Plastic Surgery Testimonials from Satisfied Patients

The Hurwitz Center is known the world over for helping thousands of patients refine the look of their bodies. Every patient receives the highest quality care and emotional support to facilitate a satisfying outcome of his or her procedure. Dr. Hurwitz is the innovator of the total body lift, a procedure used to trim excess skin and fat off patients of major weight loss surgery. Located in Pennsylvania, the Hurwitz Center for Plastic Surgery is a state-of-the-art medical practice affiliated with Magee Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital.

Below are candid stories told by patients about their experience with weight loss surgery and plastic surgery. For more information, contact our Pennsylvania medical center today.*

Jennifer's Story

“While I was going through the loss of weight after my gastric bypass surgery I didn’t think much about all the skin that may be left. Of course, I knew there was a possibility that there will be some skin – I had heard vague stories about people who had to have surgery to remove it. But that may not happen to me – I was working out (lifting weights) religiously three nights a week to keep everything tightened up as I lost weight. Even if there was some excess skin, it didn’t really matter. The important thing was that I would lose a lot of weight, and I would look so much better. And I would certainly be much, much healthier. What more could I want!

Little did I know then, that there would be massive amounts of skin that I would have to deal with at the end of the weight loss period. What I had thought would be the end of my life-long struggle with a large body that would not respond to my many attempts to change it, proved to be the beginning of a whole new, and equally restrictive, problem. Having lost 198 pounds, I found I was not as happy as I thought I would be. My face looked so old – I had jowls and what I referred to as a turkey neck. And my stomach! It hung in a huge fold in front of me – I developed frequent rashes under it, it was so heavy, and in the summer, it made me very hot. I was wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts all summer. I was happy only as long as my clothes covered my body. I had been looking forward to swimming at our swim club but I soon found that that would not be possible. I could just imagine the stares I would get when people saw the immense amount of flesh sagging all up and down my legs and hanging from my arms. I didn’t even want my husband to see me uncovered. Was this why I went through two years of deprivation – so that I would have to go around all covered up? How disappointing! Then, too, I feared the comments from those who felt gastric bypass surgery was wrong, unhealthy, and quackery – they would have physical evidence that the current weight loss ‘fad’ was not what it was made out to be. I had, indeed, exchanged one awful problem for a different, and very grotesque, problem!

It was very hard to pick which part of my body I wanted to do the most. None of it looked good — ‘good’ wasn’t even a word that could be used in the same sentence with my body, my body looked just horrible. Imagine losing almost 200 pounds and still being so terribly ashamed. How could I ever let anyone see my body in its present state?

When I went for my consultation, Dr. Hurwitz took many pictures —that was probably the hardest part. I was so very self-conscious about my body. I didn’t even like having my husband look at me naked and here was a total stranger taking pictures of every inch of me! I got through it, and he didn’t seem to be as shocked as I thought he would be. He was so nice, and I found that I could talk to him. He told me that there was a lot he could do — I could have a whole new body. If I wanted to proceed with the surgery on my stomach, we would certainly try to get insurance coverage, but he explained that I would not be satisfied with just stomach surgery. To make it look right, I would also have to have a lower body lift, which would include my legs and hips. He didn’t like to do one without the other. It just wouldn’t be pleasing to the patient. When I left his office, I felt so hopeful, and I wanted so badly to have the surgery. My husband strongly encouraged me to go ahead with it…It was time for me to think of myself. He didn’t think I would ever feel ‘finished’ without it. In a few days, with a little further encouragement, I called and set a surgery date!

“It’s what enabled me to get off this self-fulfilling cycle of unhealthy eating and yo-yo dieting. Weight loss surgery is often called a tool. How well you learn to use that tool is up to you.*” – Jennifer

For more information about plastic surgery after weight loss surgery, contact our office in Pennsylvania.

Elisa's Story

“One year and four days post-op and I have lost 102 pounds and 66 INCHES!!! I have lost as many inches as I am tall!! I had a consult with my plastic surgeon, Dr. Dennis Hurwitz, about having a tummy tuck around to the back, arm reduction, and breast implants. I am just looking forward to the approximately 20 pounds the tucks will remove. I was kind of discouraged that I weigh 160 but then when you consider the extra skin, it's pretty good. So after the tucks I will be right where I wanted to be. People don't believe me now when they find out what I weigh; they think it's much less. I may eventually go for a thigh lift too because as summer is getting here I am finding I do not want to wear shorts because they are so jiggly! But overall I am very happy with the results and would definitely do it again in a heartbeat!*” – Elisa

Contact our cosmetic surgery office for more information about post-weight loss surgery at our Pennsylvania medical center.

Dana's Story

“In 2001, I had the gastric bypass surgery and lost approximately 265 pounds. I met Dr. Hurwitz a year ago and have had three surgeries: the tummy tuck and lower body lift, a breast reduction and upper body lift, and then the arm reduction, all in a nine to ten month period. I have gone from a size 4X or 32 to a Medium/10-12. The surgeries have not been easy; there have been complications-swellings, infections, etc., but I would gladly do it all over again.*” – Dana

For more information about plastic surgery after weight loss surgery, contact our office in Pennsylvania.

