J. Timothy Katzen Plastic Surgeon MD, FACS

This man is an angel sent right here on earth to help us. He is the kindest man I have ever met. He has the best bed side manner and everyone needs to learn from this man. I wish I could go to him for everything. I highly recommend everyone calling him first before you try anyone else. I personally guarantee him.

Before having surgery, I was very afraid of being labeled..."only the fat guy". However, I have to say that Dr. Katzen is very professional in what he does. More importantly, he was very personable making me feel as if we were good friends for many years. Finally, his knowledge and expertise was very evident. For me, I could not have asked for a better doctor.

My advise to any potential patient would be, "Tell your doctor your true feelings and fears no matter how insignificant you think they might be because a true doctor will listen. In Doctor Katzen's case, I have no doubt that he will be able to cut away the old and leave the true you to experience life to the fullest!

Good Luck.

Dr. Katzen is very knowledgeable regarding the field of excess skin removal after bariatric surgery. I was extremely pleased with the results of a lower body and thigh lift. Dr. Katzen cares about his patients and wants the best for them. I would recommend him to anyone that is considering any type of plastic surgery.

In four years I lost 155 lbs through diet and exercise. I am a 45 year old woman and the skin over my entire body sagged. I was left more self conscious about my body than when I weighed over 300 lbs. Yet I was in the best physical condition of my life. I hated the thought of going under the knife and jeopardizing my health. I went to several plastic surgeons for consultations. One told me that a lower body lift was “too intense” and just “live the way I was”. One was very clinical and told me I had to have three surgeries just to get my lower half lifted. Also, none of the doctors I spoke to had much experience in body lifts. Finally a close friend referred me to her surgeon, Dr.Timothy Katzen. My first impressions of him where, “Professional and serious with a warm, kind, human touch”. He listened to my health concerns. He had much more experience in body lifts than I had seen in the other doctors I’d went to. I was able to get a clear picture in my head of what my results would be. My surgery went off with a hitch, not one problem! I had many questions through out my recovery and often times I would talk to Dr. Katzen’s staff. His staff always treated me with respect and provided me with the most excellent of service. Many times Doctor Katzen himself would call me and we would go over any questions I was having. Prior to my surgery Dr. Katzen and I made a decision to increase my physical activity to increase my potential for a smooth recovery. My being in tip top shape along with Dr. Katzen’s A1 skill as a surgeon made my recover a breeze. I’m happy to report that my lower body is lifted and no longer saggy. My scars are faded to almost shadow like, thin marks. I consider myself very lucky to have met such a fine man and such a skilled surgeon. I continue to refer my dearest of friends to Dr. Katzen and highly recommend him to any of you that are considering plastic surgery.

Dr. Katzen is a prince. I lost a total of 81 pounds through diet and exercise. I worked out hard ,five days a week doing every type of stomach exercise possible. I bought every type of machine. Nothing worked. I had an "apron belly" and I hated it. After covering up for years because of my excess weight, I found myself still doing it because of my hanging belly. Finally I made the decision to have a tummy tuck. I spoke to two other surgeons in my local city. Then I was referred to Dr. Katzen and immediately I just loved him. He had the time to answer all my questions, and made me feel my happiness was as important to him as it was to me. It has been a year since my tummy tuck and it's beautiful. I've never had a flat tummy but boy I do now. Dr. Katzen made my dream come true. I feel much more confident in myself. The trade off, (a scar over a hanging belly) was worth it. I'd do it all over again.

