Jan. 25, 2022
How to Avoid A Bad Face: How to Avoid Buyer’s Remorse After a Facelift, Laser, Filler or Botox
How to Avoid Buyer’s Remorse After a Facelift, Laser, Filler or Botox
You are starting to see some things that make you unhappy. You’re thinking of getting some plastic surgery –surgical or non-surgical but what is the right way to find the right doctor and right treatment? There are many, many options today for treatment and provider. That is a good thing, having options but the greater the choices, the tougher the decision-making.
What kind of doctor would be a good fit? Once you have the doctor, how do you decide what features are important, what treatments should be included and how much or how many? What process works to discuss these issues. What are the pitfalls in the decision-making process?
The answers to these questions help your beauty dreams come true within the limits of reality. Stream this episode to hear Dr. Bass’s advice on your beauty journey.
Links
- Learn more about facelifts
- Learn more about laser skin resurfacing
- Learn more about injectable fillers
- Read more at Dr. Bass’s blog
About Dr. Lawrence Bass
Innovator. Industry veteran. In-demand Park Avenue board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Lawrence Bass is a true master of his craft, not only in the OR but as an industry pioneer in the development and evaluation of new aesthetic technologies. With locations in both Manhattan (on Park Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets) and in Great Neck, Long Island, Dr. Bass has earned his reputation as the plastic surgeon for the most discerning patients in NYC and beyond.
To learn more, visit the Bass Plastic Surgery website or follow the team on Instagram @drbassnyc
Subscribe to the Park Avenue Plastic Surgery Class newsletter to be notified of new episodes & receive exclusive invitations, offers, and information from Dr. Bass.
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Welcome back to Park Avenue
Plastic Surgery Class,
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the podcast where we explore controversies
and breaking issues in plastic
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surgery. I'm your co-host Doreen Wu.
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And I'm here with Dr. Lawrence
Bass Park Avenue plastic surgeon,
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educator, and technology innovator.
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We have an exciting episode
in store for you today.
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The title of this episode is
"How to Avoid A Bad Face: How
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to Avoid Buyer's Remorse With
A Facelift, Laser, Filler,
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or Botox." We all have a few
beauty projects on our wishlist.
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For some, it might even
be more than a few,
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regardless in order to make
our beauty dreams come true.
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We need to ask the question. What's
the best way to approach things.
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How do we get to the right doctor and
arrive at the right treatment to get what
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we want?
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It's a tough challenge to go
down this pathway and come out
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successfully. Uh, the nice thing is
there are many, many options today,
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and there are many, many providers,
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but that also creates
challenge to find the right
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answer and the right option.
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So to make your beauty dreams come true
or as close to it as possible with the
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current state of the art is
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a real job that requires some
commitment and time upfront so
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you don't wind up frustrated, sad, broke,
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or even worse. Just looking bad. That
of course is the last thing we want.
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When we do any kind of plastic
surgery treatment or procedure,
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the goal is to get you looking better.
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So the first consideration is how
to pick the right doctor and that's
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really about qualifications
experience and verifications
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that those qualifications are real.
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There are several different specialties
that as part of their baseline
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training
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have formalized didactic
and clinical training
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in aesthetic treatments and procedures.
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These are called the core four
specialties, plastic surgery,
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dermatology, facial plastic
surgery, and oculoplastic surgery.
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There are other providers
who did not formally train in
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aesthetic treatments that have
picked up the treatments later.
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And some of those individuals
can really be excellent,
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but it's harder to know what
experience they had that made them
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qualified to do the treatments and
whether that was a lot of experience or a
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little experience, even
after that training,
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having experience in clinical
practice to refine your techniques
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and get predictable results is
really important and makes a
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big difference. Finally,
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there are a few providers out
there who are either putting up a
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credential that doesn't really
represent something significant,
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like a board certification.
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That's not from an
accredited board or that
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just have out now
fraudulent qualifications.
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Now the nice thing about that
is nowadays with the internet,
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it's easy to go on the state
licensing website for medical licenses
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to go to the board website of the
American board of plastic surgery
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and see if that person in fact
has an active, valid license.
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See if that person is board
certified and has maintained
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their certification in the specialty,
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you believe them to be providing.
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Okay. It sounds like there are a lot of
excellent qualified providers out there.
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And part of the onus is on the patient
to go out there and research and
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see which provider has the qualifications
and the experience necessary.
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How can I tell which doctor is going
to give me the results that I want and
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actually make me happy?
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Well, that's really a loaded
question, Doreen. I mean,
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happy is a state of mind and
it doesn't really relate to any
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particular technical qualification.
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But there are some questions you should
ask when you're looking for a provider.
