Ramtin Kassir, MD review: revision rhinoplasty 1

Awful experience with Ramtin Kassir, MD-plastic surgeon.

Just a recap of the journey that landed me in the office of Dr. Kassir - March 2018. I had a rhinoplasty/septoplasty back in August 2017 which left me with a right nostril retraction and asymmetric nostrils. At this point my search for a professional plastic surgeon began. I was looking for an experienced doctor - one that was compassionate/talented at what he/she does. I met with many different plastic surgeons in the CT and NY area prior to meeting with Dr. Kassir. I did a lot of research as to what would be needed to fix my nostril along with listening to other surgeons suggestions. I understand that rhinoplasty surgery can be a difficult one especially when you're dealing with work completed by another doctor. I decided to meet with Dr. Kassir in March for a consultation. We spoke for almost an hour and discussed my concerns/issues that I was dealing with from my previous rhinoplasty. We discussed the need of grafting for my right nostril, decreasing my bulbous tip and minimizing the width of my nostrils to achieve a more feminine/symmetrical look. I felt very comfortable with Dr. Kassir and what he had to offer. We both had an understanding that he would try his best and provide my right nostril with support (graft) and make it a better fit for me. We exchanged emails regarding my concerns. Although Dr. Kassir's quote was a lot higher than what other surgeons were charging me-I felt comfortable with him and the issues we discussed. This lead me to that go ahead and schedule surgery for 4/14/2018 with Dr. Kassir. I disliked my nose at the time and was excited that Dr. Kassir was going to address my concerns as much as possible. On 4/14/2018 prior to going into surgery I spoke with Dr. Kassir and reviewed my concerns. I remember Dr. Kassir showing his guest from India the issues that I had and stated "I can't wait to do this one".
A week after surgery the cast was taken off-yes I was very swollen as expected but I was happy that my nostrils looked so much better. I did notice that the width to my nose was not addressed during surgery. I decided to put that aside and let the healing begin. As time went by - the swelling continued to subside and my tissues continued to adjust to the changes. I started to notice that my right nostril had no support (graft placed), was weak, very droopy and I noticed a line that wasn't there prior. My right nostril has continued to become droopy and weak. I reached out to both Maya and Margaret and both informed me that I am in the very stages of recovery. I completely understood-so I decided to give it time. Prior to my f/u appointment with Dr. Kassir, I noticed that I felt a bony object underneath my skin (left nostril) which was never there before. I met with Dr. Kassir for my f/u in May 2018 and addressed my concerns about what I felt underneath my skin (left nostril). He felt it and said it was cartilage then said no maybe graft. then continued on. I mentioned that I wasn't happy, my nose was crooked, I couldn't breathe and I had this object in my left nostril area.. He proceeded with saying that he felt my nose was straight and that he would give me steroid injection to help with my breathing. To make matters worse he looked at me and said "Your nose was a disaster". As a healthcare provider myself I would never respond to any of my patients in that manner. I was so taken back by his behavior. If he thinks that my nose was a disaster prior to surgery, I guess my nose is pointless now that he made my breathing/appearance worse and he didn't address the issues we had discussed. I will say, my nose was not a disaster, it was not deformed and I was able to breathe. He gave me the steroid injections then said that he would have Brittany come in and take pictures and left. I had no time to continue with my discussion regarding my concerns/issues that I was facing. He left and did not discuss the steroid injection he gave me, I felt dismissed! I was not made aware of how much steroid was injected, side effects, how long would it take to work, etc. He left and I didn't see him again. Thankfully I am a nurse and I have an understanding of the medication (steroid) that he placed.

So the purpose of this email is to address the following concerns/issues.

1. I am having a difficult time with my breathing. I have to sleep with four pillows and/or sleep on my recliner in order to breathe a little better. I have become a mouth breather and this shouldn't be happening. When I try to breath thru my nose you could hear my breathing - its very loud. You could see the upper part of my nostrils moving in and out-this never happened before. I feel like I am not getting enough air in and I have to breathe thru my mouth.
2. My right nostril is worse now. It has become very droopy, no support and much softer. It gets worse as days goes by. As a result of this I am having more difficulty breathing thru this nostril. *NO GRAFT/SUPPORT was placed during surgery - This was part of what I paid for and spoke with Dr. Kassir.
3. I have something in my left nostril in which I still am unclear of what was placed. This object is pressing against my septum and pushing up to the top of my nose causing a lot of discomfort. When I talk, brush my teeth, open my mouth I feel this object pushing and bothering me. I am having headaches and taking Motrin almost every day to alleviate this discomfort. This is not normal. * I now have to seek an ENT to see if I could get this remove-I will not continue with this object in my nose and continue with discomfort. You could tell the way it was placed and its pulling my left nostril more towards the left giving my nose more of a crooked look.
4. My nose tip is bigger up/pointy. I didn't ask for this. I mentioned to Dr. Kassir how I wanted him to decrease my tip size not add and make it look pointy and longer.
5. I have developed a bruise on the bridge of my nose that won't go away.

I am so unhappy and appalled by this whole experience. I paid to have graft placed (right nostril), decrease in my tip and width of nose. Not one of these objectives were completed. So why should I pay for a job that was not done as both parties discussed? This has been an awful experience. I have been having anxiety because of my difficulty breathing/discomfort, and I've depressed at the thought of everything that I have been going through. I continue to be self conscious about my nose-even more so now that its bigger, droopy nose-so uneven more so now, and my breathing that is very loud when I attempt to breathe through my nose. What I thought this would have been a positive experience but it has turned out to be completely the opposite. My nose is worse than what I started with. I am requesting that I be refunded my money. I now have to deal with this and seek another doctor to see if they will agree to remove this object from my nose, help me with my breathing and hopefully down the road address the much needed support for my right nostril (graft). I could honestly say I regret having this surgery.

Again, if a job is not done then you refund the patient not keep their money.
Its 6/18/2018 and I have yet to get an answer as to when I should receive my medical records nor have I received a call back from the office to discuss this matter.in the mean time I continue to have pain/discomfort and unable to get my medical records and discuss this with Kassir. At this point I cant address him as Dr.. His actions are unethical and doesn't deserve to be called Dr. Its all about the money and once they get it they don't care. He will take your money and not do the job. So many people have complained about him. Stay away.