Richard (Drew) Welk's Online Review Report Card

It's been two months since my breast reconstruction, and I can share from my personal experience that things are getting better every day. It's a bit of a journey as most things are when the 'C' word is involved. Hearing the 'C' word for my Breast Cancer diagnosis was scary, something anyone would fear and dread.? Hearing the 'M' word for Mastectomy as part of my treatment plan was also beyond awful.? ...

Doctor Welk is a phenomenal cosmetic surgeon. I am going to say it again, Doctor Welk is phenomenal. I am a middle-aged woman and I had him do face and neck work on me. He did a remarkable and impressive job. I couldn’t be happier. My results look so natural. His work is A++. I am a perfectionist too. So, ladies, listen up, consult with Dr. Welk if you are needing some work done. Don’t even waste your time looking for a surgeon. He is talented, has a good vision for what needs to be done, is super funny, amiable, brilliant, and will go out of his way to help you. He is a total gem to the medical profession. His office staff was equally great to work with. Doctor Welk, I am very grateful. Your work is stupendous!

Doctor Welk is a phenomenal cosmetic surgeon. I am going to say it again, Doctor Welk is phenomenal. I am a middle-aged woman and I had him do face and neck work on me. He did a remarkable and impressive job. I couldn't be happier. My results look so natural. His work is A++. I am a perfectionist too. So, ladies, listen up, consult with Dr. Welk if you are needing some work done. Don't even waste your time looking for a surgeon. He is talented, has a good vision for what needs to be done, is super funny, amiable, brilliant, and will go out of his way to help you. He is a total gem to the medical profession. His office staff was equally great to work with. Doctor Welk, I am very grateful. Your work is stupendous!

Dr. Welk is well-known for his expertise in breast surgery, but almost 30 years ago, he was part of a team who performed a complex limb-sparing surgery on my husband's left tibia. A rare sarcoma was discovered in his lower shin that had almost "eaten" entirely through the bone. Another tremendous surgeon, Dan Flugstad, removed about 8 inches of bone replacing it with cadaver bone. I remember my husband ended up with one or two-hundred nuts, bolts, screws....... Next, Dr. Welk stepped in and performed a muscle and skin graft. The donor tissue was taken from the inner thigh of the opposite leg . Muscle from the inner thigh is often not well developed and has little impact on mobility, etc. However, my husband power-walked Greenlake every day, and Dr. Welk was shocked by the "huge" blood vessles developed because of my husband's superior cardiac fitness. Attaching the large vessels to the tiny vessels near my husband's ankle took tremendous skill. The entire surgery, including bone grafting, took almost 19 hours. My husband always wore cargo shorts year round. His gait was absolutely normal, not a hint of a limp. The incision was a narrow diamond shape, about 12 inches long on the front of his shin, and after less than a year, you would not notice unless you looked for it. The cosmetic result as well the functionality was unbelievable! Dr. Welk was SO good to us! I can't say enough about him.

I just can't say enough about how amazing Dr. Welk and the entire team is at Polyclinic Plastic Surgery. I had a consultation with another Seattle-area surgeon before my appointment with Dr. Welk. After the first doctor tried to convince me "bigger is so much better" I left feeling uneasy (with a $29,000 quote to top it off!) I was born with Poland's syndrome. Not only did Dr. Welk set realistic expectations for me, he and his billing expert (Bernice - she's the best!!) worked their tails off to get my surgery fully approved by my insurance. I'm sure it helps that they don't overcharge like the last guy did... :)I almost cried the day she called to tell me that my procedures were fully approved. I'm not exaggerating when I say EVERY person in this office is kind, compassionate, and helpful. Surgery can be overwhelming. I'm now 2 days post reconstruction & augmentation and I feel really sore but I'm SO LUCKY I found Dr. Welk and this team. He has shown that he cares from the first time I met him. I wouldn't trust anyone else.

As a follow up from my review in February 2021, I thought I would write a second now that my breast reconstruction is complete. I have had serval surgeries since the first with Dr. Welk and what a journey it has been. Dr. Welk is a perfectionist but he met his match with me.Prior to my breast cancer diagnosis and bi-lateral mastectomy (skin sparing but not nipple sparing), I had two breast augmentations and lifts (also known as augmentation mammoplasty and mastopexy). I also had very little concept of what reconstructed breasts would ultimately look like. I naively thought this was my opportunity to get an upgrade. Little did I know that at the end of the day, reconstructed breast are implants with a layer of skin over them, literally.As someone who spent years perfecting her breasts, only to have them deconstructed, I can confidently say the Dr. Welk is Best in Class in terms of reconstruction. I am even happier with the shape then I was with my "Beverly Hills boob job(s)." They also look and feel natural, thanks to lots of little tweaks and a couple rounds of fat grafting.Dr. Welk had his work cut out with me. My expectations were admittedly, unrealistic, but he stood by me with compassion. He is assertive but solution oriented. Breast reconstruction is a long and painful process, but you'll be in good hands with Dr. Welk. Trust his expertise, guidance and be patient."Accept what is, let go of what was and have faith in what will be." -Unknown

