96 days ago by Heather Morgan
Cory Taylor Clegg's story is like deja vu; like a cookie-cutter pattern of varying experiences that I've heard from so many different patients in so many variations and degrees of severity.
He fed me the same lie that he would make my stomach look more attractive and toned.
Let me tell you that he made me so emaciated looking that I literally would get sick looking at what he had done to me. He hacked my inner thighs, took fat from my pubic bone and even some tissue out of my vagina. Yes, vagina.
This is personal but people need to know.
After my surgery my outer labia would always slant to one side and later when I heard another patient tell me that Coleman took every ounce of tissue 360 degrees from her vagina, leaving her outer labia protruding like an appendige, or in her words, made her look as if she had a small penis, a lightbulb went off in my head and I forced myself to shave and "observe" to see if this was the reason why my outer labia kept going to one side. Sure enough one side was flatter than the other accounting for this peculiar asymmetry. Although he didn't suck tissue dry the way he did with that woman, like I said, varying degrees of severity, yet still the same act of violation and in my opinion symbolic sexual mutilation.
He was supposed to take fat from nowhere near this area, but did it anyways. Wow, fine line between having a big ego and playing God...just because you can?
Another disturbing pattern: he literally yelled at me on the day of my surgery while I was naked in my robe. I passed it off as irritation over my nervous need to reiterate our game plan before the final surgery. Then he completely lit up when he got on his knees before my naked body marking me swiftly, became very "happy", very friendly. He looked almost sheepish and red in the face. I thought this behavior very odd.
People always wonder why his patients don't sue him and why such an unscrupulous person is still practicing. I think most patients are embarrassed and ashamed;defeated. I was either extremely depressed or very angry but when one's physical identity is changed overnight one is completely bogged down with the task of attempting to reverse or fix it.
Secondly, malpractice attorneys generally do not take plastic surgery cases because it's "elective". It's costly for them and not big money generally. This has got to change. Plastic surgery is a booming industry yet poorly regulated, an open invitation for cesspools of frauds and predatory hacks like Coleman.
Thirdly, with plastic surgery lawsuits, other plastic surgeons are generally unwilling to speak out about the doctor even if they know how unscrupulous he or she is. You can't proceed with a lawsuit without an expert witness. This leaves the patient foisted in a helpless, defeated position from the start regardless of whether or not the poor outcome was due to an honest mistake on the part of a surgeon, or a history of gross negligence.
Sydney Coleman knows how the system works and is continuing to inflict his opportunistic modus operandi, albeit in varying degrees of severity, to varying patients, perhaps even sparing a few...why?
A l l b e c a u s e h e c a n.
Those of you considering breast augmentation with lipostructure please, um, don't. In 2007 the ASPS and ASAPS went so far as to issue a warning against it. It's simply not proven to be safe and Coleman patients know firsthand that he's very aggressive in kicking up scar tissue. This man is so unscrupulous he's going against the grain of common medical sense! To attempt to put fat, which has a high concentration of stem cells in an organ that's already a doosey as far as being a classic caner-prone organ. Even family practice MDs know this.
I know how hard it is to walk with your head up when people no longer react to your attempt to communicate facially, even look away in discomfort or disgust. It's virtually impossible not to spiral. But let's be clear here. Elective or not, he must inform you of the TRUE risks involved, the probable outcome and alternatives. Furthermore to operate on areas without your consent is assault and battery.
If other plastic surgeons who treat Coleman patients are reading this, please ask yourself if what Coleman does to people would be acceptable if the patient was a family member, close friend, or even yourself. Maybe some of these patients seem to deserve it. Maybe they seem cookey or irritating and it seems a draining, fruitless task to help them. But no one deserves to have their life destroyed over a greedy plastic surgeon like Coleman. Money is not everything in life and the effects of the suffering go beyond just the patient. My aging parents suffered as much, grieving the absence of their daughter and her change from a hopeful, bright-eyed person to someone whose cynicism nearly led to suicide. My kids suffered immensely from my financial loss.
Please help if you can. Speak out. This man may not be killing people on the O.R. table, but what he's doing to people may as well be considered "death by a thousand cuts". Other plastic surgeons can't really help you, another cut. Your lover is no longer attracted to you, another cut. Lawyers don't want your case, another cut. You're humiliated by the smirks and pity glances of your co-workers, another cut.
