Avoid disappointments
When you are very dissatisfied with some part of your appearance and want to do something about it, you are suddenly faced with a lot of choices. Learning to accept, or an operation? And where should you go for such an operation?
Views of cosmetic surgery have changed dramatically in recent years. A few decades ago, the prevailing view was that you should not cut in a healthy body. Nowadays, much attention is paid in the media to cosmetic procedures and the threshold for a correction has been considerably lowered. As a result, there are also more and more doctors who perform procedures, but who may not be as skilled. How do you know if you’re with a good surgeon?
Plastic or cosmetic?
First of all, you need to know something about the field. Plastic surgery refers to all sophisticated procedures. Cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is only a small part of this. This is about operations performed to improve the appearance.
A plastic surgeon is someone who, after training as a doctor, has undergone special training to be allowed to perform plastic procedures. This title is protected, so only people who have done this training may use this title. Cosmetic surgeon is an unprotected title. According to Dutch law, every medical doctor may call himself that and perform cosmetic procedures.
intake
So ask your practitioner whether he or she is a plastic surgeon. You can see who is registered as a plastic surgeon on the site of the Dutch Society for Plastic Surgery. Ask whether the surgeon specializes in your type of treatment and how often he performs this procedure per year. Also look at how the clinic works: are you admitted, is there aftercare, do they use good equipment?
Take the time to be well informed by the practitioner. Make a list of questions at home. If you feel rushed, feel like you’re being tricked, or just have a bad taste during the conversation, feel free to go elsewhere for a second opinion. Make sure you get enough time to think about it.
Quality mark
Many clinics have stunts or offers. Also abroad it often seems to be much cheaper. That is tempting, but keep an eye on the quality! Sometimes the entire intake is skipped or there is no aftercare. In general, the clinics charge about the same prices.
When you go to a private clinic, you can check whether they carry the Dutch Independent Clinics’ seal of approval. They meet the same requirements as a hospital. Other clinics are affiliated with hospitals.
There are many forums about cosmetic surgery on the internet. Here you can read experiences of people who have had the same procedure done and who may have been to the same clinic. You can often infer a lot from their experiences and reactions.
Realistic expectations
With cosmetic surgery you can beautify yourself, but you always remain yourself. So don’t expect miracles either; you will not become an exact copy of your idol. A good plastic surgeon will look at what fits your body well and will not want to insert a G cup if you are a size 34. Keep in mind that if you search long enough, you can also find a practitioner who dares to do this. The only question then is whether it really benefits you.
Also think carefully about why you want the procedure. If you think a rhinoplasty will improve your relationship, boost your career and make you completely happy, it’s not entirely realistic. Feeling insecure or unhappy won’t necessarily change if you change your appearance. You may think your whole life is being ruined by that hook nose. But what if you have a little upturned nose and you still have the same problems?
