Plastic Surgeon in Greater Seattle/Tacoma area
Oh man, the results from the spiral thigh lift look amazing, but I admit it's also kind of scary. I just can't imagine what the recovery of that procedure would be like. He's more expensive than Dry and Egrari? Yikes! Factor in hotel costs and just...yikes!
I'm still very attracted to the idea of going to Dr. Sauceda and getting the 12 days of nurse care. I've seen enough pics and read enough reviews to be confident in his abilities. My only concern is being in Monterrey considering the cartel violence. I know that several OHers have gone to Monterrey with nary an incident, though. I don't want to sound like I'm fear-mongering, as I love Mexico.
Thanks again for sharing all your research. It's much appreciated. :)
I'm still very attracted to the idea of going to Dr. Sauceda and getting the 12 days of nurse care. I've seen enough pics and read enough reviews to be confident in his abilities. My only concern is being in Monterrey considering the cartel violence. I know that several OHers have gone to Monterrey with nary an incident, though. I don't want to sound like I'm fear-mongering, as I love Mexico.
Thanks again for sharing all your research. It's much appreciated. :)
Monterrey was very safe when I was there. You are in the hospital district (very nice area of town). Most of the violence is out of the city, but reported as Monterrey as it's the 3rd largest city in Mexico. There was a bombing at a casino, but it wasn't in the hospital district a month ago or so.
I can't say enough about Dr Sauceda. I think he did a great job. Mine was all self pay as none of my body parts was bad enough for Kaiser to do anything. I wanted one surgery and one recovery period. Although, I'll be going back for a UBL, didn't think I'd need it, can't see my back... but now the little cute tops, roll in the back and look yucky with the loose skin. I had an LBL, BL, arms and medial thigh lift and a full face & neck lift for under $20k. I also wanted the 24/7 care in the clinic and not being sent home the day of surgery with a pain pump. At 58, I wanted to be taken care of and I was. I was in the clinic for 7 days and 7 days at the Hampton Inn, with Dr Sauceda and his nurse Patti coming by daily to take care of my shower, getting me back in my garment, and checking up to see how I was doing. I also had his cell phone number.
I can't say enough about Dr Sauceda. I think he did a great job. Mine was all self pay as none of my body parts was bad enough for Kaiser to do anything. I wanted one surgery and one recovery period. Although, I'll be going back for a UBL, didn't think I'd need it, can't see my back... but now the little cute tops, roll in the back and look yucky with the loose skin. I had an LBL, BL, arms and medial thigh lift and a full face & neck lift for under $20k. I also wanted the 24/7 care in the clinic and not being sent home the day of surgery with a pain pump. At 58, I wanted to be taken care of and I was. I was in the clinic for 7 days and 7 days at the Hampton Inn, with Dr Sauceda and his nurse Patti coming by daily to take care of my shower, getting me back in my garment, and checking up to see how I was doing. I also had his cell phone number.
Chris
HW/225 - 5'1" ~ SW/205/after surgery 215 ~ CW/145~ BMI-25.8~Normal BMI 132 ~DS Dr Rabkin 4/17/08
Plastics in Monterrey - See Group on OH Dr Sauceda Jan 13, 2011
LBL, BL, small thigh lift, arms & a full facelift on 1/17/11 UBL 1/21/13
Love my Body by Sauceda
So for those who like to read the ramblings on of an obsessive researcher... We made our plastic surgery decision tonight. Thought I'd post an update on the who and the why.
I'd been looking at the web site of Dr. Mary Lee Peters and noticed last week that they were running a free consultation for readers on RealSelf. I'm nearly consulted out but since it's a few blocks from work I figured why not. I think of women surgeons as detailed and focused. Plus she's got her own female body and would be likely to empathize with what I like and don't like about mine. I didn't realize until I got there that she's in a larger practice with several doctors I'd also read about. I'd read as many interviews on her as I could and got the impression her patients really liked her.
