Plastic Surgery Doesn’t Always Happen Perfectly Right Away
Body parts are not interchangeable like car parts are. You can’t select one you like from a photo or magazine and have it replace part of you, no matter how much you (or your surgeon) would like to. Plastic surgery is as much an art as a science. We plastic surgeons are all well-trained and have a wealth of experience, yet there is no way any surgeon can genuinely guarantee any specific result.
Many Factors Go Into Surgery Success
Occasionally, the result of our best efforts doesn’t live up to what we had predicted. There can be several reasons for this.
Why Do Some Outcomes Not Reach Patient Expectations?
- Human tissues can react very differently in different situations and different individuals.
- Anatomic variations create uncertainty in outcomes.
- The healing process also varies in each person, and it can be difficult for surgeons to control what happens after the patient leaves the operating suite.
- Sometimes, patients don’t strictly subscribe to our post-operative instructions, which can heavily impact the outcome of the surgery.
- Most commonly (and unfortunately), patient expectations can be out of line with what we as surgeons are able to deliver.
Dr. Bartell Strives For Perfection For His Patients
Make no mistake, well over 90% of my patients are pleased with their surgery outcomes. But I’ve learned long ago that I will never be able to make every single patient happy. While I strive for perfection and the “home run” every time, in the end I am in the “improvement business,” not the “perfection business.” Knowing this, and armed with realistic expectations, the likelihood of being happy with your surgical outcomes is extremely high.