Plastic surgeons in Melbourne

@desinha 

It is a difficult question that you pose and it really is for you to decide who suits you.  I have included a link here from the BCNA website that hopefully will give you resource to do research

https://www.bcna.org.au/understanding-breast-cancer/treatment/breast-reconstruction/

Take care

Hi Desinha, 
are you a member of the choosing breast reconstruction group?  you will find stories there and information to help you I believe http://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/group/1-choosing-breast-reconstruction

@SoldierCrab Thanks. Yes I am a member of that group !

Desinha,
May I ask what procedure are you hoping to have done?
I am assuming this is in private.
I will take some time because it's how I suggest you assess any of your carers.

I ask because depending on the surgery you will aim to access a different skill set.
- Breast surgeon ( General surgeon training ) with some plastic/oncology training 
- Plastics Aesthetic work ( these are the expanders, implants, revision of recon, nipple work )
- Plastics Major Reconstruction ( these are the guys that do the microscope anastomoses work and the more complex flaps) 

A good place to start is to ask your surgeon how many of these he does a week/month/year.
Another good question is to get them to run through their complications - those who are very comfortable with their work will also be VERY comfortable with listing the complications together with what they are going to do about it. To be blunt even in the best hands if you do something for long enough, shit sometimes happens but the good ones know how to fix it and STICK with their patients. 

I have quickly googled your surgeon suggestion - I know nothing about him.
But these two pieces of info stand out:
Finished University - 2002 - so at the quickest he would have had his Plastic Fellowship 8 years later ( 3 basic training and 5 advanced training ) and if he did some general surgery he really did not fly into full practice until 2011 -2012 - again you should ask - how many years has he been a plastic surgeon.

Does he perform all the procedures listed at the Clinic - that is possible, but pretty broad spectrum. Go back to how many breasts of your type a week.


Hope that helps,

Ok, I had a better look at his intro - he became a fellow in 2015. He is early in his career - does not mean he is not good but it is early experience wise. 

The only other suggestion - if the surgery is not urgent - get your GP to refer you to say three different people they work with  - it's worth the extra money for each consult - given the fees for the recon/breast surgery.

desinha also look at a website called reclaim your curves..... for more information. 
http://www.reclaimyourcurves.org.au/

@Wildplaces  Thanks for the detailed inputs. Yes even I did not find even a single review of the doctor and hence was worried about his credentials. You are right - he may be really good but there is no source to give me that confidence except that he operates at St. Vincent hospital and he has been referred by my Breast Surgeon (whom we trust and like).

To be honest, I am little confused and may ask my breast surgeon for 2nd opinion !!

I have gone with my PS because my breast surgeon, who I like and trust a grest deal, says he is technically the best at my procedure, has never known him to have a DIEP flap fail, and he's the one he'd have operate on his wife.

My BS also said Melbourne is micro centre of plastic surgery excellence. He has a far higher opinion of PSs here than in the US. And he also informed me the first DIEP in the world was performed in Melbourne.

There is another thread on finding a PS in Melbourne in General Discussion.
Damian Grinsell gets mentioned - very solid - and works at St V if you are looking in that Melbourne area but YOU have to be comfortable with whom you choose. Trust your instincts.
Good Luck!!

(If I was told someone never had a problem I would just say they have not done enough... but that is just me.)

St V is the cradle of microsurgery in Melbourne and has a very strong hand plastics unit. 
Diep flaps were first described by a Japanese surgeon and first performed by an American

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24163223

@Wildplaces I stand corrected. Maybe he meant the first one performed in Australia was in Melbourne.