I have had numerous surgeries with Dr. Katzen but other than the tummy tuck with which I had excellent results I cannot recommend him.
I am not a bariatic patient, I lost weight through Jenny Craig but I had the same problems with excess skin.
After the initial surgery which I recovered from with ease, I had a thigh lift which healed but had poor results.
I then had a butt lift and thigh revisions and everything went to hell.
I came open or "dehisced" according to the doctor and have huge open wounds on my right hip, and inner thighs. I have had two skin grafts now and I am furious with Dr. Katzen for the second one. I signed a consent form in which we were supposed to remove the skin from the right rear posterior and get rid of the layer of fat so that I do not look like I have two butts. I then would only have scars under the butt cheeks.
When I woke up from the surgery which began three hours later than scheduled, he had removed the skin from the front of my right thigh. I have two huge patches that are scars that he just says "will fade"
He also did not do the fat removal from the rear, he says that it will happen when we do the 2nd surgery. There was never any mention of another surgery after this one, I chose him because it was to be the last one. After 5 surgeries in two years I want to be done. Instead I am left with the same open wounds and more scars to show for it. I feel as though he is overbooked and the quality of care you could receive two years ago is not what you get now.
Bariatric surgery was the biggest decision I made in my life, I chose weight loss surgery to save my life. Little did I know that was just the beginning. I knew I would need reconstructive surgery but I had no idea the journey ahead. I knew recovery would be difficult, but I would do it a million times over thanks to Dr. Katzen. He gave me the body I’ve wanted since I was 12 years old. His knowledge and sensitivity took away all my fears of reconstructive surgery. Also, he has the most amazing bedside manner of anyone in the world. After every surgery, I awoke to him holding my hand and comforting me saying that I was okay and how surgery was successful. Not only is he an excellent surgeon, he is an excellent human being. He’s kind and sweet, sensitive, good and genuine. Bariatric surgery saved my life, but Dr. Katzen gave me a new life I never thought possible. For this, I am forever grateful to him.
Dr. Katzen is the most extraordinary professional I have ever met. His office staff are just wonderful and extremely helpful. Dr. Katzen is extremely knowledgeable about his profession and he has extensive experience with working on bariatric patients and understands the specific issues that we, as bariatric patients face and the special challenges we present as surgical patients. He has a team of professionals that also have extensive knowledge, compassion and understanding and can address any issues that may arise. I have had several procedures performed by Dr. Katzen over the last 3 years and would not hesitate a minute to have another procedure done by his hands.
He not only is an expert in his field of practice, but he genuinely cares about the safety and well being of his patients. He is very attentive to you, will take as long as you need to explain things and answer questions, and will do everything he can to make your experience as easy and comfortable as possible.
There really aren't enough words to convey how wonderful Dr. Katzen is. He is expertly skilled of course but he is also a very warm, understanding and friendly person. I'm so happy I chose him to be my surgeon. I had a circumferential body lift, hernia repair, medial thigh lift, lipo of calves and mons, arm lift, breast lift with augmentation and a tattoo excision. My scars are fine and continue to fade. I didn't have any complications aside from a seroma in my leg. The improvement in my body is remarkable; I will definitely go back to Dr. Katzen in the future should I decide to do any additional work. I only wish other doctors were half as attentive and compassionate as he is. I am actually somewhat sad that my surgeries are all over and that I won't be seeing him on a regular basis; THAT'S how much I love him!!!
Dr. Katzen is an amazing surgeon. I love that he has a great sense of humor, knows his stuff, but is not cocky. I almost fear he is too kind. :) His office staff has had some serious turnover issues, so if you hit a roadblock or two in the past couple of months, don't give up. The girls that are there now are fantastic and have ironed out kinks to the point that the office is once again a well-oiled machine!
I first met Dr. Katzen at a seminar that OH put on in Anahiem. Two months later I was on the operating table! I felt comfortable with him and he is probably the first doctor besides my bariatric surgeon who did not make me feel like I was sub-standard for being obese or for having been obese.
Dr. Katzen in my book is a miracle worker to me and an artist. If anyone could have predicted that I would have an outcome with the surgeries he has performed on me, I probably would have laughed in their faces.
Dr. Katzen has dramatically changed my life and how I feel about myself. I can now hold my head up with pride about how I feel and know that it was at the hands of Dr. Katzen. I have always felt safe and secure with him. I have always felt that he will not take risks with my body. He is there for you 100% and makes you feel like you are the only person in the world.
Dr. Katzen has been a gift to me!
Dr. Katzen has an incredible bedside manner and he is so polite. My body didn't absorb the stitches very well, and a couple of them were giving me problems. Dr. Katzen was so kind to deal with the problem no matter if it was a sunday at 6 at night, he took care of it. He is a very talented plastic surgeon also :)
Dr. Katzen was extremely kind and supportive. I am delighted with the thigh lift and tummy tuck I had. In addition, he discovered and repaired two hernias. I was very pleased to have a surgeon who could perform both hernia and reconstructive surgeries so that I didn't have to have two separate operations.