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And as you start to meet them to
see if they're in fact the right fit
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for you as an individual,
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because there are many providers who
are really excellent at what they do,
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but you are not going to enjoy working
with them better to find somebody that
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you can partner with for the long term,
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who's going to take an approach
that you find comfortable.
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First thing is I always
like someone who is
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real about what the treatments are.
So there are real world treatments,
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which help,
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but are not perfect and there's
no magic wand treatment.
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Some people are looking to be told they're
going to get the magic wand treatment
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that everything's going to be perfect.
But of course that doesn't really exist.
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When you look for a doctor to work with
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some people want someone who
will tell them what they need.
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They're not comfortable
partnering in the decision-making.
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They want the expertise
of the doctor to supplant
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their view of what is good or
bad about their appearance.
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And that's okay if that's
who you are as a person.
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And you want a doctor who will
just guide you through the process.
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That's okay. Other people want to partner
in the decision-making with their,
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with their doctor. And that's
sort of a consumerist approach.
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That's an approach that
I take in my practice.
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And I tend to like people that read,
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have information and want to understand
what's happening so that we partner
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together to make a decision amongst
all these different options that are
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available nowadays, which decision is
the right one for you as an individual,
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of course you want someone who's honest,
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who's going to give you an
honest and real world answer,
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someone with technical excellence.
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Some people look for leaders,
a department chairman,
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or a very notable plastic
surgeon who lectures
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quite a bit.
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I spend a lot of time doing research
and lecturing and there are pluses to
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that. That means I'm a super
expert in certain things,
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but there are also minuses on out of town
part of the time and not as available
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as a local plastic surgeon who doesn't
spend time in academic activities.
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So there are trade offs there to
having someone who's a high flyer,
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so to speak.
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And then you have to decide how much of a
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priority is having a lot of experience.
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And of course the priority always
has to be about the results because
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this is about getting good results and
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looking better at the end of the day.
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It seems like there's no one
right provider for everyone.
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It really depends on what you're looking
for. That leads me to my next point.
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How should I go about picking
the right treatment or procedure?
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I read about all of these great new
things in beauty and fashion magazines and
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on the internet.
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Sometimes I wonder if I should be looking
for a provider who is an expert in the
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latest new thing I spotted,
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but then I get overwhelmed by all
of the choices and information.
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Tell me how can I sort through this?
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Well, new technology is great,
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but it's not always the right
answer for your individual problem.
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I do a lot of research in developing
new technologies and figuring out how to
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apply them. So I like new technologies,
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but I like to pick what's best
for the individual patient.
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Not necessarily what's new.
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Some new things are revolutionary.
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They really change what
we're able to do for people.
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And a lot of new things
are just evolutionary.
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They're similar to what we did
before, but a little bit refined.
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So we like that, but that
doesn't magically transform
what we can do for people.
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I think the most important thing is
to pick a provider who listens to you
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and hears your needs. That's
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your best bet to get your beauty
dreams to come true because if the
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provider doesn't hear
what you're looking for,
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or if you are just chasing
down a hot new technology,
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then you're, you're more
likely to pick a procedure.
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That's not going to really give
you the best result or really
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drill in on the problem
you're trying to solve. Uh,
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it's always a good idea to be
open to what providers suggest
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plastic surgeons, um,
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each have their own approach and
they know what they can best do,
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which may be different from what another
plastic surgeon does for the same
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problem. But both surgeons
may get great results.
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So that's, that's an
important point. And, uh,
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as long as we're realistic about
what the limits are for each
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treatment,
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because we'd like to make everything
completely back to the way it was when we
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were 20, but we're not able to do
that with most of our treatments,
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although we can make really substantial
improvements that are very worthwhile.
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Everyone hears that and they say,
oh, I don't need to be 20 again.
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But what that means is the
future you don't like that
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you are spending the time, the money
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to correct is better,
but it's not all better.
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Some of it's still going to remain. So
that's what I mean when I say realist.
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Speaking of limits, it's
really easy to look over done.
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We've all seen the photos of people who
go a little overboard and have too much
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done or who no longer look
real or like themselves.
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It almost makes me want to opt for the
safe route and do the simple treatment to
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avoid any inconvenience.
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And then there's that balance
between not doing too much,
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but also not doing too little.
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It feels like I'm being asked to
control my diet without knowing how many
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calories are in the food itself.
I'm curious in your opinion,
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what's the best way to avoid doing too
much? How can I create the look I want,
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but keep it subtle enough so as to
not warrant unwanted attention after
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all, I want people to admire my
appearance, not criticize them.
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Yeah. This is a critical issue. Um,
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and it's an American sentiment that
if a little is good, more is better.
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And of course that's not always true.
And very often in plastic surgery,
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it's not true.
