In these videos, Dr. Killeen's patients talk about their surgery in their own words, including the parts that did not go to plan. Each video has a transcript underneath.
Breast reconstruction patient · Direct-to-implant reconstruction · October 2, 2026
“I'm back to my regular life, and I don't even think about it that much most days.”
She went looking for a mastectomy and reconstruction she could complete in one operation, after surgeons at two large centers could not tell her why she needed a two- or three-step process beyond that being how it is usually done. Six months out, she describes a recovery whose worst pain was about a four out of ten, post-op nurses who answered within minutes, and how rarely she thinks about any of it now.
Patient: The first time I took off my surgical bra, I was really scared of what I was going to see, and I just kind of saw boobs. I'm back to my regular life, and I don't even think about it that much most days, which for six months out is amazing.
Dr. Killeen: So my patient here underwent a direct-to-implant breast reconstruction. She was having a mastectomy, and at the same time as the mastectomy, we did a reconstruction with an implant. She had one surgery and was able to do everything in one step.
Patient: I honestly thought I was going to be in horrific pain, but honestly, the worst that I ever got was about a four. But their nurses were amazing. They would always respond in like minutes and calm me down and tell me what to do, so that was very, very helpful.
Dr. Killeen: And we always feel that anxiety is the enemy of healing, and that's why we have a post-op nurse practitioner with my team, so that we have that person to reach out to in case I'm in the operating room or not immediately available. I want my patients to always have reassurance or assistance if there's any concern.
Patient: You know, they're wonderful. Even when they would reassure me, so I was still anxious, they just let me come in on a random day, take a look at me. You even ran in between surgeries one time to reassure me that I was going to make it.
Dr. Killeen: And she made it.
Patient: That was really based on the fact that even though we live in like one of the surgical capitals of the world, almost nobody does direct-to-implant surgeries, as far as I can tell. And I saw a couple of doctors at Cedars, at UCLA, and none of them could tell me why I needed the two-to-three-step surgery process, other than that's how we do it, and I really did not want to do that. So I found Bedford and you guys, and you were like, no, we can do it. You'll be under once, you'll recover once, because the idea of having to do incisions multiple times and anesthesia multiple times and drains multiple times just seemed to add an unnecessary level of horror to the process.
Patient: It honestly wasn't that life-changing for me, which is, I think, a good thing.
Dr. Killeen: And that's what I love to hear. I always tell patients that the greatest thing for me is patients aren't thinking about this all the time, that it's in their rear view and not in the horizon, and then they can move on from the whole experience of going through the mastectomy.
Lacey · Breast lift · September 10, 2026
“My results are absolutely life changing.”
After losing 60 pounds over about a year, Lacey wanted a lift that kept a feminine, teardrop shape and fit her frame. A year after surgery, she talks about her consultation, her recovery, and how clothes and swimsuits fit her now.
Hi, my name is Lacey, and I am a patient of Dr. Killeen's. I had actually lost 60 pounds over the course of about a year, and so my breasts were in major need of some zhuzhing.
So I came into the consultation. It was super easy, and I think the thing that was the most important was just her sheer knowledge, and meeting my expectations and being realistic, from where my baseline is to where I could actually be. And the most important thing I said to her is, I still want to have that feminine look, that teardrop look with my breasts, but I also want it to really fit my frame.
The whole process with Dr. Killeen and her team was seamless. Recovery was easy. I mean, sleeping on my back was easy. I used exosomes topically to help speed up the recovery. I used everything that they told me to. And then ultimately, Dr. Killeen's bedside manner: I was instructed from day one to even now, a year later, exactly what I need to do to have the best result.
My results are absolutely life changing. I've had women at the gym come up to me and say, you know, not to be disrespectful, but who did your breast implants? And I'm like, no, I don't have breast implants. This is my natural tissue. And just in general, the way clothes fit me now, the way bathing suits fit me now, I feel like I look petite, I look put together, I feel still very feminine, and I'm so happy. The scar, the lollipop incision, is basically gone.
Breast reconstruction patient · Direct-to-implant reconstruction · September 1, 2026
“It was unexpectedly long, but the team here was incredibly supportive.”
A BRCA carrier who found Dr. Killeen the week of her diagnosis chose direct-to-implant reconstruction. One implant later had to be removed and was replaced a few months afterward, and she and Dr. Killeen talk openly about how that complication was handled.
Dr. Killeen: This is one of my patients. We've known each other about a year now, and last year she had a breast reconstruction.
Patient: I am a BRCA carrier, and I was told I had multiple tumors in my lymph nodes and in my breast, and so I didn't want to go through multiple rounds of treatment, including chemo and everything. I researched, and I found Dr. Killeen the week that I found out that I had tumors. I didn't even know that there was a one-step process to have reconstruction. I always thought there were two steps at least. So I was thrilled when I found this practice, because I don't have to have any treatment for any tumors anymore.
Dr. Killeen: So we did a direct-to-implant breast reconstruction, and then we had to remove one of the implants and remove a little bit of skin, and then the implant went back in a few months later. How was the process for you?
Patient: It was unexpectedly long, but the team here was incredibly supportive. I didn't think I was going to have complications, but I couldn't have had a better medical team to provide me support and make me not worry about the process.
Dr. Killeen: We can't prevent all complications, and with plastic surgery, we are the managers of problems after a mastectomy. Our goal is to manage them swiftly and as well as possible, and get lovely patients like this through it as quickly as we can.
Shared with each patient's permission. Individual results vary, and your consultation is where Dr. Killeen will talk through what is realistic for you.