Dr. Benjamin G. Swartout

He did not seem interested in producing my computer morph. I told him I was unhappy after my surgeon botched my nose and he immediately placed me as a “traumatized” patient! He literally turned me down after 10 minutes and refused to operate on me. I got told to seek counseling. This surgeon doesn’t seem to get that after a patient receives a result they didn’t ask for it’s normal to be upset! I made the mistake by telling him I was not able to get out of my house for 3 weeks after my primary rhinoplasty because I had blackened eyes, stuffy nose, bleeding nose and a very swollen nose. Swartout told me this shows him I will not be able to handle surgery with him. Apparently it’s not normal to stay home for this amount of time following a serious surgery! If anyone sees him, do NOT complain about what your former surgeon did to you, don’t show any signs of anger towards your former surgeon. Don’t tell him you could not leave your home for ANY period of time after surgery and basically pretend to be happy and friendly! Tell him “The nose isn’t what I wanted, but I want subtle changes and I’m totally chilled and layed back cause I just want an improvement!” Don’t tell him you are in Realself. He doesn’t like folks talking to each other on this website. I saw him 7 months ago and he turned me down and said I had unrealistic goals. I ended up going to Richard Zoumalan and he gave me the nose I wanted! I’m 5 months post op and loving my results which Swartout said he couldn’t do and was not realistic. I don’t think he has a clue to be honest. A revision surgeon should know that it’s normal for a patient to be unhappy if they paid for a service but got a totally opposite result! One last thing, if you’re female, take a male with you to consult. He totally changed when my husband joined us mid way into my consultation. He was late to arrive cause of work problems. Disappointed in Swartout.

Was this rating useful? 0

flag | Submitted October 2, 2019

Had a few revision rhino consult with him. He’s knowledgeable honest and sincere. Knows his stuff. Expert in rib grating. Confident in his ability to get me an improvement, not my natural nose. Doesn’t really share surgical details. Very concerned about making patient happy and setting realistic goals, a good thing. But rejects you if you seem unhappy and have unrealistic goals. I chose another surgeon only because I felt I couldn’t be truly open with Swartout . He shuts down the conversation and doesn’t want to deal with traumatized patient. It’s horrible position to be in. I wish I could have talked to him more without fear of him rejecting me. I couldn’t. So I chose a surgeon outside USA instead. Who listened and shared every surgical detail, understood trauma and fear and tears. Am happy I did. Many asked why I chose one over the other. This is why. Not because I didn’t trust Swartout. He was my first choice based on personality. . But ultimately I couldn’t do it. I think if Swartout chooses to operate on you and you are comfortable moving forward with no operating plan and no details and no measurements and just the picture, you will be happy with the results. I saw a few patients post revision and the results were very good.

Was this rating useful? 1

flag | Submitted February 10, 2018

Dr. Benjamin Swartout is THE top revision rhinoplasty specialist in all of California. He is extremely compassionate and seeks to make all his patients happy. He achieves high patient satisfaction by being ethical and honest about what results you can achieve. I was a very complicated revision rhinoplasty patient and many revision specialists told me that I could never be fixed again. After meeting with numerous surgeons, Dr. Swartout was the only one that said that he could address all my issues and make me happy again. And that is exactly what he did – he took my very surgically looking nose and made it completely natural and normal looking again. I also had breathing problems and I can now breathe perfectly. If you are searching for a highly skilled surgeon, I recommend you meet with Dr. Swartout. His welcoming personality, surgical skills and aesthetic eye are unbelievable.

Was this rating useful? 3

flag | Submitted December 20, 2017

World class surgeon; knowledgeable, experienced, calm, basically everything you would want. He fixed my botched septoplasty. I can breathe and no longer have migraines! I cannot recommend Dr. Swartout enough!

Was this rating useful? 3

flag | Submitted August 14, 2017

Dr. Swartout is the best doctor I encountered, after speaking and meeting with numerous rhinoplasty surgeons who have been in their business for decades. He seems to understand, though many surgeons don't act like they do, that surgery is a big decision that affects you the rest of your life and doesn't rush through your questions. I think a big part of the issue in cosmetic surgery is choosing to go with the expert doctor who tends not to spend as much time with you or to go with sometimes less experienced surgeons who are newer but spend more time with you. I think that you are much better off going with someone who cares about your questions, feelings, and results. Dr. Swartout does these things. I feel I am well qualified to comment on this because I have had multiple primary operations and experience as a cosmetic surgery patient with doctors of different levels of experience from the top surgeons in the field to newer ones.

Was this rating useful? 2

flag | Submitted January 16, 2012

Dr. Swartout was my secondary surgeon for an extensive corrective rhinoplasty. He performed a rib harvest on me. I can't say enough good things about Dr. Swartout. Upon meeting with him the first time he quickly and easily earned my trust and confidence. He took a lot of time to explain the procedure he would be performing and what I could expect in regard to the healing process. I appreciated his patience and the time he spent with me to make sure I understood the procedure. Most notably is Dr. Swartout's ethic of care and concern for me as a patient. He stayed after the surgery to check in on me, he responded to my phone calls personally and promptly, and rather than making me schedule additional follow-up appointments with him at his office, he made arrangements to meet me at my appointments at my primary surgeon's office. He did this multiple times during the initial weeks after my surgery. Dr. Swartout is great!

Was this rating useful? 3

flag | Submitted April 2, 2010