Selecting a surgeon that meets your particular expectations is a must if you desire to be pleased with your decision to undergo surgery.
July 18, 2007 – Choosing the right plastic surgeon, one with the appropriate mix of artistic aptitude, experience and the credentials to back them up can prove to be quite a challenge. Throw in a mix of board certifications (or not), association memberships (or the absence of any) and word-of-mouth references from gal-pals you think are fun but know aren’t as particular as you are, and you’ve got an overwhelming decision to make. Sorting through the white noise and the marketing hits you get every day through direct mail, email, newspapers, magazines, TV and radio, plus the internet, not to mention the input from so-called friends when you confess to them you want to do something to improve your looks, is challenging. The anonymous marketing that media can be and the impassioned feedback from your girlfriends that you are looking good and “don’t need a thing done,” rattle around in your head like a pinball loose in play.
What’s a woman to do to narrow down her decision of whether cosmetic surgery is the right decision and who is the right doctor to perform that surgery?
Sometimes a recommendation from a friend or a trusted individual is the best information gathering you can do. Your friend will likely share details of her experience at a doctor’s office that you won’t get reading or listening to ads. When a person has a positive experience during such a vulnerable time, it sticks with him or her for life. By the same token, bad news travels faster. Statistics show that people who are dissatisfied with a business deal, a purchase or even medical treatment are 9 x more likely to spread the word about their bad experience.
At Dr. Ben Lee’s practice in Englewood, Colo., his encouraging and knowledgeable front office and surgical staff are (like the MasterCard ad) priceless. Able to put your nerves at ease, they answer any questions you may have and straightforwardly provide the facts to allow you to erase all doubts or, baring that, make an alternative selection. Having Dr. Lee’s team by your side from pre-op to post-op lends enough reassurance to get you through the cosmetic procedure and past recovery as well.
Dr. Lee is a native of Colorado and earned his bachelor’s from the University of Colorado at Boulder in molecular and cellular biology followed by his M.D. with highest honors from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. His surgical internship was at the University of California at San Francisco as well as training in head and neck surgery at Duke University Medical Center. At Duke, Dr. Lee worked side by side with the plastic surgery division on trauma and head and neck and neck cancer patients. On top of that, he also has an M.B.A., something medical practitioners rarely bring to the table.
Association memberships are an easy way to see how committed and involved your surgeon is. Dr. Lee is an active member in three of the nations top plastic surgeon associations, American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Board of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery and he’s as well a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. All of the above hold their members to the utmost of standards and are committed to creating safe and ethical surgical environments.
A first interview with a doctor can determine a lot about him or her. If a doctor listens intently to all of your questions and concerns that’s a positive. If a doctor rushes through your consultation, he or she will most likely also rush through your surgery and post-operative visits. Dr. Lee insists that his reception team allow him ample time to meet with patients and adequately, actually more than adequately, answer their questions.
When preparing to interview a surgeon, remember to bring along photos of what you want your new body part to look like if its available. Whether it be a nose, chin, breasts, etc. it is important to have cemented your concept of what’s ideal so that you can show the doctor what outcome you’re seeking. That way the surgeon can advise if the surgery is do-able and has a firm picture of your concepts which can be difficult to articulate if you don’t have photography.
Most importantly, be open and honest as to what you are looking for in a complete experience. The doctor who is right for you will answer all of your questions honestly and make sure your expectations are realistic and achievable.
Generally speaking, the more experience a doctor has performing the surgery you are seeking, the better off you will be. This is especially true for a new or extremely risky procedure. Ask the doctor how many times he or she has performed the type of surgery you’re seeking. Who wants to be the guinea pig? Surgically speaking, no one.
Achieving the end result and experience that you are looking for, starts by asking the right questions.