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7 months - My last review to include my last Doctors visit at 5 1/2 months - Epic Fail
Well, my last appointment with Dr. Taylor (Dr. Jekyll/Hyde) didn't go very well. I will try to be brief on this but I really needed to get this out there. I arrived with my husband (for moral support) and ready to be 100 percent cordial and factual (brought a set of photos, plus much information on Short Scar Facelift).
I was asked to take a set of updated photos (6 months). As expected, the staff and Dr. T seemed to think everything was peachy keen! His office manager Maggie, states "I know you don't think this but you look beautiful" Rehearsed rhetoric for sure! I told her "thanks but I'am not quite happy with face and neck and I don't think they were done properly" and of course she said "Oh NO, you look great, and you did get a proper face/neck lift"! Ok yeah, what ever! I can see were this is going.
Next on to Dr. T, his nurse and student doctor, for some reason they all had to be in the examining room. Dr. T ask how it was going and I took deep breath, and kindly stated that although there are some things I'am happy with such as my eyes and fat filler around the upper cheeks, I wasn't quite happy with the outcome of my lower jowls, chin and neck. WELL, HOLY [RS bleep], you'd think that I had just told him to go to HELL! ........I tried to show him and his staff my photos that I had brought with me and info on my research but they did not have any interest in looking at them. Dr T saids "I don't see what your talking about I think you look great"....... OH BOY, here we go....I guess for me, its so obvious that the face/neck lift failed, that him saying that I look great, just started to boil my blood!
I started out by pointing out the obvious and then asking why he didn't do incisions behind the ears, because I had read that its a more proper technique for moderate jowl and neck laxity.... He told me he didn't care what I read, that what he gave me was a full SMAS Facelift....and that he could not do a so called "Extended Face/Neck lift" because he said that I didn't have enough loose skin on my neck to pull back??? WTH??,seriously I have plenty of loose skin!!!
I had reviewed my medical records, and what I received in terms of face/neck lift, was a Bakers Short Scar Facelift and after researching, I found that most sights all appear to say the same thing, that this type of facelift starts from the outside of the temple (hairline) and run down along the targus and stops right at the bottom of the ear lobe, hence why I have my earlobe sewn to side of my outer jaw. This particular lift is not generally successful for moderate to advance aging skin laxity, it is more for women with very mild laxity and generally younger 40's to early 50's. From the very beginning (consult) I had no idea that this was the type of technique I was getting, it was such naive thinking that all SMAS Facelift are the same (lesson learned) they are not (do your research)..........So my questioning him on why I didn't get a "better" more appropriate lift, sent him into a tail spin for the next 45 minutes. He went on a stuttering babbling rant refusing to admit any type of failure or take any responsibility. He tried to put blame on other things, including me. He said that he was completely insulted that I would walk in his office and question his technique.......WELL, I was just totally flabbergasted that any respectable surgeon would have such a melt down because I was not happy with the outcome....NO solutions offered, No words of comfort, No Class!!!
So, I said, "What about me? I'am insulted too, you failed me, I paid 12K and I didn't get a full face lift, so I'am insulted and broke" ...... He then said "Well I think the outcome was a success"....... Hahaha Ok, so I said "I don't think so" and he responded with "well what I think is successful isn't always what the patient thinks is successful" .....WOW!!! WTF? ....... I said "Isn't success making your patient happy???" he said "you should be"....SMFH!! .
My poor husband, who sat there patiently and quite, finally spoke up and said "Well, you can see by your office photos taken from before and the ones taken today and she looks no different" ...... WELL Hallelujah!! With that one comment, Dr. T finally (or course blubbering) took a look at the photos (never mind that the obvious is sitting right in front of him) and said "Well, yeah I guess there some looseness going on there" AH, you think?? My husband then said "Well what can you do to fix it and don't say laser because laser is not going to fix it" Dr. Taylor just struggled and stuttered and babbled (sometimes incoherently) that he could do this and that, then he approaches me grabs me neck skin and said, well I'll have to get all this loose skin and sew it back behind the ears??!!?!?!?!!! WTH??? Omg, I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone, Now he's telling me that I have loose neck skin and he can tighten it from behind the ears???? Holy Moly!!!!!
