Tips for Choosing the Right Plastic Surgeon for YOU
Cosmetic and plastic surgery is all about creating confidence by enhancing your natural features for an improved appearance based on your unique goals. If you’ve shopped around at all in your area, you probably know what surgeons promise when selling you their services— beauty, youth, a restful, more relaxed appearance…
But at the end of the day, what qualifies these surgeons to deliver such results? When choosing the right plastic surgeon for you, it’s important to take a big-picture look at everything they bring to the table.
Does their experience align with your goals?
One thing to look for in your search for the right plastic surgeon is years of experience and past procedure’s results. When consulting with a plastic surgeon, Dr. Lucas always recommends asking about their work over the last 5-10 years, including their success rate for the procedure(s) you’re interested in.
Many times, doctors and surgeons focus more heavily on one or two specialities and less on others. In order to avoid choosing a plastic surgeon that’s less experienced in the procedure(s) you’re interested in, consider asking to see their portfolio. At the very least, they should be comfortable talking to you about the number of times they’ve performed a procedure in recent years. If you get the feeling they aren’t as experienced as you’d like, consult with another plastic surgeon in your area for a second opinion before booking (even if you decide to go with the original surgeon).
With 19 years of private practice experience, Dr. Lucas prides himself on his wide range of services and unique cosmetic and reconstructive experience. Some of his favorite procedures to perform are facelifts, breast augmentations, breast lifts and reductions, tummy tucks, liposuction, rhinoplasties, gynecomastia surgery (male breast reduction), and post-bariatric weight loss body contouring procedures (such as body, arm, and thigh lifts). However, in order to help as many people feel confident as possible, Dr. Lucas makes sure to stay on top of changing trends, technology, and techniques for all types of face and body procedures.
Do they have value-added experience?
Essentially, value-added experience is that extra experience that makes a plastic surgeon stand out from the rest. In Dr. Lucas’s case, his craniofacial, dental, and pediatric experience provides unique value to patients that others in the area may not have.
Value-added experience is extremely important to look for when choosing the right plastic surgeon for you. If you’re considering a facial procedure, for example, Dr. Lucas may be the best fit for you. After completing medical school and residency, he continued on with a fellowship in Craniofacial and Pediatric Surgery at Stanford University, giving him a unique understanding of the human anatomy. He also graduated from Dental School, which has further increased his knowledge of facial anatomy and proved useful during many face and jaw reconstructions.
Do you feel comfortable with the surgeon and their team?
There are many factors that go into creating a comfortable, welcoming experience for patients in this industry. Some things you’ll definitely want to make note of during your consult with a plastic surgeon are:
- The way you’re greeted (whether in-person, on the phone, or via email). When choosing a plastic surgeon, expertise is extremely important… but so is friendliness! No matter where you go, the entire practice should greet you with confidence and positivity. Dr. Lucas and his team understand that the cosmetic and plastic surgery process can be uncomfortable at first, which is why they strive to make each and every person that walks through their doors feel at home from the first ‘hello’ to the very last follow up.
- The technology they utilize. You may be wondering how technology can help you feel more comfortable in your search for a plastic surgeon. At The Lucas Center, Dr. Lucas continues to improve his technique through educational growth and incorporate new technology into his surgeries in order to maximize results. For example, he and his team provide patients the unique opportunity to visualize their results before even booking a procedure! Their VECTRA 3D Imaging System was designed to show patients their results in three-dimensional images based on photos taken during the initial consultation. This kind of technology has helped numerous Lucas Center patients feel more confident in their decision and more comfortable during each stage of the transformation process.
- The atmosphere. When you arrive for your initial consultation with a plastic surgeon, make sure to take a minute to really look around at the space they’ve created for their patients. Believe it or not, a practice’s ambiance will tell you a lot about the surgeon and their team. Is the office loud and chaotic, with team members running around everywhere? If so, it could be a sign that they’ve taken on too much and can’t provide you the care you deserve. Is the office clean? This is especially important! If their practice isn’t kept clean, how can you be sure the procedure area will be?
Choosing The Lucas Center
Above all else, we want patients to know they’ve chosen the best plastic surgeon and procedure(s) for them. At The Lucas Center, we aim to make your experience as comfortable and easy on the body as possible. When you leave our office, you’ll feel more confident than ever before— because Dr. Lucas has the expertise, technology, and team needed to get you there!
If you visit a plastic surgeon who does not take the time to consult with you about your health and goals prior to booking a procedure, consider getting a second opinion. Like Dr. Lucas does with his patients, any surgeon you speak with should make time to review the inquired-about procedure(s) with you and keep up with related industry research. This ensures a safe and optimal outcome is created for you! Choosing a board-certified surgeon who will provide the personal care you need is crucial to successful surgery and beautiful, natural-looking results!