subject: Cosmetic Surgeons To Avoid! [print this page] When it comes time to choose a cosmetic surgeon, you'll want to select one who is talented with his or her scalpel. The botching of your physical makeover is not something that you want to experience. Here are 7 red flags directing you to move away from this doctor and keep looking:
1) He or she isn't board certified in plastic surgery but is a regular M.D. who is certain that cosmetics can't be rocket science. If he or she can prescribe antibiotics for a sore throat, a rhinoplasty can't be that much more difficult, right? Wrong! You want to select a practitioner who has not only been board certified in plastic surgery but one who has had lots of hands on experience enhancing faces and physiques.
2) When you ask to see "before and after" photos of previous patients, the only ones available are some generic ones that he or she found on the internet. Nope, not good enough. You want to see some actual examples of this guy's work.
3) His or her office is dirty and the office staff is hostile. The way that an office is run greatly reflects on the surgeon who is running it. Dirt and hostility are signs of an ugly environment and work ethic. Just say no.
4) When you go in for an initial consultation for liposuction, the surgeon points out that your nose, ears, chin and breasts could use a little work, as well. You don't want to be working with a salesman; you want a professional with a bit more finesse.
5) Pamphlets about taking a second mortgage on your house in order to finance the "new you" are spread around the waiting room and the doctor pulls into his parking space in a Rolls Royce. Uh oh, looks like the fees may be steeper than you'd anticipated. Be sure to compare skills, training and reputation as well as prices in order to find the right doc.
6) When you call the medical licensing board, you find out that your prospective doctor has a slew of complaints lodged against him or her. Big red flag! Accidents happen to everyone but more than one or two means "move on."
7) He or she doesn't listen to what your questions or concerns are during your initial appointment. You feel rushed as if rolling along an assembly line. Time to say good-bye. If he or she isn't paying respectful attention to you now, what will happen while you're knocked out by anesthesia?
Finding the right cosmetic surgeon is a bit of work, but it's worth it. Don't settle for less than the best.