But Dr T still insisted that it wasn't any fault of his.....so I then tried asking that if it wasn't his technique that failed then what caused my face/neck lift to fail??? Well again he pulled the insult card and try to babble his way out of saying that a number of things could've caused but he never actually gave us a solid reason. WOW, our heads were spinning, at this point I was done, my husband was done!
So I guess in a sick weird round about way he finally offered a revision but there was no way in hell I'd let him touch my face again. His lack of empathy and professionalism went completely down the toilet as far as I was concerned. If he had just admitted the facelift failed and offered to fix from the get go, then I would probably still be a patient today, but sadly that wasn't the case. I lost a huge amount of money from this failure and a little of my self esteem too..... It's never anyone intentions to write a bad review for something that they chose to do to better themselves and want the best outcome but for me and my experience with Dr. Taylor, sadly there is not a whole lot of positive things that I can honestly write about.
This is going to be my final update for this experience and this doctor.....I want to say Thank you to all the wonderful ladies that have followed along, I totally appreciated all the support along the way.
And I appreciate it when many say I look better or beautiful, in some aspect because of the fat filler and eyelid lift, I do look better but for what I paid it doe not justify the expense of just those two things....My biggest problem was my jowls and neck, so to me I still look old. Others my not agree but hey, I live with this neck, so I should know.............The next time I update, I'll be starting with a new review with a new doctor (still searching) for a revision.
Sorry for any typo (if any) I'am tired. ***** Also the posted photos are side by side of before and after. Top left is before, top right is 1 month, bottom left is 3 months and bottom right is 5 1/2 months. I included photos from the nasty "bubble" treatment, my horrendous Contact Dermatitis from the glycolic wash they gave me and lastly my 7 months photos (those were taken after a workout in the garage this week). *****Nose still swollen, got a staph infection two week ago and had to get on antibiotic : ( but doing better. Thank again Ladies, lots of love and luck to those out there seeking or healing!
THE NOSE REVEAL - I'AM SO HAPPY, LOVE MY NEW NOSE!
WELL, I'am excited to say that after my not so wonderful experience with my Face/Neck lift, I'am so HAPPY with my new nose!
I will say that recovery the first 3 days was brutal, harder than the facelift. Lots of pain and because I was under for 4.5 hours, the anesthesia, plus the nausea patch (so I wouldn't wake up barfing for hours) had me so loopy for 3 solid days, I mostly slept and took Tylenol 3 and Ativan (anxiety because I couldn't breath through my nose and sometimes at night I would panic), I tried to nourish myself with lots of protein smoothies because trying to open your mouth to eat wasn't going to happen. Took lots of arnica but still bruised pretty bad! By day 4, I was feeling much better, head out of the fog, I slowly got out and walked with my husband and then continued to walk a little more each day, by today Day 8, I walked about 2.5 miles.
With 2" splints in my nose it was so horrible to not be able to breath but through your mouth..... I had ear cartilage taken from the front of my ear to graft my new nose and fascia from the back of my ear to drape over the tip and give it a softer appearance. So I had about 13 stitches in the front left ear, stitched to gauze, so I wouldn't get a hematoma and 6 stitches in the back of the same ear, stitch to gauze also.......On top of that he straighten my septum and used cartilage grafts for support it. Needless to say, this left me feeling pretty miserable all week. When Day 7 came around and it was time to see Dr. Stallworth, I was at my wits end!
Taking the cast off my nose wasn't to painful, BUT the pain of having 2" splints taken out of your nose is indescribable, it's in my top 5 of excruciating/uncomfortable, the only good thing is that it's pretty quick, then the Doctor sticks a long suction tube all the way up and down your nose and sucks tons of crap out, you can feel it all the way to the back of your throat, it horrible but feel so much better once he's done. Now, I can breath pretty clearly but since my nasal tissues are still raw and swollen, Dr. saids it'll take more time to get 100% air flow, right now I'am at about 80% plus its super dry in my house and outside and it actually hurts because its too dry. I have to saline several times a day to keep moisture up my nose and today I"am going to buy a humidifier.
