I recently had a consultation with Dr. Gabriel for a mommy makeover, (tummy tuck and breast aug). The front desk staff were not very welcoming and the first thing I noticed were the long line of people waiting to be seen.
When I first got called back, I spoke with Dr. Gabriel's Assistant, (I don't know her title). I informed her that I had previously had a consultation with another surgeon out-of-state and that Dr. Gabriel's method of a "one size fits all" approach to how he does these surgeries was off/ weird to me. I asked the normal questions about the procedure and was told "he (Dr. Gabriel) will probably do the lift while he's in there (doing the surgery)". I said "Yeah, but isn't that a separate procedure, won't that cost more"? She proceeded to tell me that it was included and he usually just does them during the augmentation. Now, could be miscommunication but I made it clear that my concern was financial cost. When she asked what type of breast implant I had in mind, I told her that it mostly depends on pricing of each, (as other offices have different pricing of implants due to the materials, etc.) and she said there was "no price difference". That seemed so weird, but I thought maybe that's just how this office does it.
My mind really shifted once I met with Dr. Gabriel. He came in and shook my hand and that was about as hospitable as it got. I told him that I wasn't sure if I needed a breast lift and I wanted his professional opinion. As soon as I took off my robe, he goes "you do dear, you need a lift", and he began his examination. I asked him if it was a separate procedure (as his assistant mentioned it wouldn't be), and he told me yes, it would be an additional procedure to the augmentation. Which would mean an additional cost. He started touching my under boob and wherever else he felt needed corrections and was just saying "lipo here, we need lipo here", etc. He ended up telling me that I should do the procedures separately (tummy tuck and breast augmentation) instead of together like I initially planned. He kept stressing to get the breast augmentation done first and then the tummy tuck. Unbeknownst to him, the breast augmentation is the least of my worries, as my tummy tuck is more pressing and severe for both my mental health and physical stability. I was getting frustrated so I diverted his attention to my stomach finally and he starts doing the same thing "lipo here, you need lipo here". When I told him that I am not interested in doing ANY lipo anywhere on my stomach, he looked taken back by it. He said "It will not look right and you need it to shape and contour, and only lipo can give you that contoured look". I kept insisting that I know how to naturally lose those pockets of fat on my stomach through diet and exercise, yet he continued to fight me on it, insisting he knew what my body needed more than I did. He proceeded to pinch areas of fat on my body saying things like "see there's this pocket of fat that would need lipo", and it honestly made me feel so bad about parts of myself that I am okay with.
Once that was finally over, it was time to sit down with the financial lady and go over the cost of the procedure. Looking over the "bill" I saw that they have breast augmentation and tummy tuck with lipo. I pointed out that I didn't want the lipo with the tummy tuck and she insisted that it was "included" with the procedure. After some back and forth, she goes "well let me just double check" and low and behold, she comes back and after taking off the lipo for the stomach, my bill dropped a whole $2000!!!
Their staff as a whole are not on the same page about anything! From the procedures themselves to the billing. I would not trust this office with any of it. It's a shame but I really do feel that this office is trying to find any and every way to find reasons to get more money out of you, even if you don't need or want it. There are good doctors out there who genuinely care about their patients and want to help them feel and look good, Dr. Gabriel isn't one of them. read more