Concerns....

[doddy]

Patientx - IT100 is happy with his results, about 13 months post op.

Seriously, stop care mongering. There have been loads of people who have been happy with their results with Levick post here, and then just not post again after they were a few months post op.

Does this not suggest to you that they got on with their life, happy with results? Surely if all these people were unhappy, they'd probably come back here for more info?

Think about it.

[Patientx]

doddy, yes true, he is happy, but dont ever say I am scare mongering. I know what I have been through as one of levick's patients, and it sounds there might be a few others, such as Taz, who the reality of levick's work has been far less than a joyful ride.

The likes of London_boy, indeed everyone needs to know that there has been very bad, as well as good done with levick.

One should not take their decision about which surgeon they choose lightly, surely you agree?

[doddy]

Of course, I have been through that decision making process myself.

Your penultimate post in this thread however was clearly hinting as if to say, "Don't go with Levick."

Remember: this guy has already booked his op already. The fact is, you effectively said "I haven't seen anyone happy with their results 12 months after their op" - NOT "I haven't seen anyone happy with their results 12 months after their op, BUT the fact that they don't bother post here anymore probably means that they ARE happy."

.. Which, if we're being honest - is probably the case.

Go through with the op, London_boy.

[AJP]

One man's good is another man's bad.

I totally agree with Doddy. IT100 is well happy with his results. It's only for the fact IT100 occasionally frequents these boards that we hear about his success story. Like Doddy says, if you are happy with the results after over a year, then why come back to these boards?

But listen mate, I can totally empathise with your situation. I had unsuccesful surgery on the NHS a couple of years ago - I know what it's like when things don't go right. Believe me.

But to say "everyone needs to know that there has been very bad, as well as good done with levick" is a little unfair.

Yes, in YOUR OPINION Levick may have done 'very bad' work. But you cannot convey your opinion to others as fact. It's just not a balanced argument.

Don't think I'm having a go mate, because I'm not. But there are alot of people out there with gyne who may never go ahead with an op - regardless of the surgeon - and they need to be able to make a decision over surgery having gained the best possible knowledge about what is available to them.

Again, I appreciate your situation, but planting positive seeds is better than planting negative seeds.

All the best.

[London_boy]

Hi guys....

It's taken me 15 years to even summon up the courage to do something about my gyne. Having read what everyone had to say about Levick (and other surgeons) on here, convinced me that he was the right person to go and see.

The fact that he has probably done more gyne op's that any other surgeon in the country (difficult to say that for a fact, I know) AND suffered from gyne himself, convinced me further.

I know that with any surgical procedure there is always an element of risk that things might not go entirely according to plan and yes, I have got the jitters at the moment, but I'm pretty sure that come August I'll still go ahead with the op with Levick and I hope I'll be delighted with the results but still at the back of my mind there's still that nagging "what if" doubt !

What would really help, (not only me but the other people who are no doubt watching these boards in the same position as me but haven't posted) is some pictures from those that are unhappy with Levick's work, most recently Patientx, so that we can see exactly what it is that you're unhappy about - is it really worse than what you had before ??

I think I'm rambling, I'm off now......

[Patientx]

A few things maybe I should mention. Yes, in "MY OPINION" levick is not a person i would trust anything with, but you say that what I say is a little unfair, that because levick has done bad as well as good that this is not fact. Well it is, I am proof.

Now I'm not having a go either, I'm really not, but was I ANY different to you lads before I went under levick's 'care'? No. Understand this: I would hate for another person to go under the care of levick and come out having similar results to what I have - I'm on your side, so the fact that people are giving their opinions, gives others a chance to make a calculated decision.

My earlier ramblings on other subjects, caused another member, Taz, to also come forward and mention that he was unhappy with the results some 20months ago, and I now await to hear what he will do in his situation.

My point? Not all good reviews are good points - where's the balance? and London_boy; if you do go for the op with levick, and this is probably the best advice you will ever receive, make sure you tell him EXACTLY how and what you want doing, and make sure he knows too. Goodluck

I will try and post some pics soon so that you can see my results, and also possibly get some opinion on the matter too.

[uk_bloke]

if you do go for the op with levick, and this is probably the best advice you will ever receive, make sure you tell him EXACTLY how and what you want doing, and make sure he knows too. Goodluck

patient x,

ok, so lets say its a given that when you have a gyne operation all excess fat and gland will be removed ,so what exactly were you expecting from your operation?
by this i mean what exactly didnt you get across to him?
and what did he not get across to you?

also i really think you'd do justice to your experience with mr levick if you started a thread of your own outlining your progress and your particular grievances about your surgery and perhaps include some pictures, rather than tagging onto other users threads.

hope this doesnt come across as too abrupt because its not meant too,i genuinely sympathise with your situation.


paul..

[AJP]

I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree on some less relevant points then Patientx.

But I do wish you the best in getting things sorted. When all's said and done the best we can do is give each other support. You're right in voicing your concerns over Levick, but I suppose it's always going to be hard to state a totally unbiased view when in a position such as yours. I'm quite sure many others would feel the same.

Oh well, whatever happens, best of luck, and keep your chin up.

[IT100]

Hello all!

