A True Artist: Dr. Moore Fixed a Life-Long Deformity. Sandy, UT

Hi all! A user asked for an update, here it is. Photos included. This was by far the BEST decision I could have ever made. Every single day I feel endless gratefulness for having found such an amazing surgeon and for also having such fantastic results. My only "regret" is not having this done much earlier in life. It has had such a positive impact on my self esteem. If you're hesitant, please don't be. Especially with Dr. Moore. He's amazing.

Day 2 (referring to the full two days after surgery, not including the day of surgery) went really well but I decided to be more cautious and not push it because I want the scars to be as minimal as possible. So, I rested a lot with ice packs (not required, just recommended if you want to—and they feel comforting). Amazingly, I also went for a 5-mile walk (with two tight sports bras on—Costco sells a great 2-pack that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg :) ) and socialized at a BBQ. Can you believe that? Just two days after getting large gelatinous, foreign objects mooshed into living tissue? It’s so astounding to me.

Yep, still on the Ibuprofen 800’s but skipped one yesterday and was fine without it. Noticing the tightness across the chest that’s a part of the healing process and some nerve regeneration tingles. The exercises help with the tightness and the nerve tingles are to be expected. When I recall the excruciating ordeal my friend went through with her procedure 10 years ago, I realize just how fortunate we are these days to have a doctor that can get us back to living right away. Just be realistic about expecting some pain (term used loosely here because it’s not a severe pain), some feelings of discomfort, and the tightness. It’s natural and to be expected but it’s completely manageable unless someone hugs you really hard at a BBQ by mistake. That actually does hurt a bit. :)

I’m taking the time to write this review for a few reasons. 1) There was a negative review here that almost scared me away from meeting the most gifted surgeon and incredible staff – EVER! 2) For my entire teen and adult life, I’ve been self conscious about my chest. Not just because I had small boobs, but because it’s deformed with a mild case of pectus excavatum. Dr. Moore completely “fixed” it. 3) To address the pain comments.

Here’s my story. I hope it helps those who are contemplating any type of surgery with Dr. Moore. (As a side note: Many PS offices ask you to review them to be entered to win some sort of free procedure. That’s not the case here. I simply want to share the most amazing experience ever and how it’s changed my life for the better…)

Dr. Moore was my second consult after scheduling a BA with a surgeon who ended up not inspiring any confidence because of his antiquated methods. So I cancelled and scheduled a consult with Dr. Moore. Once I met Dr. Moore, I was sold. He knew what he was doing and interestingly enough suggested the complete opposite of the first surgeon. He also had experience with pectus excavatum. What I most loved and appreciated about Dr. Moore: 1) He didn’t promise a complete fix for the pectus excavatum. 2) He was kind, sincere, and thoughtful about the right treatment options. 3) He’s a true artist and the outcome was amazing!

I also need to comment about his staff because they are the foundation of his practice. They are all so patient, positive, helpful – and did I mention patient? Another reviewer commented on falling in love with everyone, and that’s just how I feel. From walking in for the first appointment to endlessly deciding to choose which size CC, they are all simply amazing, professional, sincere, and fun! We had a lot of laughs along the way.

As to the pain: Of course there’s going to be pain–your skin and muscles are being cut, and foreign objects are being scrunched in your chest! But to be able to address all of this with ONLY with an Ibuprofen 800 really is a testimony to Dr. Moore’s skill and technique! Sure, there’s some pain and discomfort, but after watching a friend suffer and be immobilized for days after her BA (and that’s with narcotics!), this form of “pain” was extraordinarily mild. Plus I could get up and move around!

What to expect: The first night is the toughest. You need to wake up every 90 minutes to do a few exercises. The upward motion ones are uncomfortable but not intolerable with the Ibuprofen. It was also tough to fall asleep because I like to sleep on my side, but that felt a little awkward. The next day is almost miraculous. At least, it was for me. I felt strong enough to go running. Of course, I didn’t, but that’s how good I felt. Yes, still on Ibuprofen 800 because when they wear off, it’s uncomfortable. (Not horrible, just no need to feel the extra pain in my book). Night two was fine. I went to an arts festival and walked around a bit. No bra, but I think I’m going to go with wearing a sports bra from here on out even though the directions say to do either. Just a personal preference. As for sleeping on night two: I could even sleep on my side. Yay! Now, I’m on day three with some mild discomfort and pain and expect tonight to be even better! Going to be less active today, though, to make sure these beauties heal correctly.

Type of implant and sizes: My left side was originally about a B. My right side was not even an A. To best fill in the deformity that had quite a large spread across my chest, Dr. Moore recommended Sientra’s textured gummy bear teardrop implants. Round simply wouldn’t have done the job to fill in the concavity. Then his wonderful staff helped me size the implants based on my larger side and what I wanted to achieve. I choose a 310, but, and this is very important: I entrusted Dr. Moore to make the final decision in surgery based on what he needed to do with the deformed chest wall. I believe the exact sizes ended up being a 275 CC on the left side. The right side needed a 400 CC just to match the 275! He simply could not go any larger than the 400 CC in the concave area. As you can see from the photos, there’s no trace of the pectus at all now!!! And I think the sizing is PERFECT for me. (I’m a runner, and going super large wasn’t on my agenda.)

The bottom line: Since photos tell the story better than I ever could, I’m posting a lot of them. I hope they help you with your decision. Please, don’t hesitate to visit Dr. Moore. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best of the best and Utah is fortunate to have such a skilled surgeon here. And I’m grateful he fixed my lifelong deformity. Holler with any questions.