Choosing the right plastic surgeon is extremely important. If you fall into the wrong hands, you increase your chances of botched results or complications that can compromise your health or your life. Finding a bargain is not the way to go with surgery—just because you may save on your initial surgery doesn’t mean that you’ll be happy with your results, and corrective surgery may be costly. The same goes for seeking treatment outside of the country.
While most revision cases are performed by the doctor who did the initial surgery, “not every surgeon is experienced in revision surgery,” says Eugene, OR, plastic surgeon Mark Jewell, MD. “If you have a good relationship with the surgeon who treated you, see him or her first to discuss a revision,” he adds. Should you select a new doctor, make sure they are well-versed in revision procedures, especially with the part of the body that you’re looking to have corrected.
Steps to Ensure Good Results:
Make sure your expectations are realistic. Revision surgery may not give you a picture-perfect nose but it may make you feel better about how you currently look.
Ask to see revision images. Before committing to any type of revision procedure, ask your surgeon to see his or hers before-and-after images from revision procedures (not primary procedures) that are similar to your case. This way you’ll get an idea of what problems they’ve corrected in the past and if you like the work they’ve done. You also want to make sure that the images that you review were performed by the same doctor who will be operating on you.
Know that you may need additional procedures. One revision surgery may not correct the problem and additional procedures may be needed to get the results you desire, especially if there are major complications or disfigurement.
Follow doctor’s orders. Surgery is only part of the process—how you care for yourself pre- and post-procedure affects the final outcome too. Make sure that your doctor provides you with a list of what you should and shouldn’t do after your surgery. These instructions may be different than what you received the first time around.
Don’t look for a bargain. Revision surgery is expensive and may be as costly, if not more, than your original procedure.
