I consulted with him and got a good overall impression. He is very nice and laid back. Frankly a very unusual personality for a surgeon. Compared to other surgeons where I felt like I was on my own dealing with insurance, finding orthodontists, and constantly following up to move things along, it was clear that all I had to do was say okay with Gunson's office and it would be easy and smooth sailing from start to finish. He has a good working relationship with a lot of orthodontists and they like working with him.
His surgical plan for me was on the conservative side. He wanted to do a moderate amount of jaw advancement and cheek augmentation. I'm pretty sure most of his patients have the cheek augmentation and I'm pretty sure it's why his results look so much better than other surgeons. It's not the jaw surgery but the cheek surgery that is catching your eye. It just looks great and he does that better than anyone and safely and routinely.
He will answer your questions and explain why he wants to do the surgery the way he does but he's not going to change his plan based on your input. If I were him I wouldn't either. If you study his work you'll see his patients have a consistent look and if you have him operate on you I think you can count on fitting pretty seamlessly into his portfolio. My personal observation is that he is pretty conservative with enhancing masculine features in men such as the chin so that might disappoint some men that prize looking masculine over looking classically attractive.
He said they do several surgeries a week and based on all the employees he had at his office it was clear he liked to delegate work out so I have a hunch his surgical assistants are doing a lot of the cutting. He employs a PA and she's featured prominently on his webpage. Do the math. I'm sure she is well trained and that he's overseeing things in a professional and safe manner. Maybe though his reliance on others has something to do with why we're reading more reports of minor complications from that office. My feeling at the consultation was that if I wanted to get to know the person operating on me I should probably spend more time with the PA than Dr. Gunson.
If I decide to have surgery with him it will be because he makes the process simple, because I think the cheek implants would look great, and because I would feel safe knowing if there are any complications from the surgery they will probably not be life threatening.
Interesting take. I think I had a similar experience. I consulted multiple surgeons and ultimately felt the most comfortable with Gunson. Also, I think I'd agree with your take on the cheeks, I personally don't like my end result with the HA paste, but most people that I've seen post surgery mention my cheeks 'popping' and don't notice a significant difference in my jaw.