TOPIC: PMMA in large amounts.... cost?

So he might use Asian PMMA and then mix it himself. What are the risks of this, I am guess if you made it through the first few months of this, you will be fine, if it\'s pure PMMA.

I know in the HIV community, even American doctors recommend him, calling him an expert in this field. I am finding that for the best answers to PMMA long term use, it best to go on one of these hiv forums as they have been using it since the start in 2002, and can give a better indication of long term effects. So far I have read of none, and they praise it.

My concern is the doctors who don\'t even at least use their own ready made PMMA and are using hydrogel or even silicone, cause this migrates, which means complications. Been reading about women who claim to have been injected with large amounts (800cc) of supposed PMMA costing only like $2000, by doctors in places like Peru, Colombia e.t.c

I have emailed three well known doctors including Dr. Serra and so far have no response to the brand they use in buttock bioplasty. In the email I raised the same concerns about the cost of metacrill.

This is a very concerning question about why Dr. C never showed many of his patients, including me, the name brand of his PMMA. That DOES NOT automatically means he is using no name brands, it just brings the question to mind. I think a very few of his patients were presented with the official PMMA seals, but very few. It would be interesting to see if some one can get an official answer from his office. I know that on all my rounds, his office told me they were using brand name authentic PMMA...

It could be the nature of the procedure, buttocks I would imagine is not as delicate as the complex penis structure. But this is merely a guess at this point.


The question is a good one though that needs a real answer.

The Bio-Alcamid turned out to be a total disaster, probably worse then silicone. I am sure the PMMA, regardless of the source, will not be as bad.

My point is these guys are willing to experiment on other people in order to serve their own interests $$.

Dr Loria, is another one I think will likely end up with a subset of terrible outcomes as he periodically \"improves\" his injection recipe, just like Dr Elist keeps coming out with a better FDA approved implant, haha.

As promised here is the response from Dr. C\'s office. First my wording of the question:

\"Good Evening, I\'ve been reading online in order to be as informed as possible before my procedure. Recently I read an accusation regarding the authenticity of the PMMA. It is Metacril brand, correct? Someone suggested asking to watch the opening of the sealed packaging before the procedure to verify. Would that be a problem? I don\'t mean to come across as untrusting. I\'m sure the accuser is full of nonsense, but I didn\'t think it would hurt to ask. Others on the forum were curious too so since I have an appointment soon I volunteered to ask and I\'ll report back with the response (if that\'s okay) so you aren\'t asked the same question repeatedly.\"

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Their response:
\"We have always made our products available to our patients. When we receive Metacril PMMA in a vial, it is very time consuming to transfer product from vial to syringes during your treatment. This is the reason for the pre-filled syringes. When we receive pre-filled syringes of Metacril we can always open them in front of the patient. See you soon!\"

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There you have it. My apologies to Bigben for referring to him as being \'full of nonsense\' in the email...for some reason when typing it up for them I felt the need to downplay the accusation since I didn\'t want it to see as if I was the one making it. I meant no offense to you sir.


I\'ll be taking pics and posting my info this weekend looking for feedback, suggestions, etc as I get close to the Feb 13th appointment. If you see my post this weekend please give me some feedback. I\'m really torn between wanting this so f\'n badly but still knowing the risks associated with it.

I applaud you for taking being pro-active and taking this step. Really an honest doctor should have a patient bill of rights that includes opening the Metacril packaging in front of EVERY patient and recording the serial / lot number info. I believe this is how it is done by the doctor in Prague and it would eliminate the problem altogether.

Also, it does not take long to fill a syringe. He likely has an assistant fill them. It takes them no longer to pre-fill them in front of you then it does in private..

And more confusing/troublesome, they can open the packaging in front of you when Metacril is shipped from the manufacturer in a syringe. However they receive it in a vial. So basically this gives them an easy excuse to claim they do not have the pre-filled syringes, therefore they will not comply with your request.

I think they likely have a few Metacril vials in the office. I would insist they fill the syringes in front of you. Or push back on his evasive reply before you travel there. It will take 30sec/syringe so do not feel like your are being too intrusive. There is no legal system to speak of in Mexico, if the patients don\' t keep the doctor honest nobody else will.