Please keep the industry reputable and standardized by speaking out against him, if not motivated by any but knowing that someone as highly certified as he is discrediting the likes of those plastic surgeons who are honest and do things the hard but right way even if it means less money and less recognition. Consumers are told that if a plastic surgeon is board certified, you're at least in the clear for unscrupulous, risky outcomes. If board certification doesn't mean a damn thing, where does this leave the surgeons who deserve the certification when it's stained by those who don't? A real shame.
96 days ago by Heather Morgan
I forgot to add that another reason patients are unsuccessful pursuing malpractice lawsuits against Coleman in particular is because many patient fall into a psychology of being confused in a transition state with the infiltrated areas monstrously swollen, as often warned by Coleman and his staff, to being misled that you must wait at least 3-4 months for the
"final" result.
You may experience a mixed bag from believing that your swollen face will in fact subside to the desired outcome you and he had discussed, to noting that he had operated on certain areas without your consent but that perhaps, just perhaps they were innocuous oversights on his part intended to subtley enhance the areas you consented to.
As a patient, you're at
a disadvantage, completely dependent on him. It took me only a few days to realize he had taken fat from areas I never consented to, but it took me at least 6-7 months to realize that I wasn't an isolated case of bad luck from a good surgeon, but that I had been truly defrauded and violated when a doctor told me I had considerable internal scar tissue. It took me even longer to realize he had infiltrated my facial muscle layer, and it took me almost 2 years before I realized he had removed some tissue from my vagina. The more I learned, the more I realized how much he had deviated from standard procedure.
Many patients may not even know what hit them. They know he did a terrible job, and was reckless, but that may be the extent of it.
Some patients know immediately after surgery, for example, patients who had their entire face done when only small fragments were requested.
In my case, it was far more insidious. He stayed within the boundaries of the facial markings, but absolutely made a puffy asymmetrical mess of them, and I spent a few months praying it would look normal, praying because after all he's certified by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, presumably one of the strictest boards for aesthetic standards.
Hmmm, patient + Lipostructure = Neanderthal/bells Palsy/transvestite face. You do the math.
The biggest irony is that Coleman patients often go to him because they won't risk getting messed up by any plain Joe plastic surgeon.
Who can criticize this thinking: here's a permanent and natural result that a highly certified surgeon is promising to be the newest development in soft tissue augmentation, he specializes in that and only that, other doctors hear his lectures and claims and therefore refer patients to him, he charges up to 5x more than any surgeon because his special technique is more labor-intensive and detailed. The patient meets him in person and he impresses you with the level of precision to his meticulous attention to details, photographing you from every which angle, verbally assuring you he will perform towards the goal you are seeking. Wow, with that sort of pre-op assurance, who wouldn't fall for it?
96 days ago by Chris Snyder
I have been a patient of Dr. Coleman’s for over ten years, and I have had three procedures done by him. He has placed fat in almost every area of my face now, and I people compliment me on my appearance frequently. Admittedly, I had to have a little adjustment after the second procedure to add some more fullness and take some away, but he has been great at working with me to adjust the results to satisfy me.
During the last ten years, I have referred three close friends who all had good experiences and many acquaintances. The recovery period is admittedly difficult, but the results as far as I know have all been great. For instance, one of my friends had bad eyelid surgery by other doctors and she thought that she could never be corrected. It took Dr. Coleman two procedures to correct her, but she now looks normal.
Because of the procedures I had done, I have been in his waiting room frequently, and have spoken to numerous patients. Although no one likes the recovery, the ones that I saw that are a few months out look great even if they are complaining about tiny problems. I just don’t understand how this could be the same doctor.
96 days ago by Heather Morgan
Unfortunately, it is the same doctor. I'm relieved to hear that you and others were satisfied with the outcome, which leads me to believe that he absolutely cherry picks the ones he takes advantage by disfiguring them sometimes beyond recognition.
Perhaps these are patients he personally doesn't like? Maybe he' got a psychological disorder that reacts visciously to certain types of people? I don't have the answers. I can only speak for my nightmarish experience as well as the others who claim similar to worse results. I suppose he knows he can't destroy every patient or he surely would be out of business but,
but, you can't discount the puzzling, bizarre question as to why so many have been so grossly disfigured. As any predator, I'm sure he sizes up his "patients" and if he determines that they're vulnerable enough to not go after him, maybe he feels more freely to do whatever the hell he wants to them.
I'm not discounting your experience. As a matter of fact, I've been looking for satisfied Coleman patients for a very long time and if you are willing to share your procedure Iwould be very interested to know what he did differently to you versus many others who ended up deformed, beside themselves with disbelief that someone so highly renown could do such a careless job. Please explain! This would be very useful in determining his motivation as to why you're special and we're not.