I have hated my nose since the day I had my cast taken off 25 yrs ago. It was such an awful experience (3 attempts), I just gave up and let it be. Over the years I wanted to change it but I knew it would be expensive and I was scared and convinced that no surgeon could ever fix it. I'am truly thankful I found Dr. Christian Stallworth, he is God to me! I researched and researched, had several consults with different surgeons everywhere but its was Stallworth's credentials and amazing personality that made me choose him. He never rushed my consults (2 of them) and really listened in detail to what I was unhappy with and how I wanted my nose to look and function. He spent at least an hour going over in detail how he could improved the functionality (breathing) and how much he could do to give my nose a better look. He looked at all by before photos and even looked at photos of noses I admired, so he really got a sense of what I wanted and I got a sense of what he could do! He's charismatic in the most unassuming way, he does not have any superiority complex about him what so ever. He is Board Certified in both Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, He often travels to Peru to perform surgery on children with cleft lips/ palates and congenital traumatic facial disorders. When he took off my cast, I cried my eyes out, I couldn't believe how he nailed it and even though my nose is extremely swollen and will take months to heal, its will only get better with time. I wish I had found Dr. Stallworth before I had meet Dr. Taylor but at least I know now, who I can trust if I do my revision face/neck lift. In 4 weeks when I go back for a follow up, he saids he'll fully access my face situation and give me an honest opinion. Right now he just wanted to focus on my nose! My photos are all after photos, later when swelling is more down, I'all try a side by side comparison.
Thank you ladies so much for all the support and well wishes! Need to go get my humidifier!
Septo/RhinoPlasty Tomorrow!
Brief story, when I was 12, I broke my nose sledding down a slope and smashed into a tree (yes! I know I could've died, but thankfully I didn't). My nose was broke but my parents never took me to have it re-set!....... Fast forward to my early 30's, I finally decided to have it fixed (breathing issues and a bump on the bridge and deviation). Well, unfortunately not being very experienced on plastic surgery and having no one to really guide me (No Real self, Internet review, etc...) I chose the first surgeon I met! Little did I know at the time how wet behind the ears he was! His first attempt at my nose, left me with a completely distorted nose tip, with a cartilage graft sticking almost out the tip of my nose (the skin there started to turn black), I had to go in his office, get shots up my nose and he cut and pulled the cartilage graft out (BIG TIME PAIN!). This in turn left me with a very long hanging tip! So in order to correct it, he had to go in a third time and he did some weird split to the cartilage at the tip of my nose (no fascia to cover it), altering it excessively high and making my nostrils completely asymmetric ! I hated it from the get go but this was all done over a period of 1 yr and I was just tired of my nose being swollen and red all the time, that I just let it go and never messed with it again. Over this years I got used to it and the tip dropped down some making it more manageable but recently over the past 5 years, with age, gravity, collagen loss, menopause, who knows??? my the septum has collapsed! It has gotten to the point where breathing issues are severally impacting my sleep. Many times I bolt up in the middle of the night and gasp for air, it feels as if someone has put a pillow over my head to suffocate me (symptoms of sleep apnea). I've been to several consults and all the doctors have confirmed the collapsed septum. So I researched specialist from Austin and San Antonio and chose Dr. Christian Stallworth Board Certified ENT and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (hopefully a much better chose then Dr. Taylor) Since I've never been happy with the results of my nose tip from 25 years ago, Dr. Stallworth is going to correct it and add fascia (skin graft) to soften the hard bony edges of the tip and hopefully correct the nostrils, on top of correcting the septum and supporting it with a cartilage graft. Its extensive surgery that he saids can take up to 5 hours. I'am nervous and scared but also hopeful that my breathing will be much improved and that nose will look much improved as well. Prayers and well wishes accepted because I really could use all the good vibes and prayers I can get! Thanks Ladies!
PS - I did have my follow up with Dr. Taylor this past Thursday and it did not go well. I'll be doing my review of that horrible visit while I'am convulsing at home this week. I'll just say that I will under no circumstance ever return to him!
