How important is PS Lap Band experience?

[general_antiope 189]

Hi all,

Well, the scale started moving for me again since I decided to finish up and get my plastic surgery and be DONE with this journey :thumbup:

I'm looking to get PS in December and wanted to have my doc picked in a month or two so it's set, and I have a goal to work towards.

I've met with three PSes in the Philly area and am not sure if my expectations are out of whack.

One guy I liked; he had good before/after of bypass patients, he does a lot of breast lifts/augs and his pictures are beautiful... and although he says he has worked on lap band, he worried me when he made a comment about needing to be careful about not pulling down on my abdomen too much and popping the port off. It sounded like he never dealt with the band before. When I asked him later on if I would be the first Lap Band, he said nope. But I feel like I don't have enough information. I'm still gunshy with him...but out of the three I feel the most confident in his ability, his hospital affiliation, the work I've seen, and his bedside manner.

One doctor was a complete b*tch to me and I walked out of there offended and furious at the treatment I got, as if she looked down on me for being overweight in the first place.

So I thought to check with other doctors, there's a bunch in NY (where I was banded, and who Dr. Ren recommended) but everyone wants $250 just for the consult in NY, and with the cost of gas and driving, this is getting cost prohibitive just from a scouting perspective.

IF I'm going to go to NY for the surgery, I want to consult with the doctor I think can do it. I can't afford to blow $1k just to see who I like best. Well I can, but I am absolutely unwilling to. But these websites make me nervous. There's not enough variations in the people with the before/after. I want to see people with my body type, and the good/bad results, so I can be well informed about what I should *REALISTICALLY* expect.

I am normally not a fearful person, but I am inexplicably scared at picking the wrong PS when I'm self pay. I want to go under the knife knowing I did the best research I could.

I called four other PSes in Philly and when I asked if the doctor had experience with Lap Band, I got answers ranging from "The what?" to "Yes, he's done bypass patients." To which I would say "No, Lap Band. Has he worked with the port with the Lap Band". And she replied "Yes, like I just told you, he's done lots of bypass." It was like a Laurel and Hardy sketch.

Any suggestions?

Am I making too much out of the Lap Band part - if they have experience with weight loss patients, does it REALLY matter about Lap Band?

Sorry for the novel :thumbup:

Kate

[coltonwade 27]

Does your doctor recommend anyone . Also what worries you about the port?

If your port needs to be moved have you considered having your band doc do it ?

have you checked on this board to see any recommendations on hre for a good surgeon ? word of mouth is the best !

I would start with your doc first , see who he recommends if he actually KNOWS any docs personally that he likes ?

Mindy

[TexasBecky 1]

If I were going to have plastic surgery in NY I'd definately consult with Dr. Schulman. He has posted such great info on this site and seems very knowledgeable about the band. Check him out:

Matthew Schulman, M.D.

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Specializing in body contouring after weight loss

Attending Plastic Surgeon, The Mount Sinai Hospital, NY

Professor of Plastic Surgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Member American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Member American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons

[general_antiope 189]

Colton - The docs I asked Dr. Ren about, I wasn't really thrilled with the website of the two people her office recommended. But her office DID recommended them, so I wonder what I'm nervous about? She's worked on high profile patients. I've not had great experiences til now. It's just that the first time I met Dr. Ren I KNEW she was going to be my doctor. She is the top in her field, I read her papers on lap band procedures and how her technique eliminated side effects, her bedside manner was outstanding. She radiated knowledge and caring. I mean, I was all over it. With plastic surgery this feels much less cut and dry. Without the right info on the website, things for me to research, I'm at a loss. I think because the results are so subjective, maybe.

