Truman Customer Story Column
A man who asked plenty of questions at the consultation often goes quiet once surgery is right in front of him. Before the procedure, this patient worried about whether it would go well and whether a scar would remain.
What he most wants to do after surgery
Looking at the answers he left afterward, those worries seem to have been settled. He wrote that the surgery went well and that he was relieved the scar was not noticeable. In gynecomastia surgery, scarring is something I attend to from beginning to end: placing the incision somewhere less visible, such as along the border of the areola, and keeping it as small as possible. No one should come in to change the shape of his chest and leave with a different mark instead.
Looking at the answers he left afterward, those worries seem to have been settled. He wrote that the surgery went well and that he was relieved the scar was not noticeable. In gynecomastia surgery, scarring is something I attend to from beginning to end: placing the incision somewhere less visible, such as along the border of the areola, and keeping it as small as possible. No one should come in to change the shape of his chest and leave with a different mark instead.
His memory of the surgery itself was one line: "Anesthesia, then I opened my eyes and it was over." That single line is why we work to shorten operating time. Leaving the patient with a short, uncomplicated memory of the day also means less strain on the body. Of his first visit he wrote that the front desk staff were all pleasant and the clinic felt tidy, and that the coordinator seemed knowledgeable. If nothing jarred between that first impression and the surgery itself, we are grateful for it.
To anyone with the same concern
In the box asking what he most wanted to do afterward, he wrote two things: wear a white t-shirt, and stop flapping his shirt away from his body. Anyone who hasn't lived with gynecomastia won't understand why those are wishes. A white t-shirt shows the outline of the chest, so it stays in the drawer, and flapping the fabric is a long-held habit meant to keep it from clinging. These are details we hear constantly in the consultation room and that no one outside ever notices. He can drop the habit now.
In the box asking what he most wanted to do afterward, he wrote two things: wear a white t-shirt, and stop flapping his shirt away from his body. Anyone who hasn't lived with gynecomastia won't understand why those are wishes. A white t-shirt shows the outline of the chest, so it stays in the drawer, and flapping the fabric is a long-held habit meant to keep it from clinging. These are details we hear constantly in the consultation room and that no one outside ever notices. He can drop the habit now.
To men with the same concern he wrote, "If you're going to do it, do it soon," and under suggestions for the clinic he wrote, "Just keep doing what you're doing." Being told to keep things exactly as they are is, if anything, the harder instruction. We'll do just that. I hope he wears white t-shirts often 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 -
