AliAyson

Dang it! I just wrote a long response to your question and when I went to post it I must have hit a wrong key as I lost what I wrote, at least I think I did. If you end up getting a double-posting on this it's because the first one actually did post.

Ok, let me try again. I did go see Dr. Gruber about a year ago and I didn't like the guy at all, nor his staff. I walked in the door and my first impression was bad. The waiting room was very shabby and the office staff were rude. I walked up to the reception area and stood there for almost 5 minutes before my presence was acknowleged, even though there was someone standing at the xerox machine 5 feet away as well as several others who walked back and forth behind the reception desk. They didn't even make eye contact!

Finally the main receptionist came out and I was immediately taken aback by her nose! It was extremely small, much like Michael Jacksons (I'm not exaggerating). I'm thinking to myself "please don't tell me that Dr. Gruber did your nose!" (she told me later on that he did a revision on her nose). She takes me into this room to show me a catalog filled with various plastic surgery medical tools and points out a few of the tools that were designed by Dr. Gruber. I had no idea what to say other than "oh, wow..that looks painful" (the photo of his instrument showed it in use, it was basically like some sort of huge plier thing used to spread the nose apart).

She then takes me into Dr. Grubers office and I wait for him to come in. Dr. Gruber comes in a couple of minutes later and I took an immediate dislike to him. He was aloof, arrogant, and cold. I told him what I was looking for in regards to a revision, which was basically a very minor change to one side of my nose. I had a rhino about 25 years ago and the surgeon took out just a bit too much cartilage on one side which, over time, created a slight indentation above the right nostril. All I was looking for was to have a small amount of cartilage added to that area to fill in the indentation.

Dr. Gruber takes me into another room and starts making these computer simulations of the changes he'd make to my nose. He wanted to change everything! He wanted to widen the bridge, bring down the tip, widen the nostrils, etc. I felt like the elephant man! I asked him to show me a simulation of my nose with just the minor change I wanted and he reponded irritably with "Why would you want THAT?". I decided right then and there that there was no way I was letting this guy get anywhere near my nose. I said a polite thanks and got the hell out of there.

As I'm walking out the Michael Jackson clone stops me and asks me for my social security number, she points out that it wasn't of the form. I told her that I didn't put it on the form on purpose as there was no reason that this information was needed. She pushed and pushed to get it and when I asked her why considering that a) it wasn't need for insurance reasons as plastic surgery is elective, and b) I'd already paid for my consultation by credit card so it wasn't as if I was going to skip out on the bill, she gives me a lame "well, many of our patients have similar names so we like to use the social security number to keep everyone one straight." My name is a very unsual name which I pointed out to her, plus I wasn't yet a patient (and had no intention of becoming one), yet she kept pushing. I finally had to practically yell the word "NO" at her to get her to let up. I know exactly why they wanted my SS#, they wanted to run a credit check.

I would stay the hell away from this guy. He may be a skilled plastic surgeon but unless you are in complete agreement with what should be done to your nose I wouldn't let him perform the surgery, I wouldn't trust him to do what YOU wanted instead of what HE thought you needed. I also know that his license was put on probation back in the late 90's because of prescription fraud. Basically he was writing up bogus prescriptions for his wife, it was some sort of opiate..I think demoral. (I found a link to the court papers filed on this but I don't have it now).

As for Dr. Menick he was the opposite. He was kind, caring, and he really listened to me. He told me what he recommended for my nose and it was exactly what I'd envisioned. We were on the exact same page. I've heard nothing but good things about him and his prices are very reasonable too.

Anyway, that's my experience with the two surgeons.