POSTED UNDER Tummy Tuck Reviews
From Tummy Tuck to Reconstructive Surgery: My Complete Journey
ORIGINAL POST
From Tummy Tuck to Reconstructive Surgery: My Complete Journey
I intentionally waited to write this review until my treatment journey was complete. I wanted to understand not only the cosmetic outcome of my surgeries, but also what ultimately caused the problems I experienced. After undergoing reconstructive surgery with an out-of-town reconstructive plastic surgeon outside of Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery in July 2026, I now have those answers.
I chose Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery because I believed I was placing my care in the hands of an established plastic surgery practice. My abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) was performed by Dr. Manuel Medina in February 2024 while he was practicing at Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. Unfortunately, the result left me with a malpositioned umbilicus outside its normal anatomical boundaries and a permanent cosmetic deformity that had not existed before surgery.
After Dr. Manuel Medina left the practice, Dr. Troy Austin assumed my care. During my appointment on July 31, 2024, Dr. Austin carefully examined my surgical results and acknowledged that the outcome did not meet the standards expected for an abdominoplasty. He expressed both frustration with the outcome and regret that he had not previously reviewed photographs of Dr. Medina's surgical results, which raised concerns for me regarding oversight and quality control within the practice.
In May 2025, Dr. Austin performed an umbilical revision procedure in an effort to improve my outcome. To his credit, he acknowledged that there was a problem and attempted to correct it. Unfortunately, the procedure did not restore normal umbilical anatomy. Instead, it resulted in additional scarring and a further shortened and flattened umbilical stalk, creating a more complex problem than before. During my postoperative follow-up, Dr. Austin acknowledged that correcting the remaining issues would likely require a more extensive reconstructive procedure and encouraged me to seek another opinion.
Immediately before my scheduled umbilical revision procedure, while I was already on the operating table, Dr. Austin identified a previously undiagnosed umbilical hernia. The decision was made to proceed with the umbilical revision and address the hernia separately at a later date. As a result, I underwent a separate hernia repair with mesh in July 2025 before I could ultimately pursue reconstructive surgery.
I subsequently consulted with a reconstructive plastic surgeon outside the practice. At the same time, I requested my complete medical records from Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. Although Georgia law generally requires requested medical records to be provided within 30 days, obtaining my complete records required repeated follow-up over more than two months before the missing documents were finally provided. During that process, I also learned that no pre- or post-operative clinical photographs had been taken for my May 2025 umbilical revision procedure.
Over the following months, I attempted to resolve the matter directly with the practice before sharing my experience publicly. During a phone conversation with Dr. Austin, I was advised to seek reimbursement from Dr. Medina rather than from Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. I pursued reimbursement through both avenues, but neither accepted responsibility for the additional medical expenses I incurred.
In July 2026, after the failed umbilical revision procedure, I underwent reconstructive surgery performed by an out-of-town reconstructive plastic surgeon outside of Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. During the reconstructive surgery, the reconstructive surgeon found extensive scar tissue throughout my abdomen that required removal. I was also informed that my prior diastasis repair had been performed improperly, with sutures placed into fat and spaced too widely. According to the reconstructive surgeon, these issues contributed to the extensive scar tissue that required removal and necessitated a complete revision of my diastasis recti repair. What I initially believed was primarily a cosmetic problem ultimately proved to involve much more significant underlying surgical issues. What should have been a single cosmetic procedure ultimately became more than two years of additional surgeries, multiple recovery periods, and reconstructive care. I ultimately found the answers and treatment I was looking for only after seeking care from an out-of-town reconstructive plastic surgeon outside of Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. I have included a photograph from the reconstructive surgery showing the scar tissue that was removed so prospective patients can better understand the extent of the corrective procedure that was ultimately required.
After the reconstructive surgery, I contacted the practice to inform them of the operative findings and asked whether those new findings changed the practice's position regarding reimbursement. I was informed that the practice's position remained unchanged.
