Oren Z. Lerman, MD — Local services in New York

I decided to make an appointment with Dr. Lerman after reading reviews here, for which I am extremely grateful, and so I feel honored to leave my own. Dr, Lerman is a highly skilled surgeon with an amazingly easygoing bedside manner, and I can agree with the other reviews 100% that he is not only extremely knowledgeable and particularly gifted in his trade, but also exceedingly compassionate and truly wants to make a positive impact in the lives of his patients. He has an outstanding level of professionalism and expertise as evidenced by his numerous and varied academic and professional accomplishments. I was initially drawn to Dr. Lerman because of that, and also because has such tremendous experience with microsurgery and breast cancer reconstruction.

I had been searching for a long time for someone I trusted to correct an issue I had with the left breast after having reconstruction surgeries elsewhere, and I'll be honest, I was beginning to despair. I had consulted with roughly 6 other surgeons, and I either didn't feel confident about them, or they turned me away because I had had DIEP flap to begin with, which THEY didn't feel comfortable with. I also had a somewhat unique issue with placement of the left breast due to complete loss of the breast during the original reconstruction surgery. Needless to say, I was beginning to think that I would not be able to have my issue fixed in the way that I hoped.

I consulted with Dr. Lerman, and to my surprise, the first thing he mentioned was not about the breast at all, but he told me that I had a belly button hernia.(!!) In my previous 4 or so surgeries and many consults elsewhere, no one had ever mentioned that. He even found someone to fix it at the same time as the breast surgery (Dr. Amanda Messina, whom I highly recommend as well).

One of the things I really like about Dr. Lerman is that he takes the time to explain the "whys" of things, so you understand better what is happening. He performed my surgery to correct the left breast that was lacking a natural IMC, was a different size and shape than the right, and was also situated lower on the chest, and thus often slipped out of clothing like bras, bathing suits and dresses. I also had a lift on the right side to bring symmetry, and fat grafting done on both sides. Dr. Lerman tackled this with such an amazing level of skill, and the results are spectacular. In the process, he even removed a cyst and did some scar revision in an area on the left breast that had suffered a significant infection in the past.

I feel like he gave me back a part of myself, and I don't feel so darn uncomfortable in my own skin (or clothes, LOL). Words cannot explain how precious it is to me to not feel that level of discomfort every minute of every day, and to not have to constantly monitor if my breast is hanging out of my bathing suit/bra/dress and put it back in if it is (I have no feeling in the breasts, so I would always have to check visually or manually. There were times at the beach when I realized it was hanging out from below my bathing suit top, and I was never sure how long it had been like that) I now go to the beach with confidence, I wear clothes and bras comfortably. I feel like he has a sixth sense when it comes to what looks right on your body. He wouldn't have known what I looked like in my 20s- before kids, breastfeeding, cancer- but when I put on a bra and a T-shirt now, I definitely feel and look a lot like I did then. It's priceless.

I could not be more grateful for Dr. Lerman, and Dana, his NP, who is kind and patient and always took time to answer all my questions... and also the ladies in the office. If you are searching for a surgeon and a team who are absolutely one of the best in the field, don't hesitate to...

Breast Cancer has unfortunately changed my life at a very young age when my mom passed away at the age of 38, when I was only 15 years old.  Because of her age, I was instructed to screen earlier than most and when my geneticist told me my lifetime cancer risk was almost 60%, getting a preventative mastectomy seemed like a no brainer.  Especially as by this time I had young children and wanted more than anything for them to have more time with me then I got to have with my mother.  Sadly enough, the process itself has been more involved than I would have ever anticipated because the implants put in during the reconstruction process kept failing resulting in numerous revision surgeries needed.  This has been hard because each surgery not only took a toll on me physically but also mentally and emotionally as the result often made it hard to even look in the mirror. Recently at my annual follow up with the breast surgeon, she immediately recognized that my implant had failed once again and was in need of repair. She could not believe I was living like this. She recommended an "amazing" doctor.  From what she said about him, I was hopeful that for the first time in a long time there could be an end to all of these procedures, a light at the end of the tunnel.  I could not have been more wrong.  The doctor was immediately dismissive of my situation and told me he was hesitant to take my case because he feared I still wouldn’t be happy.  Happy?  Told me I can stay like this for the next 10 years . I didn't embark on this journey for cosmetic reasons.  I was not looking to be transformed into a supermodel.  I was just looking for someone to fix a procedure that failed, and that failure was immediately recognized by my breast surgeon which is why she had recommended him.  I felt belittled, dismissed and shamed in a situation that could have and should have been handled with empathy, hope and kindness.  The journey as a previvor is not an easy one but if you do not want to make an already difficult journey tougher on yourself, I implore you to find a different doctor so that you are not left crying in your car after your...

I’ve been Dr. Oren Lerman’s patient since October 2018, though steps to the process of my condition remain, I felt compelled to share how my experience has been thus far.

Initial Meeting I had learned of my diagnosis shortly before being introduced to him. I’m not sure if he was aware of that but I felt he read me well enough to walk me through my options, bear with my questions, and lighten the burden that bruised my spirit with a gentle joke about our careers. I found him to be a warm, personable, good listener, and educator who spoke to me on my level and carefully explained anything I didn’t understand.

The Surgery On the day of surgery I was anxious but felt calmer after Dr. Lerman and my other surgeon (who is also wonderful and bears a similar name) checked in on me before surgery. I also met others who would be partnering with them during my surgery. Meeting everyone put me at ease because it solidified the feeling of being looked after and less like a number on the conveyor belt of surgery.

After Surgery After my surgery, Dr. Lerman looked in on me, and members of his team came to see me on a daily basis. I felt there is a strong level of communication between them. It was exhibited through consistent information around what my next steps are and where I’m at in my progress.

Skill One of the consistently unexpected but thankful moments I had is Dr. Lerman’s surgical skill. I had donor skin that needed to be frequently monitored. During a shift change/instructional conversation between 2 nurses, one nurse asked the other if Dr. Lerman performed my surgery. Which surprised the other nurse who asked, ‘How did you know?’ I asked later and she pointed out that it was very clean and looked like a good example you'd see in a textbook. Other folks at the hospital who monitored the donor skin would also either tell me or say to each other that it was really clean work. Which increased my peace of mind.

-Follow-up Meetings My follow-up meetings with him have been good. My initial opinion of him hasn't changed. Overall, I feel deeply fortunate that he is my surgeon and hope others find the details of my...