First, I think there are basic questions you should ask when picking who is even in the running to be your plastic surgeon. Are they Board Certified? (and by what board?) Do they share your aesthetic? How did you find them? (A referral through a trusted doctor or friend, or off the internet?) For basic information on how to pick a surgeon, click HERE. I have many patients who come to my from finding me through Google. So don’t think a search isn’t a valid way of finding someone. I am Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (a real board. Be wary of the “board certifications” or “cosmetic societies” not officially recognized. These are non plastic surgeons trying to give themselves legitimacy. For a blog on this click HERE.)
Other advice:
- MEET MULTIPLE SURGEONS. Here in the Bay Area, there are many well qualified surgeons. Meet a few. See who makes you feel comfortable, listens to you, educates you. For some surgeries, you will find doctors have different recommendations or techniques. Ex: I do a short scar breast reduction. I love this technique. I have patients who meet other doctors and are told they must do the anchor scar. They are given a reason (“too big, too droopy, etc). I absolutely disagree. When you get differing opinions, ask the doctor to explain to support their technique. I am not offended. I think it is important for you to understand. I have lots of photos to show the differences and what I am able to do.
- LOOK AT PHOTOS. There are nuances between surgeons. You may not know “all the right questions to ask,” but if you like the photos, that probably means your doctor is doing things you would like.
- MAKE SURE YOU FEEL HEARD. Many surgeries we do as plastic surgeons have no “right answer.” Do you do a breast lift or not? Do you do a full tummy tuck or a mini abdominoplasty? How big do you want your breasts to be? There are trade offs- you might want tighter skin on your belly after kids, but you don’t want the scar which comes with a tummy tuck. You should make those decisions.
- WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO? HOW MANY OF THESE HAVE YOU DONE? These kind of go hand in hand. Plastic surgeons do a wide range of surgeries, but most of us have things we do more of. I do lots of breast, body, and eyes/fat grafting. I don’t do rhinoplasties (noses) at all. Frequently you can tell a bit by looking at the website of the surgeon. Read the site. What procedures does it emphasize? Be a little wary of the raw number of surgeries they claim to have done. If the number seems really high, it may not be real. What time period is that? When they quote breast augmentation are they quoting patients or the number of breasts? If I say I do 50 breast reductions a year, that may not sound like a lot, but it is about one a week. You don’t really care about the specific number, you want to know your surgeon has done a lot of them and is proficient in them.
- HOW MANY COMPLICATIONS HAVE YOU HAD? HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THEM? No one wants to talk about this, but all surgeons have had complications. There is a quote during surgical training “If you have never gotten a complication, you haven’t done enough surgeries.” Like all relationships, this talk is uncomfortable, and it doesn’t matter if everything goes great. It really matters if something happens. Ask what would the complications likely be? What do you do to prevent it? If something happens, how is it handled? Who do you call and who sees you? What are the costs? If your surgeon skates over the discussion of complications, I would be wary. I have a low complication rate, but I talk about the potential risks in all their blunt glory. You are choosing to do elective surgery. There are risks. You need to know and accept them.
- CAN I SPEAK WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD THIS SURGERY? All of us have prior patients. If you want to know more about the doctor/recovery/the experience, hearing from someone other than the doctor is great.
- WHAT IS COVERED? I think it should be transparent. Does it include office visits? garments? OR? anesthesia? pathology if needed? Complications?
I believe a lot in your gut reaction. When you meet with a surgeon, see their office, read their website, and talk to people you are assimilating tons of tiny details. Surgery can be intense. You need to have good communication and understanding with your surgeon. In medical school we talk about the doctor patient relationship. It is important you have that foundation going into surgery.