Nonetheless, your positive experience HAS NOTHING TO DO with those like me who were violated and disfigured.
It doesn't matter if you don't believe or are incapable of believing this.
Opinion is subjective, and free. Facts of real events that happened to real patients are sacred. You can't touch that.
Oh gee, where's this much smoke there can't be fire? Perhaps y the fire "jumped" past and spared you. Perhaps he especially took care of you andyour friends because he simply liked you...gee, what standards he upholds!
I do know that he has no regard for many of his patients whatsoever. They are just cash wallets to him and most importantly, he's a scum bag. He falsified a large part of mymedical records and retouched my photos, oh yes, as well as several others.
Yep, we're just all crazy here, have nothing better to do with our lives, and are just making all this up because he's just one of millions of surgeons, yet too special and important of to stop talking about. How delightfully productiveand enjoyable bearing this cross of having to think of someone as worthy and emotionally palatable as he...but, we must all have nothing better to do with ourtime!
95 days ago by Chris Snyder
Heather, I must admit that your last paragraph is the most rational statement you’ve made so far on this complaint board.
You and your cohorts on the board here seem to have some bizarre sexual fixation on Dr. Coleman. You are going on about what you have heard about Dr. Coleman’s sexual life, his extracurricular activities, his activities at the gym and what type of shape he is in, even a rash on his face? You and our friends are extensively discussing your vaginas…what is up with that? And you are describing many situations such as Dr. Coleman getting on his knees before you before going into surgery to tell you that you have a beautiful body. You think he draws penises on patients as a recreation activity?
You and Corey appear to be sharing some sort of sick sexual fantasy on this board which has nothing to do with any complaint about Dr. Coleman.
Also from your extensive ravings, I can see that you and Corey must have gone to attorneys, who could not see any problems other than your sexual fantasies, or you two would have sued him if he did even one of the things about which you accuse him.
I am surprised that such obvious sexual fantasies about a physician are allowed on a complaint board. I know personally that Dr. Coleman has done some great work, and am very disturbed that statements like have been made on this board are not better censored. If there is an actual complaint it is not easy to see, only these women’s sexual fantasies.
95 days ago by Julio
Thanks for contributing some balance Chris. I asked a lot of what I thought were constructive questions in my first post but recieved no response from any of the other patients other than a further rant against Coleman. I also emailed the party asking for all dis-satisfied patients to come forward (with similar questions) and recieved no reply.
For those patients who consider themselves victims, I feel for you, honestly and sincerely. And as I stated before, my own results created some new problems post 2nd and 3rd procedure (hence my questions). But the way you're going about complaining just detracts from your credibility.
Why not describe specifically what happened from start to finish, and even add before and after photos if you are willing to compromise your privacy (of course if not, that is completely fair and reasonable, I know I would not share my own pictures). If you are completely honest, you have nothing to fear. If I am not mistaken (I'm no lawyer or expert on the law), it is your legal right to share your own experiences and your own before and after photos in a public forum as well as sharing.
And for those of you who have been damaged, please also discuss some of your experiences with revision surgery (either by Coleman, Saboeiro, or other docs). I've read a patients (on the facialplasticsurgery forum) who had some of the fat in over-filled areas cut-out before having a mid-face lift and other procedures (I believe the doc was Yarmechuk). So far, she is happy and her after photos look nice (still have some swelling though so I think its too easy to judge for sure).
Its clear that you want him to be severly punished. But what's less clear is what exactly happened (the whole process of your surgery(ies) and what victims have done in revision procedures to reduce the damage.
95 days ago by Heather Morgan
Chris, were you paid by Coleman to post to divert attention away from how he's mutilated countless people?
Your accusation that we all are just crazy and have a sexual fixation on that ugly man... is so utterly absurd and laughable, who's the irrational one here?
You don't even deserve a response so you can discount the rest of this post because I'm not even addressing someone who jumps to ridiculous heights, or shall I say lows of accusations obviously intended to discredit our experiences and take the spotlight off the real issue at hand.
The truth of the matter is that other plastic surgeons all know the tragedy of what Coleman is doing to people because they all treat them.
I don't mention names for obvious reasons!
I've had more than three well known plastic surgeons tell me they see a slew of unhappy Coleman patients.
When asked which other surgeons treat Coleman patients, two out of these told me, "We ALL see them".
One thing I'll reluctantly agree with this Chris Snyder moron accusing me of salivating over the founder of Lipostructure, is that my last post may have not made sense because of some grammatical errors and quite a few misspellings. I was sleep-deprived. Now, of course that was because I was up late masturbating "Oh YES Dr. Sydney Coleman, Stick that Cannula in me, go 'head, more deformation, yeah deform me big daddy please!".
