POSTED UNDER Rhinoplasty Reviews
Planning for Rhinoplasty & Chin Implant Summer 2016. Seattle, WA
UPDATED FROM mari alice
Consults with Dr. Lamperti and Dr. Salemy
So I consulted with Dr. Lamperti yesterday and Dr. Salemy today.
Dr. Lamperti couldn't have been more different from Dr. Lee. I didn't expect him to be sooooo... peppy. He must be a heavy coffee drinker. Or a morning person? He's clearly really excitable about noses anyway. My mom found him a little too intense and preferred the mannerisms of the first guy, but I think that's a silly way to choose a surgeon.
He took pictures and told me he'd do an open procedure, shave the hump, break the bones, and add spreader grafts. He would also fix the septum and deflate the turbinates. Exactly the same as Dr. Lee. The pictures make me cringe but I guess I walk around like that already so no reason not to put it online... haha.
Dr. Salemy was a little bit of a surprise. My mom was completely against going to a non-ent until she met him. She was texting me things like "look at all the high maintenance women!!" the entire time we were in the waiting room, then warmed up to him immediately, haha. He didn't take any pictures or do any imaging, he just felt my nose and described to me what he would do. He said he'd shave the hump, trim the cartilage in the tip (which neither of the other doctors mentioned), and break the bones. He told me I have thick skin so it won't change too much of my tip, but if we leave it as is it'll look too full when the hump is gone. He wouldn't use spreader grafts or touch the septum or turbinates, and he's the only one who would use a closed procedure. He's also the only one who said he uses packing.
My mom really liked him. He was very calm but not I'm-about-to-fall-asleep calm like Dr. Lee. He also mentioned I might like a chin implant, but I turned him down for that. He didn't pressure me at all about it, which I appreciated. I agree that I need it but the more real it gets the more reluctant I am to change too much. His price quote was the lowest, at $7000. Dr. Lamperti's is between $8-10k depending on insurance and we'll see what Dr. Lee's will be on Friday.
I'm honestly conflicted at this point. I thought I would like Dr. Lamperti the best, but I don't think I do, which is a little disappointing. He wasn't CLEARLY better than the other guys I saw, based on the evidence I recorded. And... I didn't like the imaging that much. A little odd considering it's what I want. But I still see the same old ugly girl in the morphs. It's made me feel a little down about the whole thing, actually. Maybe it's a bad idea. Maybe it's silly to think changing something on the outside can change how you feel about yourself. I dunno.
I really did like Dr. Salemy, but my breathing wouldn't change at all and I'm a little skeptical about him not using spreader grafts, as I thought those helped prevent collapse. He also doesn't do as many rhinoplasties as the other two - one fewer rhinoplasty per week than the others. AND he didn't do any imaging. I wonder if he would if I called and asked?
I still have to see what Dr. Lee says on Friday. He promised to go over the imaging he did for me and some before and afters. So I guess I'll listen to what he says and then I have to do some soul searching...
Dr. Lamperti couldn't have been more different from Dr. Lee. I didn't expect him to be sooooo... peppy. He must be a heavy coffee drinker. Or a morning person? He's clearly really excitable about noses anyway. My mom found him a little too intense and preferred the mannerisms of the first guy, but I think that's a silly way to choose a surgeon.
He took pictures and told me he'd do an open procedure, shave the hump, break the bones, and add spreader grafts. He would also fix the septum and deflate the turbinates. Exactly the same as Dr. Lee. The pictures make me cringe but I guess I walk around like that already so no reason not to put it online... haha.
Dr. Salemy was a little bit of a surprise. My mom was completely against going to a non-ent until she met him. She was texting me things like "look at all the high maintenance women!!" the entire time we were in the waiting room, then warmed up to him immediately, haha. He didn't take any pictures or do any imaging, he just felt my nose and described to me what he would do. He said he'd shave the hump, trim the cartilage in the tip (which neither of the other doctors mentioned), and break the bones. He told me I have thick skin so it won't change too much of my tip, but if we leave it as is it'll look too full when the hump is gone. He wouldn't use spreader grafts or touch the septum or turbinates, and he's the only one who would use a closed procedure. He's also the only one who said he uses packing.
My mom really liked him. He was very calm but not I'm-about-to-fall-asleep calm like Dr. Lee. He also mentioned I might like a chin implant, but I turned him down for that. He didn't pressure me at all about it, which I appreciated. I agree that I need it but the more real it gets the more reluctant I am to change too much. His price quote was the lowest, at $7000. Dr. Lamperti's is between $8-10k depending on insurance and we'll see what Dr. Lee's will be on Friday.