Suzanne's Story

After dieting off 55 pounds and another surgeon performed lipoplasty, 38 year old Suzanne complained about loose lower body skin. She lamented that “I had to tuck my rolls of flab back into my clothes when I got dressed. When I jogged, my excess skin flapped all over”. Since she would not return to sports and exercising at the gym, she was regaining her weight. After an abdominoplasty and lower body lift, Suzanne wears shorts and skirts with confidence. She attends lunch hour aerobics class and works out with a trainer four times a week. She is more physically active and her body is more toned than when she was in her twenties.*" - Suzanne

Contact our cosmetic surgery office for more information about post-weight loss surgery at our Pennsylvania medical center.

Jill's Story

“While fairly well-read /studied on all of these counts, I honestly never thought of myself as a serious candidate for elective surgery: in the end, the overwhelming day-to-day unhappiness with my body – despite a hardcore work-out ethic and small pre-surgery size –overrode what I formerly considered a needless vanity. But the significant scar and tissue from carrying and removing huge fibroids (“nearly the size of a basketball”) was also beginning to erode my self-confidence across the board. I’m told I have a ways to go to full recovery, but I’m already feeling and looking so much better.*” - Jill

For more information about plastic surgery after weight loss surgery, contact our office in Pennsylvania.

Carlene's Story

Like so many of my patients, Carlene’s weight struggles were a lifelong problem for her. At her largest, she tipped the scales at 320 pounds. As soon as she heard about gastric bypass, she decided she had to do it. She followed Carnie Wilson’s saga and expected that she would need plastic surgery afterwards. As a municipal employee, and a divorced mother of a teenage son, Carlene mortgaged her house for twice what she paid and took money out of her retirement fund to finance her surgical reincarnation. The first stage entailed an upper body lift to address her back rolls and waist. That procedure took nine hours. The second operation took 11 hours. It involved a breast reduction, arm lift, and vertical thighplasty, as well as a full facelift. As Carlene says, “I looked at myself in the mirror, and I knew that if I didn’t do my neck too I would be sorry.” After her breast reduction procedure, she told me that it was the first time since puberty that she didn’t have to wear a support bra. She is now a comfortable 38C. Since her gastric bypass surgery, she has lost half her body weight, and has gone through three wardrobes. “In the past, all I ever wore were white running shoes. Now I own 75 pairs of designer shoes.*” says Carlene.

Contact our cosmetic surgery office for more information about post-weight loss surgery at our Pennsylvania medical center.

Jane's Story

“2004 was going to be my year. A year in which I took control of how I wanted to look. I was 55 years old, post menopausal, have dieted and exercised most of my life. I just retired from a profession that I was weighed for the first 14 years of it. So how I looked and felt about myself has always been an issue for me. For the past few years no matter how much I exercised or watched what I ate I could not change my breast and hip size. These two areas have always been a problem for me. With being older the size of my breasts seemed to be heavier and a pain in my back. As far back as I can remember my hips always had fatty deposits sitting on top of them I had thought about and talked about breast reduction but the surgery and the scarring scared me. So at the height of my disgust I called Dr. Hurwitz office to schedule an appointment. At the first meeting we discussed breast reduction and liposuction for my hip area. He agreed that my breasts were very large and a candidate for reduction and my hip area could be greatly helped with the liposuction. We also discussed liposuction in my midriff area, back, and stomach. Because he felt the skin would be loose in the stomach area we decided on a limited abdominoplasty. My surgery was scheduled and to say I was not scared would be a lie. My greatest supporter was my husband. He loved my body just the way it was but knew how unhappy I had been. I was a DD and hoped to become a C. The morning of the surgery Dr. Hurwitz and his team came to my room and proceeded to prepare me for surgery. He drew all over my breasts and the other areas. He then took pictures.

When I awoke in recovery I was glad to be staying overnight. I cannot lie. I was very, very uncomfortable. I had given myself ten days to rest and recover. It was painful to lie down, get up, sleep, and do anything. The pain medication helped as I wanted to sleep and be out of the discomfort. The staff was wonderful assuring me that it all was normal. Dr. Hurwitz explained that with the incisions and the swelling made everything so tight. He said the swelling would go down over the next three months. I really did not believe him. I had the surgery on Monday and by Friday my husband came home from work to find me crying. I felt I had made the biggest mistake of my life.

After five weeks I was permitted to go back to exercising and to play golf. I have to admit at that time I liked how my breasts looked in clothes. I tried jackets and tops on that I had not worn in a few years. It was great. I went to a party and wore a dress without a bra as it had thin straps. It was wonderful. I have to admit the other parts of my body were looking good too and even better in clothes. The best part is that my husband was thrilled. He loves how I look, and so do I. Well it is now eight weeks since the surgery. I can see that the swelling is going down and things do feel better. Imagine that. I love how I feel about myself now and especially not having the discomfort of the large breasts. I thought about the surgery and realize it’s a bit like being pregnant. The pain was terrible while you are going through it but then you forget how bad it was. Your reward is a body that looks better on you.*” - Jane

For more information about plastic surgery after weight loss surgery, contact our office in Pennsylvania.

