I recently had an interesting experience with a patient during a preoperative visit before breast and body contouring surgery.  She brought a friend with her who had had surgery done overseas so she could show me what she wanted.  Normally, women will pick out before and after images from my website, or bring in photos printed from the internet or on their phones.  It is unusual to bring a live model.

During my initial consultation at Yager Esthetics, I try to be very thorough in my evaluation and listen carefully to insure the patient understands what is possible and safe.  I show before and after images and try to give a realistic idea of what is possible.  If they decide on surgery, we have a second visit to insure that we are a good match.

When I saw what her friend looked like, I knew we were not going through with the procedure.  Her breast implants were two huge, round balls under overstretched skin, and she was so badly over liposuctioned that the bumps and contour deformities could never be corrected.

To these two women, this was the beauty ideal they were seeking.  As a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, my training, ethics, and cosmetic eye would never allow me to create something like that, regardless of the payment promised.

I did not tell them they were crazy, I just showed them what I was thinking of in photos of women upon whom I performed these surgeries.  It is okay to have a different idea; I just don’t have to do whatever a patient wants.  I declined to perform the procedures with no hard feelings on my part.  You can’t argue taste.