Kelly Tjelmeland, M.D. FACS - Meridian Plastic Surgery, Austin TX

I got a DiamondGlow from Erin, she is an AMAZING aesthetician. Right after the DiamondGlow, she did extractions and applied this phenomenal cooling mask. The facility is one of the most gorgeous buildings I’ve been in. I left with a big smile on my face, it was a great experience from start to finish. I HIGHLY recommend Meridian for aesthetic skin services, Erin is very experienced and so sweet!

Dr. Tjelmeland is an awesome surgeon. He did my mommy make over and I absolutely love my results. Cindy was a great help Throughout the whole process. Everyone there is nice and friendly.

Dr. Tjelmeland, Cindy, Mia and the whole team at the center are so kind and welcoming. I knew I chose the right surgical team right away. They were supportive every step of the way and it’s always great to go see them again.

Dr. Tjelmeland removed a basal-cell growth from the bridge of my nose. The surgical results are excellent-you literally cannot tell there were stitches. Also, when he learned that I was being charged over $1,900 for the skin medication, Dr. Tjelmeland worked with the pharmacy to find an equivalent drug with a $10 co-pay. I could not be more pleased with the experience.

Dr. Tjelmeland and his entire staff were extremely professional and friendly. They were all very knowledgeable and had great communication throughout my consultation and procedures.
I have gone to them several times for laser hair removal and tear trough injections. Dr. Tjelmeland was awesome and also answered additional questions I had about potential future procedures and what to expect.
I would highly recommend, and I will suggest to my friends and family. I reached out to a few other plastic surgeons offices and felt most at ease with Meridian Plastic Surgery Center. I will continue to be a patient for a long time.

I was operated on a couple years ago, but felt the urge to leave a review now. To preface, I am not a medical professional but this is my personal experience based on observations.

I am very petite with practically non-existent chest. I made it an intention to seek a doctor who was skilled with breast augmentations on people with similar frames. I was drawn to Dr. Tjelmeland based on his before/after pictures. The results were natural, refined, and not disproportionate to the individual which drew me to Dr. Tjelmeland’s skill as a surgeon. Upon my first consultation I felt that I was disrespected and treated in a condescending manner from the PA and a few of the staff (not all). They interacted in a way that made me feel unwelcome and if anything, a nuisance. I was younger at the time so I was very impressionable and inexperienced. I also came in with a time constraint to schedule for the following spring break week. Unfortunately, the combination of inexperience and urgency hindered me from being able to fully discern what level of care I should expect and how to communicate my concerns effectively. Validated by the before/pictures online however, I chose to overlook the red flags and went ahead with the procedure.

I felt that Dr. Tjelmeland was also not fully understanding of my circumstance and instead, in a broad sense, capitalized on my situation. Upon reflection, it seemed that he had the primary goal of making money instead of truly considering what was best for me as a patient. He is very professional, experienced, and pleasant (albeit superficially so). However, there was a point during discussion that raised a red flag. As someone with a small frame and non-existent chest it seemed optimal for incision through the armpit area, which would be less discernible than attempting to place an incision along a non-existent fold. I inquired about transaxillary incision as the best option for my case. However, Dr. Tjelmeland said that he did not recommend that method since, to put concisely, it was less safe. This statement is not completely true based on readings and experience with other doctors, but I won’t delve into that since this post is already lengthy. Dr. Tjelmeland recommended the inframammary crease incision which I ended up going with. Fast forward a few years and I can confirm that the “recommended” inframammary crease incisions have left very visible scars that are not properly positioned along the fold as intended. To give a better idea, the scars are now located about 2 inches above the intended placement. The takeaway from this interaction is that I had the impression Dr. Tjemeland did not truly care about the patient, and opted for the easier route. Incision along the fold can be less challenging than incision through the armpit which requires an endoscope. Alternatively, he could have been less experienced with trans-axillary incision. If that were the case, he should have referred me to another doctor who was more experienced with that method. I do regret that I should have gone with my gut and chosen a doctor who I felt genuinely cared about what was best for me, instead of what would be easier money. All in all my recovery was smooth and there have been no complications. Other than the actual reality that the staff treated me condescendingly and impersonally, my comments regarding Dr. Tjelmeland are coming more from reflection and practical inference. He is definitely skilled, but I can’t shake the fact that the whole experience/interactions seemed superficial, profit motivated, and he did not make decisions in a way that was best for the patient.

