While my staff, and some of my patients, have told me that they feel that I am “the best plastic surgeon”, far be it for me to self proclaim to be the best plastic surgeon in the Chicagoland area. I believe that if I were to identify qualifications that make up a desirable plastic surgeon to seek out for treatment, I would list the following characteristics:
1. First and foremost, you would want to know that your plastic surgeon has a history of performing quality work on a regular basis. In fact, if I were a patient, I would want to know that the plastic surgeon is able to show you in some way that he or she doing your desired procedure in a predictable manner with outcomes that are desirable on a very regular basis. Seeing many before and after photos or talking to other patients that have had similar procedures are a couple of ways to assess the surgeon’s abilities.
2. While quality work is the most important factor, being a quality person is probably a close second when searching for a plastic surgeon. When a patient comes in for a consultation, they should try to assess the plastic surgeons personality. Is he or she likable? Is he or she personable? Does the plastic surgeon listen well? Do you like the way that you interact with the plastic surgeon?
3.Having experience is another important quality when searching for a plastic surgeon. Not only is it important that the plastic surgeon has had experience in performing many of the desired operations for many years, experience plays a role in being able to deal with potential side effects or complications. Unfortunately, even the best and most experienced have complications, so you want the assurance that an undesirable event is dealt with appropriately.
4. When assessing the qualifications of a plastic surgeon, it is also necessary to assess the staff of that particular surgeon. Your total care and experience with a plastic surgeon involves many support people in, and sometimes, out of the office. What are the people like that work for the plastic surgeon? Are the front desk people personable and knowledgeable? Where does the plastic surgeon perform surgery? What are the nurses like? Who is giving the anesthesia if your procedure requires anesthesia? Who is doing or helping with some of the aftercare during the recovery process?
While it is important that your surgeon is readily available, he or she is only one person and cannot have a hand in your entire experience. The best way to find out about these important role players in your care is to visit the practice website, check out reviews, and ask to meet some of them.
5. When doing an initial search for a plastic surgeon, it is always a good idea to look at online reviews. It is important to keep in mind that even the best plastic surgeons may have some bad reviews though. Proportionally, more people like to complain than praise. Also, online reviews can sometimes be misleading, because they can sometimes be artificially stacked with false positive reviews. If a surgeon has a ridiculously large number of reviews, that are all great, be suspicious. It could be a red flag. So, looking at online reviews may be a good starting point, but it should not be the sole determining factor when deciding on a plastic surgeon.
While I cannot, in good conscience, stake claim to be “the best Plastic Surgeon in the Chicagoland area”, I will say this…..There hasn’t been a day in my 23 years of being a plastic surgeon that I haven’t been striving to that goal.
