Los Angeles, CA - Finding a good plastic surgeon

[steve6161]

Hi.
I've been doing research on good plastic surgeons in Los Angeles and I thought I would share it with others in case anyone is interested. Also, if anyone else has information to share, please post it.

Here are some doctors I met with so far:

- Dr. Sean Younai (Encino).
This guy has some very good photos on his site.
http://www.beautifulself.com/ & http://www.beautifulfigure.com/
He quoted me a cost of $5,300. And he offers a free consultation. He seemed like a nice guy.
The comments I found for him online are good:
http://ratemds.com/filecache/doctor-ratings.jsp?did=87356&country=0
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/review/45223330
I found no problems with him at the California State Medical Board
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=69368&P_LTE_ID=790

- Dr. Vishal Kapoor.
He has only one set of photos on his website, but he has others to show if you go in for a consultation.
http://www.drkapoormd.com/beforeandafter9.html
He quoted me a cost of $5,500 – seemed negotiable. And he offers a free consultation. He and his staff were very nice and he spent a lot of time.
I couldn’t find any online reviews of this doctor.
I found no problems with him at the California State Medical Board:
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=82791&P_LTE_ID=782

- Dr. Tarick Smaili (Beverly Hills).
He has some excellent photos on his website:
http://www.californiasurgicalinstitute.com/photos-male.html
He quoted me a cost of $6,200. And he offers a free consultation (which was short). He seemed competent, though his office is somewhat chaotic.
I found some mixed reviews of him here:
http://ratemds.com/filecache/doctor-ratings.jsp?did=48803&country=0
I found no problems with him at the California State Medical Board:
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=75774&P_LTE_ID=782

- Dr. Gary Takowsky
He has some very good photos on his website:
http://www.garytakowskymd.com/gallery_gyno.htm#1
And he has many more to show if you go in for a consultation.
He quoted me a cost of $3,000-$3,500. And he offers a free consultation. (I waited quite a while in his office to get the consultation.)
I found a malpractice judgment against him for $261,015 (March 1, 2001) at the California State Medical Board:
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=34305&P_LTE_ID=782
(For me this means he’s off my list.)
I found some mixed reviews for him here:
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/review/32715916
He also is not a board certified plastic surgeon (though he’s apparently been doing this for over 20 years) and he got his medical degree at the University of Guadalajara.

- Dr. Alan Bittner (formerly Craig Alan Bittner)
http://www.dralanbittner.com/resources.asp
His site lists the price as $3,400. And he offers a free consultation (which was very short). He does lipo only, no excision, under local anesthesia which sounded interesting. After doing some research I found out he is board certified as a radiologist, not a plastic surgeon. He used the name Craig Alan Bittner and ran a chain of full body scan radiology centers called Ameriscan (or was it Ameriscam) which were shut down. (see below)
http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/dinews/2003102701.shtml
http://oracknows.blogspot.com/2005/01/battling-quackery-in-conventional.html
I found mixed reviews for him here:
http://ratemds.com/filecache/doctor-ratings.jsp?did=50017&country=0
Here is the California State Medical Board report on him:
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=53795&P_LTE_ID=782
(This guy is a definite no.)

There are many more docs in the area who have before and after photos. You can find them by googling "gynecomastia surgery, los angeles" or going to one of the many plastic surgery and doctor referral websites such as http://www.plasticsurgery.org/ which allows you to search for board certified plastic surgeons.

Here are some other ones that I've found on the web (I've called and emailed many of them, but haven't met any):

There is the list shown on this site:
http://www.gynecomastia.org/content/surg_listing/surgeons.cgi?filter=USA&filter_state=CA

- Dr. John Gross
http://www.johngrossmd.com/gallery/malebreast1.html (Only a couple of photos.)

- Dr. Sanjay Grover
http://www.drgrover.com/gynecomastia-photo-gallery.htm  (only 2 sets of photos)

- Dr. Sanders (Encino)
Dr. Sanders.com/before_after_men/tthmbpicmlbrst.html'); return false;" class="underlinelink" href="https://www.gynecomastia.org/doctors/gyne/profile-3">Dr. Sanders.com/before_after_men/tthmbpicmlbrst.html" rel="nofollow" onClick="recordOutboundLink(this, 'Outbound Links', 'http://www.Dr. Sanders.com/before_after_men/tthmbpicmlbrst.html'); return false;" class="bbc_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">http://www.Dr. Sanders.com/before_after_men/tthmbpicmlbrst.html
I emailed him. The cost is approximately $6,200. Consultations cost $100.
This doctor says he does many of these procedures, and he has a lot of photos on his site, but the problem is I don't think the photos look that great.

- Dr. Steven Teitelbaum
http://www.drteitelbaum.com/before_after_photos_men5.html
This doctor is listed on this site, but he has photos of only 1 person who had only low grade gynecomastia.

- Dr. Peter Fodor (Los Angeles)
http://www.fodormd.com/gallery/gallery.php?page=Gynecomastia&num=1#procedure-subhead
($100 consultation. I think this guy does lipo only, but his photos are pretty good considering they show lipo only and no excision. Most people on this board have written that lipo only is not enough and that you need glandular excision as well.)

