Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Plastic Surgery Center

Hi my name is Joanne. 20 months ago I had Gastric Bypass surgery and I have lost 172 lbs. I first heard about Dr. Katzen at a support group meeting. A few of the women there had been patients of his. They said such great things about him, and then he came and gave us a presentation about what he could do. He had such a caring manner that I knew I would want to have him help me when the time came. Well it came and we met for him to do my first surgery a Bilateral Inverted T Abdominoplasty (cut from between breasts to pubes and from hip to hip). I was afraid of surgery, afraid of the pain, just plain afraid. Dr Katzen and his wonderful office staff were with me every step of the way. They made me feel comfortable and secure that all would be well. It was! The surgery was a breeze I had very little pain. I was a bit uncomfortable but able to deal with it no problem. The communication with the Dr and his staff was great. I never had to explain who I was or what I had done they knew me and my issues and helped with everything. Before I had my surgery I met with a family friend who is a Plastic surgeon. I thought he was closer to my home and with being a friend it would cost less. Well after the meeting I decided that his charges were about the same and he didn’t have nearly as much experience with excessive skin. As you know I went with Dr Katzen and I am so happy I LOVE MY NEW TUMMY!!!!!!!!! It looks wonderful my girlfriend said I look like a teenager and my husband said it’s like having a Porsche. I would recommend Dr Katzen for his great skill and wonderful manner, but also for his support staff they treat me so well. I am just getting ready to go in for my next surgery (arms and breasts) I can’t wait!!!!!

As a result of loosing 250 lbs, I gained my health and a new sense of freedom. With that however, I was also left with a severe amount of excessive hanging skin which has taken a toll on me both physically and emotionally.

When I made the decision to undergo reconstructive surgery I met with several surgeons. While they were all ‘technically’ qualified, none of them had the experience or expertise in dealing with significant weight loss like Dr. Katzen has. He is as compassionate as he is skilled and has always made me feel at ease. Additionally his staff; Raquel, Diana and Jane have been extremely supportive and continually go out of their way to help me through this process.

I’m half way through my surgical journey now and feel confident that with Dr. Katzen, I will finally reach my goal of being healthy & confident in my own skin.

Three and a half years ago I had gastric bypass surgery. I lost a total of 160lbs. Although I was extremely happy about the weight loss, I was left with the body of a ninety year women. With normal clothes on I looked normal, but the underneath the clothes was a body that I was so self conscious of. I was more embarrassed to get into a bathing suit at 140lbs than I was at 300lbs, because of all the excess skin. A coworker had told me wonderful things about Dr. Katzen, so I went to one of his seminars. I knew immediately that he was the doctor that I had been looking for. I had seen many of his patient's before and after pictures that were very impressive, but his compassion and gentle spirit really touched me. He made me feel so comfortable from our very first meeting. Over the past six months, I have has a body lift and also my breast and upper arms done. His whole staff has been incredible. They have gone out of their way to make sure that I had everything I needed for healing process. I never imagined I would feel so great about myself. I truly owe so much to Dr. Katzen for helping me find myself again. I just love the man.

After losing 85 lbs having had a gastric bypass in 2001, my weight loss stalled and I felt like a failure and refused to let anyone know that I had this life altering surgery. In 2007 I joined a weight loss program and lost an additional 30 lbs and looking in the mirror with all this excess skin, I felt as if I would never look “normal”. I read about Dr. Katzen and decided to attend one of his seminars. I told my husband I will research 3 different surgeons and choose the best one. Dr. Katzen was the first and last doctor I researched and I have no regrets with my decision. Although I had a hernia with unexpected complications, this has been a great experience and has dramatically changed my life. I have one more surgery schedule and I am looking forward to continuing my relationship with the office staff - Raquel and Diana – who have always made me feel special and treated me as part of the Katzen family.

The excess skin that I was left with after losing over 100 pounds was a problem for me. I researched many doctors and even went to a consultation with another highly recommended surgeon before selecting Dr. Katzen to complete my body transformation. From the very first visit, he put me at ease. He explained his approach to removing and contouring my body areas in clear understandable terms. Every question I had was taken seriously and answered to my satisfaction. He planned to do in 3 surgeries what the other surgeon told me would take 5 and provided me with realistic expectations about each of the procedures. His caring, professional demeanor erased the nervousness that I had and his surgical skill has delivered more than I ever hoped for. His safe and healthy approach to planning and executing my reconstructive surgeries have made this a successful experience for me. I have recovered and healed well after each of my surgeries and am beyond happy with my results.

