How many years experience should rhinoplasty surgeon have?

Thanks for your question.  Experience is certainly an important factor when it comes to chosing a plastic surgeon for cosmetic work.  Rhinoplasty is probably one of the more difficult surgeries to "master".  While it is true that surgeons generally improve with more surgeries they perform, not all doctors start out of the gate at the same level.  This is why the training of the plastic surgeon is important to weigh into the decision making process.  Virtually every plastic surgeon who completed a good residency can perform rhinoplasty with excellent and predictable results.  And additional aesthetic training will strengthen these skills further. Before and after photos are one way to evaluate ability, but remember, doctors are only going to post their best results.  The decision to walk away is easy if all the posted photos look terrible, but that would be an unusual situation.  Referrals from a pleased patient may be one of the best ways to find a match, but not everyone has a friend or family member that has had plastic surgery.Thus, the most qualified doc for rhinoplasty would probably be a board certified plastic surgeon who has had excellent training with the addition of an aesthetics fellowship, who has very favorable reviews online, some good before and afters, and who has been practicing for at least a few years.  Hope that helps!

 The key element in choosing a Rhinoplasty
surgeon is someone who is a true expert. An expert is one who is Experienced and
performs this operation frequently at least 2-3 times a week, has Expertise and has

written
and teaches others about the procedure, and one who can show you Excellent results. This is one of the most
challenging operative procedures we do in plastic surgery.

Well you are certainly thinking wisely since you want to make sure the doctor you choose is well experienced. You may want to look into how many years experience they have their before and after photos are a major help and a major deciding factor. Reviews too about doctor and practice. Take your time choosing a doctor. Most doctors get better as they do more surgery.

A monkey may live 1000 yrs but he'll never write El Quijote or Macbeth, right? so some genetical skills are necessary to be a good surgeon. Find online cases from this young surgeon, he may be a groundbreaking one in spite his age, I'd give him a chance if the reputation from previous rhinoplasties is good.

The most critical decision to be made in achieving the best plastic surgical result is picking the most experienced and talented, that is the best, plastic surgeon possible. Too often, patients choose a physician based on a catchy ad, the brand name of a technique, the basis of one or two before and after photos, or their web site’s search engine ranking. These criteria will not find the most experienced and talented plastic surgeon, nor will being a new member of an university program as experience does make a difference. See the below link on suggestions on how I would locate the best plastic surgeon for your rhinoplasty.

If the surgeon can show many, many examples of his work, you should feel comfortable.  Some surgeons achieve expert status decades before others, and some surgeons never achieve it.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

That's a great question! You're on the right track asking how many years of experience your surgeon has, but I would more specifically ask how many rhinoplasties the surgeon has done. Some surgeons have done more in one year than others will do in a lifetime. From your description it sounds like your surgeon is well- trained, yet finishing fellowship less than a year ago means he or she by definition is new in practice. If your surgery is relatively straight-forward this may be okay. Also, new surgeons also sometimes have a senior surgeon assist them, so that may be helpful also.  In rhinoplasty in particular though, experience is invaluable. It can make the difference between acceptable results and amazing results. Also, I highly recommend getting a few consultations with board certified plastic surgeons or facial plastic surgeons before deciding on a surgeon. Ask for before and after photos, make sure you like the results, and that you feel comfortable with the surgeons ability. 

Your question is a great one.  Training is one important aspect of choosing a surgeon. However, nothing can replace experience in my opinion.  It takes most surgeons several years and hundreds of rhinoplasties to become truly comfortable with the operation.

Hi Bailey Lady,We all start somewhere!  Facial plastic surgeons who have spent a year in fellowship are usually trained by excellent rhinoplasty surgeons.  Rhinoplasty is sculpting and depends not only on technical skill and experience, but most importantly on artistic vision of the surgeon.  When we begin doing rhinoplasty, it is best to choose patients that have relatively simple noses to correct.  As we gain experience, we are able to perform rhinoplasty on the most difficult noses with success.It is always advised to get a few rhinoplasty consultations and then choose your surgeon most carefully.  Good luck and be well.Michael Persky, MDEncino, CA

You are correct in assuming that the amount of experience a surgeon has is important in picking the right doctor. It is not just the number of years in practice, but how many procedures he has performed, how frequently he performs them and how good are his results. It took me several thousand rhinoplasties to reach a level of basic understanding of nasal surgery dynamics. And even though I have performed many rhinoplasties at present, I feel there is always something "new" to learn! Consequently, one would surmise that you would have to be in practice many years to build up that type of experience. For me, it has been approximately 40 years. And it isn't just the number of years that are important, it's the type of surgical cases and results that are important, as well.