Texas - I did actually already PM Dr. Schulman. Thanks for the suggestion :thumbup:

[coltonwade 27]

Colton - The docs I asked Dr. Ren about, I wasn't really thrilled with the website of the two people her office recommended. But her office DID recommended them, so I wonder what I'm nervous about? She's worked on high profile patients. I've not had great experiences til now. It's just that the first time I met Dr. Ren I KNEW she was going to be my doctor. She is the top in her field, I read her papers on lap band procedures and how her technique eliminated side effects, her bedside manner was outstanding. She radiated knowledge and caring. I mean, I was all over it. With plastic surgery this feels much less cut and dry. Without the right info on the website, things for me to research, I'm at a loss. I think because the results are so subjective, maybe.

Texas - I did actually already PM Dr. Schulman. Thanks for the suggestion :thumbup:

I will tell you something the PS i want to use told me ... Dont rely on the websites for making a choice . the pictures are usually the BEST work and even then it does not accoutn for any flaws you might see.

The PS I use has explanations of why things look the way they do on his site. I am more picky about my PS than my lap band surgeon too .

So i would go meet them first .

HTH

Mindy

[Frangipani 1]

Hi Kate,

I definitely think your gut feeling is guiding you well, and IMHO it is vitally important to work with a plastic surgeon that knows all about Lap Bands. They might end up having to move and switch out your port, and this should really be done by someone who is familiar with it to ensure the best results.

Also as has been said many times, people who have lost as much weight as us need to work with a plastic surgeon who has a lot of experience with bariatric patients. Here's a good website for finding plastic surgeons that specialize in bariatric patients: www.asbps.org

It is really tough to find just the right fit with a PS -- much tougher than finding a Lap Band surgeon by far, but keep looking until you find someone who you feel 100% certain about. It might take a little time, but you will find that right Dr. ( I second Becky's suggestion regarding Dr. Schulman, by the way.)

Living where I live, I know first hand that it can get a little pricey to meet the surgeons in person, as I consulted with surgeons in both the US and Mexico, but trust me, it is truly money well spent in the end.......

Edited May 17, 2008 by Frangipani

[general_antiope 189]

I will tell you something the PS i want to use told me ... Dont rely on the websites for making a choice . the pictures are usually the BEST work and even then it does not accoutn for any flaws you might see.

The PS I use has explanations of why things look the way they do on his site. I am more picky about my PS than my lap band surgeon too .

So i would go meet them first .

HTH

Mindy

That's exactly what I am afraid of - I checked out the site of three NY doctors who were recommended and one site had 3 of 4 breast lifts noticeably lopsided. I have a minor asymmetry, but I was confused as to why these pics would be up there...if this is their best work...no thank you. Only one of the four had symmetrical breasts and her asymmetry was as noticeable as the rest.

And call me crazy, folks, but if you're a plastic surgeon, and you don't believe that your website (i.e. your potential patient's first impression of your ability) is important, than you are TOTALLY in the wrong line of work :thumbup:

Hi Kate,

I definitely think your gut feeling is guiding you well, and IMHO it is vitally important to work with a plastic surgeon that knows all about Lap Bands. They might end up having to move and switch out your port, and this should really be done by someone who is familiar with it to ensure the best results.

Also as has been said many times, people who have lost as much weight as us need to work with a plastic surgeon who has a lot of experience with bariatric patients. Here's a good website for finding plastic surgeons that specialize in bariatric patients: www.asbps.org

It is really tough to find just the right fit with a PS -- much tougher than finding a Lap Band surgeon by far, but keep looking until you find someone who you feel 100% certain about. It might take a little time, but you will find that right Dr. ( I second Becky's suggestion regarding Dr. Schulman, by the way.)

Living where I live, I know first hand that it can get a little pricey to meet the surgeons in person, as I consulted with surgeons in both the US and Mexico, but trust me, it is truly money well spent in the end.......

Holy cow thanks for the link - I checked a couple of Jersey places out and found a very promising Dr. Philip Wey who has some excellent bariatric patient reviews!! I contacted them...that was a lovely find :thumbup:

I liked what Dr. Schulman's website (and his reply) had to say. I think my plan will be to spend one more day in consultations, bite the bullet and pay the money in late summer, then make my choice.

