Truman Customer Story Column
I Was More Satisfied Than I Had Hoped
This patient's concern was not pain. It ran the same way in the consultation and in his written feedback. Not "will it hurt," but "will my chest look natural afterward." He came in already knowing that surgery going well and the result looking natural are two different questions.
How he felt afterwards
I think that is the right thing to worry about. In gynecomastia surgery, the difficult part is not the removal itself but how much to leave behind. Take out too much glandular tissue and the chest caves in, which paradoxically makes the surgery obvious; take out too little and there was little point in operating. That is why I spend time deciding the thickness to leave and balancing the two sides. On the result, he answered in one line: "I was more satisfied than I had hoped."
I think that is the right thing to worry about. In gynecomastia surgery, the difficult part is not the removal itself but how much to leave behind. Take out too much glandular tissue and the chest caves in, which paradoxically makes the surgery obvious; take out too little and there was little point in operating. That is why I spend time deciding the thickness to leave and balancing the two sides. On the result, he answered in one line: "I was more satisfied than I had hoped."
In the box asking what he remembered from the day, he wrote: "The surgeon's manner of speaking was gentle and steady." I enter the operating room after anesthesia is complete, so he must mean our conversation in the consultation room beforehand. When I sit down with someone facing surgery, I try to keep my usual pace and usual tone so the explanation never wavers. I'm glad that conversation stayed with him as something steadying. His first impression of the clinic, he added, was friendly and comfortable.
To anyone with the same concern
What he most wanted to do after surgery was "wear more nice clothes." It follows naturally that a man who worried about shape would end on the subject of clothes. The standard he used to apply when choosing what to wear — dictated by his chest — simply returns to being a matter of taste.
What he most wanted to do after surgery was "wear more nice clothes." It follows naturally that a man who worried about shape would end on the subject of clothes. The standard he used to apply when choosing what to wear — dictated by his chest — simply returns to being a matter of taste.
To men with the same concern he wrote: "Think it through as long as you need, and you won't regret the decision!" I agree. Looking into it properly, asking every question you have, and deciding once you are satisfied tends to carry over into satisfaction with the result as well. I hope he wears everything he has picked out, comfortably, this summer.
To anyone with the same concern
This was this patient's outcome; results and recovery vary from person to person.
This was this patient's outcome; results and recovery vary from person to person.
- Dr. Jeon Jin-woo, TRUEMAN Gangnam -
