Bad experience with Perth surgeon

[JohnDoe80]

I had surgery with Dr Peter Randle. He is a prestigious surgeon and is extremely expensive. The surgery I received was sub par and Im looking at having to have revisions with another surgeon. I was extremely clear with Peter about the results I expected and specifically what the results would look like in motion. He was very confident and laughed pretentiously, like I shouldn't even be asking these questions. Within 2 weeks post op, I could see the surgery had been a failure. At my final consultation Peter said he was extremely happy with the results and that the gyno was no longer visible (any half wit could tell otherwise), Im still in utter dis-belief that he pretended like the surgery was a success. My doctor has said, even she can clearly see that the gyno is still there and cannot understand how such a doctor could be so ignorant.

I would advise anybody thinking of using Dr Peter Randle to seek another surgeon. If a surgeon cannot even diagnose a condition when it is so painfully visible, how can he treat it?

[Paa_Paw]

I think you may be out of line.

If you have been following these pages for any length of time you should know that post operative swelling will sometimes persist and that it could actually be several months before the final result is evident.

Also, the site has a general distaste for any negative commentary. Especially when the comments include the name of either a patient or surgeon.

Delay your criticism for a season at least.

[JohnDoe80]

Considering I dropped 10+ g's on this, Im nowhere near being out of line. I was EXTREMELY specific with my surgeon and he was extremely clear about the results he could achieve. His failure to even recognize the problem, is out of line. Iv read that quite allot of people have had this "complication" or failure post op, Dr Bermant seems to be addressing almost all of us. How is it that he can quite accurately identify the problem just through a description when a prestigious and extremely expensive surgeon cannot identify it when its RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM.

 IMO nobody forking out these fee's should have to suffer the complete and utter failure and incompetence I have.  Its now only days from being 6 months since my operation, although the gland removal has stopped the pains I was getting, my nipples actually protrude significantly worse than they did before. Given these results, if you were to offer me this surgery free, I wouldn't  take it. I now feel like I paid 10+ g's to have my condition worsened, the only benefit being the chest pains are gone.

[DrBermant]

Considering I dropped 10+ g's on this, Im nowhere near being out of line. I was EXTREMELY specific with my surgeon and he was extremely clear about the results he could achieve. His failure to even recognize the problem, is out of line. Iv read that quite allot of people have had this "complication" or failure post op, Dr Bermant seems to be addressing almost all of us. How is it that he can quite accurately identify the problem just through a description when a prestigious and extremely expensive surgeon cannot identify it when its RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM.

 IMO nobody forking out these fee's should have to suffer the complete and utter failure and incompetence I have.  Its now only days from being 6 months since my operation, although the gland removal has stopped the pains I was getting, my nipples actually protrude significantly worse than they did before. Given these results, if you were to offer me this surgery free, I wouldn't  take it. I now feel like I paid 10+ g's to have my condition worsened, the only benefit being the chest pains are gone.

Surgery is more than just knowing how to operate, it also involves knowing when. When one of my patients has breast tenderness, that is one of the Red Flags that means STOP, do not operate. When breasts are under the stimulation of an unbalanced hormone system, they swell, become tender, and can have discharge. Surgery does not stop breast growth nor recurrence. I have seen so many cases of regrowth after other surgeons' surgery, it is so sad. If the breast was still growing, I have seen patients who ended up with bigger breasts after other surgeons' operations. I have documented such cases on my website.

There can be many such causes for the deformity I named Puffy Nipple Complication, I built a resource describing this issue and demonstrated examples of what I found during revision surgery.

I only offer generalities in forum discussions and prefer to hold off specific identification of issues and options during a consultation or my Preliminary Remote Discussion. If interested in learning more, send me a request by email so I can elaborate on the process and supply resources for help. Jane is my office manager and will be glad to explain how this works.  She can normally be reached at our office by phone Monday - Friday 9-5 Eastern Time at (804) 748-7737.

Hope this helps,

Michael Bermant, M.D.

[JohnDoe80]

3 years post op.

I am aware of how bad these surgeries can go, however, Dr.Randle is an extremely expensive and prestigious surgeon and I would expect better results than those I received. My gyno did not worsen in the years before surgery. While large amounts of gland were removed, the surgery simply made the condition more pronounced, thankfully it has not worsened in the last 3 years.

I stand by all my comments made here and would advise seeking an alternative surgeon.

[hammer]

As a person who has lived a few years I am a firm believer in, the results that one sees on himself may not be the same that everyone else sees!

When I read some of the stories or see the picture that are posted of people complaining about the results, yet all the other posters state that they think it looks fine then I have to think that the problem may be deeper then just gynecomastia.

I'm often brought to the memory of a young 70 pound anorexic girl looking in the mirror seeing nothing but a fat slob!

Just food for thought!

[johndoe70]

It has been over half a decade since my OP with DR Peter Randle, I had some difficulty re-accessing my original account so I am just going to post from this one.

2-3 years ago I got a second opinion from an experienced gyno surgeon, who told me Randle had opted for a less thorough method of removal and left some gland. Unlike Randle's claims: that this would have no aesthetic consequences, it did. The surgeon who gave me a second opinion has said he uses a method that completely removes the gland and that he considers my case to be quite an easy fix. This doctor showed me work he had done on patients in similar circumstances, which I found compelling.

I am hesitant to go back under surgery because most of my insecurity about this condition is gone. However it appears the gland has gained some size in the last few years and is causing me discomfort. I am going to look at several surgeons and make sure I do thorough research this time, the second opinion quoted me with a cost that is half Randles - close to a decade later.

I completely stick by the sentiments in my original posts. For a surgery that was at the higher end of the cost spectrum with Randle: $10,000 AUD - the result is unacceptable and contrary to his claims.

This is not subjective, it is very clear that after the surgery I still had gland causing protrusion interfering with nipple size and chest contour. Was there some improvement from Randle's surgery? Yes. Would it have been different if I went through the public system? Yes, they wanted to make large incisions in my chest. However, Randle did not manage my expectations, he was extremely confident I would never have to have another surgery and the problem would be fixed. It was clear only a few months after surgery that he was wrong.

I would advise anybody thinking about seeing Dr Randle for this surgery to reconsider your options. I am still extremely bitter about the entire thing, but I accept that I should have sought out multiple opinions before settling with a surgeon. Had I done this, I would have received a second opinion from the surgeon who was second on my list. And I would have had something to contrast Randle's methods against. There is little doubt I would have opted for a more complete removal. IMO do not waste your time seeing Dr Randle. There are surgeons at half the cost, who as I understand it, have significantly more experience in this type of procedure, and will leave you with a far superior result.   

[reppinthegyno]

Thank you for sharing this 

It is always important for people considering surgery to ask about their Drs revision policy - it may seen a bit confrontational however if you dont cover yourself, they definitely wont - all their paper work is to cover themselves.

Unfortunately Australia has a very small choice in Drs who have enough experience at gyno removal (I have done plenty research), and seeing that yours was over 10 yrs ago, im pretty sure the options where much limited than today. 

As for the previous comments, you are not out of line. You are the patient, you are the customer hence the primary concern - if you discussed your ideal outcomes with the Dr and they have not been met you have every right to bring this up and warn other potential patients.

I wish you nothing but the best in finding a new Dr for the correction surgery.