Thanks for all the help! I'll be sure to post before after pics in the new year :thumbup:

Good lord I can't FREAKING WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[coltonwade 27]

That's exactly what I am afraid of - I checked out the site of three NY doctors who were recommended and one site had 3 of 4 breast lifts noticeably lopsided. I have a minor asymmetry, but I was confused as to why these pics would be up there...if this is their best work...no thank you. Only one of the four had symmetrical breasts and her asymmetry was as noticeable as the rest.

And call me crazy, folks, but if you're a plastic surgeon, and you don't believe that your website (i.e. your potential patient's first impression of your ability) is important, than you are TOTALLY in the wrong line of work :thumbup:

Holy cow thanks for the link - I checked a couple of Jersey places out and found a very promising Dr. Philip Wey who has some excellent bariatric patient reviews!! I contacted them...that was a lovely find :thumbup:

I liked what Dr. Schulman's website (and his reply) had to say. I think my plan will be to spend one more day in consultations, bite the bullet and pay the money in late summer, then make my choice.

Thanks for all the help! I'll be sure to post before after pics in the new year :thumbup:

Good lord I can't FREAKING WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What were the before pictures like ? Were the patients lop sided before ? If they were then chances are they are going to be lopsided after .

In other words my doc said " dont walk in my office with a pic of some one elses boobs and say " i want these" because your anatomy dictates what your breast aug will look like. Here is the website for the plastic surgeon im going to use. Even though he's in Austin the site itself is VERY informative . And if a picture looks " off " the site explains why . Which is what i liked.

Plastic surgery Austin, Texas | Westlake Plastic Surgery

If you look under " Dr Caridi" there are a bunch of very informative articles about how to chose a surgeon and other helpful info

HTH

Mindy

[anonemouse 1]

Colton - The docs I asked Dr. Ren about, I wasn't really thrilled with the website of the two people her office recommended. But her office DID recommended them, so I wonder what I'm nervous about? She's worked on high profile patients. I've not had great experiences til now. It's just that the first time I met Dr. Ren I KNEW she was going to be my doctor. She is the top in her field, I read her papers on lap band procedures and how her technique eliminated side effects, her bedside manner was outstanding. She radiated knowledge and caring. I mean, I was all over it. With plastic surgery this feels much less cut and dry. Without the right info on the website, things for me to research, I'm at a loss. I think because the results are so subjective, maybe.

Texas - I did actually already PM Dr. Schulman. Thanks for the suggestion :woot:

Don't necessarily go by the way the websites look. The surgeon I've chosen has a fairly basic website with no before/after pictures up. The way I've heard it explained is that the really good surgeons don't necessarily have to rely on website traffic to get their business. Now, I'm not saying that really good surgeons WON'T have pics up, but that it isn't that necessary, in many cases. For many of them, they get their business through word-of-mouth referrals from their patients and people that know their patients. That's how it is with the surgeon I chose. When I saw her pictures in her office, they were mostly very, very good. And the ones that weren't as good, she explained why they weren't and also told me how they could have turned out better.

[Frangipani 1]

Don't necessarily go by the way the websites look. The surgeon I've chosen has a fairly basic website with no before/after pictures up. The way I've heard it explained is that the really good surgeons don't necessarily have to rely on website traffic to get their business. Now, I'm not saying that really good surgeons WON'T have pics up, but that it isn't that necessary, in many cases. For many of them, they get their business through word-of-mouth referrals from their patients and people that know their patients. That's how it is with the surgeon I chose. When I saw her pictures in her office, they were mostly very, very good. And the ones that weren't as good, she explained why they weren't and also told me how they could have turned out better.

Great point Laurend! The Dr. I'm working with doesn't have the greatest website with very many photos, BUT everyone I have talked to about him raves about him. He also has some excellent online references from very happy patients.