After a couple years have passed since the procedure, I've gained more exposure with a wider array of medical professionals. I’ve learned to better discern the quality of care and the importance of trust that I should expect as a patient, which is my impetus for leaving this review a few years after operation. Make of that what you will but this has been my experience with Dr. Tjelmeland and his practice.

I cannot recommend Dr. Tjelmeland and the entire staff at Meridian highly enough!

After re-prioritizing my own health and fitness again post-pregnancy, I was eager to learn about the 'mommy makeover' and see if it was the right move for me. Dr. T provided a very thorough and honest consultation, ultimately recommending that my procedures be done separately. I opted to begin with the abdominoplasty (tummy tuck). Both Dr. T and Cynthia, his PA, ensured I was very well-prepared for both the surgery and my recovery. My husband was especially grateful for their level of detail, making sure he had everything on hand to take care of me post-surgery.

I'm an anxious person by nature, so I was pretty scared on surgery day. However the level of direct care and attention I received from the surgical center staff put even a worrier like me at ease! Dr. T's work is phenomenal, the nursing staff and Cynthia followed up with me quickly and regularly, and Dr. T always took his time during my post-surgery appointments, answering my (many, many) questions and giving me safe, realistic timelines for resuming normal day-to-day activities.

I'm now 10 months post-surgery and am beyond happy with the results, level of care, and overall experience!

I’ve been a patient with Dr. Tjelmeland since 2014 when he did my breast augmentation which I LOVED, couldn’t be happier with the results.

I went back a few weeks ago for a lift/ revision due to my lifestyle change (kids, fitness etc) and I’m extremely happy, once again, with the procedure and I’m healing nicely. I’ll update if anything changes

On a side note his staff has always been a pleasure to work with.

Thanks,
Shanna

In 2017, I had very expensive surgery. About a week later I went for a follow up appt. Naturally, I still had sores from the stitches. When Tjelmeland roughly examined me, he pressed VERY hard on that sore. Naturally, I reacted as anyone would in sharp pain. I yelled ouch.

Tjelmeland proceeded to SHOUT, yes SHOUT at me, telling me that that type of behavior was not acceptable. My hubby and I thought initially he was joking. We were disgusted and shocked when we, and his nurse, realized he was serious.

My surgery was problematic too. I would not recommend this doctor.

I have been going to Meridian for several years for Botox. I have been seeing Cindy with predictable excellent results. After two very large babies (I am 4’11”), I had to pull the plug and get a tummy tuck.

What I thought was going to be a simple/complex surgical day (I am, of course, super patient), turned a little more complicated.apparently I have a bleeding disorder and skin issues that I was unaware of until now. I just do not clot well. My experience with Dr. Tjemeland and his staff with helping me recover was outstanding. They were all there working double time to ensure I did not need to go back to operating room. Kind of funny.that’s when I realized I had forgotten to tell them that I had been told that I bleed and I have thin skin by another surgeon from another procedure.whoops.

The recovery is tough and painful. I did not fully anticipate how tough, however, I was told by Dr. T that in 3 weeks I will be happy with the results.

I am now 4.5 months post surgical intervention and I am elated! I look great.so much so I have a had a lifestyle shift in that I am eating right and cannot wait to get in a (tasteful) bikini this summer. I finally have a waist back (I’ve missed her) and do not feel that all of my physical work is for not.

Thank you Dr. Tjemeland and your PA Cindy. I am grateful. I feel beautiful again.

Regards,

Katie Pitt