Correction on the equation in a previous post:
Patient + ASAPS certified specialist =
Neanderthal, Bells Palsy, Transvestite face.
95 days ago by Erin D
I have had an extremely positive experience with Dr. Coleman, and as Julio said, I am relieved to see some sane, balanced comments on this complaint board.
I had over 10 operations on my nose before I went to Dr. Coleman two years ago. My last two operations were by Jack Gunter and before him by Jack Sheen, two of the super specialist in nose surgery. After Dr. Gunter finished, my nose was still not normal looking and the skin was so thin that you could see every slight irregularity and many big divots. When people would meet me, it was the first thing they noticed.
I could tell that Dr. Gunter did not want to operate on my nose again, especially with my very thin skin. At my last visit with him, he mentioned that Dr. Coleman was an option, so I flew to New York City. Coleman was extremely cautious, warning that he could improve my nose at least somewhat and maybe a lot. He suggested to place a thin layer of fat over many areas of my nose and try to reshape it. He said that the results were not totally predictable, but hopefully the repair cells in fat might help the scarring in my nose.
He frightened me with his warnings about the possibility of a prolonged recovery and possible complications. Because I was so worried, I decided not to have the procedure with him. I went to several famous nose doctors all over and none of them would touch my nose.
Out of desperation, I eventually decided have the procedure that he recommended on my nose. Also, I had a bad eyelid lift years ago, and my eyes were hollow, so I had him put fat in the hollows around my eyes. He took the fat from the inside part of my thighs.
The recovery was much less than Dr. Coleman had prepared me for. My nose actually looked great even swollen, and the eyes were a much longer recovery than the nose. With makeup, I think the eyes must have looked slightly swollen but still great at three or four weeks. The final shape of my nose and eyes has improved incredibly; the nose is by no means perfect but much improved. But the amazing thing is the skin of my nose and eyes. The skin of the nose looks like a normal thickness and the wrinkles around my eyes are almost all gone!
I moved to London right after the operation, so I haven’t been back to see Dr. Coleman. He told before he operated on me that I would need another procedure, and I agree. There is one little area of my lower eye that I think could use a tiny bit more fat, and several areas on the nose that could be a little better. I am planning on having another procedure sometime when I can afford the time and money. I hope my positive experience can add a little balance to this crazed complaint board.
95 days ago by Erin D
Oh, one last thing. Recently, I tried to talk a friend into going to see Dr. Coleman. She has a birth defect that she has had operated on many times. From what I remember about Dr. Coleman’s work, I hope his type of fat grafting might really help her out.
She came across this board somehow, and has refused to even call Dr. Coleman’s office to schedule an appointment because of the wild crazy things that the people on this board are saying. I am very upset and have wanted to relate my experience for over a week.
However, I have been terrified of injecting any comment into the rantings of Corey and Heather, for fear of being attacked, which it looks like they are doing to anyone who says anything that is not supportive of their negativity.
I am particularly bothered by their direct second person statements to Dr. Coleman. For example, “Tiring hiding so many lies upon lies isn't it Syd?” “In life Syd, what you steal and is not yours to have, you may get it for a while but you won't keep it sweetheart.” “Sydney, I "NEVER" gave permission…” These bizarre second person comments combined with the long discussion of their vaginas is definitely on the frightening, crazy side.
They seem to relate personality disorders and potential psychosis rather than honest complaints.
95 days ago by Heather Morgan
Erin,
You had 10 surgeries on your nose and then more? Who's the crazy one here?
Wow, I find it very interesting that while Coleman patients who were not so lucky on this complaints board have absolutely no interest in denying the positive experiences of those who claim good results, as being both truthful and honestly satisfied with their outcomes.
Yet I find it even more interesting that those who claim good results have such antagonistic hostility towards those who had negative experiences.
Hello? This is a complaints board, so obviously those who have had bad experiences are using it as the only forum to inform and warn others of their experience, especially since Coleman managed to shut down the other website displaying lawsuit information and actual photos of actual patients who were grossly disfigured.
Now, why would anybody who has had such a positive experience with Dr. Coleman attempt to completely deny those who did not have such positive experiences?
If you truly want to hear from both sides, I would suggest stick to plastic surgery message boards and chat rooms where you will surely get a variety of opinions other than "complaints".