After my appointment? I thought she was great. She was confident but not arrogant and spent a lot of time with me. We talked over each area of my body and her thoughts on what we could do. She took a lot of pictures and she walked me through her before and afters. She pointed out where she's changed how she does things over time - like incision location in the back. She showed how some of the women were like me and what they were able to change. She also pointed out when she respected the patient's wishes even if she'd have chosen to do things differently. For example, pictures of when she did just a vertical incision on a breast lift when she felt a full anchor would have been better but respected the patient's wish for fewer scars. I also noticed that she seemed very in tune with weight loss patients and happy for their transformations. She's quiet and respectful and just really easy to talk to.
She asked me if I wanted to try on implants and I thought it was smart that she also brought a shirt to put on over the bra. She said she didn't think you could really tell just by looking at a bra. I really liked that she had opinions about which profile and size but was most interested in me deciding what would be best for me in terms of size, working well with exercise, etc. She didn't want me to feel rushed and said we'd spend more time working it through when I came in for the pre-op.
Unlike Dr. Sauceda she can't do it all in one operation. But she can do LBL, breast lift and aug and extensive lipo of my thighs especially around my knees. She felt with all the changes the LBL would bring, if she added lipo to slim down the lower areas of my thighs might decide that a later smaller thigh lift would be good enough. I already know that would be covered by my insurance because I have a long documented history of hydradenitis and had already seen a reconstructive plastic surgeon. I still think I'll need a big (and self-pay) thigh lift but I really liked the idea of doing everything else first and waiting to see. She could do a brazilian butt lift at the same time with the lipo'd fat. But that added $4,500 to the price and I'm just not a big butt girl. I'd rather save the money and see how it turns out. I can add that with thighs and/or arms.
I put together a big list of Dr. Sauceda and Dr. Peters pros and cons for my husband (I'll cut and paste below if you, dear reader, want to suffer with even more detail). We had date night tonight and he looked them all over and then said to him it was a no brainer - I should go with Dr. Peters. That's how I was feeling too so I'm going to call on Monday and take a look at the schedule for just before Thanksgiving. It's either that and it's a little easier to take time off, or I wait until January.
It wasn't an easy decision, I know I'd be in great hands with Dr. Sauceda but with two little boys I really just don't want to be gone for two weeks. If I decide to do thighs, arms and/or neck I'll definitely consider him since it would only be a week long. I survived the 4 days in Mexico for my sleeve but the last 24 hours were waiting agony, even each minute on the plane home ticked by slowly. I just hate being away from them for more than a couple days.
Oh, and Dr. Peter's prices were much more in line with what I can afford than Dr. Egrari or Dr. Dry. Dr. Egrari was $28,700 for LBL and breasts. Dr. Peters was $19,500 and that also included gap insurance should there be any complications that require hospitalization in the first 30 days. (I wonder if doctors get upset if you post the prices, hmmm).
Anyway, that's the scoop for now at least...
Britt
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Pros and Cons Sheet for my Husband
Dr. Sauceda in Mexico
Cons
-- Breast lift and augmentation. He prefers to do over the muscle but I've been advised by every other doctor that I need dual plane partially under the muscle to look natural and prevent sagging. He may decide to go over the muscle during the surgery. A few patients were unhappy either with a surprise over the muscle procedure or breasts that they felt were too large.
-- Tummy tuck. He's not sure he can do muscular repair for tummy because of my hernia surgery. May just do skin removal.
-- He does great incision lines. But his stitches are on the outside. They have to be removed and may make a larger scar. No one in the U.S. does it that way.
-- Two weeks in Mexico. I am really worried about being away from the boys this long. A week I could do but two seems really difficult. Might need you guys to come down to Mexico for the second week ($500/flight).
-- A few patients have commented that he doesn't do the lifts (tummy, arms, thighs) tight enough. It sounds like he tends to be less aggressive because people go home after two weeks.
Pros
-- Might be able to do all procedures at once (although that's not been advised by any other doctor). I've only found one other patient who did it all with the full thigh lift. I read earlier posts (2008/2009) from Dr. S's patients who chose to break the surgeries up. I probably wouldn't decide until I'm actually there and have the consultation and surgery plan. I'd probably feel most comfortable going with lower body, arms, breasts and neck then thighs in a second trip.
