TOPIC: My Devastating Experience with Dr. Liu (Scar removal, Alloderm + PMMA)

Hey everyone—I’m writing this with a heavy and deep regret. It’s been about two months since I underwent a procedure with Dr. Liu that was supposed to be life-changing in a positive way. Instead, I feel compelled to share my story in full, in hopes that no one else ends up in the same nightmare.

To give you some background: I unfortunately had the Elist implant placed back in 2015. That decision was the beginning of a long, painful road filled with complications and emotional distress. I had it removed in 2016, but the damage had already been done. I was left with dense, fibrous scar tissue that caused serious restriction and discomfort—physically and emotionally.

Fast forward to 2025. After nearly a decade of dealing with the fallout, I finally decided to pursue scar removal, a ligament cut, and the Alloderm graft with PMMA. After consulting with Dr. Liu and hearing all the things I wanted to hear, I believed I was finally going to reclaim what was taken from me. He spoke with confidence. He made promises that he would “make me better” He didn’t show any concern and made it seem like he would expertly handle the procedure with a natural, satisfying result. That illusion cost me $22,000—and even more problems than before .

What I wasn’t told:
1. I would not be under general anesthesia, but wide awake under local lidocaine.
2. He would not be removing all the scar tissue as promised, but instead “releasing” it—whatever that means.
3. There was no post-op plan to prevent reattachment of the scar tissue, which was the root of the reason I contacted him.

During the procedure, things quickly went from calm to chaos. At first, I only felt pressure, but as the lidocaine wore off—and Dr. Liu failed to keep up with numbing me—the experience turned into a living hell that I can never forget. It felt like I was being sliced from every angle with no escape. I could hear the frustration in his voice as he rushed and stumbled through what was clearly a complex, delicate job. At one point, I laid there thinking: This man isn’t equipped for this. I’ve made a terrible mistake.

The very next day, I told him I could still feel the scar tissue—hard, unyielding, the same as before. He brushed it off as swelling and insisted he had removed “everything.” But I knew my body. I knew he hadn’t. I could see and feel that he hadn’t. About 2 weeks later he removed the botch stitch job and struggled removing them. He told me oh, they are dissolvable so they it’s okay if a few are still left behind. Everyone knows that blue stitches are plastic and don’t dissolve. Over the next few days I would feel some still left behind and had to gently cut them out myself and I can still feel one that wasn’t removed.

Now, two months later, what I originally said has been confirmed. The scar tissue is still there. It was never removed—just “released” and left to mold back together like I warned it would. No spacer, no preventative care, no real afterthought. The result? Lumpy, unnatural appearance when flaccid and erect. It feels wrong. It looks wrong. It’s not even symmetrical or even!! The Alloderm doesn’t ever go down to the shaft. Nothing like what he promised or what a skilled surgeon should be proud of.

What’s most crazy is that he showed no accountability for the irregularities and complications and pain I now live with daily. No real action plan during follow ups. No real concern. Just feels like it’s not his problem.

I feel violated. I feel lied to. I feel betrayed. And most of all—I feel devastated that I trusted someone who clearly wasn’t prepared to deliver what he promised.

Please, if you’re considering this route, do your homework. Don’t let a smooth-talking consultation blind you to the reality. I wouldn’t wish this experience on my worst enemy.

looks bad...sorry to hear the news

I'm terribly sorry about your ordeal. While your experience with Dr. Liu isn't characteristic of other reports with his Office (in terms of bedside manner, professionalism, and skill) on both this Forum and through PMs & Emails, I have no reason to doubt that you yourself had an unfortunate and unsatisfactory experience (as thoroughly detailed in your report here).

I feel like after seeing your photos that this could very well be fixed -- I am not absolving Dr. Liu of any of your present complications, but I will say that Dr. Elist post-op removals are notorious for scarring, and the extent of the fibrosis makes "full Removal" difficult from my understanding. This comes from reading many past reports from former Elist patients over the span of 15+ years. While I simply can't know given the complicated nature of having gone from the silicone implant to a dermal graft (with the former being notorious for leaving long-term issues), I have to wonder if Dr. Liu underestimated the impediments that can be present with a former Elist implant Removal. Now you might say this is something he ought to know but it's not quite that simple because Phalloplasty is not a standardized methodology and still regarded by some in the medical field as experimental in nature. So I believe this confidence of his you spoke of was natural because he relied on his experience as a Plastic Surgeon, as well as his extensive work involving a whole suite of Male Enhancement procedures.

However, Dr. Liu to my knowledge hasn't done a high enough volume of implant removals based on the fact that if someone were to reach out to me for recommendations on Removal, he wouldn't be on the shortlist only because there are a handful of others who have the requisite volume of implant removals performed (and not due to a skill issue with respect to Dr. Liu). The lack of sample size in dealing with former Elist patients (in fairness, this is an educated presumption on my part) may have played a role in him not having the full scope of the degrees of severity that can occur with implant removals (and complications from Elist's implant do range wildly in severity and type throughout the years). And I say this to say that the vast majority of Plastic Surgeons in the U.S. would have even less experience dealing with the scar tissue buildup post Elist implant-Removal, much less specialize in male Phalloplasty. Due to the implant's notoriety, some Clinics won't even perform non-surgical penis enlargement procedures on former Elist patients, even if there is no obvious lasting complications.

