NHS or Private? quality and time issues.

[shiningstar8]

Hi there, this site is very encouraging - keep it up.

I just had a consultation with the NHS today and they said that surgery was an option. However they did explain the risks and sort of implied that they may be scarring  and the main focus is just getting rid of the gland and not how the chest looks etc.

Besides the psychological impact and the constant battering of ones confidence, I feel that surgery is important aesthetically. We are unfortunate to have gyneno, and want to sort it out to look normal. I am grateful that the NHS can consider surgery but surely it is important to want it to look good as that was the problem to start off with. Having surgery can literally change your life for the better. Therefore I am having doubts about having it on the NHS.

If I were to go ahead it would be around a 6-8week estimate for surgery on the NHS.
Therefore I am considering going private, such as Karidis. I would just like to know how long it takes to get a consultation and roughly how long it takes to have surgery after it?

Any help is very welcome, It has come to a stage that it has an underlying effect on Life and I just want to get rid of it. I would be grateful for any advice. Many thanks!!!

[as400]

http://www.nipntuck.co.uk/

Give them a quick phone call to book a consultation, Dr. Karidis can usually see you quite quickly. As for time to actual operation look at anywhere from 4-8 weeks.

Depends how busy he is (and he is very busy) and if there have been any postponements.

I tend to think paying a private surgeon will result in someone taking care in both resolving gynocomastia and providing a pleasing and  aesthetic result. There may be an argument that an NHS surgeon may be less artistic shall we say? and more workman like.

I will be having surgery with Dr K later this month and will be reporting the results with photos and words.

[ChristianS]

hello there shiningstar, i have just had my operation on the NHS 9 days ago. in my case i must admit that i was very fortunate as i had a very very good hospital aswell as surgeon, even had my own room which was sweet.
However, there is a 80 to 20 chance with the NHS that you will be in a good hospital with a good and experienced surgeon. All i could suggest is go to the surgeon that would perform your surgery through the NHS and then ask him how he would do the procedure, how many he has already done, how many he does per year etc etc just ask him everything you want to know and if your happy with what you hear then go for it! it has already changed my life and i am happier now than i was ever... keep on having dreams though that my moobs just pop back out lol.
I couldn't afford to go private as i am doing an apprenticeship and don't earn that much (besides i support my misses with the uni) lol
so if you can afford to spend 4000 pounds then go to the private praxis and see how you like it. There are several surgeons that people here prefer which you will most prob have notices.

Hope that helped a bit
Regards
Christian

[GynO_DuDe]

Paying a surgeon is paying for his service ... so its more obvious to think that more care & attention will be given in terms of resolving the problem psychologically & cosmetically, OR it looks bad on his portfolio.

[davidrt]

Hi,
I have been told that getting my male breasts removed on the NHS is almost impossible without going through psychological assessment and that even that would not necessarily give me the outcome I wanted i.e. surgery through the NHS. I have been researching private surgery (I live in Reigate, Surrey). East Grinstead Hospital has a specialist 'breast surgery' team. Does anyone have any experience of this hospital for male breast reductions surgery?

[ChristianS]

Hi,
I have been told that getting my male breasts removed on the NHS is almost impossible without going through psychological assessment and that even that would not necessarily give me the outcome I wanted i.e. surgery through the NHS.

i must of been lucky then as i went to my gp then the surgeon and 2 months later the op... no pictures where taken of me nor did i have to go through psychological tests. All i was asked from the surgeon and gp how it affects my life so i said really bad i.e. i dont want to take my t shirt of in front of my fiance which is the quickest way of explaining my problem lol also said to them this was the first time i spoke to anyone about it and i always try to hide behind hoodys etc. i signed a paper at the hospital stating all the procedures of the op etc and thats about it lol so no problem with me...

About the money issue, you have to remember that 99% of the surgeons on NHS have their own praxis OR work for a private praxis. the NHS then pays the surgeons to do their job. like my surgeon, he has his own praxis where he does the same op and he specializes on hand and breast reconstruction so i consider myself lucky
so dont think due to doing it on the NHS you get worse surgeons because you dont. you just dont pay them, we all do through our taxes (and yes i am sorry i had to go through nhs but i cant afford private)

[GynO_DuDe]

Yeah the NHS is like a lottery system ... I also went and got messed around, even though I had a really bad case and my private surgeon actually said people with extreme cases can have it done for free on the NHS by Law.

[shiningstar8]

Hi there ChristianS, Thanks for the reply.

Glad to hear that you had successful surgery on the NHS and that you feel a lot better. It is encouraging to hear that most surgeons as you say have or work for private. I will just have to ask them for more details about the procedure and who is doing it.

I would like to ask you what type of surgeon you actually saw? I had a consultation with the breast clinic, where they said they could do it, but they did imply that it is not for looks and that they will only get the gland out. Therefore they suggested I should make a consultation with the plastic surgeons as they may have better advice and expertise. This is what I am waiting for in the coming weeks. . . Also, what procedure did you get done and is it similar to those of the highly regarded private surgeons that people have talked about here?

Very grateful that it is an option, but at the end of the day you are doing it to look and then feel better - so it will be disappointing if it is a botch job. Money-wise I can just about afford private although not in a great financial situation, I am willing to spend purely based on the high priority that this needs to be sorted out. I just wanted to know if there is a point to wasting a good opportunity on the NHS, now that someone has replied that an estimated waiting time will be up to 8 weeks, which is about the same on the NHS. In response to davidrt, I think it depends on the area that you reside in. It is all about luck. I had to express my concerns to the GP a few times in order to be seen. You could try speaking to your GP again and express the distress it causes you.

[ChristianS]

Hello shiningstar,
My surgeon was called Dr Fortune Iwuagwu (lol i know)
you can even google him, there is tons of pages about him including his own homepage of his private surgery.
I have had my gland removed and lipo done as i had really bad and pointy moobs... looked terrible    have a look at my diary inc pictures http://www.gynecomastia.org/smf/index.php?topic=17298.0 i will post up some more pictures tonight, I'm really happy with the result.

A gynecomastia surgery no matter if its done through the NHS or private is purely for cosmetic reasons! otherwise why would they do it?? its nothing harmfull to our body's, just to our minds  so i dont know why they told you that at the breast clinic... remember that IF anything would go wrong on the NHS they would have to fix it anyways (but it wont) and like i said before, the surgeons are 99% exterior surgeons and they get payed the same amount they would charge privately. Best thing mate, go and have a consultation with your NHS surgeon and a private surgeon and see which you like best. It doesn't mean that because you pay someone 4000 pounds out of your own pocket that he will do a better job than someone that gets payed through the nhs. Your nhs surgeon aswell as the private one will be able to show you before and after pics from the surgery's he has already performed. Just remember that you have the right to ask what ever question you feel necessary and dont be shy, i done that at the first consultation lol

So what ever you do mate, i am sure you'll do the right thing and don't worry as everything will get sorted in the end need any support or advice give me a shout and ill try and help you out as best as i can.