@Snoopy

I\'ve seen box after box of Meta<>Crill' and NewPlastic' (NewPlastic' back at my first procedure). Not just a single box for \"demo\" purposes. I also watched Dr. Casavantes pull out the vials from the box and fill the syringe. You are alert and can view the whole procedure. Dr. Casavantes even took the time to show me the expiration date and informed me of the counterfeits of the past and what they looked like. You act as if every person (including the Administrator of the forum) simply blindly trusts the good doctor. It seems that you are the arrogant one if you honestly believe that we\'re nothing more than sheep and perceive Avanti Derma as our Mecca and Dr. Casavantes as our savior. Also, neither Dr. Casavantes nor Wade nor Mel care about \"lurking\" around our forum. They know of it and are happy it exists. No Phalloplasty procedure is perfectly safe and without risk of deformity. Dr. C presented himself as an \"open book\" to me. Every question I had; answered. All physical evidence (vials, blunt-microcannulas/boxes/seals); presented to me. I\'m glad you decided against PMMA. I\'m confident that neither SO nor any Moderator suggested you have the procedure. Obviously, whether one choose PMMA in Europe/Brazil/Mexico and independent of what Dr. performs the procedure, complications can and DO occur. Too risky for ya?... Don\'t do it.

Snoopy you are so disingenuous.

If you or BigBen bothered to read from the very beginning, you\'d know it was never a secret that Dr C was mixing 10% and 30% to make 20%. BigBen made a big deal of this, but no one bothered to respond to him. Also, in Mexico the law is different to Brazil, so Dr C can make his own PMMA if he wishes in the same way the rival TJ clinic do. He\'d have absolutely no reason to claim to be using Metacril or NP if he wasn\'t. The brand of PMMA has become a PhalloBoards concern, based on reports from people like Dr C.

The fact that people on this board so openly question Dr C\'s ethics based on little more than nationality seems incredibly xenophobic to me. I\'ve had botox before in both the US and UK and never once been shown the packaging.

BigBen also wasn\'t the first person to post the Lemperle story. Those who have done their research will have seen it posted several times in the past. I\'m not being critical of BB, but he really hasn\'t brought anything new to light regarding PMMA. He hasn\'t called his bluff at all. BB simply didn\'t know his stuff.

I don\'t think Dr C does 500 ml injections. Again this is something I know from reading everything I can.

Everyone has every right to challenge the opinions of any Dr. We do it all the time and have been incredibly critical of so many Dr\'s in this industry. But we can\'t be critical of a Dr based on little more than a xenophobic attitude. Look at how heavily criticized Dr Loria was and with good reason. Look at the criticism Elist gets and again with good reason. But is being Mexican or working a Mexico a good enough reason to start vigorously pursuing conspiracy theories? I\'ve stated several times I don\'t like how the PMMA procedure has evolved or the lack of patient profiling by Dr C, but this is very different to basically accusing him of being dishonest and injecting unknown substances. Maybe I\'m wrong, but I honestly can\'t see what the motivation for questioning Dr C\'s ethics are other than him being from and working in Mexico. This to me personally isn\'t cool at all. I\'ve never once heard of anyone suggesting that the Dr\'s prove the source of their allografts for example.

Guys I have to disagree with you on this one. To me it looks like a long letter that could have just said \"No I will not let you see me fill the syringe with Metacril\"

I don\'t believe it would take that long to fill a small syringe, no medical person is that patient. And how many weeks would it take to fill remove 500cc for a butt injection. His numbers do not make sense. I bet the guys who went to Dr N in europe can confirm this.

Finally SO\'s arrogant attitude, you came to him, he didn\'t come to you so don\'t question his practice, is not cool at all, especially since you are the admin and claim this board is not supposed to favor certain doctors. BTW if I had faith in the title of MD I would have called Dr Elist a long time ago. BB has the right to challenge Dr\'s BS just like everyone else here does.

It is clear bigben called his bluff and now he is unwilling to show his cards. He will show you a few cards from another deck (an old metacril box), but he will not show you his cards. Like xander said it it probably PMMA, but god knows from where.

So glad this new info is out here, since I now have not doubt PMMA is NOT for me.

Good luck to everyone else though. And I can understand why you would not say bad things about him since he lurks here.

Posted by carljohnson:

I asked if they had any Erect pics since their before/afters are all Flaccid. They directed me here since they don\'t have or share those.

Most Phalloplasty physicians do not keep photographic record of the patient\'s Erect penis. There are several reasons for this. One big one is that aesthetically, the Flaccid result is typically superior to the Erect state. I\'m sure you can imagine other factors that elude physicians from obtaining/documenting Erect photos. Just one more reason for this wonderful forum!

xander86 wrote: Interesting Dr C clinic might use this forum?

