Reply To: Researching for the right doctor

[Jeet Singh]

Hi @amie

This is a good question, here is some general criteria. First you want to make sure the doctor is a board certified plastic surgeon in good standing.

You should come to the clinic equipped with your clear explanation of what you want to achieve, but before going in it would be helpful to research various sites and videos that often explain common approaches and treatment methods.

One way you can decide on which clinic to choose is by making a list of what we call your “Top 5 factors” for choosing the right doctor.

These will be different for everyone, but here some common factors below:

1. Communication (you and the doctor are on the same page)
2. Procedure/Method (the doctor’s surgical plan, and method they would use)
3. Budget (does the cost seem reasonable to you)
4. Experience (how many cases have they done, do they have cases similar to yours)
5. Bed Side Manner (what is their attitude and attentiveness like)
6. Facility & Staff (does it look well maintained and operated, are the staff easy to communicate with)

You could then score these doctors are on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.

Look at past cases:

For facial procedures, look for patients that have a similar facial structure, are around your age, and have some of the same concerns.

Things to ask yourself:

Do I like spending time with this surgeon?
Do I feel like I can trust this surgeon to recommend what’s safe and right for me?
Would I feel comfortable asking this surgeon any question I might have throughout the process?
Do I feel comfortable disclosing my full medical history and habits to this surgeon? (This is critically important to your safety!)

I got some of these tips from the American Board of Plastic Surgeons website. They have a very nice checklist you can download. Tips for finding the right cosmetic surgeon