I had consults with a couple of local plastic surgeons, but they were not familiar with the post-bariatric needs/issues. And they weren't interested in trying to get insurance reimbursement. After doing some research on OH, I gave Dr. Katzen's office a call and went in for a consult, even though his office is about 180 miles from my house. My mom went with me, sort of as an unofficial secretary. We got there kind of early and the office wasn't open yet, then here comes this young guy down the hall, opens the office and lets us in. He even found the paperwork that I needed to start filling out. Yup, it was Dr. Katzen. This made me feel very confident and cared about. So we went over all the procedures I wanted to get done. Lower body lift, inner thighs, breast lift, and upper arms. He was able to show me how much skin he could remove. He answered all my questions, with mom writing everything down. He took as much time as I needed, I didn't feel rushed at all, like I was his only patient or something. And he was more than willing to ask for preapproval from my insurance. It's quite a packet that gets submitted, all the aches, rashes, problems the excess skin causes. And the pictures. Scary pictures. Anyway, insurance approved a hernia repair and the skin removal from my belly. I opted to selfpay for the rest of the body lift. Had my LBL/hernia repair on Sept. 2, 2005. The operation took about 8 hours, removed 15 lbs. of skin, and there were about 1,000 stitches between all the layers/closing up. He used "superglue" to close up the outermost layer. It held up well, and left a very smooth scar. Dr. Katzen had warned me about the hospital food, so I was prepared with protein bars. Some things on the meal trays were ok, other things were totally inappropriate (apple pie, coffee). Dr. Katzen came to check on me every day, I was there 3 nights. After discharge and my first post-op visit, I went back home. Dr. Katzen didn't want me to have to make unnessessary trips for office visits, so I was able to email my drain totals to his office (Ruth, you're awesome). When a drain total got below a certain point and could come out, we set up an appointment. This worked out really well. I started out with 4 drains. It took a long time for them to get to the point where they could come out. 3 were in for 62 days (but who's counting). Dr. Katzen explained that it was better to keep them in than pull them early and risk developing a seroma that would have to be drained with a needle a couple of times per week. He's very easy to talk with, put me at ease right away. I feel that we've developed a very good doctor-patient rapport, and I'm looking forward to stage 2, the inner thighs, in January. Then the breast lift, then the "batwings". Guess I'll have a "Body by Katzen" by then.

My family lovingly refers to Dr, Katzen as my "boyfriend" because I seemed to be spending so much time with him! I truly thought that surgeons were just robotic doctors that were unable to have personality and emotion. Dr. Katzen not only restored my faith in doctors, but has set the bar so high that I wish I didn't ever have to see another one ever again. Do you think he mind seeing me for a cold?? I obviously can't say enough good things about him.

Dr Katzern was a real sweetheart. So kind and compassionate. He couldn't have been better. He even thre in a surprise tummy tuck. I was planning on just having my arms done and incisional hernia repaired. This man is a gem.

I researched bariatric surgeons for a year before I decided to have my bypass. Similarly, I spent a lot of time researching plastic surgeons. One name that kept coming up was Dr. Katzen. Fortunately, I did not have to travel to Beverly Hills, as Dr. Katzen is associated with the Morrow Institute in Ranch Mirage, CA. My initial consultation with Dr. Katzen confirmed all of the wonderful things I had heard about him. He is a caring and extremely competent surgeon in whom I could place my complete trust. I had a tummy tuck on 6/5/05 and a chest reduction on 6/20/05. I am very happy with the results. Dr.Katzen is a meticulous surgeon who cares about his work and his patients.

I first met Dr. Katzen in Anaheim in March of 2004. Immediately I liked him and knew that he was a person whom I could trust to take me through the delicate process of plastic and post weight-loss reconstruction. I knew him to be a cordial and gentle person with a great sense of humor. So, when I began my plastic journey I chose Dr. Katzen. He was honest and up front with me about the whole process. He told me what to expect and he made me feel safe always. Even when I had minor complications that couldn't be avoided he was there the whole time. He held my hand while I cried like a baby telling him that I wanted to get better soon! He just smiled and told me "Bo, this is going to get better it just seems like it is bad. Each day you are getting better and better" I remember that moment very well because I needed it so badly. He has taken my calls whenever I needed him. I know that I chose Dr. Katzen because I trusted his work as a surgeon but, I recommend him because I trust him as a friend. He is no longer a Dr. to me I consider him a friend of the family and I would put my life in his hands any day. Based on what I have seen from Dr. Katzen I wouldn't allow any other surgeon to do my plastics but, him. In short, I love you Dr. K.