I think it odd that people with great results would so quickly judge those with bad results as being crazy. Actually, if you are so adamant about sharing your good results, why not volunteer your testimonials for Coleman's website, because that's exactly what your post sounds like.
95 days ago by Corey Taylor Clegg
Heather, Do not take it personally, these mindless statements. There is nothing wrong with any of your postings. I find them to be very clear and concise. And do not feel the need to apologize, for being the beautiful and honest person that you are. This is an obvious...all out attack on your person. Now why would a happy patient even be here and not instead...out enjoying life? Intentional slander my friend. It is about to backfire now. OOPS?
I am not offended, but more finding myself rather compelled...to go to Kinko's or Staples tomorrow and have some pictures put on disk. Upload and present. That will be for you Heather, for your healing. So to prevent any more trauma. I am beyond being traumatized, so to post pictures will be fine with me. This will stop the bullying. I never liked bullies.
By the way Chris and Erin, I find the both of you to be insulting gossips, lacking in depth and compassion...which leaves me to question...who are you serving here? Mankind or Coleman? And please, the thought of Coleman being anything other than?...someone I sought help from as my surgeon...really is enough to cause some giggling over here. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I do not find Sydney to be attractive, sensual, intriguing in any way...which would cause me to want to hook up so to speak. He is most definitely not my type, no chemistry here..."NOT"...for sure. Laughing/Smiling.
Heather, you have shared so much insight and it is very helpful for all. Thank you. Please connect directly with me if you would? Would love to know you. Together, one day...we shall be waving good-bye to Coleman. His career will be over soon, with "Divine Intervention." The sixties? It was a time for learning tolerance for individuality. We are now in the time of..."THE TRUTH SHALL BE KNOWN!" Look at the world around you and take notice how this is occuring.
"First they ignore you- then they laugh at you and hate you-then they fight you-then you win."
~Henri Rousseau
95 days ago by Heather Morgan
I actually missed Erin's most recent post about how she finds addressing Coleman directly and talking about "our" ( actually only I spoke of how he took tissue out of ) vaginas as being
"frightening and crazy".
I would agree 100%. What he did to me and others was frightening and crazy. The act itself. Talking about it is not crazy, although I'm sure it's frightening to hear about. I was absolutely sick to my stomach when I discovered he had done this to me.
You want to know about frightening and crazy? I often thought to myself that the almost 30, 000 $ I paid Coleman to hack me, I would've gladly paid double, triple that just to have him NOT perform surgery on me.
And, I often thought to myself that I honestly would rather have had him physically rape me than to rape my identity, my life, my subsequent fininacial losses, my ability to ever feel safe and normal again because at least I could keep my pain private without having it advertised daily through my ugly, warped face. I was attractive before, and he made me look like an androgynous transvestite with asymmetry from the left to ride sides. Now since you don't believe anything written on this board, why don't you just leave us alone and get opinions from broader message boards? No one is haggling you about or doubting your experience. ??
94 days ago by Nolan
If I may interject as a neutral person who had considered Coleman at one point and decided against it for various reasons, it may well be that people complaining about him cannot share details of p.surgeons they've been treated by, nor disclose too personal information because they may be trying to sue him, as expressed by many on this board, in which case no p. surgeon will ever help them if they print public information identifying them. I went through a similar ordeal with another p.surgeon so I understand the desire to want to forewarn others yet keep critical information private.
94 days ago by Heather Morgan
Thank you Nolan! I see you "get" it.
Cory, loved that quote-one of my favorites. Thanks for the encouragement too. I didn't take any of those comments by Coleman, err, I mean Chris to heart. I cannot contact anyone directly for legal reasons right now but I will be in touch with you personally.
Hey, meanwhile, how 'bout a threesome with you, me and a male hooker resembling Sydney? We can incorporate an operating table, his Freddy Crougar cannulas, hey, and you know what would really turn me on? Have him dress up like Freddy Crougar in that hat and black and white striped shirt.
LOL! I have to thank Coleman, err, I mean Chris for giving me one hell of a laugh today.
94 days ago by Corey Taylor Clegg
Sorry, never tried a threesome, never watch horror movies. Never allowed them in the house while raising my daughter. Life has enough horrors, do not need to emulate any. I understand your trying to make light of this Heather. There is nothing light of it. I will be posting pictures so that you will never be put in this position again. Waiting to hear from April...to help me figure out how? Not too computer savvy here. Love and Hugs to you.
94 days ago by Gary Gab
I am also a Coleman patient with a very negative experience.
