This is my first blog post and one that I’ve been excited to talk about. Before I begin I wanted to let you know that this will be an informal blog to simply get across as much information to my patients as possible. This is not medical advice or pure facts but just my opinion. I probably won’t edit the day lights out of this either. Anyways, on to our first post: secrets of plastic surgeons!
Every plastic surgeon is famous because we have a website. A surgeon’s reputation among other patients is often different from his or her reputation among other surgeons. I’m not exactly sure which carries more value, but certainly going to meetings and publishing research carries more weight for one’s reputation with other doctors than with patients. One’s bedside manner, social media followers and overall image carry more weight with patients.
Despite the difference in both, what matters more than anything is the results you get. So what makes one surgeon different from another? Well, we all can explain our reasoning behind the way we do things to sound like each of our ways is the only way. To put it simply: there are a lot of different ways to get a good result, no matter what you seek. Of course, the only variables involved here are cost, time, surgeons’ knowledge, and experience.
Overall, a surgeon’s “talent” cannot overcome poor training or a lack of experience. We all have delicate little hands that can do special things but what really sets one surgeon apart from another is experience, vision and planning. In terms of cost, while there is a large spectrum in pricing, in general, most prices hold similar in that the more cost a surgeon has (staff, fancy office, marketing) the more expensive the surgery. While there are different ways to do things, you always want to go to someone who is doing surgery with a purpose and someone who is can present to you all your options. I encourage my patients to seek 2nd opinions for complex cases. I always try to talk about different options and why I think one is better than another.
I hope this provides a little help in your journey. When you ask others for advice, you will usually get the simple answers: make sure you get along with your surgeon and make sure he or she is board certified. While those statements are true, there is so much more that goes into the decision. Take your time!
