Hi, Roz here and we have asked Dr.Angela to give us her perspective from the ‘other side’ of the beauty appointment as to just what she would like to tell her patients before they come in to have some type of procedure done in her office. These are the ‘how to’s’ of preparing both physically and mentally for a visit to your plastic surgeon. Please read on and hopefully this will give you some much anticipated insight before your next visit…….
I am not analyzing your face.
I get asked all the time if I am constantly looking at people’s faces and thinking about what they could have done. Obviously we all notice things about each other, but I actively try not to do it more than any average person when I’m not at work. No one wants to work all the time, even when you love your job (which I do). If anything, I enjoy being a student of the world and like to observe and contemplate the things that make a person beautiful, striking, feminine or masculine and how that fits into society’s views. Outside of that, I make a point to disengage that analytical part of my brain unless working or asked to look at something to give myself a break. So, don’t worry, you aren’t being judged.
Please don’t wear white shirts to appointments.
It sounds so weird to say because I haven’t ever had anyone that got a stain on their shirt during an appointment and we use bibs to protect your clothes. However, if you have ever had injections or surgery you know that you can have some minor bleeding. I think it’s the girl in me that cringes every time I think about getting anything on someone’s shirt and I think about it every time someone wears white. If anything were to happen, darker colors are always easier to clean and hide.
All surgeries have some discomfort.
Some surgeries have less recovery than others, but anytime we operate there will be some discomfort. Discomfort is temporary and the gain is far greater than the transient inconvenience. Also, we do everything we can to make it tolerable and as much of a pleasant experience as possible with pain medications, etc. However, it’s impossible not to feel anything.
No one is perfect or completely symmetric.
While it seems that plastic surgeons are chasing perfection, we all know that it is not obtainable. Realistically, we can help someone look better and improve certain things, but perfection doesn’t exist with or without surgery. Trying to pursue perfection can lead you towards the realm of the overdone, so be careful!
We want you to be confident.
I have had people insinuate that I have something to gain by people’s insecurities. It’s actually the opposite. I want everyone to be confident and comfortable with themselves, whether that involves plastic surgery or not. Yes, people come to see me when they have something that they want to change. The best outcomes and happiest patients are those who are overall happy with themselves and have a specific thing that they want to address. People who are looking to fix something deeper and find happiness through an external change will not find it in my office. I get to be in a field of medicine that makes people happy. If what I can offer will not achieve that, I’m very honest with my patients and help them find it the best way possible.
You are beautiful!
Seriously, you are beautiful. We are our own worst critics and no one sees the small flaws but you and me (only because I’m trained to see it). If it makes you more confident to improve these things, then I’m all for it. If you are changing them so that other people will not see them, don’t do it. Also, we should all want to be the best version of ourselves. Looking at other people’s noses or lips to find out what you like is very useful, but trying to be like or look like someone else doesn’t make sense to me. If you are beautiful, why would you want to be someone else?
Feature image borrowed from terrisstore.com