They are most certainly aware of it. Their nurse was the one who first pointed me here. I asked if they had any Erect pics since their before/afters are all Flaccid. They directed me here since they don\'t have or share those.

Skeptical One, I think it is important Dr.C addressed this issue and did not ignore it. Thank God, this forum knows a good doctor to use. There are a lot of cosmetic surgery clinics in South America that have qualified doctors, but many women are only find out months after supposed cheap PMMA injections, that they were injected with silicone e.t.c when complications arise.

I think it is only fair someone can ask a question like this, when they are going to have a substance, that is permanent and they will be stuck with for the rest of their lives. As I said before, it\'s obvious Dr C uses PMMA in penis injections, it\'s the only thing that won\'t migrate. If he did use a cheap PMMA, I wouldn\'t have a problem with it as long as it was safe.

Interesting Dr C clinic might use this forum?

I think Dr. C email shows transparency and good business practices, something that SO has touched on. No PE Dr has the same courage to do what Dr C\'s office and staff have done so far.

This is a great response from the Dr and it will go a long way to assure past and future patients of his legitimacy..

I also feel a lot better to have read his response, it cemented my gut feeling about his operation. I always feel very comfortable when I go and see him and his staff.

I\'m not sure Dr. C even needed to respond to the speculation of counterfeit PMMA, as it\'s the silliest kind of silly some of the things that were suggested. I mean, how often do ladies who get their lips injected with Botox sit staring while the doctor fills the syringe, reading the serial number and calling the manufacturer to confirm the batch? Unlike, say, a Dr. Loria filler whose composition was unknown, Dr. C has stated clearly the products he uses (and shows the packaging upon request). Since the quality of PMMA goes a long way in reducing complication, why in the hell would the renowned Dr. C risk his very practice when the actual brands are available legally? Why his association with the Bioplasty Congress discussing the efficacy of brands like Metacril and Linnea Safe if all he does is inject us with Chinese Plexibeads?

Skepticism is healthy. Implicit comments and wild speculation is not.

Maybe the Tijuana-stigma factors into the equation somehow, but if you can\'t have any faith in the title of MD, you shouldn\'t be asking the doctor to the fill the syringe - you should be avoiding Phalloplasty altogether.

Furthermore, cosmetic enhancement is inherently experimental & evolving, even with the current standard methods that exist today. Dr. C\'s use of Bio-Alcamid in the past demonstrates this.

Phalloplasty has a history of incompetent doctors, shoddy methods, and horror stories, but that isn\'t to say every doctor & practice is evil. I\'m no endorser of Dr. C or his practice, but I will admit, even as the Admin of this forum, that I have great respect for his practice. As he states quite clearly, Phalloplasty came to him. He didn\'t mass market, shill forums, or promise unrealistic gains. He\'s given many men a renewed sense of adequacy, and for some, a renewed sense of confidence. Those with complications can attest to Dr. C & Company\'s willingness to follow-up, and their sincerity in trying to resolve lingering issues. Why say all this? Because his practice, outside of the massive short-term success of penile bioplasty, acts in sharp contrast to most other phallo-operations.

Is it a perfect practice with the perfect solution? No. But let\'s be real here. Let\'s be damn honest and straight to the point. What Phalloplasty method available for Girth enhancement has more consistent results and a better complication rate than penile bioplasty? This forum is an unsolicited testament to the efficacy of this method, especially as it relates to FFT, PLGA Scaffolds, DFG, Silicone Implant, and Alloderm/Belladerm. Who would contest this? Does it have its share of complications? Sure, but so do the common nose & boob jobs. Are the complication rates acceptable? That\'s hard to say, not enough lurkers report to the forums to get a clear picture on complication rates, especially those that are major complications. But from what anecdotal & empirical evidence we have, it appears to be much better than the alternatives.

I received another response from Dr. C\'s office today. I think it is important to mention this was unsolicited. After the original response from them I left it alone and today Wade messaged me with a PDF from Dr C directly. I also want to mention I never stated \'Bigben\' in my email to them...I left it vague...so my message to them was concerning enough for them to come here and look for what caused it.

Everyone can make up their own mind but to me this was very reassuring.

Dr. C\'s letter to me is attached. He addressed me by my real name so I had to screenshot the pdf to edit out the name, just FYI.