Another surgeon, I consulted with runs a very streamlined operation with a beautiful website (complete with lots of photos). He has a very nice office with pleasant, fashionable, cosmetically-enhanced employees, who all have large breasts, Angelina Jolie lips, perfect physiques, and flawless skin. His work is excellent, but his astronomical prices also reflect these accoutrements .

Initially, I really thought this Dr. would be "the one," because his credentials and marketing efforts put him way out in first place. In fact, the consultation with the Dr. I ultimately chose with was almost an afterthought.

However, when I met both Dr.'s in person the choice was easy. First of all my Dr., (with the not-so-slick website, and pleasant but not highly fashionable offices) does beautiful work and has a whole, huge book of photos. Secondly, like Laurend's Dr., he showed me results that were less-than-perfect and explained why it happened and how he corrected the problem in those cases in which it was possible to do so. (This is live tissue on a living, breathing body, and of course the results are not always going to be "perfect," despite the Dr.'s best efforts).

Also, just as important, I really, really like my Dr. as a person. I like his calm, laid-back temperament and his very down-to-earth demeanor. I also like the fact that he is SO nice and such a warm person.

Yet another reason, why it's so important to just keep meeting Dr.'s in person until you find the right "fit."

Edited May 17, 2008 by Frangipani

[salsa1877 10]

My PS has done several lap-band patients and told me the same thing your first doctor said...she was going to have to be very careful pulling down around the port because she didn't want to damage it...but more important she didn't want their to be disruption to the blood flow to the skin. I am having vertical incision so there is the possibility of blood flow complications. She was very honest that lap-band patients have an added complication with the port. I was less concerned about before and after pictures because they don't represent me...they don't represent my skin type, my BMI, my skin elasticity, or my body shape. I just asked to see what a vertical incision would look like so that I knew what to expect after surgery. She showed me but told me this may not be what you look like because your beginning photos are nothing alike. All I wanted to know was how prominent the scar would be!

Good luck in finding a surgeon. I was VERY limited on my choices, so I was lucky to find one that I really liked.

[anonemouse 1]

Great point Laurend! The Dr. I'm working with doesn't have the greatest website with very many photos, BUT everyone I have talked to about him raves about him. He also has some excellent online references from very happy patients.

Another surgeon, I consulted with runs a very streamlined operation with a beautiful website (complete with lots of photos). He has a very nice office with pleasant, fashionable, cosmetically-enhanced employees, who all have large breasts, Angelina Jolie lips, perfect physiques, and flawless skin. His work is excellent, but his astronomical prices also reflect these accoutrements .

Initially, I really thought this Dr. would be "the one," because his credentials and marketing efforts put him way out in first place. In fact, the consultation with the Dr. I ultimately chose with was almost an afterthought.

However, when I met both Dr.'s in person the choice was easy. First of all my Dr., (with the not-so-slick website, and pleasant but not highly fashionable offices) does beautiful work and has a whole, huge book of photos. Secondly, like Laurend's Dr., he showed me results that were less-than-perfect and explained why it happened and how he corrected the problem in those cases in which it was possible to do so. (This is live tissue on a living, breathing body, and of course the results are not always going to be "perfect," despite the Dr.'s best efforts).

Also, just as important, I really, really like my Dr. as a person. I like his calm, laid-back temperament and his very down-to-earth demeanor. I also like the fact that he is SO nice and such a warm person.

Yet another reason, why it's so important to just keep meeting Dr.'s in person until you find the right "fit."

Yep, I also had consultations with several surgeons. One had a few good photos on her website, one had a lot of good photos on the website she shared with the surgeon she was partnered with, and the one I chose had the basic website with no photos. The first one was very good, and probably would be my second choice, because her book of photos were just as good as the ones on her website. The second was, well, okay. Her office was very stylish and very commercialized towards encouraging plastic surgery and her website is probably the first one that pops up if you search for plastic surgeons in my area. But I wasn't as comfortable with her or her book of results. The one I chose has a very basic website and office (no plastic employees or super-stylish and modern furniture/fountains/etc.), but does amazing work (both plastic and reconstructive surgery for adults and also does a lot of pediatric reconstruction/cosmetics) and is very highly regarded.

