Dr. Elizabeth Kerner, MD - Reviews

My Search for a Dallas Plastic Surgeon: This is a long review but I did a LOT of research and think the information may be useful to others. I had thought about having my cosmetic surgery procedure done for decades. As I'm approaching 60, I decided I really wanted to have it done if I could find someone I could completely trust. I was very excited about having my plastic surgery, but wanted to do some careful, thorough research. Dallas has a LOT of plastic surgeons. I was looking for certain qualities that are important to me in a Dallas plastic surgeon: 1. Experience - I wanted a surgeon who had performed lots and lots of procedures over many years - not just a doctor who's done lots of procedures all crammed into a few years 2. Knowledge - a highly experienced surgeon who would answer my questions in detail, ask the right questions of me, and make the right recommendations for me, so I could be confident they're knowledgeable, and engaged with my preferences and what I wanted as an individual. 3. Skill - a surgeon who is very detail-oriented and takes great pride in their work and their patients' outcomes and well-being. I wanted someone who could help me look good the way I want to look good. 4. Patience - I had a lot of questions and concerns and I wanted a surgeon who would meet with me personally and make me feel genuinely cared for. 5. Thoroughness - I did not want a surgeon who rushes through as many patients as possible, to make as much money as possible, in as short a time as possible. I wanted a surgeon with a keen attention to detail who would not simply let things slide and be done with it if things were just 'good enough'. 6. Price - I was not looking for super-cheap bargain basement surgery, but also not over-priced. I wanted someone who does a great job and charges a fair price and doesn't think of me like a piggy bank. 7. Integrity - I wanted a surgeon whose words match up with their patients' outcomes and who respects my time and schedule. If my appointment is at 3, I expect to start at 3. Someone who will tell it to me like it is, so I would know what I am getting into, and what to expect and whether or not my expectations were realistic. 8. Safety - I was shocked to see a number of practitioners out there I felt uneasy with, some with very questionable records of safety, disciplinary actions and lawsuits. Their websites made them sound great, but often left out worrisome facts that I found only after careful research on the internet. 9. Trust - from past patients in the form of good, believable recommendations. I'm not looking for hundreds of unrealistic reviews. I wanted to hear the truth, both good and bad. 10. Location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area or North Texas for my convenience. I was surprised to find surgeons who claim to have locations they do not actually have, or who list their location multiple times under different names with just slightly different addresses. I wanted someone who is who they say they are, who goes by their own name so that I can look into their background, and who is located exactly where they say they are located. 11. Reputation - in the form of exceptional standing with regulatory agencies and their colleagues. No disciplinary actions, suspensions or lawsuits. 12. Education and certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and not some other similarly-named outfit. Until I started my research I had no idea that some people practice plastic surgery who aren't even plastic surgeons. That absolutely blew my mind. Dentists, internal medicine specialists, plain old doctors - lots of kinds of medical professionals can seemingly just start calling themselves a plastic surgeon and they're off to the races. I would have thought that would be illegal but it's not, which is crazy to me. I found that the American Medical Association, the AMA, recognizes one and only one certification for plastic surgeons - The American Board of Plastic Surgery certification. I was really surprised to see how many plastic surgeons are out there who say they are 'Board Certified' rather than certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, which is verifiable online. 13. Respect of peers - I wanted a surgeon who other surgeons respect and admire who is known in the plastic surgery community as having a reputation for excellence. 14. A great staff - In my experience a doctor's staff can make or break a practice. I wanted to find a surgeon with superbly qualified nurses and assistants who mirrored the qualities of excellence I was looking for in my plastic surgeon. I didn't want do deal with a staff who raised my blood pressure or left me feeling uncertain before going in to have my plastic surgery. 