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The way people get into
trouble is by doing treatments
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too often.
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That's bad for a number of reasons because
it's a lot of trauma to your tissues.
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Uh, there's a standard typical
increment of time between
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treatments and when you're doing
it considerably more frequently,
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you're risking looking overdone and
starting to create tissue damage.
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There's doing too much.
Again, if a little is good,
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more is not necessarily better. But
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we want to push as hard as we can get as
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much correction as we can while
looking perfectly natural.
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But there's a point where we have to
accept that we're not yet perfect.
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As we said, every treatment leaves
a little bit of under correction
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by doing more. We don't get more
perfect. We just start to look unnatural.
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So it's natural to want the
most correction we can get,
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but we have to accept
a lack of perfection.
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This is a hard thing for plastic
surgeons and plastic surgery patients,
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we're all perfectionists by
temperament or we wouldn't be here,
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but this is a reality of life,
not just in plastic surgery,
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it's universal and we get into
trouble when we push too hard.
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Some people do too many
types of treatments.
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They're putting energy and fillers and,
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and skin products and needling and all
kinds of things in the same skin at
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the same time.
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Now multimodality treatments in proper
amounts are actually a really good way
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to maximize the clinical
result. But again,
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too much at once in the same place
is another way to look overdone.
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Also the last two things I
want to mention is, you know,
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each treatment has its
expected intended result.
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And if that's what you're hoping
to get out of the treatment,
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you're likely to succeed.
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But if you're hoping for something that
the treatment is really not designed or
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intended to do just by
pushing harder with it,
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almost for sure,
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you're going to look unnatural and you
also increase the risk of complications.
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So that's a bad place to go.
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The final thing is the artistry
of the provider is really,
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really important. It's not just that
filler is good or filler is bad,
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but it's how skillfully it's applied.
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And that frankly makes
a really big difference.
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And a simple example of that is if you
gave a paint set to Rembrandt or a paint
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set to a seven year old, either
way, you'd get a painting,
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but the paintings are really not
going to be the same quality.
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And that's not really the fault of the
paint. It's the fault of the artist.
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That's a great metaphor and that's
really sound advice about how to rein
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things in, but now I'm worried what if
I'm not doing enough to look my best.
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This is much tougher.
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There's much more variability here and
there's no bright line between what's
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good. And what gets you into trouble?
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Different factors affect how
much you're going to choose
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to do your budget, how your beauty
thermostat is set. You know,
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how much of a beauty
issue makes you upset,
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uh, exactly where you
are in the progress of
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aging and your lifestyle and
capability to spend time and
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recovery time, uh, for various treatments
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still, there are a few keynote ways that,
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that people perennially
underdo things, uh,
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and get an inadequate
result. And you know, that's,
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that's typical. If you
do one laser treatment,
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when it's typically done as
a series of three or four,
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00:15:19,300 --> 00:15:21,710
predictably, you're going
to get an inadequate result.
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If you could get the
result in one treatment,
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people wouldn't be recommending four.
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So it's really important
to accept that upfront.
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If you commit to do that series, you're
not going to get where you want to go.
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If you don't complete the series,
the same idea with filler,
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you know, if you're 30, 35 years old,
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you may only need a small amount of
filler. But if you're 50, 60, 70,
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80 years old,
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the volume of filler that's going to be
needed to create an adequate correction,
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is predictably going to be greater?
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00:15:54,561 --> 00:15:59,210
So underdoing things is predictable
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failure. If you can't do what it takes,
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avoid the waste of time and
money of just trying a little.
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You
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see the same thing with surgery.
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Sometimes a 75 year old
will come in and say,
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uh, they,
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00:16:17,410 --> 00:16:22,020
they don't really think they need
a facelift or a neck lift yet.
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00:16:22,021 --> 00:16:26,450
They just need a little skin
tightening. Well, at that stage,
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00:16:26,451 --> 00:16:29,730
they're not really a good candidate for
a lot of the energy based treatments,
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00:16:29,731 --> 00:16:33,330
because skin tends to be less
responsive. And most people,
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00:16:33,890 --> 00:16:38,690
if they followed average aging
actually have more than enough laxity
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that they're a good candidate
to benefit from a surgical lift.
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00:16:45,090 --> 00:16:49,660
So it's important to understand what
features of appearance bother you,
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be analytical and be specific and then
partner with your plastic surgeon to
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00:16:54,540 --> 00:16:58,060
figure out the best option. Unfortunately,
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00:16:58,420 --> 00:17:02,930
our body image is fixed in how
we looked in our late twenties.
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So when we picture ourselves, that's
what we're seeing in our mind's eye.
