POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty Reviews
Had a Bad Experience; Was Completely Dismissed
ORIGINAL POST
Had a Bad Experience; Was Completely Dismissed
$12,500
The TL;DR: I had a bad experience with Dr. Markarian. I feel like my concerns were not taken seriously and I was misled about what would be done aesthetically. Most importantly, my breathing was not fixed, and I was repeatedly ignored by his office when I tried to address it.
For some reason I’m not able to add the actual date of my surgery but it was in June of 2020.
Dr. Markarian did my rhinoplasty in 2020. I chose him over two other surgeons because he seemed confident he could give me the aesthetic I wanted, fix my breathing, and had a lot of experience. We had one virtual consultation and one in person. He confirmed I had a deviated septum and we discussed what my nose would look like. He does not do imaging. I wish I had some record of what we discussed because it often felt like he did not remember our conversations. He did not actually listen to what I wanted aesthetically, and the plan discussed the morning of surgery did not match what I believed we had agreed on.
We discussed a slightly upturned ski slope aesthetic in both consultations. The morning of surgery, when I mentioned it again, he acted like it was the first time he was hearing it and said, “I’ll try.” I should have canceled right then. While I had the cast on, I was confused why my nose looked so straight. I understand surgeons do what they think will look best, but I did not agree to a completely straight profile. Had he told me that was the plan, I would have gone to someone else. I feel misled even after two consultations. At a follow up, I asked if my nose would get closer to what we discussed. He seemed confused again. When I said we discussed a slightly upturned shape, he replied, “Oh, so you want people looking up your nose?” His demeanor completely changed.
When the cast came off, there was a large white bump that was clearly visible and pushed my nose crooked to the left. When I asked about it, he said, “It wasn’t there when I did the surgery.” That was all he had to say. I felt dismissed. As swelling went down, the bump and crookedness became more obvious.
My breathing was also not fixed at all. My right nostril, where most of my breathing was blocked, has not changed. Now when I breathe in, my nostrils collapse, which never happened before surgery.
About 18 months later, I contacted his office about a revision. Because the result was not what we discussed and my breathing was not improved, I assumed there would be some kind of discount. In a video call in January 2022, Dr. Markarian said he would cover all costs including anesthesia. After that, I spent months trying to get scheduled. The scheduler told me to stop calling and said she would reach out when there was availability. I did not hear anything for six months. I called again and was told the same thing. I was never contacted about any dates that opened up. Every interaction only happened because I kept reaching out.
In December 2022, I was told to get a pre op physical because they would “have dates opening up soon.” I did it and faxed it over, then heard nothing for months. In mid 2023, I was told I might need another physical and then was quoted a cost. When I said Dr. Markarian told me he would cover all costs, I was told that was not noted in my file and that I would be set up with an appointment to speak with him. I was never contacted again. I was a patient waiting for my surgeon to address the outcome of my surgery and my breathing problems, and his office did not follow up with me once.
In 2024, I emailed a list of questions asking why I was never scheduled and why I was never followed up with. These questions were avoided and I was only told they could maybe make me an appointment. Nothing was confirmed in writing and I was never contacted again.
At this point, I do not trust his office. I would not say I am botched, but my nose is not what we discussed, it needs to be fixed, and my breathing is worse. I regret not getting things in writing. My advice is to choose a surgeon who is realistic with you and to document everything, especially anything discussed over the phone.
For some reason I’m not able to add the actual date of my surgery but it was in June of 2020.
Dr. Markarian did my rhinoplasty in 2020. I chose him over two other surgeons because he seemed confident he could give me the aesthetic I wanted, fix my breathing, and had a lot of experience. We had one virtual consultation and one in person. He confirmed I had a deviated septum and we discussed what my nose would look like. He does not do imaging. I wish I had some record of what we discussed because it often felt like he did not remember our conversations. He did not actually listen to what I wanted aesthetically, and the plan discussed the morning of surgery did not match what I believed we had agreed on.
We discussed a slightly upturned ski slope aesthetic in both consultations. The morning of surgery, when I mentioned it again, he acted like it was the first time he was hearing it and said, “I’ll try.” I should have canceled right then. While I had the cast on, I was confused why my nose looked so straight. I understand surgeons do what they think will look best, but I did not agree to a completely straight profile. Had he told me that was the plan, I would have gone to someone else. I feel misled even after two consultations. At a follow up, I asked if my nose would get closer to what we discussed. He seemed confused again. When I said we discussed a slightly upturned shape, he replied, “Oh, so you want people looking up your nose?” His demeanor completely changed.
When the cast came off, there was a large white bump that was clearly visible and pushed my nose crooked to the left. When I asked about it, he said, “It wasn’t there when I did the surgery.” That was all he had to say. I felt dismissed. As swelling went down, the bump and crookedness became more obvious.
My breathing was also not fixed at all. My right nostril, where most of my breathing was blocked, has not changed. Now when I breathe in, my nostrils collapse, which never happened before surgery.
About 18 months later, I contacted his office about a revision. Because the result was not what we discussed and my breathing was not improved, I assumed there would be some kind of discount. In a video call in January 2022, Dr. Markarian said he would cover all costs including anesthesia. After that, I spent months trying to get scheduled. The scheduler told me to stop calling and said she would reach out when there was availability. I did not hear anything for six months. I called again and was told the same thing. I was never contacted about any dates that opened up. Every interaction only happened because I kept reaching out.
In December 2022, I was told to get a pre op physical because they would “have dates opening up soon.” I did it and faxed it over, then heard nothing for months. In mid 2023, I was told I might need another physical and then was quoted a cost. When I said Dr. Markarian told me he would cover all costs, I was told that was not noted in my file and that I would be set up with an appointment to speak with him. I was never contacted again. I was a patient waiting for my surgeon to address the outcome of my surgery and my breathing problems, and his office did not follow up with me once.
In 2024, I emailed a list of questions asking why I was never scheduled and why I was never followed up with. These questions were avoided and I was only told they could maybe make me an appointment. Nothing was confirmed in writing and I was never contacted again.
At this point, I do not trust his office. I would not say I am botched, but my nose is not what we discussed, it needs to be fixed, and my breathing is worse. I regret not getting things in writing. My advice is to choose a surgeon who is realistic with you and to document everything, especially anything discussed over the phone.
octobermist's provider
Replies (0)