Iconic Plastic Surgery

Take away - Go for it! Trust the process and Dr. D'Souza and his staff :) Tummy Tuck/Breast Lift/Hernia & Muscle Repair Age 50 - Female - 5'6 & 128lb (before and after) - 10 weeks post op I waited a bit to make this review to get through some of the stages in recovery. This is an invasive surgical procedure not to be taken lightly and I am happy to report it has been a journey well worth it. Thank you to everyone at Iconic Plastic Surgery 😊 I was always relatively fit after having 3 natural childbirths and each breast fed. I had an umbilical hernia that trained my brain not to work my stomach/core until I realized the diastasis had become so bad I couldn't fix it alone if I tried. Surgery was never a thought. It just wasn't in my vocabulary and seemed like an unnecessary expense when young and entrenched in building our family/life. I was thin and in shape so why make a fuss? As time went on (decades) age (gravity) took some toll and I began having back issues that turned into PT and semiannual sacroiliac injections. One day I thought, what if I had hernia and muscle repair? Maybe it will improve my back, my core, my posture, my pain, and my mushy belly?! What if I could get my core to work WITH me and match the rest of me (lol)? What if I could gain the core strength needed when backpacking (without pain) and wear cute dresses or a swimsuit without an odd, shaped pooch looking like a chronic "food baby"? So, the mission began.... I talked to people, ran searches, went down some rabbit holes and quickly narrowed my options. I scheduled a consultation with Dr. D'Souza based on the transparency of his work through his Instagram videos, gallery, his reviews, his schooling, and his location. I also received a nod of approval from another highly respected PS in the area. I did not want to travel to foreign lands or a mid-west state to save $. I wanted quality work from someone I could trust at a fair price locally and that is exactly what I got. Dr. D'Souza and his staff were all professional, kind, caring, and thorough. From consulting to pre surgery and surgery to post op appts, I was treated respectfully and listened to throughout the entire process. PROCESS (big word here) - Doctor explained this and patiently took me through it over the last several months. If I got ahead of myself with unreasonable expectations he slowed me down. My results were great!! My recovery on perfect course. He reminded me I only have one chance to heal correctly the first time. Don't overdo it with muscle repair. He gave clear instructions and NEVER encouraged buying tons of extra unnecessary items. Note to self- remove 20+ items from Amazon cart - don't need it and will have to store, sell, or chuck when done. Surgery - The surgical facility in La Jolla is very nice, very sterile, and his nurse and anesthesiologist were awesome! My husband was super impressed by the team as well. Post op - I met with the doctor several times over the following weeks. He addressed all questions/concerns and told me exactly what to expect in the next week(s) to follow. This also gave him the opportunity to gage my healing and be proactive if need be. Did I mention his work is meticulous and my results are amazing? If you are looking for a double board-certified plastic surgeon that is not only a brainiac with amazing schooling, but also has a keen artistic eye/hand, and a kind/soothing bedside manner, then look no further. I took a leap of faith to do something huge for myself and I was so glad I did. So happy I am trusting the process, had great experience and results, and I truly hope you do too :)

I had a face, lip, neck lift and eyes. I am over the top with the results. I look like myself but refreshed. I now can look in the mirror at myself again. Dr. D’Souza listened to my concerns, explained everything in detail and was kind, friendly, and a joy to be around. His staff makes you feel at home. I interviewed several plastic surgeons, even out of state, and I am so happy I picked Dr. D’Souza. Thank you to him and his wonderful staff. I will recommend him to everyone. Pam Jardine

It has taken me a longtime to write this because it has been such a disheartening experience for me. I had a breast reduction / lift with Dr. D’Souza in December 2020. It took me years to build up the courage to do this surgery. My breasts had caused me so much back, neck and shoulder pain my whole life. It got to the point where the breast reduction felt highly necessary because they were causing so much pain from having to wear such large bras. The straps would dig into my shoulders. Only women with large breasts can understand the pain it causes. I couldn’t take it any longer and I finally scheduled the breast reduction with Dr'Souza. In our initial consultation, D’Souza had mentioned that in his opinion, he would just do a lift and not take any weight out. I expressed how important the weight removal was for me because I truly wanted much smaller breasts. From the moment I came out from surgery, I knew Dr. D’Souza didn't take enough weight out, but was assured by him that once the swelling went down in a few weeks I would notice a difference. I was an F cup to start ,with a small frame. I wanted to go down to a full C cup. Which never happened. A few months passed, and as the swelling went down, I still felt they were not only too big, but also my nipples were sitting so high up my chest that you can see them poking out of my bras and swimsuits. I was still fitting into my F cups after just a few months! When I showed my sister and close friends, they didn’t seem to notice a huge difference in size, just that they were sitting higher up. And I could tell the were shocked by the scarring. I felt so disappointed after all I had been through my whole life having large breasts, that people closest to me couldn’t even see a difference. As time has gone by, I have felt more and more discouraged by this surgery. As my breasts healed, the scars are all uneven. The incisions around my nipples are all wonky and also uneven, and I look like I have been botched! Unfortunately, I feel more self conscious about my breasts than I ever have! They are literally back to the same size I was before the surgery with nipples that hang out of my bras. I feel too self conscious to wear a swimsuit, low cut or backless tops, because of the nipples and botched scars that show. They are also square shape, rather than round like normal breasts should be. Finally I built up enough courage to tell him last year how I felt in an email. He had me come in to look at them. He spent about 5 minutes with me and in that time, suggested that I had gained weight. And, that he had never seen this happen before, which felt really discouraging. He also offered to re-do them for me for another $6,000. I was actually surprised at that because he had told my husband and I after the surgery, that if they needed re-doing that all we would cover was the hospital and anesthesia costs. I left there so disheartened and in shock that day. Unfortunately for me, I am thousands of dollars out of pocket for this surgery with breasts that are the same size as they were before, and nipples that hang out of my bras and tops! My back, neck & shoulder pain is increasingly worse, and I am back to paying huge amounts of money each week on chiropractors and acupuncturists just to alleviate the constant pain I experience on a daily basis. I truly believe that Dr. D’Souza did what he thought would look good, rather than what I wanted and had asked for. I am now looking for a surgeon I can trust to fix them for me and take the amount of weight out that I truly need to support me with my back pain. This has affected my life in many ways both physically and emotionally!

I would highly recommend Dr Souza, for any of my needs. He truly cares about his work and is with you every step of the way to ensure you have the best experience! He has the nicest staff and I appreciate all that they have done for me!

I am in love with my results and it hasn’t even been two weeks! Dr. D’Souza is an excellent plastic surgeon and the only one I will trust with any future procedures I might do. I am so glad I chose Iconic Plastic Surgery for my procedure.