A successful plastic surgery procedure depends on so much more than surgical skill. It requires an in-depth understanding of a wide range of medical, psychological and preparatory factors that the average patient may not be aware of. And it’s these professional lessons-learned that we bring to every patient consultation.
“You make your reputation more by the patients you don’t operate on than the patients you do.”
When someone walks into our office, we know it’s because the person feels he or she needs plastic surgery. But as professionals, we want to understand why a patient feels they need it, to determine whether they’ll be the best candidate for plastic surgery.
This means we must really listen to the patient to evaluate their needs, but sometimes a patient doesn’t say what he or she is thinking. So through consultation, we ask ourselves a lot of tough questions:
- Is surgery right for this patient? Or will the patient be happier with no operation?
- Would the patient find the results she/he wants through skincare instead?
- Or would the patient be happier seeing a nutritionist?
Dr. McCafferty explains, “For me, this is the fun and rewarding part of my job, because it’s an opportunity to really help people. I don’t think of myself only as a plastic surgeon. I’m someone who is concerned about the patient’s overall health and their feelings about themselves.”
While over the years, the public has become more health conscious and body conscious, we keep in mind that plastic surgery is still not necessarily for everyone. That’s why when we see a patient for the first time, we take the time to get to know them. It’s this knowledge that guides us toward the best, most personalized solution for that patient— whatever that solution might be.
“Little things mean a lot.”
Another thing we’ve learned here in our practice through years of patient interaction is that it’s not necessarily the big successful surgery that makes the biggest impact in a patient’s experience with us, but it’s the way we work to make sure each patient receives the highest level of service we can provide.
This means offering every patient respect, discretion, and courtesy, but it also might mean ordering coffee or paying for parking to ease a longer waiting time. It’s anything we can do make a patient’s experience with us be the best it can possibly be.
Every day our goal is to provide those little things, and those little things help make a difference.
To learn more about how our practice can serve you, contact us for a personal consultation.