Dr. Grant Stevens & Dr. David Stoker
http://www.marinaplasticsurgery.com/photo-gallery/results.cfm?Category=20

-Dr. Daniel Yamini, Dr. Steven Svehlak
http://sunsetcosmeticsurger.reachlocal.com/
Consultations are $150.

- Dr. David Hopp
http://drdavidhopp.com/gallery.htm

http://www.rodeodriveplasticsurgery.com/gynecomastia.html
(They charge $200 for a consultation. They say they treat everyone like a celebrity and I guess that is what they mean.)

http://beverlyhillsbody.com/
(I contacted them by email and they never got back to me.)
Some mixed reviews here:
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/review/41891294

- Dr. Aaron Stone
http://www.aaronstonemd.com/gynecomastia.shtm  (photos of only 1 person)

- Dr. Frederic Corbin
http://gynecomastiaexpert.com  & http://www.drcorbin.com/gynecomastia.htm
I was interested in him and then I checked the medical board site where I found out that this guy has a litany of problems (including probation, public reprimand, malpractice arbitration award, and hospital discipline).
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=41325&P_LTE_ID=790
From this list I would recommend avoiding this doctor at all costs.

If you’re willing to travel:

Some people on this board rave about Dr. Delgado in San Francisco.
http://www.sanfranciscocosmetic-surgery.com/

And others have posted about doctors in the San Diego area (e.g. Dr. Wallace, one guy on this board loves her):
http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php/topic,7271.0.html
http://drwallace.ucsd.edu/default.aspx

If you search through the forums you'll find other postings.

I would be willing to travel if I thought it would make a big difference, but from what I'm seeing you should be able to get a good doctor in the LA area (with at least as good a result as you would get somewhere else).

Things that I think are important:
- Board certified plastic surgeon
- Completely clean record (no citations, judgments or reprimands of any kind).
- Experience doing many gynecomastia surgeries (at least 100).
- Good medical school and residency at a good hospital
- Many good photographs to show.  My feeling is that doctors are showing you their best work (either in person and/or on their websites) and if their best work doesn't look like the kind of results I want to get, I don't want to use that doctor.
- Doctor should be attentive, patient and willing to answer all your questions prior to surgery.
- Provides references to patients who have had the same procedure.
- I think the doctor should offer a free consultation. I would be willing to pay for a consultation if the doctor came highly recommended, but it seems that there are many highly qualified, well educated and experienced doctors who offer free consultations.
- Good reviews are a plus if you can find them (but be wary of phony reviews). Bad reviews are a big minus if you find them.

With all doctors I would do as much research as possible. For starters check out:

California State Medical Board
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/wllqryna$lcev2.startup?p_qte_code=MDX&p_qte_pgm_code=6301
http://www.medbd.ca.gov/
And this is the site for public document search:
http://publicdocs.medbd.ca.gov/pdl/mbc.aspx

Rate MDs:
http://ratemds.com/filecache/SelectDoctor.jsp?sid=5

And you can also check LA doctor reviews (if there are any) here:
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/

I don't know how reliable these ratings sites are (and it seems like some of the doctors have people posting phony testimonials), but you can see if there are any people who are really pissed off at a doctor. Also, sometimes people post useful information.

I'm still looking and hoping to get some references from this board, so if anyone out there is reading this and has any doctors to refer, please post your information.

[steve6161]

Got an email update from Dr. Aaron Stone:
http://www.aaronstonemd.com/gynecomastia.shtm
The cost of surgery excluding operating room and anesthesia is $6000. The cost of a consultation is $120.
This makes him one of the more expensive people I have gotten a price from (since the operating room and anesthesia will probably cost somewhere around $2,000).
Found nothing about him at the state medical board:
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=68802&P_LTE_ID=790
And I found no user ratings for him online.

Also, someone emailed me and asked whether I had heard of
Dr. Dr. Cruise
http://www.orangecountycosmeticsurgery.com/procedure-images/breast-reduction-male.htm
The person who emailed wrote that 'I saw him on Discovery Health Channel on a before and after plastic surgery episode early June on a procedure for gynecomastia.'
I haven't heard of him, but his photos are ok (I think other doctors I've posted have better ones).
I found nothing on him at the California medical board site:
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=86540&P_LTE_ID=790
And I found no user ratings for him online.

[Alexanderthegreat]

I had Gynecomastia surgeon by Dr. Sean Younai in Beverly Hills. I also did much research and interviewed few plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. Dr. Younai offered a very unique technique of removing the breast gland/ tissue through a small stab wound incision within the areola. This left nearly no visible scar. I found that he was very honest and informative. His anesthesiologist, surgical staff, and office staff were very professional and helpful.
He delivered results that very beyond my expectations. You can see his result for your self at his web site at www.beautifulself.com.

[blackviolet]

I'm not sure about gyne surgery, but I had breast augmentation with Dr Corbin.