I'm honestly conflicted at this point. I thought I would like Dr. Lamperti the best, but I don't think I do, which is a little disappointing. He wasn't CLEARLY better than the other guys I saw, based on the evidence I recorded. And... I didn't like the imaging that much. A little odd considering it's what I want. But I still see the same old ugly girl in the morphs. It's made me feel a little down about the whole thing, actually. Maybe it's a bad idea. Maybe it's silly to think changing something on the outside can change how you feel about yourself. I dunno.
I really did like Dr. Salemy, but my breathing wouldn't change at all and I'm a little skeptical about him not using spreader grafts, as I thought those helped prevent collapse. He also doesn't do as many rhinoplasties as the other two - one fewer rhinoplasty per week than the others. AND he didn't do any imaging. I wonder if he would if I called and asked?
I still have to see what Dr. Lee says on Friday. He promised to go over the imaging he did for me and some before and afters. So I guess I'll listen to what he says and then I have to do some soul searching...
Replies (5)
T
March 24, 2016
Woh woh woh!! I don't like this ugly girl talk. That's not what you are!! Believe me!!! I think it can be quit disappointing to build a doc up in your mind and not have them meet your expectations. What's important is you go with your gut feeling...Follow the smallest intuition. Have faith in your abilities to make the right choice for you. Your wants and your moms may be different and that's ok, but consider her opinion, she is you Momma after all:) and as far as the images go, maybe your just not seeing enough of the change you are looking for. They were so very subtle I had to click through a few times to see the difference. Maybe you are after subtle changes? I agree you've got to love yourself on the inside but hating your nose can and does effect your self image... Maybe work on both a bit? Have you ever heard of a book called psycho cybernetics? I'm reading it now. I think it's a good way to understand how we develop our self image. You got this girl, your smart and calculated, that's easy to see. Have faith the right doc and answer will head your way!
MA
March 25, 2016
Maybe you're right... Maybe I was expecting more of a difference? I don't know.
Thank you so much for the book recommendation! I downloaded the audiobook and I'll give it a listen as soon as I can. My self esteem has never been great... It's probably smart to try to address that before surgery. Thank you :)
Thank you so much for the book recommendation! I downloaded the audiobook and I'll give it a listen as soon as I can. My self esteem has never been great... It's probably smart to try to address that before surgery. Thank you :)
L
March 25, 2016
Some doctors just fix a problem (e.g. shave a bump) but other doctors create aesthetically pleasing nose that enhances the whole face. Maybe that's why you are disappointed in the images as there is no overall improvement. Also not sure if the widening of the bridge is a good choice either. As for the self esteem, often it does not matter how people look. I have friends who are beautiful but extremely self conscious and I also have a girlfriend who is far from traditional beauty standards but she thinks she is beautiful and she makes people believe in that.
L
March 25, 2016
I should not have said there is no overall improvement. There is an improvement but maybe not enough to justify a major surgery and the price tag.
F
March 24, 2016
I don't mean to be invasive but you seem to be calling out for advice by posting here and I want to give you some insight from my experience. First of all you are far from an ugly girl. No one looks drop dead gorgeous in those pictures it's very unappealing to be shot head on with a bare background and such lighting. They are not portraits to say the least and are being taken by someone who does not knows you and can't capture you in a way someone who knows and loves you does. And ultimately cameras lie! As I said before you have really nice features. Maybe you don't have the "ideal" chin and nose proportions that you mention above but that's all it is - an ideal. Changing on the outside will not make you prettier on the inside. It may actually make you less pretty because you have to deal with being perceived as fake, worrying about if your nose looks subtle or profoundly worked on, etc. are you willing to take such a huge risk for such a minor difference? Any open rhinoplasty feels hard for a long time. Your nose will never have that natural squish which is weird and feels kind of terrible. Right now you are young and looks matter a lot, as does fitting in and being liked. It's a consequence of adolescence and young adult hood. But as you get older you start to appreciate your uniqueness and others realizing beauty comes in so many forms and not only in those ideals thrown at you by the media constantly. Look at how much representations of beauty have changed through history - just look at paintings from every hundred years. Fashions fade trends change. The scoop nose look was "in" now it's out. You sound intelligent well rounded and like you have a lot going for you - a supportive family, excellent research skills, and a very pretty face. My advice is wait until you are at least 25 and your prefrontal cortex is fully developed before you make a decision you have to look at in the mirror every day of your life. your nose has a lot of character, make sure you're ready to trade it in for someone else's creation.