I am posting on this board because it said it was created "by the people for the people"
It is obvious all "complaints" posted on this board are an attempt to warn people about Dr. Coleman, to protect people from future harm...Maybe you should be thankfull someone is trying to warn you! if you listen or not is entirely up to you!
The problem is, if you refuse to listen and Coleman ends up harming you. You will have no one to blame but yourself, the writing is on the wall read it!
My story
I was lied to, overcharged over injected over sedated and disfigured by a Dr. Coleman.
His marketing and people skills made me trust him and I believed him.
I did everything right, I checked his credentials paid his exuberant fees because I thought he was the best.
Post surgery
I was so disfifured I had to go into hiding for over a year, unable to work and completely traumatized. Dr. Coleman had changed me inside and out. Consequently it ended my marriage.
To my surprised none of the associations he belongs to took any responsibility for endorsing him.
The NYDOH said they knew about what Dr. Coleman was doing but did nothing about it.
The bottom line is.
There is nobody watching over you.
If you allow him to put you to sleep he will do whatever he wants
with you.
By experience I am sure that by now Dr. Coleman is very aware of this site and he is doing his very best trying to shut it down, at the same time he might be also posing as a patient with a "positive experience" to create a " balance".
By the way It is common knowledge that in order to lipo fat from a woman's inner thighs, Dr. Coleman goes thru the vagina and not from the inner thigh itself.
That is why the women in this post are talking about their private parts, IS NOT because they are " HOT" for Coleman to the contrary they are "APPALLED" by him and his actions.
94 days ago by Julio
I sure didn't mean to ruffle any feathers or downplay injuries suffered by the patients on this board. It sounds like some people have been disfigured to the point of having their mental health affected as well. If you are as hideous as you claim, I can fully understand this. And it’s a shame that today's society judges people so heavily by their physical appearance. In so many face-to-face service oriented jobs, you would find it impossible to perform with an even somewhat ugly appearance.
As a repeat patient myself, I'm trying to figure out some explanation for this and get a discussion going on treatment prospects.
Here are two hypotheses for why some patients turn out with bad such results:
1. This doctor, as some of you claim, is sick and intentionally harms select patients surgically and/or abuses them physically.
2. This doctor uses his practice as a research lab and patients as guinea pigs to test new and unproven surgical techniques. Moreover, his aesthetic sense is somewhat divergent from the mainstream.
I have no way to know whether or not No. 1 is true. As for No. 2, I have thought about a few issues which might lend it support:
a. This doctor pioneered his signature techniques (permanent fat grafting) when the cosmetic surgery establishment claimed it was impossible for more than a tiny fraction of transplanted fat to survive. In order to figure out what worked, I doubt he got so lucky to get it right with his first few patients (think about how many filaments Thomas Edison had to try before he found one suitable for a light-bulb – well over 1, 000). He also seems extremely meticulous about taking before photos and encouraging patients to return after 6 months, 1 yr, 3 yrs., etc. for after photos under the same conditions. In the old days, this was very rare. Finding a way to make transplanted fat last long-term and having a large portfolio of before and after photos to prove his results made him very famous in the medical community. This in turn boosted his reputation and enabled him to patent some of his tools (large cannulas). His business flourished with referrals from other docs, impressive before and afters to attract more patients, and royalties from sales of his tools.
b. Now that permanent fat grafting is widespread, he is looking for new innovation opportunities. One of these has been stem cell research. Perhaps he was hoping that injecting massive amounts of fat rich with stem cells into faces would take 20 years or more off their appearance instead of just distorting them. Another is breast augmentation. I remember an earlier poster which connected the stem cell issue to cancer risk. Now I’m no doctor, but this made a lot of sense to me. Finally, I believe this doctor is using mesotherapy, a controversial and unproven technique, for correcting over-filled areas of the face.
Other more general comments:
1. For whatever reason, there seems to be a general consensus on the cosmetic surgery boards I follow that this doctor over-fills.
2. I am almost sure April Smith’s claim (“His fat grafts do not last at all…”) is wrong. From my own experience as well as that of numerous other posters on cosmetic surgery boards, his fat grafts do last. Ironically, that has turned out to be the real problem for many of his patients.
3. Yes, this is a complaints board. But it’s not a hate board. It serves a great function to for prospective patients/customers to learn the easy way (from other people’s mistakes and misfortune). If you stick to objective facts, you will also succeed in punishing this doctor as patients will indeed be scared away. And if it makes you feel any better, I do believe his reputation has already suffered a lot. I see lots of posts on cosmetic surgery forums asking about fat grafting. A handful of docs are often recommended (including Coleman’s partner Saboeiro), but rarely Coleman. If you rant and attack others, you just end up alienating people from your cause.
