Amazing Experience with Dr. Umansky and Staff - San Diego, CA

I had been self conscious of my chest since I was 10 years old. Over the last 20 years that insecurity has governed so many facets of my life, from my clothing choices (I used to wear army jackets in middle school, even on hot days) to activities such as changing in front of people or swimming at the beach. And I love swimming at the beach! Its been a real conflict of interests. I always thought, "If I work out more my chest will get smaller," but in fact this never happened, and although I'm a fairly slender guy my chest has remained exactly the same since puberty. I also thought as I got older I would mature emotionally and 'get over it,' but in fact what happened is I just had less energy to confront my insecurities and would increasingly avoid situations/wardrobe that would highlight that insecurity. Finally, I decided I was tired of worrying and planning my life around this insecurity: Life is too short and this is a ridiculous issue to factor into my daily thought process when there is a relatively simple solution. This decision came from no outside pressures... I've not suffered much teasing since high school; I've been lucky enough to have had wonderful girlfriends who never mentioned anything or made me feel as though my body was anything but normal... This was something I wanted to do for myself and no one else.

Immediately after this decision I began seeking out the right plastic surgeon for me. There were a handful of doctors who claimed to specialize in Gynecomastia surgery, so I initially thought that that was the obvious choice. I had made a preliminary decision to go with one of these surgeons but after obsessively looking at photos and comparing prices things weren't sitting right with me. I broadened my search and narrowed it down to a few highly rated doctors in San Diego. Comparing gynecomastia before and afters became my job for weeks, and I began to lose perspective. It was then that I thought to broaden my scope and also compare doctors photos of female breast reconstruction, reduction and augmentation. I swear not in a creepy way! :) In my mind it seemed these surgeries were far more complex and involved than gynecomastia surgery, with results being much more explicitly obvious. When factoring this in with gyno surgery photos it made the choice much clearer. Dr. Umanskys results were all extremely natural - all the photos just looked like normal bodies, not people that had had plastic surgery. It seemed like he had the proper aesthetic for my tastes.

After having a phone consultation with the patient consultant Heidi, and then an in-person consultation with Dr. Umansky my decision was extremely easy. Dr. Umansky for the win! Dr. Umansky was extremely personable and very clear in our consultation: he stated honestly and in detail what I could expect from the results which wasn't just "it'll be perfect," but an honest assessment of what to expect for my particular body, which is much better than someone sugarcoating or not being forthright. Its been 3 months since my surgery and my experience has been nothing but extremely positive. Literally EVERY member of the staff has been exemplary; qualified, bright and easy to communicate with. Including, but not limited to the patient consultant Heidi, the surgical nurses (who were amazing), and the anesthesiologist, with whom I had no reservations about. Dr. Umansky is easy going while also confident and extremely competent. I always felt as though I was in great hands.

After surgery, which went off without a hitch, my recovery was fairly straight forward. It really wasn't that dramatic or painful and the most intense part of it was over in about 3-4 days. Looking back it was extremely easy compared to how much better I feel not worrying about my chest. The post surgical care was also unreal. Any time I called with a question or a concern the answer was "Come on back, we'll take a look." Generally my concerns were absolutely nothing, but great to never have to feel worried as the doctor was always willing to take a couple minutes to take a peek. Never any insecurity or fear in the recovery process. And most importantly I'm extremely happy with my results!

My first beach day happened one month after surgery. It was amazing to take my shirt off and go for a dip without worrying about looking abnormal. I began swimming laps at the pool again last week - it feels great to not have to worry about taking the long walk from the locker room to the pool. Additionally, I can wear whatever I want now without having to factor in my chest. It's really amazing to not have to constantly worry about such an inane problem as gynecomastia.