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00:17:06,770 --> 00:17:10,890
And if we're 50 or 60 years old, we
know we don't look that way anymore.
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00:17:11,290 --> 00:17:15,370
But when we think about ourselves,
we still think that same appearance.
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00:17:16,290 --> 00:17:19,960
So we have to accept that we're
not in that place anymore.
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00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:22,920
And if we want to make a positive change,
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00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:28,400
we have to look realistically at
what our appearance is like to the
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outside world.
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00:17:30,220 --> 00:17:31,053
So Dr. Bass,
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00:17:31,540 --> 00:17:35,920
now that we have explored some common
pitfalls that patients encounter in
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00:17:35,921 --> 00:17:37,840
plastic surgery and how to prevent them,
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00:17:38,350 --> 00:17:42,510
what do you think are the most valuable
takeaways for our listeners from today's
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00:17:42,511 --> 00:17:43,344
episode?
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00:17:43,670 --> 00:17:45,310
Well, again, in, in picking a provider,
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it's always good to remember if a result
that's promised is too good to be true,
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00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:53,360
it's probably not real.
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00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:58,280
If a provider's not listening to
your issues and your perceptions,
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00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:03,640
they're probably not going to focus
and drill in on a treatment that's
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00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:05,040
appropriate for correcting it.
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00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:11,230
It's okay to compromise with
treatments as long as you're aware of
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00:18:11,390 --> 00:18:13,350
what the trade offs
are in that compromise.
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00:18:15,970 --> 00:18:20,300
And I like the Goldilocks
principle overall,
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00:18:21,100 --> 00:18:23,700
not too much, not too little, just right.
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A good provider will help you hit
the Goldilocks sweet spot for your
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00:18:29,410 --> 00:18:30,850
individual needs and circumstances.
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00:18:32,710 --> 00:18:33,840
This is Doreen Wu,
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00:18:33,841 --> 00:18:38,000
thanking you for joining Dr. Bass and
me for this discussion of how to avoid
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00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:42,160
buyer's remorse with a
facelift laser filler or Botox.
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00:18:42,660 --> 00:18:44,480
Be sure to check out our next episode,
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00:18:44,930 --> 00:18:49,310
where we discuss doctor shopping and the
pitfalls of switching doctors for each
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00:18:49,311 --> 00:18:51,670
treatment or getting too
many second opinions.
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00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,070
Thank you for joining us.
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00:18:54,071 --> 00:18:58,510
In this episode of the Park Avenue
Plastic Surgery Class podcast with Dr.
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00:18:59,310 --> 00:19:03,990
Lawrence Bass Park Avenue plastic surgeon,
educator, and technology innovator.
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00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:06,860
The commentary in this
podcast represents opinion.
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00:19:07,050 --> 00:19:09,500
This podcast does not
present medical advice,
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00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,820
but rather general information about
plastic surgery that does not necessarily
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00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,980
relate to the specific conditions
of any individual patient.
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00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:21,980
No doctor patient relationship
is established by listening
to or participating
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00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:22,913
in this podcast,
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00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:27,370
consult your physician to advise you
about your individual healthcare.
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00:19:27,630 --> 00:19:29,050
If you enjoyed this episode,
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00:19:29,270 --> 00:19:33,410
please share it with your friends and
be sure to subscribe to our podcast on
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00:19:33,411 --> 00:19:37,210
Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Stitcher,
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00:19:37,470 --> 00:19:39,730
or wherever you listen to podcasts.
00:00:00,510 --> 00:00:04,000
Welcome back to Park Avenue
Plastic Surgery Class,
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00:00:04,540 --> 00:00:08,720
the podcast where we explore controversies
and breaking issues in plastic
3
00:00:08,721 --> 00:00:11,360
surgery. I'm your co-host Doreen Wu.
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00:00:11,980 --> 00:00:15,920
And I'm here with Dr. Lawrence
Bass Park Avenue plastic surgeon,
5
00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:18,560
educator, and technology innovator.
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00:00:19,260 --> 00:00:22,110
We have an exciting episode
in store for you today.
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00:00:22,730 --> 00:00:25,070
The title of this episode is
"How to Avoid A Bad Face: How
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00:00:27,030 --> 00:00:29,830
to Avoid Buyer's Remorse With
A Facelift, Laser, Filler,
9
00:00:31,810 --> 00:00:36,470
or Botox." We all have a few
beauty projects on our wishlist.
10
00:00:36,970 --> 00:00:39,100
For some, it might even
be more than a few,
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00:00:39,550 --> 00:00:42,380
regardless in order to make
our beauty dreams come true.
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00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:46,180
We need to ask the question. What's
the best way to approach things.
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00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,700
How do we get to the right doctor and
arrive at the right treatment to get what
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00:00:50,701 --> 00:00:51,534
we want?