Finally, I realize that by requesting information on possible remedies to fat grafting problems, I probably over-stepped the boundaries of this board. But I figured, since it might be useful for many on this board, nobody would mind.
94 days ago by Heather Morgan
Julio, I fully understand your line of thinking from a Coleman patient who has had satisfactory results and is speculating on why he seems to be so highly regarded yet is the only board certified surgeon who has managed to have a mob of patients after him.
We undeniably are sounding off because of several reasons.
In 2006, a large group of people including myself, filed a "class" complaint with the NY Department of Health. I personally spoke to the plastic surgeon Dr. Barrick, who admitted that he was so inundated with complaints against Dr. Coleman, that he literally had to clear another desk just to store the files.
No investigation happened. He was never disciplined. Our certified letters were never responded to.
Also in 2006, a group of patients flew from all over the U.S. to be interviewed by CBS for a segment on how Sydney Coleman had grossly deformed people while promoting his piousness to the rest of the world. Here is a surgeon repeatedly claiming to fix iatrogenic liposuction deformities caused by other doctors and yet I saw firsthand, his "revision" on a woman present that day was shockingly reckless, abnormal, and unsightly. That segment went all the way to completion, got the okay, and suddenly never aired. CBS now claims all the film and records were thrown out. Very fishy. Sometime this year, CBS instead featured Coleman's new marketing focus on breast Lipostructure which is featured on his website.
The wearecolemanpatients.com website was shut down by Coleman initially but I believe the owner regained the right to put it back up, but for unknown reasons has yet to.
As you know from being on many message boards, you are not allowed to openly accuse a surgeon of bad work unless you post pictures. Most who have had good plastic surgery are reticent in alerting the world via the good ole internet that they so much as had a procedure so you can imagine how difficult it is for those who have been deformed to want to display their embarrassing looks to the whole world. Currently, this site is the only outlet for warning people about how dangerous Dr. Sydney Coleman can be and if one day you no longer find it, rest assured Coleman succeeded in shutting this one down too.
As for April Smith's contention that her fat graft did not last, I would deduce that either Dr. Sydney Coleman hadn't made enough "passes" to kick up scar tissue or that her body simply was not prone to prolific scar formation, or that for unknown reasons Coleman did not use enough fat, which in itself would be highly questionable since he seemed to have taken enough out of her since she claimed he harvested multiple areas without her consent.
The latter is of concern in my case as well, why he took such unneccesarily large volumes of fat out of my thin frame, without my consent when I had requested such few areas of augmentation and in such small amounts to have that subtle "refreshed" look without others being able to pinpoint exactly why.
He is affiliated with Cytori Stem Cell research company.
I don't know about you, but judging from his unscrupulous conduct and his peculiar pattern of patients often complaining of him taking large amounts of fat from areas they never consented to, this doesn't sound good to me at all.
These are the "facts". I had mentioned in a previous post, don't take my word for all of this, nor Sydney Coleman's word for it. All of what I mentioned is public record, can be confirmed, and if you want to hear from Sydney Coleman patients who had experiences that didn't destroy their lives, plastic surgery message boards would be a wiser choice. I know of one woman who was satisfied with his work, but she claims it took two years for her "swelling" to go down and the unsettling waiting period was so stressful that it wasn't worth it. She firmly tells posters to stay away from him, as there were other issues regarding his inappropriate conduct relating to nudity.
Again, no one on this board is attempting to perpetuate hate. Of course those who were violated express bitterness. Wouldn't you if he violated you? Violating someone after knocking them out and rendering them helpless under anesthesia is the ultimate cowardly form of violation. Trust me when I say you would have to be stupid or insane to not want to retaliate when you wake up having your identity changed, warped overnight.
Had he done what he did to me to my kids or my own mother, all bets would be off as far as what I would do to this man. I don't feel "better" that his reputation is ruined. Most of us are beyond revenge. Justice is what we're seeking. For him to stop lying, stop hurting people, stop suppressing the truth, and pay back what he owes to the ones he's hurt. Very simple.
Julio, you say we should stick to objective facts. That's virtually impossible in relaying a personal experience with this surgeon. That would mean we would have to upload copies of our identities, medical records, pictures etc. This is the task of attorneys. As I said, do your own research, come to your own conclusions but don't expect open divulgement of "facts" specific to individual posters. If you're that interested, go to the courts and read deposition scripts of all malpractice lawsuits brought against him. They are public record.
