RT Book, Section
A1 Hyman, Joshua B.
A1 Grant, Robert T.
A2 Grant, Robert T.
A2 Chen, Constance M.
SR Print(0)
ID 1175918705
T1 Evaluation of the Patient for Cosmetic Surgery
T2 Cosmetic Surgery
YR 2010
FD 2010
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071470797
LK dermatology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1175918705
RD 2024/04/17
AB Patient  selection  in  cosmetic  surgery  is  a  difficult  and  arduous  task  that  is  unique  to  the  specialty.  Because  the  patient  is  electing  to  have  surgery,  surgeons  have  the  luxury  of  refusing  to  participate  in  the  patient’s  care  if  he  or  she  is  not  an  appropriate  candidate  for  cosmetic  surgery.  Although  some  patients  may  not  realize,  the  surgeon  ultimately  selects  the  patient  and  not  vice  versa.  Plastic  surgeons  have  often  tried  to  categorize  patient  characteristics  preoperatively  that  could  help  predict  behavior  postoperatively,  which  is  a  difficult  if  not  impossible  task.  Perhaps  some  day  a  battery  of  behavior  examinations  will  accurately  define  a  patient’s  personality  so  that  surgeons  can  more  objectively  and  definitively  determine  which  patients  will  be  pleased  with  the  results  of  cosmetic  surgery  and  which  patients  have  unrealistic  expectations.  For  now,  however,  good  communication  is  the  best  method.