15. I wanted my procedure to be done in a very safe, accredited, rock-solid facility. Not some odd hole-in-the-wall place in a strip mall by the side of the road, or right there next to some off-putting location. I was hesitant when I saw the actual offices of some plastic surgeons was very different than the impressions they made and the photos they had posted online. Again I was surprised to see so many plastic surgery outfits setup in a location where you'd expect to see a barbecue joint. I did not want a surgeon who cuts cost with their facility - perhaps at the cost of my safety. Not that I expected anything to go wrong, but like any surgery, I wanted to be sure I was in the best environment possible in any contingency. 16. Lastly, I wanted to find a surgeon who is a good, solid 'whole person' if that makes sense. I wanted to find a doctor who not only excelled in plastic & cosmetic surgery but who was also active in their community, church, family, charities, organizations - whatever. Someone who contributes back to the world and community they are blessed to serve. I carefully researched over 30 Dallas plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons also in Plano TX, Frisco and Fort Worth. When I was done with my research, I finally chose a female Dallas Plano plastic surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Kerner. Having treated thousands of patients over 30 years in Dallas and Plano she has a rock-solid reputation. That meant a lot to me. Her experience speaks for itself in the quality of her work and her attention to detail. It was after lunch when I came in to their West Plano office for my consultation. Dr. Kerner had just come back into her office from a busy schedule of surgeries that morning, right after I arrived. She was wearing a backpack and a black t-shirt, and she looked like a spry busy kid bouncing in from class. Though I think she may be actually about my age she looked fit, sharp, centered and very nice. I thought to myself, "So this is Dr. Liz Kerner, the surgeon I've heard so much about." I could picture her in the operating room effortlessly commanding respect, calling all the shots, running a tight ship, and making everything happen perfectly. She had a good presence and youthful energy about her, and her people clearly regard her very highly. Her staff immediately met her as she came in, took her back pack for her, exchanged briefings quietly in the back office area, then helped her into her white lab coat. In a few minutes one of her nurses opened the door to the waiting area, called my name and walked me back to one of the examination rooms and took my vitals. Dr. Kerner came in, right on time, introduced herself and treated me like I was her only patient of the day. Though she is clearly a highly-skilled doctor and surgeon, with amazing technical knowledge, she reminded me a little of my Mom: A high performer who makes the difficult seem easy and understandable, with a very quick mind and an easy, friendly, straight-forward demeanor and enjoyable humor. She was very personable and connected easily and personally with me, asking all the right questions to understand exactly what I wanted and what my preferences were. She took some measurements and recited some technical remarks and directions to her nurse who entered everything into their computer. After she fully understood what I wanted and asked questions to help me even better refine my vision of what I wanted, Dr. Kerner showed me and explained exactly what she could do, and exactly what to expect in my procedure, recovery, and my outcome. She made it very clear that my satisfaction and the outcome I wanted was paramount. The procedure went perfectly. I was impressed with how very detailed she is in her work, as well as her nurses' knowledge and skill. There was nothing at all that seemed rushed or imperfect in any way. Even when I came back to have my stitches removed I loved how meticulously and with such supreme delicacy she worked - like a jeweler faceting a fine diamond, and yet how relaxed and personable she is. She is so experienced and good at what she does, as I was asking questions while she worked, she never broke her concentration and was easily able to converse with me while maintaining that very skillful laser focus on what she was doing. My outcome has far exceeded my expectations, hence this long review. Everything she had told me turned out to be exactly true and accurate but even better than I expected. I feel blessed that I found Dr. Liz Kerner as my Dallas plastic surgeon and would never, ever consider another.

Now that I have healed, I can honestly say that I cannot think of any way that Dr Kerner could have done more to improve my experience. Dr Kerner takes you through the process in a steady calm manner. She listens to what you want. She is kind and is there for every appt. I have a friend whose daughter had the same surgery that I did but she didn't have Dr Kerner so her experience was not as perfect. I can truly say that I recovered wonderfully. In my case, I was expecting much worse pain while I was recovering. I am now six months out from surgery and my breasts are beautiful.