Choosing a Plastic Surgeon after Weight-Loss
Choosing a plastic surgeon after weight loss is an important personal decision. Someone told me that you do not buy a procedure, you buy a plastic surgeon (Read: 18 Insider Tips on Plastic Surgery). I completely get that. Reflecting on my plastic surgery 10-yrs after my gastric bypass, I have the utmost respect for and confidence in my plastic surgeons. That’s huge for me as someone who has worked in healthcare marketing most of my career and alongside physicians in peer-to-peer relationships.
Having worked with physicians as equals, some of whom are top in their field, has changed the way I view healthcare and interact with my personal physicians. Having worked in the pharmaceutical industry has given me insight into many of the side effects, adverse events, and rare diseases. Add to that my intimate, heart-breaking experience with close family members whom have had numerous serious health challenges. These experiences, all, have both emotionally scarred me and empowered me.
Choosing a plastic surgeon after weight loss can be based on recommendations from friends and other patients, careful research, and personal compatibility.
The end result of all that has been stated, is that I am very involved in my healthcare decisions and extremely discriminating when selecting doctors who will work in partnership with me. Most of all, I choose only those doctors who provide the very highest level of care. A case in point is that I travel 45-minutes to my primary care physician because she is that fabulous. So when it came to choosing a plastic surgeon after weight loss, I had very high criteria. In the end my choice was clear, and I made a very good choice in both Dr. Joseph F. Capella and Dr. Catherine Winslow.
Dr. Capella “held my hand” through all the worry that I experienced after my tummy tuck. Had he not done so, or had he not been a surgeon whom I trusted implicitly, I could not have gone through with the second plastic surgery, my body lift. Thus I never would have gone through with my face lift with Dr. Winslow.
Travel out of state if you must to find a plastic surgeon who specializes in the massive weight loss patient’s special needs.
My point in sharing all this is to paint a picture of the way you need to feel when choosing a plastic surgeon after weight loss. Travel out of state if you must to find a plastic surgeon who specializes in the massive weight loss patient’s special needs. Dr. Capella is the Chief of Post-Bariatric Plastic Surgery at the Hackensack University Medical Center and renown for his plastic surgery after massive weight loss results. Dr. Winslow has performed more than one-thousand facelifts. Her body of work of facelift before and after photos is the most impressive of any plastic surgeon I have seen, anywhere, at any price.
I have corresponded with too many bariatric patients who’ve had complications after plastic surgery and had their surgeons ignore them. Don’t let this happen to you. The plastic surgery forums on BariatricPal and ObesityHelp and ThinnerTimes are great resources to connect with other bariatric patients who have undergone plastic surgery after massive weight loss. They share their experience and discuss their plastic surgeons. Another good resource is RealSelf where you can post questions about plastic surgery and have them answered by multiple plastic surgeons. The information you collect will help you in choosing a plastic surgeon after weight loss.
Finally, choosing a plastic surgeon after weight loss who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery is an essential step to ensure the best training and credentials. Physicians who are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery have been specifically trained for the specialty of plastic surgery. They undergo training at only accredited institutions, and then undergo rigorous oral and written examinations.
The Bottom Line
Choosing a plastic surgeon after weight loss can be based on recommendations from friends and other patients, careful research, and personal compatibility. Plastic surgery should be a life-changing experience for the better. As with any big decision, good preparation and careful planning go a long way to ensure the best possible results and the safest outcome.
Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life