15
00:00:51,770 --> 00:00:56,610
It's a tough challenge to go
down this pathway and come out
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00:00:56,611 --> 00:01:00,930
successfully. Uh, the nice thing is
there are many, many options today,
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00:01:01,030 --> 00:01:02,850
and there are many, many providers,
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00:01:02,950 --> 00:01:07,570
but that also creates
challenge to find the right
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00:01:07,830 --> 00:01:09,210
answer and the right option.
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00:01:09,790 --> 00:01:14,450
So to make your beauty dreams come true
or as close to it as possible with the
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00:01:14,451 --> 00:01:15,760
current state of the art is
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00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:22,200
a real job that requires some
commitment and time upfront so
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00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:27,600
you don't wind up frustrated, sad, broke,
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00:01:28,100 --> 00:01:32,840
or even worse. Just looking bad. That
of course is the last thing we want.
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00:01:32,841 --> 00:01:36,030
When we do any kind of plastic
surgery treatment or procedure,
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00:01:36,170 --> 00:01:38,070
the goal is to get you looking better.
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00:01:39,580 --> 00:01:44,440
So the first consideration is how
to pick the right doctor and that's
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00:01:44,441 --> 00:01:48,600
really about qualifications
experience and verifications
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00:01:51,070 --> 00:01:53,630
that those qualifications are real.
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00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:59,030
There are several different specialties
that as part of their baseline
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00:01:59,430 --> 00:02:00,263
training
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00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:06,330
have formalized didactic
and clinical training
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00:02:06,590 --> 00:02:08,930
in aesthetic treatments and procedures.
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00:02:09,420 --> 00:02:14,000
These are called the core four
specialties, plastic surgery,
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00:02:14,470 --> 00:02:18,600
dermatology, facial plastic
surgery, and oculoplastic surgery.
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00:02:19,410 --> 00:02:24,000
There are other providers
who did not formally train in
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00:02:24,001 --> 00:02:27,280
aesthetic treatments that have
picked up the treatments later.
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00:02:28,100 --> 00:02:31,270
And some of those individuals
can really be excellent,
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00:02:32,870 --> 00:02:37,610
but it's harder to know what
experience they had that made them
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00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,730
qualified to do the treatments and
whether that was a lot of experience or a
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00:02:42,731 --> 00:02:45,970
little experience, even
after that training,
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00:02:46,990 --> 00:02:51,800
having experience in clinical
practice to refine your techniques
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00:02:52,340 --> 00:02:57,320
and get predictable results is
really important and makes a
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00:02:57,321 --> 00:02:59,720
big difference. Finally,
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00:02:59,810 --> 00:03:04,440
there are a few providers out
there who are either putting up a
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00:03:04,441 --> 00:03:07,680
credential that doesn't really
represent something significant,
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00:03:07,990 --> 00:03:10,000
like a board certification.
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00:03:11,540 --> 00:03:16,480
That's not from an
accredited board or that
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00:03:16,481 --> 00:03:19,070
just have out now
fraudulent qualifications.
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00:03:19,250 --> 00:03:23,190
Now the nice thing about that
is nowadays with the internet,
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00:03:23,220 --> 00:03:28,110
it's easy to go on the state
licensing website for medical licenses
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00:03:28,210 --> 00:03:32,310
to go to the board website of the
American board of plastic surgery
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00:03:33,450 --> 00:03:38,100
and see if that person in fact
has an active, valid license.
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00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:43,460
See if that person is board
certified and has maintained
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00:03:43,550 --> 00:03:46,300
their certification in the specialty,
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00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,620
you believe them to be providing.
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00:03:49,490 --> 00:03:54,410
Okay. It sounds like there are a lot of
excellent qualified providers out there.
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00:03:54,990 --> 00:03:59,970
And part of the onus is on the patient
to go out there and research and
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00:04:00,030 --> 00:04:04,850
see which provider has the qualifications
and the experience necessary.
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How can I tell which doctor is going
to give me the results that I want and
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00:04:09,850 --> 00:04:10,683
actually make me happy?
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00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,320
Well, that's really a loaded
question, Doreen. I mean,
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happy is a state of mind and
it doesn't really relate to any
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00:04:19,170 --> 00:04:21,800
particular technical qualification.
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00:04:21,801 --> 00:04:26,680
But there are some questions you should
ask when you're looking for a provider.
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00:04:26,820 --> 00:04:31,680
And as you start to meet them to
see if they're in fact the right fit
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00:04:31,890 --> 00:04:33,150
for you as an individual,
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00:04:33,151 --> 00:04:36,790
because there are many providers who
are really excellent at what they do,
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00:04:36,850 --> 00:04:41,230
but you are not going to enjoy working
with them better to find somebody that
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00:04:41,231 --> 00:04:43,190
you can partner with for the long term,
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who's going to take an approach
that you find comfortable.