Dr. Katzen has many patients and the special ability to make you feel like you are his top priority. He is available, attentive, capable and caring.

Dr. Katzen and his warm and caring staff have taken excellent care of me throughout this process and I love them all. Thank you Dr. Katzen!

Dr. Katzen visited our bariatric support group and a made presentation. I felt Dr. Katzen’s presentation was the best of others we had heard. Also, a patient in my support group had used Dr. Katzen and highly recommended him. My meetings with him before my surgery were helpful and informative. He put me easily at ease the day of surgery he made me feel clam and like I was in goods hands, which I felt I was. I came through surgery very well with no complications. Dr. Katzen explained things well to my husband which helped him help me. I very like Dr. Katzen.

Throughout my entire life, I was always up and down in terms of my weight. I always dreamed of having the "perfect" body. Even during the "skinny" times in my life, I never had a flat stomach and my arms were always big. The older I became, the more difficult it became to lose the weight and get in shape. Two years ago, I hit the heaviest point in my life. After achieving one of the toughest things in my life (losing more than 100 pounds), I was still not happy with my body. I was left with a significant amount of hanging skin -- mostly around my stomach and on my arms. No amount of exercise could help me. I decided to do something about it. I conducted a significant amount of research and determined that Dr. Katzen was the doctor for my situation. He deals mainly with people who have lost a lot of weight and has the hanging excess skin. How perfect! That's exactly what I needed. After the first consultation, I knew I made the right decision. Dr. Katzen was very informative and educational. First, I had a "tummy tuck." The surgery went extremely well. A short time later, I had the skin removed from my arms. Dr. Katzen gave me what I could never achieve no matter how hard I worked – my flat stomach and my skinny arms. Dr. Katzen's care and follow-up was also second to none. He was attentive, caring and very accessible during my recovery. He continued to follow-up with me until every last issue was resolved. Dr. Katzen combines the caring of a small town doctor with the skills of a top notch Beverly Hills surgeon – a pretty good combination. I highly recommend Dr. Katzen.

I had surgery about 2 months ago and I feel fantastic. I'd been thinking about having surgery for a very long time, I finally did it. I'm so happy with everything. I looked at other surgeons in the area and I just felt that Dr. Katzen was not rushing me and listened to everything I said. The staff was amazing through the whole process. I feel like I made the right choice in picking my surgeon.

First of all I would like to thank Dr. Katzen and his staff for their help and support in answering my questions and taking great care of needs through out this process.
My life has changed a great deal through the weight loss and after having the abdominoplasty. I can now see that the effort and sometimes physical discomfort was well compensated by my results and my new out look for my future and new body.

My healthy life began November 15, 2005 when I had my gastric bypass surgery. Prior to the surgery I was on 11 different medications to control my diabetes and elevated blood pressure. I lost 130 lbs and was taken off all my medications. I started exercising a couple of months after the surgery to try to keep the skin from sagging, but it did not work. I then decided to have plastic surgery, a tummy tuck and breast reduction and breast lift.
The gastric bypass surgery gave me a chance to live a healthier and longer life, which was the main reason for the surgery. I loved the change to my body and the fact that I could shop in the normal size clothes department. People no longer looked at me as a fat person but a normal person. I travel a lot with work and now I no longer needed the seat beat extension, that in itself was a great day it fit without the extension. Even though I looked better in clothes I still saw the problem with the sagging skin.
At this point I decided to start checking into plastic surgery . I went to 5 or 6 different doctors and finally decided to choose Dr. Timothy Katzen. Dr. Katzen specialized in weight loss patients and was familiar with the issues that surround us. I felt that he cared about his patients and listened to what I had to say. I also, felt he had a supportive staff and the was important to me. On December 5, 2007 I had my tummy tuck and breast reduction and lift.
At the recovery center I saw my new body for the first time and cried, I have never had a flat stomach and “perky” breast. My life has only gotten better since the plastic surgery, I am now proud of my body, I may not be the smallest in the room but I feel like I am. Three months following the surgery I went on a 12 day cruise and Dr. Katzen encouraged me to get a bikini, which I did. It was so much fun looking at swimsuits that I would never had wore before. I wore it and did not feel I had to cover up my body and hide. I did wear my sunscreen to the parts of my body that never saw the sun.
I am so thankful for the confidence that I have now as a result of the weight loss and the new body Dr. Katzen has given me.
I can never thank him and his staff for the change in my life and the continued support.
Nancy Hobson