F
March 24, 2016
I wonder what you think of foot binding? Corsets? The long list of masochistic acts women engaged in through the ages to be "pretty". Plastic surgery only enhances what you don't like about yourself so where before you didn't like your nose and it bothered you and looked weird in some angles now it becomes the focus of everything. Today it's your nose, you fix it, next day it's your eyelids or cheekbones or elbows. Don't you see it's just an industry feeding off human insecurity? Try to focus your attention on external acts of kindness towards true suffering and see how much you think about your nose anymore.
MA
March 25, 2016
You've actually hit on a lot of my doubts about the procedure. Maybe as I mature I'll come to terms with how I look. Maybe deep down I only want this to get approval from people I don't particularly like anyway. I don't know.
As for corsets, etc... Body modification to be "pretty" isn't necessarily bad in my mind. Do you think women shouldn't pierce their ears, get tattoos, or get braces? Why are those acceptable by society's standards, but if I want to change my nose I'm suddenly fake and shallow? If someone had terrible wonky teeth (leaving out possible problems with their bite), would you tell them not to do anything about it because they'll just find something else to fixate on?
I would love to be so kind and selfless that doing nice things for others is enough for me to forget how I feel about myself. But I'm just not. I'm flawed and I admire beauty and it hurts when you can't see something you admire in yourself. Maybe that really is shallow. I don't know.
As for corsets, etc... Body modification to be "pretty" isn't necessarily bad in my mind. Do you think women shouldn't pierce their ears, get tattoos, or get braces? Why are those acceptable by society's standards, but if I want to change my nose I'm suddenly fake and shallow? If someone had terrible wonky teeth (leaving out possible problems with their bite), would you tell them not to do anything about it because they'll just find something else to fixate on?
I would love to be so kind and selfless that doing nice things for others is enough for me to forget how I feel about myself. But I'm just not. I'm flawed and I admire beauty and it hurts when you can't see something you admire in yourself. Maybe that really is shallow. I don't know.
MA
March 25, 2016
I really do appreciate your advice, by the way. You really made me think. It's good to sort through these things.
F
March 25, 2016
I in no way mean to be antagonistic and I see so much of myself in your posts which is why I felt the need to comment. I had an "ethnic" nose that I wanted to trade in for a more Anglo Saxon straight and smooth profile. You make a valid point about fixing teeth and piercing ears, but what I am trying to stress is your nose is the center of your face, it is 3 dimensional and very hard to construct in an ideal form. You can take out earrings, remove a tattoo and hide your braces by covering your mouth when you speak...and eventually they come off. There is absolutely nothing you can do to hide your nose.
i am not trying to penalize you on moral grounds or make you feel shallow. Really my objective is to make you realize that often doctors make it seem as if this is just an ear piercing or getting a set of braces but really it's a complex surgery with many factors. I don't so much care about being perceived as shallow (since we are after all made of physical material bodies and we all experience the vice of vanity) as I care about the fact that my nose literally feels like there is a marble on it from reconstruction. It's uncomfortable to kiss someone, it's weird when your nephews try to play with your face, and ultimately it makes me feel a little less human and that, for me, is not conducive to prettiness.
I understand how much hope there seems to be awaiting you in surgery. I couldn't wait to have mine because I thought my life would change so much for the better and all my insecurities or at least the major ones would resolve. but I made my nose the focal point of why I thought I wasn't pretty and it wasn't until I changed myself irreversibly that I realized a low self esteem is an internal issue with how you perceive yourself. Fixing my nose perfected one feature and made me focus more intensely on other features to change. I never thought there was an issue with my chin until I started obsessing about my nose. You mention how you just want to enjoy your 20s and go out and be confident. I felt the same way! Like once I fix my nose I'll be more sociable and likeable and all my adolescent angst would disappear! In fact after surgery I became the most anti social i have ever been in my life. My nose was the scapegoat for a lot of other issues that take a long time to resolve.
And yes there is the option of revision bu those are even riskier than primary surgery.