Provider Review
I am finally closing out this post! Its almost 11 months and I have to say that this experience was most definitely not worth the money I spent. The whole process feels like I just threw away a huge chunk of money down the drain. From the beginning to end, things weren't right. There were many factors beforehand that I ignored and should've listened to my gut....... That fact that Dr. Taylor's fee were thousands less than all my other consults (5 total) was questionable, but I overlooked that because he has his own so called "surgical room" justifying that. During the consult, I also felt uneasy how he kept boosting how he had done over 2000 face lifts (something that he reminded me about at several other appointments), he wore that as a badge of honor and makes sure you know it. Taylor does carries quite a bit of arrogance about himself but so did some other doctors I consulted with, something again that I just ignored.... But the big factor that I ignored was that after researching, I found that Dr. Taylor worked as one of the "LifeStyle Lift" (failed company/bankrupt) recommended doctors for many years. Having already paid my deposit, I questioned him at my pre-op appointment, he assured me that he no longer did those type of face lifts and that I was getting a SMAS lift and that I would not be disappointed ( I still felt uneasy and should've of backed out at this point)........ I also had just an over all unsettling feeling about him that I completely ignored. He also was much, much older than all the others surgeons that I consulted with and his hands were shaky but I overlooked those "little" things. I think for me, my dumb decision came down to cost, I wanted a value but instead I got an expensive failure. Hindsight sucks and I'll never live this decision down. Now there are several noted factors "after" surgery worth mentioning and regretted........Taylor stated (after surgery) the he does not pull loose neck and jowls skin and stitch behind the ears (told me that I wouldn't be able to turn my neck). Well, I had just assumed that that was "gold standard" SMAS facelift.......So basically, what I received was something similar to a mini-lift (opinion of 2 other surgeons). Taylor supposedly did SMAS but my incisions were only from outer temple to end of earlobe. Nothing was done to help support the loose skin around my neck and jowls which resulted in a huge failure because the skin was not stitch behind the ears providing a anchor. (opinion of 3 other surgeons) Another factor worth mentioning is that during the middle of surgery (in-office) I awoke with the need to urinate, the nurses advised me to just urinate on the table, that they would put a pad underneath me and I could just pee. I had yoga pants on and they told me that they would just call my husband to bring a change of clothes. Well, I couldn't urinate on the tablet not matter how hard I tried, so they asked me to hold until Dr. finished closing up one side of my face up. Once he was done, they helped me up off the table and walked me to the restroom and held onto me, so that I could urinate. Afterwards, they walked me back and had me swallow down another set of sedatives and then waited until I was knocked out again to continue. I now look back on this thinking that this should not have happened and that although almost comical, it could've been humiliating and horrifying, having to pee on yourself during surgery or catching an infection from the restroom!!! How messed up is that??? Lastly, I will mention the horrendous "bubble" on my face that lasted several months, ruining my holidays. I did not want to see anyone during Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year, Dr. Taylor couldn't never really explain why it happened. To this day, I can still feel where the bubble was (a pulled tight numbness feeling). What really set me off, is that every time I walked into the office, the staff and Taylor would tell me how fabulous I looked, despite my neck starting to sag and this huge ugly bubble on my face. All this just fueled my disappointment and anger on how careless I had been with my choice of doctor. In the end, I wanted to give Dr. Taylor the benefit of the doubt and trust that maybe he would finally see the failure and offer a solution. But that was not to be the case, the last appointment, I brought my husband (he was very disappointed with my results and treatment with Taylor) and sat with Taylor and his staff for over an hour, but he refused to see the problem (read more on my 7 month post). It wasn't until my husband spoke up and said that I looked the same as before. Only then did Taylor, very reluctantly, sort of, kind of offered a fix but when I asked what he would do, his explanation on revision was very vague and now saying that he might have to pull the neck skin behind the ears!?!?! All this had me feeling like I was in a Twilight Zone episode. My advise if your thinking of using Taylor, is read my entire post and if you still feel like using him, please ask tons of questions until you fully feel 100% comfortable with your choice. I will say that the only silver lining on this is that the fat on my cheeks took well and gave me much needed fullness to that area of my face. But, the fat did not take at all around my marionette line, lips and nasofolds. The eyelid lift, gave me some improvement but not 100%, I still have heaving brows which I was going to have Taylor do a brow lift at a later time, but after this whole mess , I decided against it. I will be having it done with another doctor. 11 months later the 12K+ I paid got me: Fat in my cheeks, eyelid lift, a complete failed face/neck lift, a doctor who refused to admit failure and lastly to some extent, I suffered pain, anguish and humiliation, all for a bargain...(sarcasm) I would not recommend this doctor based of my experience!