So I FINALLY have a consultation schedule with someone who might be my top surgeon. My insurance will cover (most of) it, and my consult is in a couple of weeks.

The thing is... I've googled the guy and looked on transbucket, and I can't find anything about him as a top surgeon... anywhere. It's not that he's inexperienced at all - he has experience out the (proverbial) wazoo (see here on the UMich website, where I'll have the consult: http://surgery.med.umich.edu/plastic/patient/team/gilmanr.shtml ); I had planned to see Dr. Kuzon, but apparently he doesn't do top surgeries anymore, just Gilman and Wilkins (and I'm scheduled with a consult with Gilman).

I guess my question is... how much does it matter that I'm not seeing like the #1 or #2 surgeon? Have any of you guys been to folks besides Medalie and Garramone and had good results? I know a consultation doesn't obligate me to have the surgery with them, but I guess I'm just looking for input on whether I should already be looking elsewhere if I can't find any documentation about this doctor (Robert Gilman) as a top surgeon anywhere online.

Thoughts?

I went with Dr. Marie Claire Buckley in MN and I have zero complaints about my results. I, too, had an issue finding results of her work and was a little leery at first. I decided to meet with her and, after a lengthy discussion, I ended up booking the surgery.
She listened to my concerns regarding both the placement and size of my nipples and scars. Prior to surgery, I was... uh, maybe a C? Not 100% sure as I bound them constantly and never got 'sized'.

Maybe I lucked out but I doubt all of it was luck. Try and ask a lot of questions during the consultation to get a feel for your surgeon's 'style' and see how pliable he is as far as your preferences go. For example, I very adamantly expressed to Dr. Buckley that I didn't want my nipples to be too large/too close together and I preferred two independent scars (not joined at the middle of the chest). She was very receptive and took several notes.

These are old pictures that were taken about five months after the surgery. I was not on T until a month after the surgery (she didn't find that an issue). I'm about 14 months out now.

I consulted with several local surgeons in the DC/MD/VA area and was open to going to someone non-traditional and not well known. While I did look online for results and experiences, only one of the surgeons I considered was well established so there wasn't a lot there to help make a decision for me with the other two. For me, it came entirely down to two factors:

- Their results on people with similar body types to mine
- How I felt about them during the consult

One had very few results online, but I wasn't crazy about how his nipples turned out. I figured I would consult, see if the results I had seen were representative of what he could do. But at the consult I saw more of the same and decided not to move forward with him.

The other had no results online whatsoever, but I did read someone's account of surgery with him. We had our consult, and while his results were good, I didn't like his personality. Awful bedside manner. I could not imagine calling his guy if I was in pain or having problems.

I also consulted with Dr. Fischer, who is well known and highly regarded. She had a handful of results from people whose bodies were similar to mine, and they looked great. But it was really her personality and the manner of her office staff that sealed the deal. They were all super approachable, pleasant, and patient focused. She was who I went with.

Ultimately - yes, pictures are great and helpful and reading first person accounts of surgical experiences is also good, especially if you're trying to narrow your list, but I think a good bit of the decision should come down to how safe you feel handing over control to this doctor to do what you want. And I think that can't really be assessed until you meet with them. So, inexperienced or not, I think they deserve a fair shot at getting your business.

Thanks to both of you for the great feedback! It's reassuring on both ends, and I'll definitely ask lots of questions. Max, that was actually something I hadn't thought of - people who've not just done top surgery but done it on similar bodies to mine (I'm a pretty big guy all around - I was actually rejected by a surgeon because I'm over their BMI limit ), and for some reason I hadn't even thought to ask about that. Definitely will now, though.

Thanks for sharing!