Thank you so much for being so open and sharing your story on the Internet. I hope you understand where I am coming from. I am not trying to make your fearful or belittle you for your feelings. They are all valid and typical of someone your age and at your stage in life. I just am hoping to help you see a bigger picture - that you are in fact in one difficult stage of life, and before you make a decision like this one, maybe try some non invasive ways to boost your self esteem, whether it be playing with makeup or volunteering somewhere to get your mind off things, or just talking to a loved one or a therapist who specializes in these things.
i am not trying to penalize you on moral grounds or make you feel shallow. Really my objective is to make you realize that often doctors make it seem as if this is just an ear piercing or getting a set of braces but really it's a complex surgery with many factors. I don't so much care about being perceived as shallow (since we are after all made of physical material bodies and we all experience the vice of vanity) as I care about the fact that my nose literally feels like there is a marble on it from reconstruction. It's uncomfortable to kiss someone, it's weird when your nephews try to play with your face, and ultimately it makes me feel a little less human and that, for me, is not conducive to prettiness.
I understand how much hope there seems to be awaiting you in surgery. I couldn't wait to have mine because I thought my life would change so much for the better and all my insecurities or at least the major ones would resolve. but I made my nose the focal point of why I thought I wasn't pretty and it wasn't until I changed myself irreversibly that I realized a low self esteem is an internal issue with how you perceive yourself. Fixing my nose perfected one feature and made me focus more intensely on other features to change. I never thought there was an issue with my chin until I started obsessing about my nose. You mention how you just want to enjoy your 20s and go out and be confident. I felt the same way! Like once I fix my nose I'll be more sociable and likeable and all my adolescent angst would disappear! In fact after surgery I became the most anti social i have ever been in my life. My nose was the scapegoat for a lot of other issues that take a long time to resolve.
And yes there is the option of revision bu those are even riskier than primary surgery.
Thank you so much for being so open and sharing your story on the Internet. I hope you understand where I am coming from. I am not trying to make your fearful or belittle you for your feelings. They are all valid and typical of someone your age and at your stage in life. I just am hoping to help you see a bigger picture - that you are in fact in one difficult stage of life, and before you make a decision like this one, maybe try some non invasive ways to boost your self esteem, whether it be playing with makeup or volunteering somewhere to get your mind off things, or just talking to a loved one or a therapist who specializes in these things.
MA
March 25, 2016
You don't come across antagonistic at all - it's a pleasure to talk to people as polite and articulate as you :)
You make a valid point about the risk of surgery. I didn't mean to compare this to an ear piercing in complexity, just to point out that the general principle seems the same. I'm sorry your own nose feels so unnatural. I can understand why you'd want to spare others from that pain.
Are there any circumstances under which you believe it's appropriate for someone to get a rhinoplasty?
I'm glad you've told me about your experience. I'm sort of processing it at the moment haha.
You make a valid point about the risk of surgery. I didn't mean to compare this to an ear piercing in complexity, just to point out that the general principle seems the same. I'm sorry your own nose feels so unnatural. I can understand why you'd want to spare others from that pain.
Are there any circumstances under which you believe it's appropriate for someone to get a rhinoplasty?
I'm glad you've told me about your experience. I'm sort of processing it at the moment haha.
F
March 25, 2016
If someone is deformed in an accident I can see why surgery would be needed to look "normal" and for functionality. for purely aesthetic reasons, i don't advocate it.
i have never seen a rhinoplasty i admired, but then again how can i know everyone who has and has not had rhinoplasty? i do live in NY however and the amount of women you can point out on the street and check off a YES is an overwhelming large number, and leads me to my point about how a lot of them just look so obviously done. the only time i've seen rhinoplasty look good in pictures is with faces that have really strong bone structure, especially defined jaw lines and long chins, and who do not change the over all shape of the nose.
what usually happens, as in my case, is that its hard to de-project the profile of the nose and simply "shrink" it in its entirety the way you can by digitally altering images, so the difference between a receding chin and projected nose appears even greater when the nose is made straight, since it appears to project even more out from the face, giving the illusion of an even shorter chin. does that make any sense?
i also think you have to be really confident to begin with because seeing old friends and facing your family can be pretty weird.
there is a definitely a spectrum and some people truly are happy with their experience, i'm just not one of them. i chose one of the best rated doctors in the city, who charged about 12k, so i don't believe there is always a correlation between cost and skill. i was impulsive about it, because my parents were willing to pay and my mentality was "now or never"..so i jumped into it without thinking it through. after surgery, when i voiced my concern to my doctor about the way that my nose felt, his answer was "i only care about how it looks, not how it feels". needless to say he was much more charismatic during the consults and pre-op appointments. i also did it for the wrong reasons and should have worked through my other insecurities first, and considered a major surgery only once i had tried everything else, rather than the other way around.
