Dr. Jeffrey Epstein is an expert rhinoplasty surgeon with offices in Miami and New York.
While he knows rhinoplasty is one of today’s hottest cosmetic surgeries, he is the first to admit that it is also one of the most difficult to perform.
Choosing the best rhinoplasty surgeon to perform your surgery is the only way to get the results you want. Any successful surgery depends on five specific items that some patients often overlook.
Demeanor/ Bedside Manner
Any successful surgery depends on the surgeon’s skill and your adherence to pre- and post-operative instructions. It also requires the surgeon to be able to hear what your goals are, then work with you to explain what is possible and realistic.
The best way to learn about a surgeon’s bedside manner is by going for a consultation, but it is also possible to gauge this by speaking by phone and email, viewing how the surgeon acts on videos that are posted showing patient results, and reading prior patients’ testimonials.
In person consultations with rhinoplasty surgeons may be free, others charge a consultation fee that is deducted from the cost of your surgery. Be sure to ask about consultation fees when you call.
Before and After Pictures and Videos
Pictures and videos often provide evidence of a surgeon’s skill more than can be learned from words. Before scheduling a consultation, see if the rhinoplasty surgeon on your list has an online photo album you can look through.
Nose job videos are just as good – sometimes even better- because you can see the patient’s reaction regarding their new nose, as well as how the surgeon interacts with his/her patient.
Another option is to ask the rhinoplasty surgeon if he or she has patients who will meet with you and answer your questions. Some patients are happy to discuss their experience and let you examine their nose up close.
Experience and Training
When looking for rhinoplasty surgeons, take time to research the surgeon’s training and credentials. Specifically, look for surgeons who are board certified in otolaryngology and facial plastic surgery.
Doctors who hold board certification participate in continuing education to hone their skills and learn new techniques and advancements in science that enable them to keep their certification. Use CertificationMatters.org to quickly find your surgeon’s certifications.
You also want a surgeon who performs one or more rhinoplasty surgeries a week, and specializes in the procedure.
Computer Imaging
You can look at pictures and talk at length with your surgeon, but you’ll still want to have some visual idea of what the surgeon’s goals for your outcome look like. To make sure you and your surgeon are on the same page, digital imaging is a huge benefit.
Your surgeon uploads pictures of your face and then uses software to alter your nose. This creates a blueprint for the surgery. While digital images may vary slightly from the final outcome, it’s a good way to make sure your surgeon is truly hearing what you want to change and make the changes before the surgery takes place.
It also is important to view that surgeon’s before and after results and compare those to the projected computer images to see just how accurate these images are for that surgeon. Anyone can do a beautiful rhinoplasty on computer- it takes true skill to achieve beautiful results on a real person,
Quality before Cost
You may see ads offering discounted rhinoplasty surgeries. While the lower price may seem ideal, you may end up sacrificing quality or even safety. Paying higher than average fees also does not guarantee satisfaction. Always place the surgeon’s skill and before and after pictures as better criteria for judging quality.
Read commonly asked questions about rhinoplasty to learn more about the surgery itself before setting up a consultation. Dr. Epstein trained in otolaryngology then after completing a facial plastic surgery fellowship, opened his private practice in 1994.
He’s a diplomat of both the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology. He has more than two decades of experience in rhinoplasty, and he performs on average four of these procedures weekly.
Reach Dr. Epstein’s Miami office at (305) 666-5884. If New York is more convenient for you, that number is (212) 759-3484.