When considering a rhinoplasty (commonly known as a nose job) a lot of patients will start off by looking at examples of noses on other people. They will look at photos and videos of models and celebrities to help them decide what sort of nose they might want when compared to their current nose, but should you be doing this? Does it actually help the surgeon?

Managing expectations when it comes to plastic surgery is one of the most important things a surgeon can do. Understanding what the patient is looking for as the end result of a procedure combined with the years of real-world experience the surgeon has, will help everyone involved make a more informed decision in regards to the surgery.

A photo can be a good starting point, but it may not ultimately be the best choice for the patient, and in some cases it may not even be feasible from a surgical perspective.

Should I Bring Photo Examples of Noses I Like to My Consultation?

Absolutely!

There is nothing wrong with bringing photo examples to show your surgeon when going for your consultation. In fact, a lot of doctors will encourage it, so they have some sort of visual idea of what you would like your final outcome to look like.

Keep in mind though, just because you bring in photo examples, doesn’t mean that you’re going to end up looking like the people in the photographs after the surgery is complete. A nose is just one aspect of your face, and while changing it can definitely change your overall appearance, what looks good on someone else’s face isn’t necessarily going to look good on your own.

Your doctor will be best suited to help you decide what sort of nose, or what sort of rhinoplasty, would compliment your face. Typically they have performed many of these types of surgeries and seen many different faces, which can help them determine what types of noses look good on what types of face.

For example, a person with a round face might not look great with a super thin nose, just as a person with a long, thinner, face, may not look the best with a wider flat nose. Keep that in mind when looking at photos of celebrities or other people that have the nose shape you want. You may not have the same overall facial structure, or cheek bone structure, as those people, which can lead to  a look you weren’t expecting.

Manage Your Expectations Properly

Bringing in photos of celebrity noses is a great way to give your surgeon a general idea of what you’re looking for, but it’s also very important to listen to your surgeon’s suggestions.

If your doctor looks through your examples and explains to you why a certain type of nose looks good on a certain person, but may not look good on your face, please take that into account. They have the experience and have seen different nose shapes on different faces and are knowledgeable about what would look good in different cases.

Managing your expectations and having a doctor that will tell you the truth, instead of just trying to sell you a procedure, is extremely important when it comes to your overall health and wellbeing.

Surgical procedures like a rhinoplasty, while fairly routine, are considered a major surgery. You don’t want to go into the procedure thinking you’re going to come out looking like Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts, only to be disappointed when you realize you’re not those people and you don’t have the same cheek bones, eyes, brow, or chin as them.

Just because you reshape your nose doesn’t mean that the rest of your face is going to look like your photo example. Of course there are always other surgical procedures you can have done in order to mimic those celebrities, but again, everyone is different and there’s a good chance you’re never going to end up looking exactly like the person you think you will.

Choosing the Right Rhinoplasty Surgeon

Ensuring that you choose the right rhinoplasty surgeon is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to maintaining proper expectations of your surgery.

A good surgeon will be able to take your input and suggestions and deliver you a plan that will meet your needs and achieve the outcomes you are looking for, while making everything look as natural as possible.

A good surgeon will not try to force you into a procedure or a nose shape that they don’t feel would enhance your current features. They want to make sure that you come out of the procedure feeling proud and happy about your decision. They want to boost your self esteem in a way that other things in your life can’t.

Changing your appearance through surgery is a major commitment and your surgeon should understand that and be there to help you. If you’re unhappy with the way a surgeon is presenting themselves to you, it’s ok to seek a second opinion, but if you find that every surgeon you talk to is trying to talk you out of a certain nose shape on your face, then that should be an indicator that maybe it’s not the best idea to just have a random celebrities nose put onto your face.

Everyone’s faces are different whether you’re a celebrity or not. Knowing how to highlight your best features and be happy with your body is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself. And if that means a little nip or tuck here and there, then so be it.