I'm glad you are being really thoughtful about things. let it simmer for a few months. maybe journal about your feelings, when you feel most willing to have surgery and what your biggest doubts are. like others have said ultimately you are making this decision.
i have never seen a rhinoplasty i admired, but then again how can i know everyone who has and has not had rhinoplasty? i do live in NY however and the amount of women you can point out on the street and check off a YES is an overwhelming large number, and leads me to my point about how a lot of them just look so obviously done. the only time i've seen rhinoplasty look good in pictures is with faces that have really strong bone structure, especially defined jaw lines and long chins, and who do not change the over all shape of the nose.
what usually happens, as in my case, is that its hard to de-project the profile of the nose and simply "shrink" it in its entirety the way you can by digitally altering images, so the difference between a receding chin and projected nose appears even greater when the nose is made straight, since it appears to project even more out from the face, giving the illusion of an even shorter chin. does that make any sense?
i also think you have to be really confident to begin with because seeing old friends and facing your family can be pretty weird.
there is a definitely a spectrum and some people truly are happy with their experience, i'm just not one of them. i chose one of the best rated doctors in the city, who charged about 12k, so i don't believe there is always a correlation between cost and skill. i was impulsive about it, because my parents were willing to pay and my mentality was "now or never"..so i jumped into it without thinking it through. after surgery, when i voiced my concern to my doctor about the way that my nose felt, his answer was "i only care about how it looks, not how it feels". needless to say he was much more charismatic during the consults and pre-op appointments. i also did it for the wrong reasons and should have worked through my other insecurities first, and considered a major surgery only once i had tried everything else, rather than the other way around.
I'm glad you are being really thoughtful about things. let it simmer for a few months. maybe journal about your feelings, when you feel most willing to have surgery and what your biggest doubts are. like others have said ultimately you are making this decision.
E
March 25, 2016
Definitely agree with what everybody else has said in that you're being too hard on yourself! The lighting they use for consultation pictures hardly makes for flattering pictures anyways.
I probably wouldn't go through with a surgeon who can't/won't do anything about your breathing, especially if it's an issue. Ideally, a surgeon should leave everything better than it was before even if it wasn't a significant problem. I didn't have any major issues with breathing to begin with, but since surgery my breathing has been SO much better. Too much money to spend on making a nose pretty if you can hardly breathe with it. Function should always be top priority.
While morphs can be a good reference point to make sure you both are on the same page and can also show a surgeon's artistic view, it's important to not get too caught up in them. Mine told me flat out she was a better surgeon than she was a photo editor and her real before/afters attested to that. Did any of the doctors go through before/afters of other patients with you? I think the decision to hold off on a chin implant is a good one-- much better to get one at a later date than do it all at once and regret the decision. Keep your expectations realistic and trust your gut, because I'd hate for you to be let down.
MA
March 25, 2016
That's a great point about breathing. I didn't mind that he didn't touch it when I was in the consult but the minute I laid down that night and my nose blocked up I was like "Uggghhh no I really want something done about this" lol
I dunno what it is about the morph. It just doesn't look as different to me as the ones I do myself and he literally made the exact same changes. I'm thinking I probably just don't like them because the pictures look like mug shots haha
I actually found that weird about my consults! Dr. Lamperti and Dr. Salemy both just directed me to their websites for before and afters. Dr. Lee is going over his with me later today which is a little more what I expected. I thought most doctors have more before and afters than the ones on the websites but I guess not. Thank you for all your comments. They're always so logical :)
I dunno what it is about the morph. It just doesn't look as different to me as the ones I do myself and he literally made the exact same changes. I'm thinking I probably just don't like them because the pictures look like mug shots haha
I actually found that weird about my consults! Dr. Lamperti and Dr. Salemy both just directed me to their websites for before and afters. Dr. Lee is going over his with me later today which is a little more what I expected. I thought most doctors have more before and afters than the ones on the websites but I guess not. Thank you for all your comments. They're always so logical :)
P
W
May 19, 2016
Hey I pmed you a bit ago, let me know how you are doing, hope everything is well
UPDATED FROM mari alice
Consult with Dr. Samson Lee
So I had my very first consult today! It was interesting. Not exactly what I expected. This guy was recommended to me by the ent we saw. He was very young and very laid back. Like suuuuper laid back. It's hard to express how chill he was.
