Plastic surgery is one of the only medical fields where unqualified practitioners provide services despite a lack of essential knowledge, training, and experience. As a direct result, ensuring you are in safe, qualified hands when choosing a plastic surgeon is crucial.
Whether you’re looking for a rhinoplasty, a facelift, or any other cosmetic procedure, here’s what you should look for when choosing the best surgeon.
Education
A qualified cosmetic surgeon will showcase their education. Look for a medical degree and proof of collaboration with medical councils or associations. This information should be easily accessible on the surgeon’s website.
For example, when browsing the website of Dr. Brandon Ball cosmetic surgeon, you’ll quickly find that this surgeon is a member of the Alberta Medical Association and that a medical degree has been obtained from the Royal College of physicians and surgeons of Canada.
Confirm Experience
Next, it’s wise to confirm the experience the surgeon has with the particular cosmetic procedure you desire. Each area of cosmetic surgery will require a different set of skills, so it’s vital to confirm the relevant experience.
You can ask the surgeon how many years of experience and how many times they have performed it. The surgeon should provide you with a portfolio of before and after results to validate the surgeon’s experience.
Surgeon Personality
When choosing any medical practitioner, it’s essential to consider their opinion as well. It’s crucial that you feel comfortable with your surgeon and their staff. You must choose a surgeon you trust enough to help you achieve your desired results.
Ask yourself if you like spending time with the surgeon, if you trust their recommendations, and if you are comfortable enough to be open about your complete medical history. It’s also crucial that you trust the surgeon enough to ask any questions you might have about the procedure, recovery, and realistic results.
Read Online Reviews
While it’s essential to confirm education, training, and experience through consultations, you will also want to read through online reviews from previous patients. Online reviews will uncover past experiences that patients have had with the surgeon and their staff. You’ll also find service ratings and other valuable details that will help you make a decision.
Plastic Surgeon Red Flags
Now that you are aware of what to look for, it’s also essential that you know what to avoid in your search for the right plastic surgeon.
Discount coupons, up-selling patients on results, excessive advertising, lack of hospital privileges, assistants that handle consultations, a history of legal conflicts, and lousy service reviews are all red flags to look out for when choosing a surgeon. Another red flag is questionably cheap procedure rates.
Cosmetic surgery is a big decision. And plastic surgery mishaps can leave patients scarred for life, so it makes sense to spend some time looking for the best surgeon for the procedure. Instead of hunting for a surgeon that will promise results for the most affordable rate, rather look for a surgeon that has a reputation for excellence.