Being a good patient

Many patients only focus on what the physician's responsibilities are and they disparage their role in the surgical process. There are many areas that patients can prepare themselves, evaluate themselves and educate themselves making them better candidates for plastic surgery.

Just as patients are interviewing the doctor as their future surgeon, Dr. Corbin is also evaluating the patient. We do not perform plastic surgery on every patient we see for a variety of different reasons. Here are some of the potential "Red Flags" for Dr. Corbin: Patients who are, pushy, demanding, unrealistic, unreliable, dishonest , emotionally unstable, unhealthy, smokers, drug abusers and or alcohol dependant.

Generally, plastic surgery is elective. No one needs cosmetic surgery, however, some patients would benefit from surgically enhancing their appearance.

Before considering any plastic surgery potential patients you should ask yourself why you want surgery and what you hope to accomplish with surgery.

Here are some basic questions to ask yourself.

One important question is why do you want surgery to aesthetically enhance your appearance?

Who are you having surgery for?
If you are having surgery for anyone other than yourself you probably should revaluate being a plastic surgery patient.

What are your surgical expectations?
If you are expecting perfection, you are not being realistic about plastic surgery and possibly should not have surgery.

Do you want to have plastic surgery to look like a celebrity or another person?
The main goal of plastic surgery is to enhance your own look. Your look can be enhanced or alter, but plastic surgery will not make you look like anyone else.

Do you have some type of physical deformity, physical abnormality or physical imperfection?
Any plastic surgeon, no matter how skilled or experienced they are can only improve the appearance of each individual patient's natural anatomy. Sometimes patients own physical flaws, anatomy's imperfections or physical attributes limit the surgical changes a plastic surgeon can make.

Are you prepared to deal with a complication should it happen to you?
Though rare, there are known complications associated with any surgical procedure. Are you emotionally stable enough to deal with this should it occur to you?

Are you aware that every surgery has scars somewhere?
If you are expecting to have surgery and have no scars you are being unrealistic. Whenever there is an incision made there will be a scar. No surgeon can guarantee how each patient will heal; therefore each patient's scars are different. You may have a family member or friend who had the same procedure and there scars may look different than yours. In Rare cases, patients also heal very aggressively and form hypertropic scars or keloid scars. No surgeon can control this as it is the patient's natural healing process. Though most patients heal very well no guarantees can be given. (Beware of claims that surgical procedures are scarless) An incision made with a laser will also create a scar just as a scalpel will. Scars can be revised but they can not be erased. Once a patient has a scar on their face or body they will always have that scar. This is why going to a skilled qualified surgeon is key to where the scar will be placed and also the size of the scar. Scars can be hidden in inconspicuous locations that are not noticeable.

Are you a depressed person or a patient undergoing professional therapy for emotional or psychological problems?
Generally if a patient is an unhappy individual plastic surgery is not going to make them happy. They may like the new physical improvements, but they may still not be happy with themselves or their appearance.

Can you follow instructions?
After plastic surgery each patient is given post operative instructions to follow to aid in their healing process. Each surgery has a specific recovery period and limitations that have to be followed. If you can not take the time to heal and follow instructions you should not have cosmetic surgery.

In general, the best cosmetic surgery patients are those who are educated about the surgery they are considering, well informed, accepting and understanding of the risks of surgery, emotionally healthy, physically healthy and realistic about their surgery goals. Dr. Corbin welcomes your questions and concerns regarding your cosmetic surgery goals and looks forward to educating you and evaluating you to see if plastic surgery is right for you.

---

Do you have questions regarding surgery? Ask A Patient@TheBreastExpert.com One of our many happy patients will answer you from their personal experience.