There are many things that I ask to assess whether a patient is a good candidate for a rhinoplasty. One of the things that I want to make sure of is whether rhinoplasty is the right procedure for the patient. I always ask what the patient is desiring from the rhinoplasty procedure as well to find out if what they are asking is possible with rhinoplasty. I want to find out if their expectations are realistic and that the procedure will be able to achieve these realistic goals. The one thing to remember is that perfection is not possible but we try to attain it as much as humanly possible. I ask patient what they expect the surgery will do for them, if it will change their whole life, etc. I also want them to see if I can be the right surgeon for them as well. I get a sense during my conversation if this person will fit well in our practice in terms of coming back for follow ups and if their personality gels well with our staff. My staff usually has a good sense of whether they will fit in and handle the post operative period and recovery well. The best situations are when the patients know what they want. The most difficult patients are those that are not able convey what they don’t like about their nose or the ones that demand a certain look. I usually ask them about the 2-3 things that they would like accomplished. I also put these in order. Understanding what the patients want is more than half the battle and is really the most important thing to find out. I try to find out also why they want surgery at this time. Some of the patients that I get worried about are the overly narcissistic person, the perfectionist, the person concentrating on a minor element but wants major improvements, and someone I don’t think will be happy no matter what the outcome. Rhinoplasty won’t change your life, but it can improve it. If you think it will change your life then you might consider something else in your ire. This is a video on Rhinoplasty.
Thanks for reading, Dr Young
Dr Young specializes in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and is located in Bellevue near Seattle, Washington