He looked inside my nose and told me my septum deviated both ways and my breathing was probably poor 50% due to the septum and 50% due to the enlarged turbinates. Then he gave a big long speech about the whole process and I kinda nodded and smiled. He was good about answering all my questions at the end, even though I'm sure they were annoying. No red flags that I noticed. He's very much on the medical side of plastic surgery I think, if that makes sense. I feel like there's kinda a glamorous Hollywood variety and a very conservative medical side and he's solidly on that end of it. Not sure what his aesthetic taste is. He took pictures of my nose and we're coming back Friday to take a look at the imaging. He'll also give me references at that time. He kinda laughed when I asked for some. He said a patient has never asked him for something like that before.
The office was SO fancy. I've never been in such a nice doctors office in my life. The staff were all very sweet as well. My mom is already sold on him. She doesn't even want to see other doctors. I hadn't actually considered the possibility we might not agree on who should do the surgery, but I'm thinking about it now. I would be very comfortable with Dr. Lee performing my surgery based on the initial consultation, of course. He seems capable. But I wanna explore my options too!
She gave me a big speech about insurance in the car ride back. She still thinks it'll be 30k+. I've given up arguing about that. I still think it'll be 8-10k but until an actual quote is in front of her she'll never believe me. I was disappointed they didn't give us a quote today, but they have to put things through insurance to know how much it'll be for us so oh well. Oh, and we didn't discuss a chin implant at all. I'm OK with it not happening now, actually. Maybe when my nose is changed I won't feel the need to change my chin. And if I still do, it'll still be there when I'm old and have my own money.
Tomorrow we're seeing Dr. Lamperti!! Trying not to get my expectations for him too high.
I'll put down some facts here for reference later:
10 years in practice
2-3 rhinoplasties per week
20% of practice
2.5 hour open procedure
3% revision rate
Medical revisions billed to insurance, cosmetic revisions no surgeon fee, just anaesthesia and OR fee
General anaesthesia under MD anaesthesiologist
He looked inside my nose and told me my septum deviated both ways and my breathing was probably poor 50% due to the septum and 50% due to the enlarged turbinates. Then he gave a big long speech about the whole process and I kinda nodded and smiled. He was good about answering all my questions at the end, even though I'm sure they were annoying. No red flags that I noticed. He's very much on the medical side of plastic surgery I think, if that makes sense. I feel like there's kinda a glamorous Hollywood variety and a very conservative medical side and he's solidly on that end of it. Not sure what his aesthetic taste is. He took pictures of my nose and we're coming back Friday to take a look at the imaging. He'll also give me references at that time. He kinda laughed when I asked for some. He said a patient has never asked him for something like that before.
The office was SO fancy. I've never been in such a nice doctors office in my life. The staff were all very sweet as well. My mom is already sold on him. She doesn't even want to see other doctors. I hadn't actually considered the possibility we might not agree on who should do the surgery, but I'm thinking about it now. I would be very comfortable with Dr. Lee performing my surgery based on the initial consultation, of course. He seems capable. But I wanna explore my options too!
She gave me a big speech about insurance in the car ride back. She still thinks it'll be 30k+. I've given up arguing about that. I still think it'll be 8-10k but until an actual quote is in front of her she'll never believe me. I was disappointed they didn't give us a quote today, but they have to put things through insurance to know how much it'll be for us so oh well. Oh, and we didn't discuss a chin implant at all. I'm OK with it not happening now, actually. Maybe when my nose is changed I won't feel the need to change my chin. And if I still do, it'll still be there when I'm old and have my own money.
Tomorrow we're seeing Dr. Lamperti!! Trying not to get my expectations for him too high.
I'll put down some facts here for reference later:
10 years in practice
2-3 rhinoplasties per week
20% of practice
2.5 hour open procedure
3% revision rate
Medical revisions billed to insurance, cosmetic revisions no surgeon fee, just anaesthesia and OR fee
General anaesthesia under MD anaesthesiologist
Replies (0)
UPDATED FROM mari alice
Consultation questions
My first consultation is on Monday!! I'm actually very nervous to be honest. I'm worried my mom will get cold feet once it becomes real to her. Or maybe I will! Who knows.
I've made a worksheet to fill out during the consult. Do people do this? I'm nervous he'll blow past my questions or think they're silly or something. At the very least it'll probably be a little dorky but oh well. I also made a list of questions to ask the references he gives me. I'll post them both below. Let me know if I've missed anything! I want to be thorough.
