Dr in Philly area

I'm looking for a plastic surgeon in the Philly area to do a LBL and thigh lift. My Dr recommended Dr Ran Stark but I cannot find much info on him as he is new to the area. Has anyone heard of him or used him? I am also researching Dr Michaels in the DC area and Dr Capella in north Jersey. Any input on those Drs would also help. It's frustrating trying to find who is best in the area. All suggestions welcome!

I live in Connecticut (30 min from New York border) and without a doubt I will travel to D.C. to Dr. Michaels when the time comes. There are four women on here who have used him with phenomenal results! I am sure they will be here soon. One of them had her arms done and you can not even see the scar. Amazing! He also operated on the 980 pound man on the TV show my 600lb life. Google him and find him on Instagram. His specialty is WLS patients.

Thank you so much for your input. That is saying something to travel from out of state. I travel in an RV during the winter months and have limited internet power. In the summer I live in south Jersey on a farm in the woods and have satellite internet and have trouble watching anything. Its so frustrating because I can't ever watch utube videos or stream shows. I'll try to do it at a friends when I can. Do you have any input on Dr Capella or any other Dr's? I want to have a consult with at least two of them. I am willing to travel but would like to stay in the North East.

I was impressed with the results the people here shared who used Dr Michaels. Speaks volumes to me.

I also heard Dr. Capella uses a different stitch technique like already mentioned.

To each his own.. not saying one better then the other and you need to feel comfortable.

I've had all of my procedures with Dr. Michaels and could not be more pleased. My breasts are amazing, my abdomen is amazing, my arms and legs rock. My scars are lovely aside from some places I had wound separation on my legs and, well, legs are the most complicated, so if you're doing legs you go into it with the knowledge that you might have some minor complications. That's not Dr. Michaels' fault :)

Thanks for the info. I have a few other question if you don't mind. I have so much loose skin that I feel like I don't know if I need to lose more weight or not. I don't really have a goal weight as much as a size. Currently I am 5'3" and weight 158 and am a size 12. I plan on having the skin removal surgery around May or June if the dr can get me in by then. I could lose maybe 5-10 more and be in a size 10 and would expect to be in an 8 when surgery is complete. I see you are 5'4" so you are slightly taller then me. What weight were you when you had the LBL and thigh reduction? Does what I am saying make sense? Also, how long of a wait did Dr Michaels have from appointment to surgery? He seems to be the busiest in the area. Also, have you heard anything about Dr Capella? Im asking because I was looking at his before and after photos and from the ones I picked that look like my body shape the after photos had awesome results and the "after" thigh photos were better than the ones on Dr Michaels website. I understand that its really hard to tell in photos so personal experience from peers is very helpful.

There really isn't a way to say "I'm a size X now and expect to be a size Y after surgery." First, you'll have a lot of swelling post-op and, second, all bodies are different. You might not change sizes at all once the swelling is gone or you might go down two sizes.

Your best bet is to schedule a consult. You can do this via Skype if you don't want to travel.

I had my initial appointment with Dr. Michaels in February 2017, but I had to schedule my surgeries when they fit into my schedule - I was able to schedule all of my surgeries for exactly the days I wanted.

I was trending at 166.8 the day of my LBL and 156.1 the day of my leg lift. I have not yet reached my ultimate goal weight. I had surgery when I did because it was the best option for my long term life goals, with the knowledge that I might need revision surgeries when I reach my ultimate goal weight. (I wish Dr. Michaels had more thigh results on his website. There are some better pictures on his instagram, though.)

As for Dr. Capella - while I know some people have had great results with Capella, I'm turned off by the use of an assistant and his stitching technique.

I am about 95% thrilled with my legs. I had some wound openings and will likely seek revision for a few places due to those wound openings. The wound openings are a known minor complication with this surgery, as legs have the highest rate of complications. Mine more so, since my leg lift goes 3/4 of the way down my calves as well.

That all makes sense. I don't use Instagram but will have to start. I didn't even know dr's use it. I was reading his website last night and see that I can do the Skype things which is awesome. Thanks for the info!

You're welcome :)

I don't "use" instagram either (i.e., I don't have an account), but you don't actually need one to see the pics he posts.

https://www.instagram.com/drjosephmichaels/

BE WARE - there are graphic pictures of pre-, post-, and during-operation bodies :D

I just had a lower body lift and breast lift with Dr. Michaels. There are pictures on my profile if you friend request me you can see them.