It’s always important to manage your expectations and understand that just because a surgeon can give you the same nose as your favorite celebrity, doesn’t mean that the nose is going to look just as good on you.

With the boom in plastic surgery procedures being performed all over the world, it’s no surprise that prices have also continued to go up. Between surgeons investing in new technologies and equipment, as well as continuing education and staff, the price of a plastic surgery procedure in the United States may seem a little out of reach when compared to other countries.

Because of this we’ve seen an uptick in patients considering traveling out of the United States to seek better prices on procedures. Plastic Surgery Tourism has become extremely popular as of late, but there are a few things to consider before buying that plane ticket.

Plastic Surgery Tourism

Countries like Mexico, India, Turkey, Thailand, and Brazil currently rank amongst the highest countries for plastic surgery tourism. These countries offer a variety of packages and price points that may seem hard to beat when it comes to plastic surgery, but it’s important to do your research before planning one of these trips.

Pricing

One of the main reasons that people travel for plastic surgery procedures is due to the cost of certain procedures in the United States.

Because the cost of education, training, and equipment in the U.S., the surgical prices tend to reflect those costs which makes them a little more expensive. In addition to that, the cost of living is higher here, which means people are willing to spend a little more money, thus the doctors can charge more.

While you may be enticed by the cheapest pricing, you also need to be aware of what you’re getting for that price. The training that doctors receive in some of these countries may not be held to as high of standards as here in the United States, and they may not come out of fully accredited medical schools.

That’s not to say that all doctors performing these procedures in foreign countries are going to be bad, it just means that if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Vetting your doctor and the practice is extremely important when considering traveling for plastic surgery. Knowing the doctor’s medical history, accreditations, as well as talking to previous patients, are all things you should do before considering traveling for plastic surgery.

If you find a doctor charging $1000 for something that a local doctor is charging $5000, that should be an immediate red flag, or at least a sign that you need to do your research.

Procedures Unavailable in the U.S.

One of the other reasons that patients travel out of the United States is to seek out procedures that doctors won’t perform here.

With celebrity culture these days we hear a lot about different types of plastic surgery procedures and people going under the knife all the time, but what a lot of people don’t know is that not all procedures are allowed to be performed in the United States.

Because of this, people will travel out of the country to find a doctor that is willing to perform the surgery since they may not be held to the same regulations and requirements as U.S. surgeons.

And while it may seem like a red flag if the United States won’t allow certain procedures to be performed, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad, or the surgeons performing them are bad, it just means that through our strict approval process, the medical boards here have deemed certain procedures, or methods by which to perform them, unsafe or not researched enough.

The same goes for medicinal drugs and other forms of treatments. Some countries are more relaxed when it comes to allowing certain treatments to be used on humans, whereas the United States has stated that they haven’t gone through enough testing or gotten the proper approvals to be put into practice here.

Technology

In some cases, purchasing or acquiring certain technology in the United States may be more expensive than acquiring it in a foreign country. This, again, can be due to the regulations that the U.S. places on medical equipment as well as the cost to import things here that were produced elsewhere.

For example, Turkey has a very high rate of surgical tourism for men’s hair transplants because most of the clinics in Turkey utilize a more modern technique than those in the United States. And while there are more and more U.S. clinics moving over to the robot assisted FUE method of hair transplant here, a lot of them still utilize the old FUT strip method since the technology is still rather expensive. And because the technology needed to perform that method of transplant is so expensive, it means that pricing here in the states is going to be higher as well.

Should You Travel to a Foreign Country for Plastic Surgery?

Since we are based in the United States we’re obviously going to try and convince you that staying stateside is a better option than traveling overseas, or down south, for a medical procedure of any kind, especially a non-life saving one. But of course we understand that people like to research all of their options.

Because of this, we can’t stress enough how important it is to do your research before committing to plastic surgery tourism. Make sure you research the doctor, the practice, and all of the costs associated with the entire process.

If you are really considering traveling for a procedure, consider branching out and looking into other doctors and practices within the United States before you venture out to a country you’ve never visited.

