Posts Tagged plastic surgeon
Reader – “Help Dr D, My Plastic Surgeon is an ahole!”
Posted by admin in Dr D's Truth on February 1, 2013
Reader Question:
I know you can’t fix this but can you help me cope? My plastic surgeon is an ahole. He has no time for me now that he has operated. He just ignores my concerns. I look OK but I want to do what I can to get the best result possible. He doesn’t care about me.
I am in Orange County. I so wish I knew you before I let this toad touch me! He is a short arrogant little twit though in Laguna Hills. I don’t regret my plastic surgery just my choice of a plastic surgeon.
I frequently remind people to choose carefully when they are in the market for a plastic surgeon. Once surgery has been performed it is hard to switch. Many docs will not accept patients who present liability challenges from the onset. This includes fresh post-ops and people who look like they might sue someone.
The first thing is to try to deal with the surgeon you have. Try to get through to him. How was he when you first met? Docs who never have time for their patients before surgery frequently don’t afterward.
Maybe you can develop a relationship with a contact person in the office and get what you need from that person? Otherwise you can try to call around and find another local surgeon who can help you. Try to choose better this time.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
P.S. I think I know who you might be writing about, but I can’t put his name here for obvious reasons.
Originally posted 2011-03-17 07:30:34.
The Plastic Surgeon versus Cosmetic Surgeon Turf War
Posted by admin in Dr D's Truth on January 30, 2013
Most patients are comfortably oblivious to the wide open nature of cosmetic surgery and the doctors who perform it. There are no laws against doctors of any level or type of training in cosmetic surgery opening their private clinics to the masses and performing surgery. The question of what training is really needed to entitle a doctor to perform this kind of surgery is hotly argued in many cases by the same doctors who wish to garner your business.
Board certification often comes into play. The problem is that there are many boards and relatively little oversight. I have been criticized by those representing cosmetic doctors for my lack of respect for their prowess. It is often hard to respect a doctor with little if any verifiable training who purports to be my equal. Unfortunately for consumers their experiences often can be subject to trial and error as they wade through the marketplace.
My point of contention is and has been that doctors who have not completed residency training and have not been certified by verified ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialists) boards that include cosmetic work in their residencies are not good bets for their patients. Inspection of your prospective surgeon regarding qualifications before surgery is an absolute must if you want to maximize your potential for a good outcome. News stories that have run recently have reinforced this point a great deal.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Related:
Credentials in Plastic Surgery
Originally posted 2011-01-07 07:30:03.
Patient Comment – A Plastic Surgeon in Orange County For Skin Cancer – Who Knew?
Posted by admin in Dr D's Patients on October 30, 2012
Patient Comment:
I am so thankful that you were able to remove and repair my skin cancer. I didn’t know that a plastic surgeon would do this for me and Medicare would pay. Thank you. It really looks better and better every week. You are great! I really think you should blog on this as I am not sure people know that plastic surgeons are willing to help with skin cancer. Why would I ever go to a dermatologist for this again?
Thanks for the kind words.
I have been taking care of skin cancer for years and am a regular Medicare (not Medicare HMO) provider. I guess not many people know that they can often have skin cancer removed and repaired by plastic surgeons to minimize the appearance of the event. Repair of disfigurement might also be covered but it varies by insurer.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Originally posted 2010-12-07 07:30:20.
Reader Question: Plastic Surgeon Recommendation in the OC
Posted by admin in Dr D's Truth on October 4, 2012
Do you know a good plastic surgeon for me in the OC?
I wonder if I am spending too much time blogging when I get asked a question like this one….but seriously do you expect me to recommend someone else in my practice’s backyard?
I practice in San Clemente and Orange. 
In all seriousness, the answer to your question really depends upon what exactly you are looking to have done. I specialize on breast and body work although I also do “skin” work and some facial cosmetic surgery as well. No one “specializes” in everything. You need to do your homework to find the best for your area of choice and budget of course.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Originally posted 2011-06-06 07:30:19.
Reader Question – Best Price for Liposuction in Orange County
Posted by admin in Dr D's Truth on October 4, 2012
Im looking for a practice that can offer me the best price for liposuction. There is a very small area just below my belly button I would like to have done. What would be a rough estimate for that procedure?
I get e-mail like this now and again. When you go about looking to go on the cheap for liposuction, you are going to find your way to a non-plastic surgeon for it. There are many other types of doctors who perform liposuction and the non-plastic surgeons have lower overhead. I am not saying I would recommend it or that they are very good at it, but they are cheaper.
Just be aware of what you are seeking because you just might find it…and end up in a bad place because of it.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
an Orange County Plastic Surgeon
P.S. By the way, when you receive a price on an operation without being examined first, that is a red flag too.
Originally posted 2011-03-10 07:30:08.
