Doctor's Actual Experiences

[David1991]

How can we go about being sure any doctor is reliable, is it just based on what we can find online?

I just read a post on another forum about how incredibly rude Dr. Bermant was to his patient and how he refused to do revision surgery and wouldn't let the patient speak, etc...other's chimed in saying they had a similar experience and/or did not go through with the surgery after experiencing his conceited nature.

Now this is a doctor on this forum, which is supposed to be the reputable go-to site for this type of stuff. But with doctors paying to be advertised how can we every know?

I am in Baltimore and I see Dr. Dr. Schuster is a featured doctor on here and very close. I was thinking that would be a great option but not between the above examples and all these issues with revisions and people not being satisfied how can we every really know?

Any thoughts? It seems just having a seemingly successful photo gallery is not enough.

[Litlriki]

Unfortunately, you can never be sure about any surgeon based merely on internet reviews, advertising or web photos.  As members of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, we are ethically bound to present accurate, untouched photos of results, but it's easy enough to choose only the best photo representations and hide the problems.  You also have to be a little cautious about on-line criticism, since one patient can generate a lot of noise in a forum or on-line review site, though if that opinion is repeated over and over, it is likely to confirm such issues. 

My general recommendation is that you do your research and schedule a consultation with one or two surgeons, who are reputable, and ideally for whom you've heard good feedback either on-line or in the real world (at the gym, at work, etc.)  This might cost you a little, though in our office, the consultation fee is applied toward the cost of surgery, and other surgeons do this as well.  Charging for a consultation minimizes time spent with "doctor shoppers," but at the same time, I find that this approach rarely scares off serious patients.  Don't necessarily trust the top guy on your google search, since that is based on advertising budgets over experience, but someone who has chosen to support this website and forum is likely to have an interest in providing care for gynecomastia.  Once you've seen the surgeon, met his or her staff, and possibly spoken with a patient or two, you should have a pretty good idea of what you might anticipate for results.  Those of us who answer questions on this forum are certainly able to show you good photo outcomes, put you in touch with satisfied patients, and hopefully explain the procedure in a way that makes you comfortable and confident.  Ideally, you will also feel some rapport with the surgeon and office staff--which makes the experience that much easier.

Good luck.

Rick Silverman