-- His patients love him.
-- Get an epidural instead of general anesthetic. I really liked this with the sleeve.
-- Daily nursing care for two weeks. 1 or more nights in the hospital. Can really focus just on recovery. Can probably work remotely since I won't have anything else to do.
-- Cheapest option.
Dr. Peters
Pros
-- Proposed a method for breast lift that would remove side skin and help with lower body too. I think she does really nice breast work. I actually liked what I saw on her site more than Dr. Egrari's or Dr. Dry's.
-- Will do aggressive lipo of knees and thighs so I'd see improvement even if it's several months or more before I do a thigh lift.
-- Wants to be creative about leg lift, possibly without long scar.
-- No external stitches. She does really nice incisions.
-- Could have surgery sooner than if I go to Mexico.
-- Don't have to travel. Could recover at my mom's for a couple days but still get to be with you guys and miss less work. Can see the doctor for long-term follow ups.
-- She doesn't do the epidural but she does do a pain pump which should help considerably.
-- Care insurance included. If there are complications our insurance won't cover (they generally won't) this gap insurance will cover it. If she didn't have good stats then no insurance company would cover this with her. And no other doctor I saw offered it.
-- Felt very comfortable with her. Liked her plan. She's very flexible (size of implants, etc.)
Cons
-- Costs more
-- Two procedures
-- Have to go home same day.
-- Don't have quite the same reputation as the Eastside doc but that may be because she doesn't do all the promotion ("best of" magazine stuff, etc.) that they do or the big conference talks, etc. Her reviews were certainly good.
I'd been looking at the web site of Dr. Mary Lee Peters and noticed last week that they were running a free consultation for readers on RealSelf. I'm nearly consulted out but since it's a few blocks from work I figured why not. I think of women surgeons as detailed and focused. Plus she's got her own female body and would be likely to empathize with what I like and don't like about mine. I didn't realize until I got there that she's in a larger practice with several doctors I'd also read about. I'd read as many interviews on her as I could and got the impression her patients really liked her.
After my appointment? I thought she was great. She was confident but not arrogant and spent a lot of time with me. We talked over each area of my body and her thoughts on what we could do. She took a lot of pictures and she walked me through her before and afters. She pointed out where she's changed how she does things over time - like incision location in the back. She showed how some of the women were like me and what they were able to change. She also pointed out when she respected the patient's wishes even if she'd have chosen to do things differently. For example, pictures of when she did just a vertical incision on a breast lift when she felt a full anchor would have been better but respected the patient's wish for fewer scars. I also noticed that she seemed very in tune with weight loss patients and happy for their transformations. She's quiet and respectful and just really easy to talk to.
She asked me if I wanted to try on implants and I thought it was smart that she also brought a shirt to put on over the bra. She said she didn't think you could really tell just by looking at a bra. I really liked that she had opinions about which profile and size but was most interested in me deciding what would be best for me in terms of size, working well with exercise, etc. She didn't want me to feel rushed and said we'd spend more time working it through when I came in for the pre-op.
Unlike Dr. Sauceda she can't do it all in one operation. But she can do LBL, breast lift and aug and extensive lipo of my thighs especially around my knees. She felt with all the changes the LBL would bring, if she added lipo to slim down the lower areas of my thighs might decide that a later smaller thigh lift would be good enough. I already know that would be covered by my insurance because I have a long documented history of hydradenitis and had already seen a reconstructive plastic surgeon. I still think I'll need a big (and self-pay) thigh lift but I really liked the idea of doing everything else first and waiting to see. She could do a brazilian butt lift at the same time with the lipo'd fat. But that added $4,500 to the price and I'm just not a big butt girl. I'd rather save the money and see how it turns out. I can add that with thighs and/or arms.
