Dr. Salemy performed a breast reduction on me on 5/27/09 in VA. I had large, heavy breasts my whole life. Shopping, exercising, and neck/shoulder pain were constant issues. He said he'd remove about 300/350 (left/right) grams of tissue from each breast, bringing me from a 34 F to a full 34C. Sounded good to me, considering another surgeon wanted to remove almost 500. After surgery, my breasts weren't much smaller. I called him after he moved to WA to complain. He sounded offended & said he thought he did a good job. He said the swelling would go down in a few months. I waited 4 months. Not 1 call from him & no change in size. I left a nasty review on Yelp in late Sept 09. Suddenly, he was very concerned & good reviews of him started popping up on Yelp and Vitals.com. Note: there are NO web reviews of him prior to Oct 09. The 4 good reviews that popped that week on Yelp have been filtered. I expect more good reviews from new yelpers will appear shortly after I post this.
Dr. M., who replaced Dr. Salemy, and I spoke on the phone. The 1st words out of his mouth were "wow, he didn't take much off." He removed 135 & 220 grams of tissue. Dr. M. showed me a breast implant approx that size & it was shockingly small. After a few meetings, he offered to do a breast lift & lipo (AND fix my larger left areola) for free IF I paid for anesthesia & removed the review. Dr. Salemy also offered to redo the surgery in Seattle (airfare & lodging weren't offered). These offers were good for 1 year. Most surgeons won't touch you for 9 months after surgery, so I only had a few months to act. Another surgery would mean paying $2000 for anesthesia, taking another 2 weeks off of work, and waiting months to fully recover. The thought of going through all that again made cringe. I was also scared to have surgery again because I've lost sensation in my left nipple. All the docs I spoke with agreed that the chances of killing my nipple(s) or losing sensation in my right side increase with a 2nd surgery. I decided to play nice & remove the review anyway.
I saw a few other doctors for 2nd opinions. Dr. B, a surgeon who Dr. Salemy recommended, felt sorry for me and offered to do another full reduction for the price of a lift ($2000 discount). NO other surgeons offered a lift/lipo as a solution. I also talked to 5 friends who've had reductions. Their results were more dramatic, and they're much happier. They all lost at least 2 cup sizes. One friend went from an H to a C. Even my petite friend went from a D to a B. Other close friends/family agreed that my results were negligible. Some of their comments include: "Oh my god, they're still huge!"; "You had surgery?;" "Can't you get your money back?;" and "I think you should have surgery again." My BF even joked that he secretly paid Dr. Salemy to keep them big. As recently as 1 month ago, a coworker commented on their size.
When my 1-year "warranties" were close to expiring in spring 2010, I found out that I had thyroid cancer. I'm fine, but the subsequent surgery/treatment cost several thousand dollars and consumed the rest of my sick leave. Heartbroken, I had to give up hope that I could afford another surgery. Dr. M. also left the practice shortly thereafter. So, not only am I out $X,XXX for the initial surgery, but now I have to come up with another $X,XXX if I want the breasts I originally asked for.
It's been 2 years since surgery. EVERY BRA I purchase, regardless of brand, is only 1 size smaller (34DD). I'm still able to wear some of my pre-surgery bras, sports bras, and swimsuits! Finding a supportive swimsuit is almost impossible. I'm a runner, and any woman with large breasts knows what a pain (literally) it is. I want Dr. Salemy to run a half marathon (I just did) or go dancing at a club with big, heavy, natural DD breasts.
Unfortunately, I didn't document my experience. Dr. S. took pics right before surgery, but he couldn't find them after I wrote my review, and they're not in my medical file. Every surgeon I've seen wants to see those pics, but I have to repeatedly explain that my doc lost them. If they should someday reappear, I'm sure they'd only help my case. I've attached some clothed before/after pictures. I have PLENTY more. I also have my medical file and the email from Dr. Salemy requesting that I remove the review.
I know plastic surgery is subjective in nature. He can say that he did a good job & that I'm crazy. However, my friends, family, other patients, and other surgeons disagree. Bottom line: I asked Dr. Salemy to significantly reduce my breast size in order to bring my 5'5" body into proportion AND to reduce my discomfort. Didn't happen. I ended up w/breasts that are almost the same size (not much perkier), followed by his offer to have me pay MORE $$ to have another painful surgery to fix them. I think this review is more than fair. To date, I don't have an explanation or an apology. read more