How many cases a year is SAFE number for surgeons?

[Dider11]

The surgeon I am considering is fully board certified, seems legitimate, and has been in plastic surgery for over 20 years. My only gripe is that he told me he treats about 10-15 gynecomastia patients a year and said that less than 5% come back from revision. WHen I went for the consultation,  he showed me only 2 pics of past patients and told me his computer recently crashed and thats why he only had those 2. My question to you guys is..What is a safe number of cases? I realize experts like Dr. Jacobs treat 150+ a year but would it be a mistake to go with someone that doesn't do it as often? He is a local doctor so I would not have to travel but Im just not sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[iFlow]

Dunno, hard to tell, but look at how the outcomes were. But it seems like he's BSin' you w/ the computer crash. Let me guess, his computer crashed but w/ his backup files he only managed to recover two? But who knows, anyways, how were the pics of the two patients? Unless you like the outcomes, try someone with a lot of experience, because a lot of pics I see (even doctors w/ tons of exp) they still look like crap to be honest. Like a minor reduction and not removal. BLAH!

[DrBermant]

The surgeon I am considering is fully board certified, seems legitimate, and has been in plastic surgery for over 20 years. My only gripe is that he told me he treats about 10-15 gynecomastia patients a year and said that less than 5% come back from revision. WHen I went for the consultation,  he showed me only 2 pics of past patients and told me his computer recently crashed and thats why he only had those 2. My question to you guys is..What is a safe number of cases? I realize experts like Dr. Jacobs treat 150+ a year but would it be a mistake to go with someone that doesn't do it as often? He is a local doctor so I would not have to travel but Im just not sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

It should never be just a case of quantity of surgery, quality is even more important.  A good surgeon should be able to show many examples of their results.  That is why I have tens of thousands of before, during, and after surgery pictures and movies on my website.  By having access to such examples online, patients can take their time to review the quality of what is offered in a relaxed atmosphere at home as often as they need, and can take time to validate techniques.

I have posted How to Pick A Gynecomastia Surgeon here:

http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php?topic=16474.0

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, MD
Learn More About Gynecomastia and Male Breast Reduction