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First thing is I always
like someone who is
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real about what the treatments are.
So there are real world treatments,
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00:04:57,430 --> 00:04:58,263
which help,
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00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,540
but are not perfect and there's
no magic wand treatment.
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00:05:03,050 --> 00:05:06,940
Some people are looking to be told they're
going to get the magic wand treatment
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00:05:06,970 --> 00:05:10,850
that everything's going to be perfect.
But of course that doesn't really exist.
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When you look for a doctor to work with
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00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,570
some people want someone who
will tell them what they need.
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00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,770
They're not comfortable
partnering in the decision-making.
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00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,600
They want the expertise
of the doctor to supplant
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00:05:29,850 --> 00:05:33,400
their view of what is good or
bad about their appearance.
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00:05:34,020 --> 00:05:36,280
And that's okay if that's
who you are as a person.
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00:05:36,380 --> 00:05:39,640
And you want a doctor who will
just guide you through the process.
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00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:45,860
That's okay. Other people want to partner
in the decision-making with their,
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00:05:45,970 --> 00:05:50,330
with their doctor. And that's
sort of a consumerist approach.
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00:05:50,430 --> 00:05:52,970
That's an approach that
I take in my practice.
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00:05:53,110 --> 00:05:55,530
And I tend to like people that read,
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00:05:55,640 --> 00:06:00,480
have information and want to understand
what's happening so that we partner
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00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,640
together to make a decision amongst
all these different options that are
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00:06:04,641 --> 00:06:09,560
available nowadays, which decision is
the right one for you as an individual,
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00:06:10,260 --> 00:06:11,960
of course you want someone who's honest,
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00:06:12,170 --> 00:06:14,080
who's going to give you an
honest and real world answer,
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00:06:14,130 --> 00:06:16,870
someone with technical excellence.
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00:06:18,580 --> 00:06:21,230
Some people look for leaders,
a department chairman,
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00:06:21,530 --> 00:06:26,360
or a very notable plastic
surgeon who lectures
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00:06:26,361 --> 00:06:27,120
quite a bit.
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I spend a lot of time doing research
and lecturing and there are pluses to
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00:06:32,081 --> 00:06:35,550
that. That means I'm a super
expert in certain things,
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but there are also minuses on out of town
part of the time and not as available
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as a local plastic surgeon who doesn't
spend time in academic activities.
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00:06:45,690 --> 00:06:50,390
So there are trade offs there to
having someone who's a high flyer,
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so to speak.
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00:06:52,410 --> 00:06:57,090
And then you have to decide how much of a
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priority is having a lot of experience.
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00:07:00,990 --> 00:07:05,770
And of course the priority always
has to be about the results because
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this is about getting good results and
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looking better at the end of the day.
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It seems like there's no one
right provider for everyone.
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It really depends on what you're looking
for. That leads me to my next point.
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How should I go about picking
the right treatment or procedure?
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00:07:25,010 --> 00:07:29,850
I read about all of these great new
things in beauty and fashion magazines and
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on the internet.
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Sometimes I wonder if I should be looking
for a provider who is an expert in the
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00:07:35,121 --> 00:07:36,480
latest new thing I spotted,
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00:07:36,820 --> 00:07:39,880
but then I get overwhelmed by all
of the choices and information.
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Tell me how can I sort through this?
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00:07:43,260 --> 00:07:44,990
Well, new technology is great,
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00:07:45,090 --> 00:07:48,500
but it's not always the right
answer for your individual problem.
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00:07:49,420 --> 00:07:54,140
I do a lot of research in developing
new technologies and figuring out how to
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00:07:54,190 --> 00:07:57,580
apply them. So I like new technologies,
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but I like to pick what's best
for the individual patient.
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Not necessarily what's new.
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00:08:03,101 --> 00:08:06,940
Some new things are revolutionary.
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00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:09,610
They really change what
we're able to do for people.
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00:08:09,750 --> 00:08:12,770
And a lot of new things
are just evolutionary.
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They're similar to what we did
before, but a little bit refined.
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00:08:17,990 --> 00:08:22,490
So we like that, but that
doesn't magically transform
what we can do for people.
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I think the most important thing is
to pick a provider who listens to you
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00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:32,300
and hears your needs. That's
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00:08:34,010 --> 00:08:38,860
your best bet to get your beauty
dreams to come true because if the
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00:08:39,060 --> 00:08:42,020
provider doesn't hear
what you're looking for,
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00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,450
or if you are just chasing
down a hot new technology,
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00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,770
then you're, you're more
likely to pick a procedure.
