Help! Advice needed choosing a surgeon.. and why the same 2 names appearing?

[unclear]

Hi, I'm a new forum member, though I've read many of the posts here.
I'm keen to resolve my relatively moderate gyno case as soon as possible, but am unsure as to a few things.  Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

What makes Levick and Karidis so popular here?  Is it simply the consistency of success rates?  And if so, does this mean that the scores of other surgeons that carry out this operation in the UK are potentially more likely to make a mistake?
What would a "mistake" consist of?  Not removing enough fat/glandular tissue?  What else could go wrong?
Is this not a fairly standard, routine operation that any professional surgeon is likely to be able to carry out without problems?

I've had consultations with Harley who quoted over £4000, so that's a no no as if I'm going to pay that amount of money then I'd go for Karidis or Levick purely based on his popularity on this forum..!!??!

Transform have quoted me their standard £2670 - a far more reasonable price, and what I'd rather be paying for this type of operation.
The suggested surgeon was Bassem Nathan, who has no mention on these forums at all.  Despite his website being crap, there are a few reports online from women that have had successful operations with him, and he strangely claims to have done this gyno operation on two of his sons!!  He also claims to have performed this same operation hundreds of times during his career.
Transform seem OK, but strangely not very highly recommended on here for some reason.  I think there was one post on here where someone went with Transform and were very happy with the results...?

Levick - Seeing him next week.  I don't mind travelling the extra distance from London (I have family not too far from Brum anyway) and is perhaps the best compromise as he comes highly recommended on here, and seems to be £500 or so cheaper than the much acclaimed Karidis.

Sorry for the bombardment of questions, but essentially I'm trying to figure out WHY Karidis and Levick seem so much more popular than anyone else on these forums, and why the other lesser known surgeons are so "bad", or are potentially likely to do that much worse of a job..?
I hope this makes sense.  £4300 is a hell of a lot of money, £2670 doesn't sound quite so bad..
The more research I do into this, the more confused I'm getting..

Finally, I'm happy to post before and after pics if people are interested.
Thanks.   

[shaker]

Rule that i followed was rather simple :

1. Get my family doctor to confirm i had gyne (hard to miss seriously ).
2. Get him to send me to local surgeon .
3. Checking reviews of local surgeon meeting the surgeon as well. Analyzing what he said... asking how many such operations they perform each year and if they heard of new techniques (that was a dealbreaker as i asked if he was going to use PAL or other latest techniques for lipo he said they dont have such new techniques. 

And above all.. ask yourself one question : Is it worth taking risk when it comes to your chest's well being ? When i have to dish out lots of money here is what i do : I split it into long term investment , say my surgery cost me 6K , how long would it last ? Well pretty much forever or lets assume max 6 years.. Do the math now investing on something for 6 years  = 1K per year investment.. break it down further comes down to about $3 a day maximum for next 6 years ! Now think about how much money you spend on yourself a day ? Seriously you think $3 a day extra will not be worth it ?

So its upto you go with a surgeon that you feel comfortable with or has proven track record.. even experienced surgeons can go wrong but is it better to be safe than sorry ?

[PatrickS]

Just go with Levic or Karidis, no questions askes. I just had surgery with Levick and im extremely happy

[chopper]

I havent done much research into the different surgeons, i thought if i join a forum where people are passionate about the stuff then i might be able to save myself a bunch of the leg work because these folks will be on the pulse of which surgeons regularly produce good results.
it made me eyes water when i realised it was over 4K, i was honestly hoping it would be around 2K. i've realised i can get the job done abroad cheaper, or even in the UK for considerably cheaper than 4K, but like Shaker said above, it's something you have to live with for 30 - 40+ years, so in the grand scheme of things i've made peace with the 4K price and just accepted it's an investment in myself and the benefits are worth it. I would be gutted if i spent 2K and looked back in a couple of years at other folks who had photos of much better results than I did. I realise that might not be the case, but for the sake of an extra 2K i'm not prepared to find out, i'll pay my money and take my chance

[ad21]

mate you will pay 4.3k with karidis! But the guys a pro at doing this op!  He does half a dozen of theese a week!  Also he is the go to guy for celebs!  He has done work on Jodie marsh and Kerry katona!

Sure you could pay 2600 with transform but they are likey just to do lipo only! With gyne you need the gland removed too!

Put it this way 4.3k over 5 years is nothing and your guranteed great results with karidis.... I think a proven track record speaks more than price and he can charge this much cos he knows guys will pay!

[thetodd]

As far as im concerned never touch a company like Transform, they would quote you their lowest price and then in the consultation when you see a nurse not the surgeon they just find ways to charge you the £4k+. Theres no way they can cut the costs in half its just a scam you can bet they havent had many "standard cases". The danger with not having a fixed price like Levick/Karidis is that its open for abuse and they may end up costing you more than karidis!


Go with who you fancy, Levick has had some good cases and latley i havent seen anything bad recentley. Its down to you! I can only personally reccomend Karidis from my experience because i havent had work done by Levick.

[somedude999]

As far as im concerned never touch a company like Transform, they would quote you their lowest price and then in the consultation when you see a nurse not the surgeon they just find ways to charge you the £4k+. Theres no way they can cut the costs in half its just a scam you can bet they havent had many "standard cases". The danger with not having a fixed price like Levick/Karidis is that its open for abuse and they may end up costing you more than karidis!

This is exactly what happens with transform. I looked into it. They quote £2500 odd and that is for lipo only, then they say lipo and excision can be between £3500 - £5000 depending on how bad the case is.

[unclear]

Many thanks for all the comments and advice.  It's very much appreciated.
I've now seen Levick and I'm finally 100% clear that he is the right choice.
I'm going to book in with him as soon as possible.

Thanks once again.

[unclear]

Quick update - I'm just over a week post-op with Mr. Levick, and am very happy with the immediate result.
I underestimated the pain of recovery a little though - it knocks you for 6 a bit, and the bandages and vest are rather uncomfortable, along with only being able to sleep on your back.  Oh well, all short term issues.

So once again, thanks for the help and advice from the people of this forum.

[somedude999]

Quick update - I'm just over a week post-op with Mr. Levick, and am very happy with the immediate result.
I underestimated the pain of recovery a little though - it knocks you for 6 a bit, and the bandages and vest are rather uncomfortable, along with only being able to sleep on your back.  Oh well, all short term issues.

So once again, thanks for the help and advice from the people of this forum.

Thats great news mate, well done. Got my op with levick in 12 days so really pleased to hear that its gone well.

[jojo82]

Basically because those two surgeons have a presence on this one particular site. Do your homework before you choose your surgeon. That means pounding the pavement, calling around, visiting doctors, asking questions, etc. This website is a tool, not the only tool. These two surgeons are not the only game in town.