest and confident.

I'm really upset. I aain expressed that I did not pay 7500 to look bad. Though my ventrical hernia was fixed, from the belly button up now I get very bloated and you can see it pop out.

He said he would do a laser test on me to see if it would fix my skin. Make it look tighter. At this point I've decided to wait. If at 6 months I'm not happy, I will be asking for my money back. I'm sure there is a process but he clearly saw it wasn't a good job.

Replies (2)

November 6, 2014
I would get the opinions of other surgeons. Umbilical hernias are easy to close (even if mesh is necessary). At that point a facsimile belly button is necessary, but a good surgeon can accomplish this.
November 6, 2014
I am. I'm just upset, real upset. If done right the first time I would have already been recovering. I have two kids a 3 year old and an almost 2. It was real hard to be away for two weeks. Just to know I'll have to do it again and pay more burns my blood.