My purpose in sharing this experience is not to suggest that every patient will have the same outcome. Rather, I believe prospective patients should understand not only surgical results, but also how a practice oversees its physicians, responds when outcomes fall short of expectations, and supports patients when additional corrective care becomes necessary. I hope that sharing my complete experience helps others make an informed decision when choosing a plastic surgery practice.
I chose Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery because I believed I was placing my care in the hands of an established plastic surgery practice. My abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) was performed by Dr. Manuel Medina in February 2024 while he was practicing at Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. Unfortunately, the result left me with a malpositioned umbilicus outside its normal anatomical boundaries and a permanent cosmetic deformity that had not existed before surgery.
After Dr. Manuel Medina left the practice, Dr. Troy Austin assumed my care. During my appointment on July 31, 2024, Dr. Austin carefully examined my surgical results and acknowledged that the outcome did not meet the standards expected for an abdominoplasty. He expressed both frustration with the outcome and regret that he had not previously reviewed photographs of Dr. Medina's surgical results, which raised concerns for me regarding oversight and quality control within the practice.
In May 2025, Dr. Austin performed an umbilical revision procedure in an effort to improve my outcome. To his credit, he acknowledged that there was a problem and attempted to correct it. Unfortunately, the procedure did not restore normal umbilical anatomy. Instead, it resulted in additional scarring and a further shortened and flattened umbilical stalk, creating a more complex problem than before. During my postoperative follow-up, Dr. Austin acknowledged that correcting the remaining issues would likely require a more extensive reconstructive procedure and encouraged me to seek another opinion.
Immediately before my scheduled umbilical revision procedure, while I was already on the operating table, Dr. Austin identified a previously undiagnosed umbilical hernia. The decision was made to proceed with the umbilical revision and address the hernia separately at a later date. As a result, I underwent a separate hernia repair with mesh in July 2025 before I could ultimately pursue reconstructive surgery.
I subsequently consulted with a reconstructive plastic surgeon outside the practice. At the same time, I requested my complete medical records from Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. Although Georgia law generally requires requested medical records to be provided within 30 days, obtaining my complete records required repeated follow-up over more than two months before the missing documents were finally provided. During that process, I also learned that no pre- or post-operative clinical photographs had been taken for my May 2025 umbilical revision procedure.
Over the following months, I attempted to resolve the matter directly with the practice before sharing my experience publicly. During a phone conversation with Dr. Austin, I was advised to seek reimbursement from Dr. Medina rather than from Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. I pursued reimbursement through both avenues, but neither accepted responsibility for the additional medical expenses I incurred.
In July 2026, after the failed umbilical revision procedure, I underwent reconstructive surgery performed by an out-of-town reconstructive plastic surgeon outside of Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. During the reconstructive surgery, the reconstructive surgeon found extensive scar tissue throughout my abdomen that required removal. I was also informed that my prior diastasis repair had been performed improperly, with sutures placed into fat and spaced too widely. According to the reconstructive surgeon, these issues contributed to the extensive scar tissue that required removal and necessitated a complete revision of my diastasis recti repair. What I initially believed was primarily a cosmetic problem ultimately proved to involve much more significant underlying surgical issues. What should have been a single cosmetic procedure ultimately became more than two years of additional surgeries, multiple recovery periods, and reconstructive care. I ultimately found the answers and treatment I was looking for only after seeking care from an out-of-town reconstructive plastic surgeon outside of Southeastern Aesthetic Surgery. I have included a photograph from the reconstructive surgery showing the scar tissue that was removed so prospective patients can better understand the extent of the corrective procedure that was ultimately required.
After the reconstructive surgery, I contacted the practice to inform them of the operative findings and asked whether those new findings changed the practice's position regarding reimbursement. I was informed that the practice's position remained unchanged.
My purpose in sharing this experience is not to suggest that every patient will have the same outcome. Rather, I believe prospective patients should understand not only surgical results, but also how a practice oversees its physicians, responds when outcomes fall short of expectations, and supports patients when additional corrective care becomes necessary. I hope that sharing my complete experience helps others make an informed decision when choosing a plastic surgery practice.
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