If I may ask, have you specifically reached out to him specifically for Revision? I wonder if perhaps (and again, I'm in no way dismissing the legitimacy of your claims) there was a communication breakdown somewhere, because this is not in line with his general reputation & reception of the past few years, and I genuinely believe he's the kind of Surgeon who would want to see a happy ending for all his Clients -- you have to remember, Sponsors get additional scrutiny by being on the Forum, which is to the Community's benefit because it holds the Practitioner to a higher standard of care by having a public profile on the only site dedicated to the topic of surgical Male Enhancement.

I strongly recommend trying to reach back out to him and express your grievances like you did here, civil and honest. I genuinely believe he will get back to the drawing board and at the very least correct the Alloderm issue. I implore you to take this route, especially since he's worked on you previously, he'll already be privy to the challenges your penis may present. Since he's already a qualified phalloplastician, going to a third surgeon may only stack new layers of complexity and isn't necessary at present time (first Dr. Elist, then Dr. Liu, then Dr. John Doe and so on). The only reason I'd recommend going in any other direction is if neither party can come to a reconciliation. That said, he works with a Urologist when he travels to LA from the Bay Area, perhaps getting him to review your medical records can be that 2nd opinion without having to add the aforementioned layers of complexity -- so ask him about that too.

Please keep us posted, and like I said earlier in this message, I do see a penis that is very correctable. I know it's hard to keep a positive attitude all things considered, but do it for your own future & health, as well as ensuring there can be some degree of reconciliation so that (1) the Doctor does what he promised and (2) the Patient (you) gets what he deserves.

I seriously don’t think it looks too bad. I think u still have swelling distal to the Alloderm graft. I would give it 6 mos to settle and deflate. I really think it will look good

DR. LIU'S EFFORT IN CORRECTING SCARRING COMPLICATIONS RESULTING FROM SILICONE IMPLANTS

Thank you for your message on Phalloboards, which only recently came to my attention. I apologize for the delay in responding. To protect your privacy, and in accordance with HIPAA regulations, I can only provide general information regarding your concerns.

Based on your description, it appears that you previously underwent a silicone implant procedure performed by another provider, which was subsequently removed due to unsatisfactory results. You reported significant scarring, which is a known and relatively common complication associated with silicone implants. The body often responds to silicone by forming a fibrous capsule around the implant, which can lead to varying degrees of scarring. In some cases, this results in deformity, shortening and substantial distortion of the penile anatomy. Deformities due to scarring are often difficult to correct because scars tend to change with time and contract to a varying degree. It also has different consistencies from "normal" tissues and has a different feel to it. When too many scars are removed, it can cause indentations. Very often the deformities become more apparent when the penis is in the erect state.

If scarring results in tissue contraction, it can often be addressed surgically through scar excision or contracture release. These procedures are frequently followed by cortisone injections to soften the tissue and improve results. Manual stretching can also assist in the healing process and support better outcomes.

Please keep in mind that scar remodeling typically takes six months to a year. Final results will gradually become more apparent during this period.

Regarding anesthesia, the vast majority of patients—19 out of 20—opt for local anesthesia. Interestingly, the one patient who chose general anesthesia later expressed a preference for having it done under local instead.

We also take pride in providing comprehensive post-operative care and maintaining open communication with our patients. To facilitate this, we offer access to a secure app called pMD, which allows you to message us directly with any questions. If you need to share a photo, you can simply take one with your phone through the app, and it will be securely transmitted to our office. All communications through pMD are fully HIPAA-compliant and accessible only to myself and designated staff.

I hope this information is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions—we’re here to help.

Warm regards,

Victor Liu, MD
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
650-6978888

I’m not dismissing Dr. Lui’s expertise or the positive outcomes others have had… that’s exactly why I chose him. But I’m speaking from my own experience, and unfortunately, it hasn’t reflected those same results.

It’s taken weeks—and repeated follow-ups—just to get a call back. Dr. Lui asked me to trust him, but it’s difficult when there’s no accountability or transparency around my concerns. For example, I was told the blue Sutures would dissolve, but they don’t. I can still point out where they were left behind.

Now it looks like the PMMA is migrating away from the graft—which has nothing to do with my previous surgery—but that’s something he won’t acknowledge. He mentioned Kenalog injections might help, but if a patient is in pain and experiencing complications, I’d expect more urgency and a proactive plan.

What’s most frustrating is that I was never informed of these possible complications ahead of time. And now, when I ask about solutions, I’m told we’ll “wait 6 months and we’ll see”… but that’s not a real plan from any business owner, surgeon or someone who cares. It doesn’t show accountability or give me confidence that there’s genuine concern for resolving the issues or standing behind the results.

Whats the update?

Nothing I can do rn. I’m trusting Dr Liu & waiting to see how everything settles.