Why Dr D Dropped Saddleback Memorial Hospital
Posted by admin in Dr D's Truth on May 17, 2012
Those of you who know me know that I practice both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and have done so for years. For about a decade I have maintained an office and a relationship with the hospital in San Clemente, now a Memorial hospital. Part of that relationship has been covering their emergency room and repairing what I believed to be my fair share of wounds in that environment. The hospital has had a mandatory call policy for plastics and a few other surgical specialties such as orthopedics and ENT. The hospital had not paid for this privilege or at least had not disclosed that they had.
Several things have changed in the last few years:
(1) Memorial bought the hospital. Their administration has a poor relationship with the majority of the medical staff to say the least.
(2) I moved to Long Beach, fifty miles away.
(3) I became aware that “under the table,” the hospital had been paying orthopedics to take call from 15 minutes away. (The two pods live closer to the hospital than I do.)
(4) A staff member from ENT was released from call after he made a request a few years ago.
So I made a request to be released from call and was told….if you want to keep privileges at the hospital you will take emergency room call. I informed the ever so considerate (note: sarcasm) medical staff that I would be dropping their hospital effective January 1 2011. Taking call from fifty miles away for free is BS, no matter how you slice it.
My belief is and has been that doctors accept way too much bull and rarely if ever do anything about it. Time to put my money where my mouth is. I will still maintain my San Clemente office, but not see patients at the hospital. If you are a physician considering privileges at this hospital, don’t expect them to be either forthright or honest. If you are looking to see Dr D, don’t go to Saddleback to do it.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Originally posted 2011-01-05 07:30:48.
Breast Reduction in Orange County : Current Status
Posted by admin in breast reduction, Dr D's Truth on September 20, 2011
Breast reduction is misunderstood online. The operation is defined as the reduction and lifting of breasts. This is not the same as removing or reducing the size of breast implants in a woman’s breasts. That is called an implant exchange.
Implants are not usually involved especially when an insurance company is scheduled to pay for it with the possible exception of surgery to reconstruct a woman’s breasts after breast cancer surgery.
It is difficult enough to get most insurers to pay for “clear cut” medically-necessary plastic surgery. Breast reduction surgery is the reduction of naturally enlarged breasts and that is all.
Breast reduction used to be one of the more common insurance-covered procedures in my Orange County plastic surgery practice. With the economy as of late, insurers are not always so quick to approve them, but for the right patient they are still do-able.
Usually we see our patients for a consultation and then apply to their insurers for pre-approval if the cases seems reasonable by insurance company standards. We don’t make the rules on approval, but we do know the game. Appeals are not uncommon.
These days insurers are looking for a certain amount of breast gland to be removed in a certain sized woman in order to allow coverage. In addition they like to see documentation of things like bra strap furrows, the “dents” some larger breasted women get in their shoulders from breasts weighing against them over the day. Insurance pre-approval usually covers surgery for a 90 day period. The exact nature of that coverage varies by the plan.
Insurers don’t tend to like claims is which liposuction has been involved. This can trigger denials on cosmetic grounds at the time of billing. In cases of breast implants in larger breasts, we have staged the surgery to avoid insurance denial. That means taking the implants out in one operation and waiting several months to a year before re-operating for breast reduction. It might sound silly, but again we don’t make the insurer’s rules regarding payment.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Dr D’s Wife’s Tummy Tuck – Video #4 – 4 Days After Surgery
Posted by admin in Dr D's Patients, Dr D's Truth, tummy tuck pre-op tutorial on September 5, 2011
4 days out from her Tummy Tuck, Kim continues to do well. She talks about her pain control, slowly increasing mobility and state of living in the days following surgery. She made it down the stairs which seemed like a long journey, but hasn’t yet left the house. A shower would be nice.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Dr D’s Wipeout Season 3 Episode 10
Posted by admin in Dr D on Wipeout on August 30, 2011
Dr D is on starting at 6:37 getting motivated off the Big Balls covered in mud. Is that a way to treat your plastic surgeon?
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
P.S. I was not the man boob contestant’s surgeon.
Originally posted 2010-07-28 10:00:25.
Dr D’s Wife’s Tummy Tuck – Video #3 – 2 Days After Surgery
Posted by admin in Dr D's Patients, Dr D's Truth, tummy tuck pre-op tutorial on August 29, 2011
2 days out from her Tummy Tuck, Kim is doing well. She talks about her pain control, drains and state of living in the days following surgery. She is getting ready to maybe leave the bedroom for a trip to the kitchen, but not anywhere near ready to leave the house yet. We demonstrate how she empties her drain bulbs to remove the fluids that would otherwise accumulate in the wound and potentially ruin the outcome.
Best Regards,
John Di Saia MD
Dr D – Your Orange County Surgeon
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