I got breast implants from a well known doctor, but now that I am having problems he doesn’t want to see me. Do I try to go to another doctor? When I call other doc offices for an appointment, they tell me to go back to the doctor who doesn’t care. What do I do?

Perhaps the only time you really know you have chosen the right doctor is when things are not going well. Many doctors who perform cosmetic work are not so great about after care and patients who are not happy are the hardest to resolve after surgery. Some docs therefore delegate this duty to others in their offices. If your doc handles a bad situation like this personally, he is really good. It doesn’t sound like you are in that position unfortunately.

You are best served by making it work with your current surgeon as he knows the most about your case. Try to sit down and in a very non-accusatory fashion lay out what you see as wrong with your result. If you can’t get to a reasonable place with your original surgeon, you will have to try to get a second opinion. As you have surmised, may docs may not want to be that second opinion doctor.

Having seen “problem cases” originally operated elsewhere over the years, I can understand why others docs may be hesitant to get involved. Most outside docs feel like the problems of other docs should be fixed by those other docs. Secondary surgery can be harder or relate to things that cannot be fixed. There is also the possibility that second opinion patients might be looking to get legal with their original surgeon. Any doctor may worry about getting involved in that. Time is money.

I do hope you are able to get the problem fixed to your satisfaction.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Originally posted 2011-08-04 07:30:57.