It's true, most people that I have seen go through the Levick process stop posting after a while and up till that point they are all well chuffed. I guess most get closure on their 'problem' and don't feel the need to keep coming back here. I only do so really to offer a voice of wisdom and experience (I don't often get to say that!) and to help others through the same process that I had to go through. Plus i'm bored at work all day long... lol

As far as Levicks work goes maybe he doesn't get it perfect every time but I consider the possible downsides to his technique (scar tissue, skin sticking to muscle etc) To be far better than the ops I have seen with scars running across chests, Not enough fat taken out, no gland taken out etc etc. I have some scar tissue left and a little bit of this skin sticking to the muscle too I think... But am I proud to take my top off in public? Yes. Do I have any worries about taking my top off in public... No. Isn't that what we are all after? Or are you expecting to have the perfect chest of a model? Mine looks perfect in pics anyway... (In mine... and most of yours opinions!) And as far as the untrained eye goes it does in real life too.... you would have to look very hard to see the 'unperfect bits' So, lets face it, it is as perfect as I need or want it to be! Not seen any other surgeons work that i'm anywhere near as impressed with. I would recommend him and I wonder if those who don't are expecting model perfection?

Ian

p.s I still think that the scar tissue and the skin sticking is reducing anyway... maybe at some point I will be model perfect?! (From the neck down! lol)

[Taz]

PatientX-I'm seeing Paul next week, I'll let you know what he says.

In the meantine, I seem to have had my worst fear confirmed by my GP, the area that is sunk in is where too much tissue has been removed and the skin is now stuck to the muscle.

I looked at this on Dr.Bermants site and he had a case like this where a patient had come to him with the same problem made by surgery with a another surgeon. Dr.Bermant couldn't do anything for his case   I'm really hoping paul can do something with mine, even if it invloves sticking some fat back in there to even things out.

One thing that I must stress is that Paul Levick has always been a nice guy to me, and has been understanding in all my circumsatances. When I have expressed concerns to him in the past he has reassured me and mentioned the prospect of revisional surgery. I do still have faith that he will be able to sort out my chest.

I am not happy with my results but that's not to say that after a revision surgery I won't be. He does so many of these ops, not all of them can be perfect, there are hundreds of factors to consider, not just the surgeons skills.

I'll let you guys know how I get on with appointment next week.

[Patientx]

Hello all again,

IT100, yes you're right, I think the ONLY one thing we all strive for is so that we can take our tops off in public, I dont think many of us go through with the op to have a model chest, but to have a 'normal' chest. The fact that you can do this IT100 means the op for you was a success, and maybe one day I will feel comfortable also, but for the mo...  

Just out of interest, what is it that happened to you initially on the NHS? Were you unhappy with the lack of fat taken out, then went for a re-op privately? I'm not sure I've seen your pics IT100, but I would be v. interested to see how you are now / b4 etc. I will post mine as soon as, but my pc where the pics are has decided to throw a serious sicky...  :-/

Taz - one question I would like to know about your situation is how do you feel about the contouring of ur pec muscles? Are you just concerned that it might be too much fat taken out or something else? If you think it is only fat, you can probably have an injection to fill it out. This is what I had done.

However I still feel my situation is more complicated. Convinced of this, I recently went to see some physiotherapists who told me that the indents they thought were down to muscle damage - I've got to admit, Im pretty confused 3 yrs down the line, as surgeons say it is skin tethering, or too much fat removal, and the physios say it is muscle removal / damage... :-/

If anyone has similar confusions / probs etc, I would be glad to hear them...

[AJP]

Hi Patentx.

Not sure if you're getting me and IT100 mixed up about the NHS thing, but I think you mean me.

Basically I went for the surgery without having the means to do proper research (tinternet). I just spoke to my GP and he said something like "yes I know a surgeon who can sort this out for you", or words to that effect.

To cut a long story short, the surgeon didn't remove any fat - only the hard tissue. He used the ariola excision technique, which has left me with the tell-tale scars around the base of wach nipple. To be fair though, he did make the incisions accurately, and the scars are not that noticable.

However, the overall shape of my chest hardly changed; I still had 'protrusions' that were clearly visible under anything other than a big winter coat! (Slight exaggeration).

So, a couple of years later I decided that I wanted it sorted for good, found this website (which was the biggest help of all), and now I am about 2 months post op with Levick, happy with the results.

Don't get me wrong, I haven't got a 'model' chest, and it can look very slightly 'different' from some angles, but the difference Mr Levick has made to my chest and more importantly my quality of life has been overwhelmingly good.

I don't feel self-concious wearing a tightish t-shirt any more, and I can now live my life how I should have been doing for years.

[SimpleStevie]

I have similar problems, I am a month post op and have a very sunken right hand side, the nipple is folded and is adhered to the muscle, which im crapping myself about.

My nipples are different heights and it looks to me as if most of my right hand side is adhered to the muscle, im absoultetly shitting myself about it right now, how the hell am I supposed to take off my top in public if my nipples are totally different heights!!

[Patientx]

Who did you have surgery with Steve, anyone mentioned on these pages?

You may have to wait a few months for settlement do you not think?