Happy Outcomes Achieved by the Right Expectations

The only reason to have a procedure at Lifestyle Lift or any other doctor’s office is to look younger and better. Occasionally people have cosmetic procedures for the wrong reasons. If one has a procedure for reasons other than to make a positive change in appearance, they are often disappointed afterwards. These unhappy patients do not have a medical problem; however they did not get the change in their life they were anticipating. As a matter of fact, the complication rate at Lifestyle Lift is less then 0.5%, an amazingly low rate.

My outstanding fellow physicians and I, have seen examples of patient complaints for unrealistic expectations throughout our careers. Reasons can range from not getting a promotion at work to something as simple as not being noticed or not having a spouse pay more attention to them. If a patient is an unhappy person in general before a procedure they cannot expect it to change them and suddenly make them happy. It often does but if it’s the only reason to have a procedure the expectation may not be met. When medical review committees evaluate and examine before and after pictures, one sees significant improvements in these patients yet they still are unhappy. The expectation of the doctor has been met in that they look younger and it was done safely without complications. However, the patient is often dissatisfied because the life change they were looking for was not met.

For this reason Lifestyle Lift doctors evaluate or may ask for additional, personal information about your goals. Every plastic surgeon from every hospital and practice must address unhappy patients because of an unrealistic expectation. Most of these patients have great outcomes with significant improvements in their appearance. Patients in this category often go to great lengths to validate the physician did something wrong when clearly nothing was done wrong. This is the direct result of a psychological void within them not being fulfilled by the procedure.

Where does the fault lie? Pre-procedure screening for psychological problems is occasionally performed however most of these issues are not psychological in nature and are thus not picked up on. More often then not the problem lies in the patient not feeling good about themselves before a procedure. Changing how you feel about yourself should never be the sole reason for having a procedure.

Every doctor in every practice type from the most prestigious universities to the finest practices in the country has experienced this situation. The Internet has become a bashing ground for every plastic surgeon in the country. These unhappy patients will often complain of long recovery times, no change in their appearance, “scar for no reason”, pain, missed work, unhappiness, scarring, “no one cares”, “no one noticed me” etc. However, when studied closely one sees that for the most part these patients had simply elected the procedure for the wrong reasons. They have not sued for a true medical complication but are complaining of unhappiness because the procedures did not make them happy.

Follow up care is important for these patients not to feel abandoned. Continue follow up for as long as needed. If the rare instance a medical problem arises, it is identified and corrected immediately. That is why our friendly staff, medical teams and our group of over 80 highly specialized physicians is devoted to disseminating truth and education. We want every patient to be well informed and not to have the wrong motivations.

In the past at Lifestyle Lift, we have had a small number of patients who elected a procedure for the wrong reasons. These patients, although they have no medical problems, tarnish the image of Lifestyle Lift and our Doctors on the Internet. Lifestyle Lift now performs tens of thousands of procedures a year with the best physician facial specialists in the country. Our reputation and the reputations of our doctors are outstanding and very important to us. Beginning July 2008, Lifestyle Lift doctors will no longer accept patients with unrealistic expectations. Subsequently, your doctor may ask you personal reasons for having the procedure.

At Lifestyle Lift we strive to make every patient happy by matching their goals with a realistic outcome. Not everyone is a candidate for a procedure, but we hope that every visitor will appreciate that our doctors are more concerned for the patient’s well being than simply accepting everyone that desires a procedure.

Please take the self-assessment below and acknowledge that you feel good about yourself and want us to take care of you for the right reasons. 

Self-Assessment

Healthy Reasons to Look Younger:
1. I want to fight the aging process.
2. I feel good about myself and want my outside to match my inside.
3. I don’t like the way I look in the mirror or in photographs.
4. My procedure will help kick-start the process to change my life. I may (exercise more, loose weight, eat healthier, improve my life etc).
5. I want to look younger.
6. I want to look like I did years ago.
7. I want people to think I look better, healthier, more energetic, and refreshed.
 
Unhealthy Reasons for Any Procedure:
1. My love life will increase after a procedure.
2. People who do not pay attention to me now, will notice me when I look younger.
3. I want to look perfect or I will never be happy.

If you answered “yes” to any of the unhealthy reasons, please discuss this with your Lifestyle Lift physician.  You may not be a candidate for a procedure.

By Dr. David M. Kent, Facial Plastic Surgeon

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