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00:08:51,190 --> 00:08:55,760
That's not going to really give
you the best result or really
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00:08:57,090 --> 00:09:01,200
drill in on the problem
you're trying to solve. Uh,
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00:09:01,390 --> 00:09:05,160
it's always a good idea to be
open to what providers suggest
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00:09:06,390 --> 00:09:08,240
plastic surgeons, um,
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00:09:09,700 --> 00:09:13,780
each have their own approach and
they know what they can best do,
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00:09:14,190 --> 00:09:18,580
which may be different from what another
plastic surgeon does for the same
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00:09:18,581 --> 00:09:21,740
problem. But both surgeons
may get great results.
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00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:29,180
So that's, that's an
important point. And, uh,
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00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:34,170
as long as we're realistic about
what the limits are for each
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00:09:34,171 --> 00:09:34,611
treatment,
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00:09:34,611 --> 00:09:39,050
because we'd like to make everything
completely back to the way it was when we
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00:09:39,051 --> 00:09:43,210
were 20, but we're not able to do
that with most of our treatments,
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00:09:44,050 --> 00:09:47,930
although we can make really substantial
improvements that are very worthwhile.
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Everyone hears that and they say,
oh, I don't need to be 20 again.
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But what that means is the
future you don't like that
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00:09:56,890 --> 00:09:58,590
you are spending the time, the money
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00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,300
to correct is better,
but it's not all better.
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00:10:03,890 --> 00:10:07,580
Some of it's still going to remain. So
that's what I mean when I say realist.
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00:10:08,870 --> 00:10:13,020
Speaking of limits, it's
really easy to look over done.
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We've all seen the photos of people who
go a little overboard and have too much
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done or who no longer look
real or like themselves.
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It almost makes me want to opt for the
safe route and do the simple treatment to
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avoid any inconvenience.
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And then there's that balance
between not doing too much,
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but also not doing too little.
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It feels like I'm being asked to
control my diet without knowing how many
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calories are in the food itself.
I'm curious in your opinion,
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what's the best way to avoid doing too
much? How can I create the look I want,
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but keep it subtle enough so as to
not warrant unwanted attention after
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all, I want people to admire my
appearance, not criticize them.
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Yeah. This is a critical issue. Um,
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and it's an American sentiment that
if a little is good, more is better.
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And of course that's not always true.
And very often in plastic surgery,
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it's not true.
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The way people get into
trouble is by doing treatments
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too often.
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That's bad for a number of reasons because
it's a lot of trauma to your tissues.
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Uh, there's a standard typical
increment of time between
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treatments and when you're doing
it considerably more frequently,
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you're risking looking overdone and
starting to create tissue damage.
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There's doing too much.
Again, if a little is good,
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more is not necessarily better. But
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we want to push as hard as we can get as
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much correction as we can while
looking perfectly natural.
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But there's a point where we have to
accept that we're not yet perfect.
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As we said, every treatment leaves
a little bit of under correction
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by doing more. We don't get more
perfect. We just start to look unnatural.
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So it's natural to want the
most correction we can get,
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but we have to accept
a lack of perfection.
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This is a hard thing for plastic
surgeons and plastic surgery patients,
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we're all perfectionists by
temperament or we wouldn't be here,
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but this is a reality of life,
not just in plastic surgery,
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it's universal and we get into
trouble when we push too hard.
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Some people do too many
types of treatments.
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They're putting energy and fillers and,
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and skin products and needling and all
kinds of things in the same skin at
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the same time.
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Now multimodality treatments in proper
amounts are actually a really good way
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to maximize the clinical
result. But again,
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too much at once in the same place
is another way to look overdone.
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Also the last two things I
want to mention is, you know,
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each treatment has its
expected intended result.
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And if that's what you're hoping
to get out of the treatment,
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you're likely to succeed.
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But if you're hoping for something that
the treatment is really not designed or
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intended to do just by
pushing harder with it,
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almost for sure,
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you're going to look unnatural and you
also increase the risk of complications.
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So that's a bad place to go.
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The final thing is the artistry
of the provider is really,
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really important. It's not just that
filler is good or filler is bad,
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but it's how skillfully it's applied.
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And that frankly makes
a really big difference.
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And a simple example of that is if you
gave a paint set to Rembrandt or a paint
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set to a seven year old, either
way, you'd get a painting,
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but the paintings are really not
going to be the same quality.
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And that's not really the fault of the
paint. It's the fault of the artist.
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That's a great metaphor and that's
really sound advice about how to rein
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things in, but now I'm worried what if
I'm not doing enough to look my best.
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This is much tougher.
