Plastic surgery is unique in that the results are highly visible. Unlike surgery on your digestive tract or other inner organs, plastic surgery is as much an art as a science. Therefore, you need to make sure the plastic surgeon you hire does a good job of creating the type of look you are after. Some surgeons are highly skilled but may not share your style. You want someone who can see your vision, share it, and help you achieve it. So how do you go about assessing whether or not a plastic surgeon is the one for you?
Ask to see real results after a year or two.
Looking at before and after pictures of a surgeon's work is a good way to tell whether you're going to like their work. But you need to be specific about the type of photos you look at. You want to look at an image showing the patient at least a year after surgery. At this point, all of the swelling and redness should be gone and the scars should have begun to fade, so the results you see are more realistic. You can't assess a surgeon's skill or style with one set of photos, so ask to see plenty. And discuss them with the surgeon. Let them share with you their vision for that person, what they think went well about the process and so forth. It really helps to understand where the surgeon was coming from when they worked on a certain individual.
Ask what they would recommend for you.
When you walk into a plastic surgeon's office, they typically ask you to describe what you would like them to do for you. But there is a different approach to this. Tell the surgeon what you want to work on. For example, you could say, "I am unhappy with the size of my breasts," or "my small calves make me self-conscious." Then, let the surgeon describe what they can do to improve your situation. Assess whether the description matches what you had imagined yourself. If the surgeon recommends you go up three bust sizes to look balanced, but you're really only after a subtle increase of one cup size, this may not be the best fit.
There are thousands of plastic surgeons out there, and each one has their own unique talents and specialties. Meet with a couple before you make your choice. Consider looking for a local plastic surgeon.