When we are looking into cosmetic surgery, we want to be sure that we get the best quality and that the end results will be as close to our expectations as possible (we cannot always get exactly what we want). No one wants to have a botched cosmetic surgery.
The goal of majority of cosmetic surgeries is to enhance your visual appearance, not to make you look unnatural. But thanks to social media, we can see that a botched cosmetic surgery can happen and thanks to questionable advertising, patients are less and less sure what type of doctors should they trust and who is qualified.
Most doctors can use the label “cosmetic surgeon” without the proper qualification and certification and not many patients know this. So hopefully these 7 tips will help you avoid having a botched cosmetic surgery and get you the results you want!
Who’s doing the procedure and what are their qualifications?
Before you fully commit to having a cosmetic surgery, make sure that you know as much about the cosmetic surgeon as you can. Instead of speaking only to a secretary, assistant or other medical staff, schedule a consultation with the cosmetic surgeon who is going to be performing the procedure.
Aside from that, learn what is his/her medical background, qualification and training. They need to be qualified in plastic, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
If the doctor IS qualified, he/she will have his title “Specialist Plastic Surgeon” clearly displayed. Other types of doctors, such as, Dermatologists, Dentists or General Practitioners CANNOT use this title.
Is medical tourism a better option or a sure guarantee for a botched cosmetic surgery?
Cosmetic surgeries are sometimes cheaper in other countries than your own. Because of this, those places have become quite popular for medical tourism – you fly there for a few days, have the medical procedure and fly back home.
However, medical tourism is often home for doctors in training, who are not nearly as qualified as they should be. Lack of experience combine with other factors, can be a sure way for a botched cosmetic surgery.
When it comes to medical tourism, aside from the qualification and experience, you also need to pay attention that:
- Medication in other countries can be different
- You might not have the follow-up care you need
- You might be flying back home too soon after your surgery
- The surgeon might use questionable materials and techniques for your surgery
- The environment is different so infections can happen easily
If things don’t go as planned, there’s little you can do if your end results aren’t satisfactory. Furthermore, the water in the overseas place can be quite different (and maybe not as purified) as the water back home. Who knows what kind of bacteria is there that you’re not used to? Doesn’t look like it’s worth the risk.
Make a list of doctors you’ve considered
The internet can be a pretty powerful tool. Use it to browse through different forums, social medial or websites and collect experience from other patients to see who are the worthy cosmetic surgeons you can consider.
If you have friend or family that have gone under a procedure, even better. Word of mouth is powerful. Use it! You can also refer the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for help.
Negative feedback cam sometimes be left for unreasonable situations where the poor outcome isn’t caused by the surgeon’s lack of experience, but because the patient didn’t have realistic expectations or they didn’t follow the doctor’s post-op instructions. So, use your best judgement when reading reviews and feedback.
Narrow it down
Once you’ve created a list of potentially good cosmetic surgeons, you can start working on narrowing that list down so that you have only a few to choose from.
The first criteria should be that the surgeon bust be board certified and that their certification is up to date.
Secondly, you should read about their experience, learn if they’ve won any awards and who were their mentors. This can tell you a lot about their qualification.
Lastly, see if they have a website where they post photos or videos about their work, before/after pictures etc. Sometimes the after pictures can look the same for many patients, but that doesn’t mean that the surgeon is bad. Usually means that they mastered the technique and can provide consistent results. But if you’re not happy with the “after” photos, you most likely won’t be happy with your end results too, so keep that in mind.