We have patients travel to our offices from all over the country for plastic surgery procedures. We offer discounts on hotel accommodations and can help with all the travel arrangements. Dr. Adams is board certified and an expert in his field. He’s developed the 24-hour fast track recovery process that can help you get back to your everyday life as soon as possible.

Traveling for plastic surgery may save you a few bucks in the long run, but be sure to do your research before making a final decision.

As society in general continues to move towards a more digital landscape, sharing and posting photos, videos, and information on social media continues to grow. Younger generations are using social media and the internet for things that the older generations could never have imagined. It’s truly amazing that most people have a device in their pockets, with them at all times, that can answer any question they may have, at any time.

With large social networks taking over the internet, and the spread of information becoming easy, and sometimes dangerous, it’s interesting to look to the future to see where we’re headed.

Today, most people use social media to keep in touch with friends and family members, to post photos and videos focusing on what they are doing, and even using these platforms to look for future life partners. Things that would have gotten you strange looks in the infancy of the internet are now the lifeblood of what the internet is.

It’s amazing and scary at the same time.

As we’ve seen all over the world as of late, information can spread extremely fast on social networks and it’s hard for some people to understand what is real and what is exaggerated or fake. We’ve seen this in the current political landscape as well as in the medical field.

Social media is a great tool to use as individuals and as businesses, but where do we draw the line? What sort of things should we be posting and what things should we reserve for private conversations?

There’s a fine line between truth and misinformation these days, as well as restraint when it comes to publishing certain things.

With that being said, more and more doctors and surgeons are moving into the social realm when it comes to communicating with patients and even trying to attract new patients.

Should Surgical Procedures Be Lived Streamed on Social Media?

Live streaming is becoming more and more popular as technology advances and people are looking for more ways to interact with people. Having the ability to share an experience with your followers or fans on social media brings are more personal touch to the idea of online interaction. But where do we draw the line?

There are many plastic surgeons in the country that broadcast their surgical procedures live on their social media channels for anyone to watch. This could be anything from a simple procedure all the way up to extensive surgery, but one fact remains, it’s not for everyone.

As a patient, would you find that watching a surgeon perform a procedure live would help you make a decision about whether or not to use that doctor, or to undergo that procedure for yourself?

As a doctor, are you comfortable enough, and trust yourself enough, to put yourself and your work out there for the world to see?

As doctors ourselves, we would hope that anyone live streaming their procedures would be highly skilled and highly capable of performing the surgeries to the best of their ability. We hope that all their techniques and the way they handle themselves, are conducive to the best results for the patient.

Surgical procedures can sometimes be more intense than a lot of people realize, but doctors understand what they can and cannot do to a patient in order to achieve the best results with the least amount of side effects. There are also challenges that can arise during surgery that may not be suitable to show viewers on social media.

In certain cases we can see why it would be important to broadcast a surgery across the internet, but live streaming every surgery, or random surgeries, has a lot of risk involved. We don’t recommend always live streaming surgical procedures unless they are intended for private training viewers. The public doesn’t always understand what goes into surgeries and it could land you in hot water with the patient and could even be used in court if something were to go wrong.

Social Media and Plastic Surgery

Social media is a great way to attract potential patients and to show off your work, but we recommend sticking to photos and pre-recorded videos as opposed to live demonstrations. While we don’t condone editing or manipulating the images and videos that you show on your website, there’s so much that can go wrong, or be misconstrued, in a live video when compared to picking and choosing what shows up on your website and social channels.

If you’re looking for other ways to engage your followers, or possible future patients, live streaming does have its pros though. Answering questions from people live, or talking about different procedures using images and diagrams, is a great way to utilize live streaming without having to show the actual surgery.

Finding new and innovative ways to use social media in the medical setting can help set you apart from other doctors, but live streaming surgical procedures can open you up to a lot of the negative aspects of the internet, which may have the opposite effect you’re trying to accomplish.