Big Decisions

I had my phone consult with Dr. Michaels in DC last night. No wonder DCgirl loves him... He is very nice and easy to talk to.

It is down to Dr. Capella and Dr. Michaels. I am looking no more, my head is spinning. I have done 5 consults and I have to say, each Doc has their little twists in what they focus on. I don't have the full financial quote from Dr. Michaels though. I have to say both offices seem really great.

One of the things I can't figure out, and when I called back and asked I didn't get a very straight answer... is how Dr. Capella can do his surgery in 1/2 the time of anyone else. Time-wise he quoted 6 hrs for breast lift arm lift, lower body lift, and flanks (Underarms/sides). Yet when I look at his photos they all look good. Dr. Michaels said Dr. Capella was a great surgeon, and I couldn't go wrong with him. What a stand up guy to say that about his competition.

Dr. Michaels grew up on Long Island (where I live), so we had a total bond about 5 minutes into the conversation. LOL. Not making my decision on that, but once a New Yawker... always a New Yawker. :)

Dr. Capella probably uses an assistant/med student trainee.  Ask both doctors that question - exactly who is going to be in the surgery room with them - before you make your final decision.

The only way Capella can do it faster is because he has another doc/resident helping him at the same time.  Which means you have two people on opposite sides cutting and sewing you up. The bonus is that you can get a lot of surgery done in a short period of time.  The drawback is you have two people working on you and that can sometimes lead to not-so-great outcomes.  

However, after seeing Capella's work, I don't think that's something you have to worry about.  But I would agree with the OP who suggested calling and flat-out asking "why" he can do it so much faster.   

Hey there. I had my surgeries done with Dr. Capella - and yes, he does it faster than most. He has a Physician's Assistant, Scott, that has been operating with him for years. The results have been tremendous for me and I appreciated that I didn't have to stay under as long - it also reduces his cost because you aren't in the OR for so long!

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions!

I ended up choosing Dr. Michaels, but I knew Dr. Capella would have been a wonderful choice as well. Choosing between 2 obviously great surgeons wasn't easy.

It's definitely a good "problem" to have!! Good luck!! :)

Both doctors that you are considering have a very good reputation, so I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.  Spending half the time in surgery definitely has its appeal.  But apart from local surgeons, I recommend to check doctors in other cities as well.  I live in South Florida and checked for general surgery jobs Florida, New jersey and other major cities before finalizing the doctor for my daughter's plastic surgery.  Here are 2 helpful links that I used to educate myself for my own family's operation decisions: http://www.americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org/patient-resource s/choosing-a-cosmetic-surgeon/ and http://www.smartbeautyguide.com/select-surgeon/how-to-choose-a-surgeon .