Sometimes, the best surgeons are the ones that aren't in your face every time you do an internet search for plastic surgeons in your area.

[general_antiope 189]

Salsa - WOW I'm so glad to hear you found a surgeon you like, even with your challenges :thumbdown: That makes me happy!

Don't necessarily go by the way the websites look. The surgeon I've chosen has a fairly basic website with no before/after pictures up. The way I've heard it explained is that the really good surgeons don't necessarily have to rely on website traffic to get their business. Now, I'm not saying that really good surgeons WON'T have pics up, but that it isn't that necessary, in many cases. For many of them, they get their business through word-of-mouth referrals from their patients and people that know their patients. That's how it is with the surgeon I chose. When I saw her pictures in her office, they were mostly very, very good. And the ones that weren't as good, she explained why they weren't and also told me how they could have turned out better.

What were the before pictures like ? Were the patients lop sided before ? If they were then chances are they are going to be lopsided after .

In other words my doc said " dont walk in my office with a pic of some one elses boobs and say " i want these" because your anatomy dictates what your breast aug will look like. Here is the website for the plastic surgeon im going to use. Even though he's in Austin the site itself is VERY informative . And if a picture looks " off " the site explains why . Which is what i liked.

Plastic surgery Austin, Texas | Westlake Plastic Surgery

If you look under " Dr Caridi" there are a bunch of very informative articles about how to chose a surgeon and other helpful info

HTH

Mindy

Oh God coltonwade........you ruined me :smile: Dr. Caridi's site is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. His first Tummy Tuck picture has a similar body type to mine, except my belly is not currently as full as hers. It got me giddy seeing the possibility of the Flatlands. Heh. Why doesn't he work in PA!??!?! AUUGGHHH lol

I hear what you guys are saying (Frangi, Laurend) and it makes sense, though. I am spending too much time on their website appearance as a filter point for who I want to work on me.

I'm going to switch around my strategy and focus more on who has worked on the Lap Band, first of all, then eliminate from there. My insurance is not paying for any of this, so I want to make sure I'm being appropriately picky, but not cheaply stingy. Good stuff costs money!

[Frangipani 1]

I hear what you guys are saying (Frangi, Laurend) and it makes sense, though. I am spending too much time on their website appearance as a filter point for who I want to work on me.

I'm going to switch around my strategy and focus more on who has worked on the Lap Band, first of all, then eliminate from there. My insurance is not paying for any of this, so I want to make sure I'm being appropriately picky, but not cheaply stingy. Good stuff costs money!

Hi Kate,

Yes, that sounds like a great plan, and a very intelligent way to approach this.

High-quality professionals are not always the best in their marketing, and self-promotion skills, so there are an awful lot of "hidden gems" out there, without question.

You will find that person who a combination of all the right things and don't stop looking until you do. Lauren and I both found doctors who do great work at a price that we were comfortable with (Right Laurend? :thumbdown:).

My Dr. is charging what I consider to be a very fair price. He's a good Dr. and I am happy to pay him a fee commensurate with his abilities. That said, I was pleased with his pricing, and felt it was a very good value overall.

And you are SO right -- you can absolutely save some money if you shop around, but not really too much because, in the end, you really do get what you pay for. I have looked at a lot of plastic surgery results and nothing that I've seen has convinced me otherwise. There are no real "bargains" out there when it comes to this.

[TexasBecky 1]

Excellent advice from Frangi, as always. I "shopped" around a good bit too and ultimately picked the doctor who has the most experience with weight loss surgery patients and body contouring following weight loss. This is serious business, and you need to have alot of confidence in your doctor's ability.