Well I actually consulted with Kupferman who works with Relle and I met them both - they would have done my surgery together. I thought he was impressive but as he wasn't my lead surgeon I can't answer that with authority really.
I should maybe have asked for Relle to be my primary, I don't know, I like Kupferman a lot - they quoted me 20K with insurance, 28K cash for 3-piece le fort, BSSO. The next person I saw was Arnett and I decided I really wanted to go with him. I think what decided me most on Arnett was the uncompromising attitude he has. He didn't ask me if I wanted a genio, he told me I needed one and there was no room for discussion. I trusted his emphatic opinion, since he explained the differences in his surgical plan to the one the other office had laid out for me. It made sense. Their plans were similar but different enough to give me pause. I think what clinched it too was Arnett pointing out he needed to position my lower lip under my over jet (that was not clear in the other surgeon's plan, although to be fair, they may have decided that later after doing preparatory model surgery etc.)
Kupferman was really lovely and I had a great feeling about him, but was more open to my input and I felt a little insecure about that. I know they have some great success stories and boast some high-profile clients who clearly trust them. But, I really feel I'll need some HA, even if, as CK says, the augmentation is very subtle and Relle's office doesn't do HA. I was extremely torn between the two but my gut said to choose someone with the longest-running background in aesthetics. If I'm doing this, I only want to do it this one time and I want to have the best possible outcome. I know Relle has excellent history with Kaiser, and both Kuperfman and Walline, his colleagues worked at Kaiser and attended UCLA. I think they probably would all be capable of doing a great surgery, but another point is, I believe Relle is quite conservative and doesn't like to do anything beyond the necessary for good function etc. Call me vain, but I think I need a little more 'icing' on my cake if you will.
