Shopping Plastic Surgery
If the metrics were clear and objective like points on the scoreboard, deciding who is best would be easier. What criteria decide who is best? As in sports, the best is a combination. Instead of offense, defense, special teams, and statistics, the combination is determined by measures of quality. Aesthetic plastic surgery is a service, so the “best” should provide the most beautiful and long-lasting results with the least cost and complications. Beauty however, is subjective: not everyone agrees on what is beautiful. Although there is no “best” plastic surgeon for everyone, there likely IS a best plastic surgeon for anyone. Everyone comes from a different starting point and has a different desired result. Everyone has a different lifestyle, aesthetic sense, budget, location, and different standards for safety, experience, specialization, and physician style. No single surgeon can meet the needs of everyone. But anyone can find a surgeon who will achieve their own personal desired final result and match their special priorities. One thing for sure: the best is NOT determined by self-declaration, a social media and web amplified contemporary phenomenon to which many succumb.
Presented here are FIVE FACTORS to consider in the search for YOUR BEST SAN DIEGO PLASTIC SURGEON, and WHY:
Insist on certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). The ABPS is the ONLY board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) to certify surgeons to perform aesthetic surgery. Members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) are all certified by the ABPS because ABPS certification is a prerequisite for membership. Facial Plastic Surgery is not a medical specialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Many surgeons describe themselves as “board certified,” but being board certified in plastic surgery is not the same as being board certified in a made-up specialty. Presentation of credentials on websites and social media is often intentionally misleading. Check your surgeon’s state license and disciplinary actions. Does your surgeon operate in an accredited surgical facility? All ASPS and ASAPS surgeons do. Why? Because if a surgeon does not have the highest standards for their performance, their standards for your care and your result are not the highest.
What is your intuition and personal inner sense about the doctor and the office? How comfortable do you feel that they care for you? Is the doctor difficult to reach? Does the doctor listen when you explain your motivation for a procedure and the outcome you want? Does the doctor answer your questions openly, honestly, thoroughly, and in a way you understand? Does the doctor enumerate risks of procedure(s)? Did you meet with the doctor at your initial consultation or a staff member? Do you feel pressure to schedule a procedure you’re not sure about? Is the doctor adding procedure(s) on areas of your face or body you didn’t consult about and/or do not want to change? Is your gut feeling about the doctor and the office that their ambition is to do what is best for YOU or is their ambition to sell procedure(s)? Is the office run like a business or like a profession?
A corollary to the Trust element is doctor and staff communication. If their messaging is wrapped around themselves, their accomplishments, and how lucky you are to receive their services, beware. Why? The physician who cares about you understands he/she must prove himself/herself to you, which only happens in the future. There is no such thing as perfection in aesthetic treatment or a surgeon without complications. The greatest physicians are humble. The greatest physicians understand their knowledge and techniques were mostly developed by others. The greatest physicians understand that even when their performance is perfect, natural elements such as healing and individual variation contribute to the result, that they are not in complete control. Like all service providers, the greatest physicians understand they are only as good as YOUR result and how YOU feel about it. Although there are objective criteria for success in aesthetic surgery, ultimately the focus of the service should be your result and how much the result does for YOU. If the focus of the service is the surgeon, there is less room to care for YOU.
How often does the surgeon perform the procedure you are interested in or having? Why? Experience matters. Judgment is the most important component for success in surgery. Judgment grows from experience.
Analyze the doctor’s results for past patients. Be sure the photos are not morphed digitally (doing this violates American Society of Plastic Surgeons ethical guidelines). Look at the “before” closely and answer the question, “If I looked like that, would I be happy with the “after” result?” Does the doctor’s aesthetic sense match mine, or are the results not what you like? Do the results show enough of a change to make surgery worthwhile, or are the changes from “before” to “after” so subtle that it’s not worth the cost and risk of a procedure? Are the results beautiful and aesthetically appealing, or just a change rather than an enhancement? If the doctor’s typical results are not what you like, consider alternative doctors and/or treatments. If you sense disagreement with a surgeon about your desired result or the surgical plan, your choice is to listen and go along with the surgeon’s advice or to seek (an) opinion(s) elsewhere. Why? The surgeon’s gallery of past patients is the best indicator of what type of result you should expect for yourself.
Surgery is expensive. Your procedure fees pay for accredited facilities, administration, sterile equipment and many supplies, licensed nurses and surgical techs, anesthesiologist, costly pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, real estate, insurance, technology, and more. How does your quoted price compare with the market average? Is the surgeon you are considering consistently producing results so far superior to his or her peers that a higher price is justified? If the price is lower than average, why? Is the doctor cutting corners on staff, facility hygiene, equipment? Will there be oxygen if you need it? Is your doctor certified by the ABPS? Why? The value of an aesthetic procedure is not proportional to the price you pay. The value of an aesthetic procedure is based on the result. If the result is poor, it is worthless or a liability. If the result is outstanding, the value of the procedure may be priceless. Shop results, not price.
Years down the road, you’ll forget what you paid and you’ll probably forget the surgeon,…
Breast enhancement in San Diego (breast augmentation with implants, fat transfer to breasts, breast lift,…
Preparing for body lift surgery in San Diego is more than just a medical journey.…
An extended tummy tuck is a powerful body-contouring procedure designed for people who have loose…
Losing a significant amount of weight—whether through lifestyle change, bariatric surgery, or sheer dedication—is an…
After breast augmentation, a common question women ask is, “Do I need to replace my…