How Many Facelift Procedures by a Doctor is Considered Experienced?

I am considering a facelift by an Oculoplastic Surgeon in the L.A. area who has done a cosmetic surgery fellowship. He is only board certified in (abms) Opthalmology. His office states he has done approx. 750 facelifts. I saw his before and after pics on his website and a person from this forum sent a before and after pic that looked really great and spoke highly of her experience with this doctor.

It is really difficult to find a great facelift Dr. when I do not have personal exp. with friends who have had one done. Can anyone advise best approach?

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12 Doctor Answers | Asked by kpilling in walnut

Doctor Answers (12)
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Facelift Experience

Hi, Its better to look for quality than quantity. If you learn to tie your shoelaces wrong you can do it 1000 times a day but it will still be wrong. If you like the results and you speak to several of the surgeons recent patients, don't get bogged down with numbers and wall plaques. Best, Dr.S.

You are not going to find what you are looking for at this site

You have now posted numerous times on this site questioning the credentials of this poor doctor. He is probably a colleague or even a very good friend of mine (I don't know who it is nor do I want to). However, I am going to tell flat out not knowing who he is, that he is very well qualified to perform your facelift. He is probably better qualified than many facial or general plastic surgeons you might interview and probably does a better facelift. However, none of... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

8 reviews

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Eye doctor for your facelift

Hi there- If you needed a heart operation, would you rather have it done by someone who ahd trained in heart surgery, or by someone who trained to be an eye doctor, then decided they wanted to do heart surgery and spent one year trying to learn what real heart surgeons learn over many years? Even if you were to accept that this eye doctor was taught how to do a proper facelift in his or her training, who do you think trained them? It is almost certain that is was- another eye doctor! What... more

Facelift experience of a surgeon

Certainly 750 facelifts is experience, however, one needs to look at what type of facelift is being performed. A mini lift is not a comprehensive face/neck lift because it is simply making some incisions around the ears and tightening up a little bit of the fascial layers and skin. While a comprehensive face/neck lift involves addressing much more: jowls, excess skin of the face and neck, platysmal bands in the neck, removing fat above and below the platysma muscle, tightening facial... more

Factors to consider for experienced facelift doctors

Experience in facial plastic surgery (and everything else in medicine) is important. Other very important factors include the level and scope of training, surgical skill and judgment, aesthetic sense, personalized care, credentials, low percentage problems and complications, high percentage of very good results. In general, the physicians who are best trained to perform facial plastic surgery (including facelifts) are facial plastic surgeons and general plastic surgeons. Ophthalmologists... more

Finding the right facelift surgeon.

This is a very common dilemma in the United States because so many physicians are practicing cosmetic medicine. Specialists in cosmetic surgery are plastic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons and occuloplastic surgeons. Beware of the physician who claims to be a cosmetic surgeon without those titles and without board certification within each field. A board certified plastic surgeon should be competent within facelift surgery, though you can look at how many they do per year and if they... more

Evaluation of a Surgeon's Facelift Experience

The number of procedures a surgeon has done is important only if the results are good. Make sure you see many pictures of patients who looked like you pre-operatively. Then have a consultation with him and others to assess your comfort level.

Richard W. Fleming, MD

9 reviews

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Facelift and surgeon experience

First you want to make sure the surgeon is properly trained. An oculoplastic surgeon operates on the eyes (Oculo). He is not a plastic surgeon that does facelifting. But, a good plastic surgeon does not have to do thousands to be great at it.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Consider years of experience

There is no # but years of experience can not be taken lightly. I personally have lost count after 500. I doubt you doctor unless he is over 50 years of age has done 750 facelifts. Be wary. See at least 3 board certified plastic or facial surgeons. From MIAMI regards Dr. B

Eye surgeon for a facelift?

With all due respect to that doctor, I'd strongly encourage you to go to a real board certified plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon (ENT) for a facelift. You wouldn't want me replacing the lens in your eye so why would you want an eye surgeon doing your facelift? I'd say the surgeon should also have at least 10-15 years of experience after residency for the best outcome. Any experienced surgeon who has followed his/her patients for years will tell you that they are much better at a... more

Experienced facelift surgeon

I do think that experience is one important aspect to consider with any plastic surgery and definitely when it comes to your face. The excellent surgeon is one who never stops learning. Therefore, today's patients of a high quality facelift surgeon will benefit from the last 500, 1000 or 2000 facelift s/he has performed. Evaluate whether face and neck lift is part of the surgeon's practice dedication. In addition, examine before and after photos carefully. Always keep in mind that a... more

How to choose a plastic surgeon

The process of finding a surgeon is in some ways independent of the procedure. It is a 4 step process. Step 1 getting names of plastic surgeonsIn choosing a plastic surgeon, your first goal is to develop a list of good candidates. Where do you find them? Possible sources include friends, doctors, hospitals, medical professional societies, nurses and advertisements. Some sources are better than others. Step 2: checking their credentials Once you've compiled a list of several doctors, you can... more