Using a Doctor in a Fellowship Program - Opinions?

Many good posts here.  Your questions should be similar to choosing another doctor for a facelift:

-What are their credentials?

-How many have they observed/performed?

-Will the fellowship director be in the room to observe/assist?

I have performed procedures during my fellowship experience under these circumstances with great results.  Usually, the patient was someone i knew, or they wanted to save money.  All surgeons do their first facelift sometime ( :

A fellowship director with a great reputation is unlikely to let a fellow operate under their direction unless they feel confident they will do a great job.  And remember, a fellow is a highly trained surgeon that already has good surgical skills.  They are pursuing a fellowship to take their skills to the next level.  Best of luck, and let me know if you have any additional questions.

This entirely depends on the skills of the fellow you are selecting.  The patient in the link below was my first unassisted face lift performed during my fellowship year, and she received about 40% off the standard fee.

This will vary with the program and involvement of the main surgeon.  They are skilled surgeons and were selected from many applicants so you are dealing with surgeons who are at the top.  There is no substitute for experience, but their training is learning from those who have years of experience.  Ask for photos of patients before and after, and then make your decision.