Whose Job Is It To Set My Expectations
Expectations setting is the role of your surgeon and the cosmetic surgery practice. The quality of the surgical consultation varies dramatically from practice to practice and we strongly recommend you see a surgeon who gives a good consultation. An experienced rhinoplasty surgeon will use consultation tools to help this process. These should include:
- a discussion of your medical history to determine you are healthy enough for surgery
- an examination of the inside of your nose to determine any potential challenges or problems
- computer imaging to visually communicate what to expect from your surgery
- numerous before and after photos of patients who had similar nasal features to yours and the results your surgeon has achieved
- a discussion of the medical risks of surgery
- a frank discussion of the cosmetic risks of surgery that apply specifically to you - how happy are you going to be with your results and should you expect any complications? Your surgeon should go over this with you.
- information that you can take home with you so you can share with friends and family
- your computer imaging provided or emailed to you
- a discussion of the anesthetic that is recommended for you
So how do you know what surgeon in your area gives a good consultation? That's tricky. Here are some tips:
- select a surgeon who has been in practice for over ten years - surgeons who have been in practice for less than this can certainly do good rhinoplasties, but the chances of them having built up lots of experience doing surgery and consultations is higher the longer they have been in practice
- select a surgeon who can demonstrate that they specialize in rhinoplasty - doing a few a year is not enough - check the surgeon's credentials on the internet, look for special training in nasal surgery plus evidence of lots of happy patients (lots of before and after photos at the consultation is a good indicator of this)
- talk to friends - do you know anyone who has had rhinoplasty? where did they go and what did they think?
- read reviews - www.realself.com in our opinion is the best place to get credible, reliable reviews from real people who have had surgery - if the surgeon you are considering actually does a lot of rhinoplasty surgery, they will have several positive reviews available
