You care about who cooks your food in a restaurant and handles your money at the bank. So, shouldn’t the person charged with physically altering your face through rhinoplasty — nose surgery — be chosen with even more care? It pays to listen to your physician’s recommendation of a rhinoplasty surgeon — after all, “doctor knows best.” Your face and your self-esteem will thank you for it, according to leading rhinoplasty surgeon Dean Toriumi, MD.
How do Patients Generally Choose Their Nose Surgeons?
Research published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2014 indicated that the two biggest factors patients consider when choosing a cosmetic surgeon are the surgeon’s experience and whether a friend or doctor recommended the surgeon. The more extensive a surgeon’s experience, the more likely patients are to trust him or her in the operating room for the results they want.
More on the Research
In the peer-reviewed study researchers studied 150 Dutch patients interested in undergoing cosmetic surgery. They used a two-level analysis to determine how the participants would choose their surgeons.
The patients were given 18 scenarios and used them to rank their unique preferences with regard to a surgeon’s website presentation, the referral method used, the size of the clinic, the surgeon’s experience, the time it takes to get to the surgeon’s office, and the surgery cost. Out of all of these factors, the experience of the surgeon was the most critical attribute for the participants (36%).
Specifically, surgeons with 10 or more years of experience were more highly regarded by patients than those with fewer years of experience.
The factor in second place in the study was the referral method (21.5 percent), with most of the participants preferring referrals from their general practitioners. On the contrary, referrals via internet forums, magazines, TV, and radio were given less priority. The next-most important factor was travel time (14 percent). The participants generally preferred their travel times to be under an hour. Meanwhile, surgery cost was the least important factor (13 percent), although participants overall were relatively price sensitive.
Why Listen to Your Physician
If you find your general practitioner to be reliable, competent, and good at responding to your health needs and questions, it only makes sense to listen to his or her recommendation of a rhinoplasty surgeon. After all, a good doctor likely won’t send you to a bad specialist, as the specialist’s reputation will indirectly have a bearing on the doctor’s own reputation.
Choosing the right nose surgeon is critical because the wrong surgeon can make the appearance and even function of your nose worse, rather than improving them. That means you’ll find yourself in the operating room again, but this time for corrective surgery.
And that’s time, money, and energy you’ll never get back again.
When selecting a nose surgeon, be sure that he or she is board-certified and has a strong track record of success. With the right doctor, you can be well on your way to having your dream nose and thus a better quality of life overall.
