TOPIC: Trying to decide between Dr. Liu & Dr. Solomon

I have had consultations with both Dr Liu and Dr Solomon at this point. I met Dr Liu in his office and Dr Solomon virtually. I was drawn to Dr Solomon because I see he is the guy people go to to fix other botched procedures. Dr Liu is closer to me but that is a small factor for something like this. I am looking for both length and Girth enhancement. Was thinking injections before I spoke to the doctors but now realize the length enhancement requires surgery so might as well do the Girth via surgery at the same time. I am interested if any of you have come down to the same two choices and how you moved forward?

Tim62411 wrote: I have had consultations with both Dr Liu and Dr Solomon at this point. I met Dr Liu in his office and Dr Solomon virtually. I was drawn to Dr Solomon because I see he is the guy people go to to fix other botched procedures. Dr Liu is closer to me but that is a small factor for something like this. I am looking for both length and Girth enhancement. Was thinking injections before I spoke to the doctors but now realize the length enhancement requires surgery so might as well do the Girth via surgery at the same time. I am interested if any of you have come down to the same two choices and how you moved forward?

They're both Board Certified Plastic Surgeons with generally positive reviews. They are also both Sponsors, so in order to be as impartial as possible, I genuinely try and find a reasonable "tie breaker" which makes most sense given YOUR situation.

There appears to be two tie breakers from what you've shared with us: [1] logistics like travel/distance (I know you claim this is a small factor but I'll explain why it may be more important than you think); and [2] Quality of Consultation.

Let's start with logistics. If you are going to have invasive procedures performed, you're going to want to be able to visit your performing physician again should any revisions are needed, or from complications that may arise (all elective procedures have some risk for complication, no matter how talented the surgeon). The closer they are, the more quickly you can have urgent matters address in the event they need to be addressed. This isn't likely going to be an issue, but it's the peace of mind. Plus you obviously save on multiple travel costs should you need to make multiple visits. For this reason Dr. Liu has the edge, even if it's a small one.

[2]The second tie-breaker is how well the consultation goes. Obviously Dr. Liu having seen you in person will give him the slight edge, however, it's not fair to pass judgement on this until you see Dr. Solomon. You may very well appreciate Dr. Solomon's insight, his bedside manner (even if virtual), his experience, and whatever else he may persuade you with.

I try and find Sponsors from all regions of the country to not only provide competitive options for my readers, but logistical ones like travel & lodging. So naturally to play fair I tend to tell members to see the closest Sponsor (and sometimes even non-Sponsors) depending on their needs. And admittedly given your circumstances, Dr. Liu seems to me to be the tie-breaker, however, you may very well find that Dr. Solomon's unparalleled experience and quality of consultation to be your tie-breaker.

In other words, if you lived on the East Coast/New England, I would have told you to see Dr. Solomon instead. And if you decide to go with Dr. Solomon because you have your own set of criteria & tie-breakers, either way you're in good hands.

Thank you for your take. I would be seeing Dr Solomon in his Beverly Hills office so it is the difference between Northern and Southern CA. I will search around the forum to see if members have posted about their experience with each. I noticed a couple things when I had my consultation with Dr Liu. They have you wait in the parking garage when you arrive and have you call the office. When I called, they said the waiting room was full and I would need to wait about 10 minutes. When I went into their office waiting room after they had called me back, the waiting room was completely empty. I would have expected a couple people to still be in the room. I am a suspicious person by nature and it just felt like they were trying to project an image of being busy but might not have been. When Dr Liu came into the exam room and met me, he made a big point of talking about how he just came from a surgery. Might be nothing but came across in a way that made me suspicious that he hadn’t just been in surgery. Again, these are my observations and perception which might be off base. If you know of posts from people that have used either one, I would appreciate the links. I am interested in the ligament cutting procedure and surgimend for Girth.

I also see a lot of people talking about PMMA Avanti Derma. skeptical_one: if it were you, would you be going the surgical route or filler route if you had BPEL of 6” and Erect Girth of 5” mid shaft. I know surgery is about the only option for a length increase.