I put together a big list of Dr. Sauceda and Dr. Peters pros and cons for my husband (I'll cut and paste below if you, dear reader, want to suffer with even more detail). We had date night tonight and he looked them all over and then said to him it was a no brainer - I should go with Dr. Peters. That's how I was feeling too so I'm going to call on Monday and take a look at the schedule for just before Thanksgiving. It's either that and it's a little easier to take time off, or I wait until January.
It wasn't an easy decision, I know I'd be in great hands with Dr. Sauceda but with two little boys I really just don't want to be gone for two weeks. If I decide to do thighs, arms and/or neck I'll definitely consider him since it would only be a week long. I survived the 4 days in Mexico for my sleeve but the last 24 hours were waiting agony, even each minute on the plane home ticked by slowly. I just hate being away from them for more than a couple days.
Oh, and Dr. Peter's prices were much more in line with what I can afford than Dr. Egrari or Dr. Dry. Dr. Egrari was $28,700 for LBL and breasts. Dr. Peters was $19,500 and that also included gap insurance should there be any complications that require hospitalization in the first 30 days. (I wonder if doctors get upset if you post the prices, hmmm).
Anyway, that's the scoop for now at least...
Britt
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Pros and Cons Sheet for my Husband
Dr. Sauceda in Mexico
Cons
-- Breast lift and augmentation. He prefers to do over the muscle but I've been advised by every other doctor that I need dual plane partially under the muscle to look natural and prevent sagging. He may decide to go over the muscle during the surgery. A few patients were unhappy either with a surprise over the muscle procedure or breasts that they felt were too large.
-- Tummy tuck. He's not sure he can do muscular repair for tummy because of my hernia surgery. May just do skin removal.
-- He does great incision lines. But his stitches are on the outside. They have to be removed and may make a larger scar. No one in the U.S. does it that way.
-- Two weeks in Mexico. I am really worried about being away from the boys this long. A week I could do but two seems really difficult. Might need you guys to come down to Mexico for the second week ($500/flight).
-- A few patients have commented that he doesn't do the lifts (tummy, arms, thighs) tight enough. It sounds like he tends to be less aggressive because people go home after two weeks.
Pros
-- Might be able to do all procedures at once (although that's not been advised by any other doctor). I've only found one other patient who did it all with the full thigh lift. I read earlier posts (2008/2009) from Dr. S's patients who chose to break the surgeries up. I probably wouldn't decide until I'm actually there and have the consultation and surgery plan. I'd probably feel most comfortable going with lower body, arms, breasts and neck then thighs in a second trip.
-- His patients love him.
-- Get an epidural instead of general anesthetic. I really liked this with the sleeve.
-- Daily nursing care for two weeks. 1 or more nights in the hospital. Can really focus just on recovery. Can probably work remotely since I won't have anything else to do.
-- Cheapest option.
Dr. Peters
Pros
-- Proposed a method for breast lift that would remove side skin and help with lower body too. I think she does really nice breast work. I actually liked what I saw on her site more than Dr. Egrari's or Dr. Dry's.
-- Will do aggressive lipo of knees and thighs so I'd see improvement even if it's several months or more before I do a thigh lift.
-- Wants to be creative about leg lift, possibly without long scar.
-- No external stitches. She does really nice incisions.
-- Could have surgery sooner than if I go to Mexico.
-- Don't have to travel. Could recover at my mom's for a couple days but still get to be with you guys and miss less work. Can see the doctor for long-term follow ups.
-- She doesn't do the epidural but she does do a pain pump which should help considerably.
-- Care insurance included. If there are complications our insurance won't cover (they generally won't) this gap insurance will cover it. If she didn't have good stats then no insurance company would cover this with her. And no other doctor I saw offered it.
-- Felt very comfortable with her. Liked her plan. She's very flexible (size of implants, etc.)
Cons
-- Costs more
-- Two procedures
-- Have to go home same day.
-- Don't have quite the same reputation as the Eastside doc but that may be because she doesn't do all the promotion ("best of" magazine stuff, etc.) that they do or the big conference talks, etc. Her reviews were certainly good.
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