I will reiterate, we are expressing our opinions. No one is forcing a gun to your head to read it or believe it. Arrive at your own conclusions.
But allow posters with "complaints" to be able to share them without being accused of being crazy, or unbelievable because our bits and pieces of experiences and emotional reactions to them are being described. Are we supposed to upload an affidavit from a psychologist to be able to do this? I mean, come on.
94 days ago by Corey Taylor Clegg
Julio, I do not know when you were born, but when I was a teenager, women's breast implants with silicone.. often ended up looking and feeling like hard coke cans as the fat settled in. Leaked throughout the body causing serious illness and harm to many... while surgeons knowingly continued this practice irregardless. Since when? does anyone on this planet nowadays... have so much trust in the medical establishment? Your making excuses for Coleman...causes me question your reasons for being here and I encourage others to do the same.
I do not find you to be helpful and wonder over your lack of consideration for peoples concerns here. There is nothing to figure out? This is not about hypothesis, theories, your guessing or pondering... it is about exposing the truth. Please refrain from taking up peoples valuable time. We have lost enough of our lives already, every minute is precious. You give much detail in promoting Coleman and questioning those harmed.
I could not find a doctor to touch me after he worked on me, they were too afraid... to even go near his mess. One surgeon told me that in California, he went to a conference where they warned..."fat from the thighs can "GROW" in the face!" HHMMM? I would imagine Coleman knows this? And to say that you do not believe April...is adding insult to inury. There is a bit of a sadistic (unresoved ussues on your part) tone in your words...like Coleman. HHMMM Again?
Pointing out that people have had their mental health affected? Stating that society judges people and you understand, yet then go on to state that it must be difficult to perform with even a somewhat ughly face? What compells you to be so unkind? From the perspective of one of the injured...I feel it is for us...to share our innermost feelings and thoughts about our own personal experiences, not for you an outsider... to feign compassion... being it under the guise of concern and wonder... question our spekaing the truth here. Your insensitivity betrays your "Faux Pa" in much of this. Speaking of an undercurrent of hate? Re-think on your own words and how they are taken.
The first step to enlightenment is knowing that you are an "Expletive"... then you can do something about it. I am informing you that you are being such. Now you can do something about it. I am not angry, more miffed by your actions.
94 days ago by Heather Morgan
As far as one's mental health being affected by having a plastic surgeon grossly deform your face...
Of course it would be affected!
You're absolutely sane if your sanity becomes shaky after something as traumatic as waking up from surgery looking like a butt-faced moron! Worse, it's unfixable!
Particularly mind-blowing when you've meticulously done your research, meticulously expressed the desired outcome, and felt safe in the hands of someone board certified and acknowledged by other doctors as a pioneer and specialist.
If you're not mentally affected, you've got to be abnormal, a little off kilter to begin with (who comes to mind his nurse Donna whom I don't think realizes looks freaky and whose stoic demeanor strikes me as a classic Prozac zombie).
Think about it folks. No, seriously think about it. How would YOU react if the worst cases we're relating here happened to you? And please do not even deny that your first thought is, "I'd kill the bastard", even if you never actually would do it. If this is not your first reaction, you must be masochistic or have a low I.Q..
I'll promise you one thing, you would never feel quite like "you" again, and you surely will not walk tall.
It's so highly traumatic that previously well-adjusted people have had to go on medication.
I had always been a health-conscious athlete, carrying myself with confidence and dignity. I worked out at least every other day. No drugs, alcohol in moderation.
After Coleman mutilated me, I became so traumatized that I developed fears and phobias I never had before. Leaving the house just to retrieve my mail was impossible on some days and I began self-medicating with alcohol. I stopped working out because my body disgusted and depressed me and I was mortified at the thought of running into anyone I knew. It was like being under house arrest, a prisoner in my own body and home. For years, literally.
So those who have been deformed severely by Coleman and are still surviving, give yourselves some credit. You may be on medication because of what he did to you, but so what?
You're doing what you have to survive day to day. I was able to undo some of what he did to me. It took years, and there were times I was so exhausted, so angry that my life consisted of spending time and money on fixing myself when I had such a promising future ahead of me. That was rudely thwarted by having to undergo non-stop procedures...all to just be presentable again? It made me sick to watch the years go by with my life and career on hold because of what this man did to me.
Being traumatized is NOT the same as being crazy.
Look up the definiton of post-traumatic stress syndrome for a better understanding of what Coleman victims go through, rather than accusing us of having "sexual fantasies" or being "crazy".
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110 days ago by Corey Taylor Clegg [