Henry's Story

“Summers were the worst for me. We lived at the shore and going to the beach was out of the question. I was the only guy on my block who would not be seen without a tee shirt on in August. When I was growing up, cosmetic surgery wasn’t something anyone discussed in my family. I had to wait until I was out on my own to have it done. Making the first consultation was the hardest part. The idea of having to get naked in front of the doctor and his nurse caused me to break out into a cold sweat. But after I got comfortable with Dr. Hurwitz’ staff, the whole thing seemed simple, like why hadn’t I done this sooner. Even the operation was not too bad. I focused on the outcome and the discomfort was minor. People have commented that my personality has totally changed after the surgery. They feel that I am much more open and that my new self-confidence shines through. I know that I am smiling more at people and they are smiling back, and women respond totally different to me. I feel so proud of my accomplishment and glad I had the courage to undertake this surgery. For any of you guys out there who have the same problem as I did, just do it.*” - Henry

Contact our cosmetic surgery office for more information about post-weight loss surgery at our Pennsylvania medical center.

Anne's Story

“Following my breast reduction surgery, I did have a couple of areas along my incisions that did have delayed healing. It took four to six weeks for theses areas to completely heal. As a result, I do have areas where there is thick scarring. Dr. Hurwitz introduced me to his aesthetician Molly who began laser treatments on my scars every three to six weeks. I am using a mixture of Retin A and smoothing gel and applying it to the scars. This mixture makes the top layer of skin slowly peel off, kind of like when you peel after a sun burn. I used the mixture approximately every other day depending whether I had any skin irritation from the cream. I have seen a noticeable difference in the appearance of the scars since starting this program. I have no regrets with having the surgery done and I am very pleased with the results. It has definitely had a positive impact on my life.*”

For more information about plastic surgery after weight loss surgery, contact our office in Pennsylvania.

Cathy's Story

“I was fast approaching 300 pounds when I made the decision to take back charge of my life and I was successful.  Inches and pounds were gone but I still felt like a prisoner in my sagging, hanging body.  I heard about the work that Dr. Hurwitz was doing, did my homework and scheduled a consultation.  I knew the day I first met him that I was in the right place.  Dr. Hurwitz told me “I like what I do and I’m very good at it” and he backed up what he told me with pictures.  I was treated with the utmost respect as he examined, tugged, pulled and photographed me…naked!  Never once was I embarrassed or feel like I was on display.

In November 2003 I had my upper body restored to normalcy followed just four short months later by my lower body.  My results are fantastic and I like the way I look.  People ask, would you do it again?  You bet!  As a matter of fact in December 2004 I returned for a third procedure to lean out my middle section.  It was about comfort, I couldn’t keep my pantyhose up! 

I am now one month out from that surgery and it’s all good.  Not only do my pantyhose stay up but I look great!  An entire lifetime of my “midriff bulge” issue is gone.   Three major surgeries in 13 months meant a huge commitment and took a lot of perseverance but that’s what I needed to do after massive weight loss.  I set a goal over two years ago, kept my focus on the end result and I’m there.  I will always be so very grateful for the part that the good Dr. Hurwitz did to help me get to where I am today.  I am healthy, I feel great and I look fantastic! *“ - Cathy

Contact our cosmetic surgery office for more information about post-weight loss surgery at our Pennsylvania medical center.

“People now find that I am funny and fun to be around. I was before but they just didn’t bother to find out. They say I am beautiful. I was before but they just didn’t look. They say I am happier now. I was happy before, but it’s just so hard to show happiness when people you deal with don’t see or hear you. I always got the feeling from people that I was not worth listening to. People speak to me now who never did before. People are friendlier and nicer. Now I can sit anywhere and I fit into any clothes I like. Yes, I am happier now, because the world around me wants to know me for who I am. I am worth listening to. It makes life so much easier and healthier.*” – Sue

For more information about plastic surgery after weight loss surgery, contact our office in Pennsylvania.

“Once I could shed my trailing IV and tubes, I felt like I was truly on my way. I had made it to the ‘Other Side. I knew that every pound I lost was gone forever. Finally, I had won the weight loss game.*” – Barbara

Contact our cosmetic surgery office for more information about post-weight loss surgery at our Pennsylvania medical center.

“The instructors encouraged me and were a key to my success. Men in the gym recognized me as a human being.*” – Laura

For more information about plastic surgery after weight loss surgery, contact our office in Pennsylvania.

“I lost 150 pounds, and under these clothes I look like a Sharpei puppy. When Dr. Hurwitz asked me what areas I wanted to improve, I didn’t know where to begin!*” – Maria

“Thanks so much for sending me the book “Total Body Lift.” I feel that this is an absolutely spectacular book and one that should be read and not just skimmed through. There is so much material packed in those pages that I think is invaluable for the aspiring body lift surgeon. In fact, after I read it. I passed it on to my associate, Denton Weiss, who is doing a lot of body sculpting techniques now. He looked at the book for a half hour to begin with, and was completely taken with it.

Warmest regards, and keep up your excellent work.*” – James H. Carraway, M.D.