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There's much more variability here and
there's no bright line between what's
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good. And what gets you into trouble?
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Different factors affect how
much you're going to choose
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to do your budget, how your beauty
thermostat is set. You know,
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how much of a beauty
issue makes you upset,
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uh, exactly where you
are in the progress of
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aging and your lifestyle and
capability to spend time and
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recovery time, uh, for various treatments
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still, there are a few keynote ways that,
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that people perennially
underdo things, uh,
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and get an inadequate
result. And you know, that's,
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that's typical. If you
do one laser treatment,
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when it's typically done as
a series of three or four,
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predictably, you're going
to get an inadequate result.
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If you could get the
result in one treatment,
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people wouldn't be recommending four.
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So it's really important
to accept that upfront.
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If you commit to do that series, you're
not going to get where you want to go.
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If you don't complete the series,
the same idea with filler,
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you know, if you're 30, 35 years old,
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you may only need a small amount of
filler. But if you're 50, 60, 70,
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80 years old,
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the volume of filler that's going to be
needed to create an adequate correction,
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is predictably going to be greater?
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So underdoing things is predictable
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failure. If you can't do what it takes,
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avoid the waste of time and
money of just trying a little.
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You
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see the same thing with surgery.
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Sometimes a 75 year old
will come in and say,
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uh, they,
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they don't really think they need
a facelift or a neck lift yet.
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They just need a little skin
tightening. Well, at that stage,
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they're not really a good candidate for
a lot of the energy based treatments,
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because skin tends to be less
responsive. And most people,
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if they followed average aging
actually have more than enough laxity
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that they're a good candidate
to benefit from a surgical lift.
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So it's important to understand what
features of appearance bother you,
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be analytical and be specific and then
partner with your plastic surgeon to
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figure out the best option. Unfortunately,
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our body image is fixed in how
we looked in our late twenties.
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So when we picture ourselves, that's
what we're seeing in our mind's eye.
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And if we're 50 or 60 years old, we
know we don't look that way anymore.
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But when we think about ourselves,
we still think that same appearance.
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So we have to accept that we're
not in that place anymore.
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And if we want to make a positive change,
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we have to look realistically at
what our appearance is like to the
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outside world.
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00:17:30,220 --> 00:17:31,053
So Dr. Bass,
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now that we have explored some common
pitfalls that patients encounter in
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plastic surgery and how to prevent them,
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what do you think are the most valuable
takeaways for our listeners from today's
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00:17:42,511 --> 00:17:43,344
episode?
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00:17:43,670 --> 00:17:45,310
Well, again, in, in picking a provider,
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it's always good to remember if a result
that's promised is too good to be true,
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it's probably not real.
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If a provider's not listening to
your issues and your perceptions,
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they're probably not going to focus
and drill in on a treatment that's
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appropriate for correcting it.
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00:18:06,280 --> 00:18:11,230
It's okay to compromise with
treatments as long as you're aware of
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00:18:11,390 --> 00:18:13,350
what the trade offs
are in that compromise.
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And I like the Goldilocks
principle overall,
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not too much, not too little, just right.
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A good provider will help you hit
the Goldilocks sweet spot for your
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00:18:29,410 --> 00:18:30,850
individual needs and circumstances.
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This is Doreen Wu,
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00:18:33,841 --> 00:18:38,000
thanking you for joining Dr. Bass and
me for this discussion of how to avoid
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00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:42,160
buyer's remorse with a
facelift laser filler or Botox.
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00:18:42,660 --> 00:18:44,480
Be sure to check out our next episode,
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where we discuss doctor shopping and the
pitfalls of switching doctors for each
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00:18:49,311 --> 00:18:51,670
treatment or getting too
many second opinions.
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Thank you for joining us.
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In this episode of the Park Avenue
Plastic Surgery Class podcast with Dr.
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00:18:59,310 --> 00:19:03,990
Lawrence Bass Park Avenue plastic surgeon,
educator, and technology innovator.
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00:19:04,360 --> 00:19:06,860
The commentary in this
podcast represents opinion.
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00:19:07,050 --> 00:19:09,500
This podcast does not
present medical advice,
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00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,820
but rather general information about
plastic surgery that does not necessarily
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00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,980
relate to the specific conditions
of any individual patient.
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00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:21,980
No doctor patient relationship
is established by listening
to or participating
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00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:22,913
in this podcast,
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00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:27,370
consult your physician to advise you
about your individual healthcare.
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00:19:27,630 --> 00:19:29,050
If you enjoyed this episode,
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00:19:29,270 --> 00:19:33,410
please share it with your friends and
be sure to subscribe to our podcast on
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00:19:37,470 --> 00:19:39,730
or wherever you listen to podcasts.