Fellow performing a facelift - do they have the necessary experience?

Full disclosure: as a fellow I performed facelifts. Are my facelifts now better due to 21 years of experience, of course. Can a well trained, surgically gifted Fellow perform a facelift competently? Absolutely. This is a great opportunity for patients with a more limited budget.

Hello and thank your for your question! You are correct. The fellow does not have the same level of experience or knowledge that his/her mentor has. That is the reason they are in the fellowship to begin with: to obtain new and/or more advanced skillset. However, that does not mean you won't receive excellent care. The level of care you receive will depend upon skill of the fellow and the degree of oversight provided by the senior surgeon. I was an aesthetic surgery fellow once and had all the technical skill to perform a well planned operation. The key is formulating the correct plan and avoiding potential pitfalls during the operation! If your fellow is making the plan and performing the operation under the direct oversight of his/her experienced mentor, you will likely have a positive experience.

Thank you for your question. A fellow is in their final year of training before being out on their own. Most fellowship directors would not allow their fellow to perform a facelift procedure unless they thought they were competent and ready to do so. Facial plastic surgery fellowships are usually from July to July, so a fellow towards the end of their training should be competent to perform the procedure. Best of luck!