Consult worksheet
Surgeon’s name:_____________________________________
Date:______________________________________________
The Basics (I'll fill this out before the consult and just confirm it's accurate)
Board Certifications:____________________________________________________________
Undergrad:____________________________________________________________________
Medical School:________________________________________________________________
Residency:_____________________________________________________________________
Fellowship:____________________________________________________________________
Hospital Affiliations:____________________________________________________________
Surgeon’s Practice
How long have you been in private practice?__________________________________________
How many years of that was in WA state?______________________________________
In which other states have you practiced?______________________________________
Do you carry malpractice insurance?________________________________________________
What is your percentage of happy patients?___________________________________________
What is your policy on revisions?___________________________________________________
What is your revision rate on your own patients?_______________________________________
What type of anesthesia do you use and why?_________________________________________
Who administers the anesthesia?_____________________________________________
What sort of facility do you operate in?______________________________________________
What is your protocol in the case of unexpected complications?_____________________
______________________________________________________________________________
By whom is it accredited?___________________________________________________
May I see the surgical facilities?
Do you yourself do the whole procedure?____________________________________________
Rhinoplasty/Chin Implant
How many rhinoplasties per week do you perform?____________________________________
Chin implants?___________________________________________________________
When did you perform your last rhinoplasty?_________________________________________
Chin implant?____________________________________________________________
What percentage of your practice is devoted to rhinoplasty?______________________________
Chin implants?___________________________________________________________
Do you have a particular interest in rhinoplasty?_______________________________________
Fellowship, publications, presentations, volunteer work, regular conference attendance? ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What percentage of your practice is open vs closed rhinoplasty?__________________________
Can you use both techniques?________________________________________________
My Procedures
Can you describe the procedures to me?______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How long would you spend performing my procedures?_________________________________
Tell me about potential risks and complications._______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is the rate of such complications?________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How might my breathing be affected?_______________________________________________
When should I expect to see the final result?__________________________________________
How will my nose/chin look as I age?____________________________________________
Can I see before and afters of cases similar to mine?
How confident are you that you can achieve the results we talked about?____________________
Are my expectations realistic?_______________________________________________
What is your usual postop follow-up schedule?________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How much will it cost?___________________________________________________________
What does that include?____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Are there additional fees for follow-up visits?___________________________________
When is payment due?_____________________________________________________
What is your policy on cancellations and refunds?_______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
May I speak with any of your former rhinoplasty patients?
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________
Reference worksheet
Surgeon’s name:_____________________________________
Patient’s name:_______________________________________
Date:______________________________________________
Surgeon
Why are you recommending this surgeon?____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How well do you know him?______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Why did you choose him?_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Did he openly respect your opinions and decisions?____________________________________
Did you ever feel like he was talking down to you?_____________________________________
Staff
How well did the office staff treat you?______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How accessible were the surgeon and staff on short notice and after hours?__________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Procedure
Was there anything about the process you weren’t prepared for?__________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Is there anything you wish you did differently?________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Did you have complications?______________________________________________________
How did the surgeon handle them?____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Were there any additional costs that hadn’t been discussed?______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Results
Were your results close to what you were shown in the imaging?__________________________
Are you happy with your results?___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Would you recommend this surgeon to your own family?________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
I've made a worksheet to fill out during the consult. Do people do this? I'm nervous he'll blow past my questions or think they're silly or something. At the very least it'll probably be a little dorky but oh well. I also made a list of questions to ask the references he gives me. I'll post them both below. Let me know if I've missed anything! I want to be thorough.
Consult worksheet
Surgeon’s name:_____________________________________
Date:______________________________________________
The Basics (I'll fill this out before the consult and just confirm it's accurate)
Board Certifications:____________________________________________________________
Undergrad:____________________________________________________________________
Medical School:________________________________________________________________
Residency:_____________________________________________________________________
Fellowship:____________________________________________________________________
Hospital Affiliations:____________________________________________________________
Surgeon’s Practice
How long have you been in private practice?__________________________________________
How many years of that was in WA state?______________________________________
In which other states have you practiced?______________________________________
Do you carry malpractice insurance?________________________________________________
What is your percentage of happy patients?___________________________________________
What is your policy on revisions?___________________________________________________
What is your revision rate on your own patients?_______________________________________
What type of anesthesia do you use and why?_________________________________________
Who administers the anesthesia?_____________________________________________
What sort of facility do you operate in?______________________________________________
What is your protocol in the case of unexpected complications?_____________________
______________________________________________________________________________
By whom is it accredited?___________________________________________________
May I see the surgical facilities?