Dr. Welk is truly the best plastic surgeon. I had a previous procedure that was botched. I had been told by another surgeon that I could not be fixed and by two others that yes, they could fix the problem and that was it. I brought my surgery report with me every time and Dr. Welk was the only surgeon that read it and asked me questions on what happened. I had such a terrible experience before and Dr. Welk reassured me that I would not go through that again. He was a man of his word and I totally trust him. He does give you his personal number after surgery and he does expect you to use it if any questions or concerns arise. Also I had an questionable concern on a very early Sunday morning, and yes, he met me at his office at 6:30am to check on me. What dr would do that? Dr. Welk that's who. A Dr that cares about his patient. I am just so grateful that I had him as my surgeon. My biggest mistake was not to go to him in the first place. There isn't enough words to express my gratitude for him and his staff.

Dr. Welk has been a huge advocate and source of support throughout my bilateral mastectomy, reconstruction and chemo. He was recommended by several friends and other doctors we know in Seattle, including a plastic surgeon we know well, who gave him the highest marks. Before the mastectomy he spent two hours walking my husband and I through what to expect and what my reconstruction options may be, depending on how the mastectomy went. He showed us many photos of cases that had gone different ways - mastectomy to expander to future reconstruction, and mastectomy to implants. At this initial consult Dr. Welk also discussed my options in the Seattle area for doing radiation with implants, which not all health systems do.By the time we left we felt so much more prepared and had a full view of our options. Based on this consult, we decided to forego expanders at the time of the mastectomy and instead try to go straight to implants a week later. Thankfully my mastectomy left enough tissue to allow for silicone implants one week after the mastectomy, allowing me to bypass many months with expanders while I completed my other treatments.Dr. Welk is direct, engages me in decision making by offering pros and cons, and is always accessible when I need a consult or have a concern. And he has coordinated with my providers at the SCCA at critical points.

Dr. Welk is simply amazing! I'll not repeat what others have described in detail. To summarize, he cares, he's brilliant and incredibly detailed, he gives out his mobile phone number to you just before surgery. He REALLY cares! Here's an example. About 6 weeks after my breast reconstruction, a small lump formed under the scar. I live 2+ hours away in Olympia and asked my PCP about it. She palpated it and scheduled me for an ultrasound. As a courtesy, I phoned Dr. Welk's office to let them know what was up, and was put through to his nurse. After consulting with him, she said I should skip the ultra-sound and drive up to Seattle. I resisted, as I was concerned about the 2-hour drive and missing a full day of work. I told his nurse I'll just do the ultra-sound. Well, Dr. Welk phoned me personally to explain why the ultra-sound would be a huge waste of my time and money. He said he could tell more by palpating the lump than the ultrasound. But he didn't stop there. He offered to come into the office early and see me before his first surgery, which would allow me to beat the traffic. If it turned out to be nothing, I'd only miss a couple of hours of work. Well, it turned out NOT to be nothing (but luckily not more cancer). To save me another round-trip drive to Seattle, Dr. Welk squeezed me in between surgeries later that morning. He did a small surgery with a local anesthetic, and I was on my way by 12:00 noon. I'd also like to add that my surgery sites look beautiful. He does lots of wonderful teeny tiny little stitches. My scars have healed wonderfully! I adore Dr. Welk... he's brilliant, he's funny, and he's a damn good surgeon!

Dr. Welk is simply amazing! I'll not repeat what others have described in detail. To summarize, he cares, he's brilliant and incredibly detailed, he gives out his mobile phone number to you just before surgery. He REALLY cares!Here's an example. About 6 weeks after my breast reconstruction, a small lump formed under the scar. I live 2+ hours away in Olympia and asked my PCP about it. She palpated it and scheduled me for an ultrasound. As a courtesy, I phoned Dr. Welk's office to let them know what was up, and was put through to his nurse. After consulting with him, she said I should skip the ultra-sound and drive up to Seattle. I resisted, as I was concerned about the 2-hour drive and missing a full day of work. I told his nurse I'll just do the ultra-sound.Well, Dr. Welk phoned me personally to explain why the ultra-sound would be a huge waste of my time and money. He said he could tell more by palpating the lump than the ultrasound. But he didn't stop there. He offered to come into the office early and see me before his first surgery, which would allow me to beat the traffic. If it turned out to be nothing, I'd only miss a couple of hours of work.Well, it turned out NOT to be nothing (but luckily not more cancer). To save me another round-trip drive to Seattle, Dr. Welk squeezed me in between surgeries later that morning. He did a small surgery with a local anesthetic, and I was on my way by 12:00 noon.I'd also like to add that my surgery sites look beautiful. He does lots of wonderful teeny tiny little stitches. My scars have healed wonderfully! I adore Dr. Welk... he's brilliant, he's funny, and he's a damn good surgeon!