Archive for January, 2012

Sorry I Kept You Waiting for Your Consultation of Cosmetic Surgery

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

I find myself running behind in the office and sometimes doing what I hate the most… keeping someone waiting for their cosmetic surgery consultation. I am on your side here. I don’t like waiting in the doctor’s office either.

So first and foremost if you are reading this and I have kept you waiting, or will keep you waiting, I offer you my sincere apologies. There is more to this blog however. I thought you might find it interesting to know how and why we can get backed up.

—–The cascading arrival time: While we have a good scheduling program all it takes is one late arrival to shift the schedule off kilter by 30 minutes or more. Unfortunately that will happen on average about twice during an office day at anyone of my plastic surgery practices in the Washington DC, Virginia area.

—–The exploding consult: for the average consultation we have a pretty good estimate the time it will take for me to evaluate, explain and go over treatments. However, it is extraordinarily common for a patient to book a consultation about one type of surgery but then also ask about two or three more. At 25- 30 minute per topic the math gets a little scary. Interested in knowing more about that topic, read my past blog “What Goes Together- More Than One Procedure of Plastic Surgery”.

—–The mom /friend phenomena: I love it when a patient brings a friend or family member to the consultation another set of ears and eyes is comforting and helpful. It is extremely common though that the friend or family member becomes the second consult in that room at the same time.

—–I am long winded: yes, it’s true. I love to teach and educate my patients and I don’t want anyone to leave feeling they did not get the best and most informative experience they could. So if one topic becomes 3 or if mom or friend has a question I will always feel compelled to answer it in detail.

I hope this doesn’t scare you off. A busy cosmetic plastic surgery practice is a good thing.

So a few tips: Morning consults are less prone to cascading delays, if you’re interested in many things, or so is your companion, just let us know ahead and we’ll leave more time. Bring a book just in case. Whether it’s breast, body, face, nose, or liposuction I’d love to meet you and I’ll do my best not to keep you waiting.

If you have any more questions about my office or to schedule a consultation please contact me.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Body, Breast, cosmetic surgery, Face, Plastic Surgery, Rhinoplasty | Comments Off

PIP and safety of Breast implants

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Recently a French manufacturer of silicone breast implants, Poly Implant Prothèse or PIP, came under Investigation by the French government for using low grade silicone in their silicone gel breast implants. The French have recommended that patients with these implants have them removed and replaced as a preventive, but not urgent matter.

These breast implants are not approved for use in the United States and I have never used them in my practice. The concern is only relevant for patients who have had breast augmentation outside the United States.

The only gel breast implants approved for use in the United States are manufactured by American companies and adhere to strict quality and manufacturing requirements.

The FDA requires extensive bio-compatibility testing on all its breast implants as described in their administration’s Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data. These guidelines have resulted in silicone shells that have been tested and shown to possess excellent strength, resilience and elasticity.

If you have any concerns or questions about what is going on in France please do not hesitate to contact our office. If you had breast augmentation surgery outside the U.S. and would like to remove or replace your gel breast implants just please let us know.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Breast, cosmetic surgery, Plastic Surgery | Comments Off