Do you yourself do the whole procedure?____________________________________________
Rhinoplasty/Chin Implant
How many rhinoplasties per week do you perform?____________________________________
Chin implants?___________________________________________________________
When did you perform your last rhinoplasty?_________________________________________
Chin implant?____________________________________________________________
What percentage of your practice is devoted to rhinoplasty?______________________________
Chin implants?___________________________________________________________
Do you have a particular interest in rhinoplasty?_______________________________________
Fellowship, publications, presentations, volunteer work, regular conference attendance? ______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What percentage of your practice is open vs closed rhinoplasty?__________________________
Can you use both techniques?________________________________________________
My Procedures
Can you describe the procedures to me?______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How long would you spend performing my procedures?_________________________________
Tell me about potential risks and complications._______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is the rate of such complications?________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How might my breathing be affected?_______________________________________________
When should I expect to see the final result?__________________________________________
How will my nose/chin look as I age?____________________________________________
Can I see before and afters of cases similar to mine?
How confident are you that you can achieve the results we talked about?____________________
Are my expectations realistic?_______________________________________________
What is your usual postop follow-up schedule?________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How much will it cost?___________________________________________________________
What does that include?____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Are there additional fees for follow-up visits?___________________________________
When is payment due?_____________________________________________________
What is your policy on cancellations and refunds?_______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
May I speak with any of your former rhinoplasty patients?
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________
Reference worksheet
Surgeon’s name:_____________________________________
Patient’s name:_______________________________________
Date:______________________________________________
Surgeon
Why are you recommending this surgeon?____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How well do you know him?______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Why did you choose him?_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Did he openly respect your opinions and decisions?____________________________________
Did you ever feel like he was talking down to you?_____________________________________
Staff
How well did the office staff treat you?______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How accessible were the surgeon and staff on short notice and after hours?__________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Procedure
Was there anything about the process you weren’t prepared for?__________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Is there anything you wish you did differently?________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Did you have complications?______________________________________________________
How did the surgeon handle them?____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Were there any additional costs that hadn’t been discussed?______________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Results
Were your results close to what you were shown in the imaging?__________________________
Are you happy with your results?___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Would you recommend this surgeon to your own family?________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Replies (3)
M
March 19, 2016
Very comprehensive list! For the chin implant, I would definitely add - type of chin implant used -I consulted with a well known PS who used an FDA approved material, but it was not FDA approved for the chin! Definitely find out what they're using, and how they will attach it - screws, sewing into place, etc. For the anesthesia, I would ask what their standard protocol for nausea is. I had horrible nausea post op. Hope that helps!
MA
S
March 21, 2016
Also: what is their protocol is for yeast infections due to the use of antibiotics? Will they just call in an Rx for you? Or do you have to go through your primary care?
Mari Alice, I'm not sure what your professional background is but I would hire you in a heartbeat. :)
Mari Alice, I'm not sure what your professional background is but I would hire you in a heartbeat. :)
MA
March 21, 2016
Omg, can that happen?? Thanks for the heads up, I didn't even know!
Your comments are always SO sweet. I'm blushing haha
Your comments are always SO sweet. I'm blushing haha
E
March 19, 2016
Wowie! You're making me feel like I wasn't nearly thorough enough when it came to finding a doctor. I just researched a lot ahead of time, liked their before/afters, and made sure their views/methods were up-to-date with the times when it came to rhinoplasty. Then during the consultation I just got a feel for the surgeon and made sure their views/methods lined up with what was said on their websites. My advice would be to fully hear out the surgeon before diving into all of your questions. A good surgeon will go over a lot of this during consultation without prompting. I know for me, some of the surgeon's had mantras when it came to PS that really resonated with me, because I knew we'd have similar goals for my end result.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Good luck and keep us posted!
MA
March 21, 2016
Haha - but it's not a competition for who can research the most... I just tend to be neurotic and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this any other way :) you clearly got great results so you didn't do anything wrong. Good point about hearing the surgeon out. I guess I'll let him do his thing and fill out my sheet and ask anything he didn't cover at the end. Aaahhh I'm so nervous
A
May 20, 2016
Yes, yeast infections happen frequently when taking antibiotics, because the antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria. I have had many of them. However, know that yeast infection meds can be bought over the counter for the past several years. Target and Walmart sell it.
I had another consult scheduled for Friday, but I cancelled because my mom is sick of them. I am, a little, too. Decisions are just really hard! I always want to wait and collect more information. I'm gonna let everything settle in my mind for a week I think and come back to it later.