Tim62411 wrote: Thank you for your take. I would be seeing Dr Solomon in his Beverly Hills office so it is the difference between Northern and Southern CA. I will search around the forum to see if members have posted about their experience with each. I noticed a couple things when I had my consultation with Dr Liu. They have you wait in the parking garage when you arrive and have you call the office. When I called, they said the waiting room was full and I would need to wait about 10 minutes. When I went into their office waiting room after they had called me back, the waiting room was completely empty. I would have expected a couple people to still be in the room. I am a suspicious person by nature and it just felt like they were trying to project an image of being busy but might not have been. When Dr Liu came into the exam room and met me, he made a big point of talking about how he just came from a surgery. Might be nothing but came across in a way that made me suspicious that he hadn’t just been in surgery. Again, these are my observations and perception which might be off base. If you know of posts from people that have used either one, I would appreciate the links. I am interested in the ligament cutting procedure and surgimend for girth.

Not sure about the perception, perhaps it could have been a projection of sorts, but harmless nonetheless. And I personally don't think he was making up the Surgery, I know with inflation and other economical factors, Clinics worldwide are seeing a bit of a slump in terms of business, so it doesn't surprise me if he's drumming up having just finished a procedure.

From the few exchanges I've had with others, he does appear to be a solid Doctor in terms of bedside manner and professionalism, did you feel this way as well? Sponsor feedback is important to me. Thanks

Tim62411 wrote: I also see a lot of people talking about PMMA Avanti Derma. skeptical_one: if it were you, would you be going the surgical route or filler route if you had BPEL of 6” and Erect Girth of 5” mid shaft. I know surgery is about the only option for a length increase.

My role here prevents me from "trying to play favorites" or "what would you pick" scenarios, because it will create a conflict-of-interest. That said, I can propose to you pros & cons worth considering, and you make the best judgment given your circumstances.

The appeal of Surgimend in your case is two-fold:
(1) because the dermal graft is precisely cut to size, you won't have to deal with the aesthetic irreuglarities that comes with fillers (e.g. nodules, ridges, bumps). The shaft theoretically should be uniform in contour. It's also a material rich in collagen and will mimic gains achieved with fillers. The only downside here (really depending on who you ask) is that the Girth is somewhat capped. In other words, once you have your procedure done, there is no "topping off" or "adding more Girth." You'll want to ask the Doctors yourself but I believe gains of 0.5"-1.0" in Girth are plausible, and that's quite significant (if you were 5.75" in Erect Girth, you're effectively Magnum XL).

(2) The two Doctors you are considering (Dr. Liu & Dr. Solomon) can both perform Ligamentolysis (lengthening) and Surgimend on the same day, making logistics and costs much more manageable. The only downside here is that recovery time is typically longer when getting multiple procedures done same day.

In contrast, if you get fillers performed, you'll still have to visit a Surgeon to get Ligamentolysis. Fillers are also known to require multiple appointments to achieve desired aesthetics and size, bringing potential costs on par with the surgical route.

Fillers greatest advantage are that they are non-surgical, making them outpatient and recovery quicker. PMMA in particular makes your "skin thicker" as opposed to your "shaft thicker" (like Surgimend would).

Avanti Derma is certainly a great Clinic, and the reason you see a lot of them here is because PMMA dominated the discussion for most of this site's existence, before topics like Ellanse, Radiesse, HA, Renuva, and PRP-Treated FFT became regarded as effective alternatives in the filler discussion today. The good news is that now we have options, which also expands our ability to choose our physician, region, budget, etc.

As for Surgimend, it's the only surgical (*not non-surgical) option I recommend, and most other surgical alternatives are either obsolete or too risky for me to consider.

I hope that helps.

Thank you for the extensive and very informative responses! It is helpful and I really appreciate it! In terms of Dr Liu’s bedside manner, he was great. Seemed very knowledgeable and confident in what could be done. Again, thank you!