Here's my review:

Let me first say that I had planned to go on three consultations, and Dr Corbin was my first.  I narrowed it down by who had a lot of before/after photos that I really liked, along with the fact that they were Board Certified in Plastic Surgery.  When I went to my free consultation, they asked me if I was going to any other consultations.  When they gave me my price, they told me that they had had a cancellation, and were offering anyone that could fill the cancellation date (in two weeks!) a $700 discount.  So not only would I get a discount, but rather than having my surgery be a few months away, it'd be a few weeks away!  The best of both worlds for me, since I really didn't want to wait.  Not wanting to lose out on this deal, I booked immediately, putting down my non-refundable $2000 deposit.  I now believe that this is a marketing ploy, since they told the same story to my mom when she went in for a consultation, and I've read another review online with the same story.   

Dr Corbin has two offices.  One in Brea, one in Beverly Hills.  Needless to say, the one in Beverly Hills is MUCH nicer, but they do all of the surgery at the Brea office, which is right across the street from a hospital.

All of the women that work for Dr Corbin are very very nice and helpful, and you really deal with them MUCH more often that you do Dr Corbin.  Which might be a good thing...  In my experience with Dr Corbin, he seemed very brusque, and rather rushed every time I spoke to him, and sometimes had a poor attitude/demeanor.

At my consultation, Dee, the patient coordinator, went over the different types of implants and incision placements, along with the risks and complications.  After all of that, Dr Corbin came in to measure me, and tell me what my options were.

I asked a question that I think is typical of one that EVERY woman about to get breast augmentation asks - about size.  "For my frame, how big do you think I can go?"  He just told me to try on the sample sizes.  Having thoroughly researched it, I had very few questions for him, and so we spent maybe 5 minutes together.  Reading online about other people's experience with their PS's, it seems that most of them go over general sizes, and what type of look you're going for, etc..  He didn't.  Maybe he just knew he could make pretty much anything look good, and whatever I picked would be fine.  I figured he'd spend more time with me at the pre-op. 

So I picked a size with Dee, but later doubted my choice and wanted to change it to a larger size.  Having read online about BWD measurements and how you shouldn't go over them, I was worried because the new size I wanted exceeded my measurement by 1.1cm.  I wanted to make sure that this was okay, and I wouldn't have any problems because of it or anything. 

I went to my pre-op, and didn't see Dr Corbin at all.  It was another nice woman that I dealt with.  She didn't seem to get my question, and maybe I phrased it poorly.  She called Dr Corbin in, and he seemed irritated to have been bothered.  She told him I had a question about my size.  He walked in and said, "Let me see your breasts."  Then he opened my folder, looked at the size I had originally picked (without his help), and said, "Yes, that will be good."  I said, "Well, I wanted to go up from that to this..."  He kinda snapped, "Then that's fine," and kinda looked at me as if, "You want anything else?" and I said okay, and he took off.  It's not quite WHAT he said as the tone of voice and manner in which he said it.  My husband was with me, and even he said that Dr Corbin seemed rude, so I know it's not just my perception.  Honestly, he acted like a bit of a male thingy. 

When I left, I was pretty upset to have been treated so poorly, when I had already paid for my surgery.  I went online and looked up reviews for him.  Most of them said the same thing that I did, that he was rushed, brusque, and matter-of-fact with a lousy bedside manner... but he does great work.  My husband said told me to think of him as a car salesman.  Would you rather have the really nice, friendly one that sells you a crappy Yugo, or the not a nice person guy selling Mercedes or something, that knows his stuff speaks for itself, and he doesn't have to bother?  That made me feel better.  Although your results are really more important than bedside manner, for $7000, I'd like to have the whole package.

Then again, mom went to a consultation with him, and he was nice to her, and she really liked him.  Maybe it's because I have lots of tattoos and piercings?  I don't know. 

Anyway, my breasts turned out FANTASTIC.  Everyone I know is jealous that I went from no boobs to gorgeous boobs.  People that already have implants have told me they're jealous that mine look better than theirs (after only 6 weeks!), haha.  Dr Corbin DOES do excellent work, and I'm very happy with my results.  However, I do have a slight amount of rippling at the bottom/side of each breast, even though I got silicone under the muscle.  I can't help but wonder if that's because I went over my BWD.  It would have been nice if the Dr had talked to me about the possibility of this occurring.  To be fair, it may have happened anyway, because of my thin skin and lack of tissue.

All in all, I WOULD recommend him without a doubt to people - except for his bedside manner.  I'm extremely pleased with my results, and I've read in other reviews that he can somehow take any size and make it look natural on you.  I believe it!  Five stars for everything except his attitude, which he won't neccessarily have with you.  It's at least worth going to a free consultation to meet him.  If you like him, then definitely go with him!  Even if you don't like him, just remember that you mainly deal with the great ladies that work there more than you do with him, so you may want to consider going to him anyway, just to get great results.

[michelsmith86]

Dr. Michael Persky is a highly-trained and board-certified facial plastic surgeon who specializes in Facial Plastic Surgery in Encino (covering Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and more) including surgical and non-surgical procedures.