I was burnt when I was 3. I’ve since consulted with over 50 doctors worldwide including some of the best across America, Europe and Asia. I have had surgeries in Thailand, USA, Belgium, Japan, and India. I’m lucky to have had the privilege to do this. Here are my learnings:
LESSON 1: Painful Honesty
It is important to be honest with oneself. Surgery does improve appearance and makes life easier. Good looks are a privilege and one should do what one can to get it. In Korea, some parents even give money to children upon turning 18, to get plastic surgery.
At 18, I could not deal with the mental pain. I’d had 17 surgeries by then. I told my parents, “I’m happy with where I am in life. Other people can judge me based on who I am not how I look.” Unfortunately, the world is materialistic and I should have had surgery then. At 28, I sought treatments to improve my lower lip and jawline. I became more confident and first impressions became easier.
LESSON 2: Ask doctors what they would fix.
Doctors see many people and quickly notice facial deformities. Especially plastic surgeons. Ask them what they notice first and fix that.
I could not see my lower lip deformity because I saw myself daily, yet surgeons would repeatedly point it out. When I got that fixed, my dating app matches increased 2x.
LESSON 3: Doctors don’t agree
Whether it’s a professor with over 30 years of experience, a national medalist, or a doctor trained at Harvard, they all have different opinions. Some doctors try to leech you for as much money as possible. Others give bad advice due to lack of experience. Luckily, the best doctors, do like to give genuine advice. You have to filter the best advice and come up with a final plan.
What I look for in a good doctor is:
- Experience in terms of numbers of similar cases they have handled
- Reputation amongst other doctors. Good doctors only vouch for other good doctors.
LESSON 4: Doctors, professors are great. Dermatologists are often scams!
Professors are more academic and will tend to emphasize muscle reconstruction. This type of change might not be visible until you talk or smile.
Doctors are more aware of aesthetics. They tend to think about how to improve the skin and symmetry.
Dermatologists tend to be very profit minded. They are usually the worst doctors and often want to sell products first. Be very careful with dermatologists. Finding a good dermatologist is tough!
LESSON 5: Doctors in different regions value different things. All are great in their own way
In Europe, doctors are holistic. They will try to fix everything from the ground up. If you do not go through the full plan of a European doctor, you might look worse because you are still a work in progress. The end result can be quite good!
In Japan, doctors emphasize skin. They are the best at making skin perfect! Results will show relatively quickly!
In the US, doctors care about function and comfort. They sometimes do not care about aesthetics. Nonetheless, the country is so big that you can seek a specialist for everything. Doctors in the US are overpriced but some free institutions like Shriners exist.
In India, doctors are highly experienced with reconstructive work because that is what they deal with most. They can be inexperienced with technology due to budget constraints.
Note, these are generalizations and there are exceptions everywhere!
LESSON 6: Try to read academic journals if you can
If you are unsure about conflicting opinions between doctors, read journals. Many are available for free nowadays! Sometimes, even doctors do not know all the data. You should make the best informed decision!
Reading academic papers can also tell you who the best doctors in a field are. They generally are the most popular/cited and have the largest sample sizes in their studies.
LESSON 7: Functionality and Aesthetics are both important
Surgery can be for functional purposes or aesthetic purposes. Functional surgery will add happiness to your life because you will be able to do things more comfortably. Aesthetic surgery will give you confidence. Remember, aesthetic surgeries can be addictive and do not overdo them. Stick to a master plan.
LESSON 8: Facial Aesthetics work inside out
Appearance is judged based on proportions, symmetry and finally skin quality. The easiest way to fix this is by fixing bone structure, then muscle movement, then skin.
Often, if one wears pressure garments at a young age, bone growth can be stunted. Yet, many reconstructive surgeons ignore bone structure as they only specialize in muscle and skin. Look into whether a simple implant or filler can improve your appearance. This is good advice for anyone.
LESSON 9: Choose a specialist you trust and act!
You can do all the research in the world, but in the end if you do not take action, it is useless. When you are unsure which treatment plan to go with, choose the doctor you trust most and go with them. Luckily, reconstructive surgery is not the most complicated surgery. The tools for reconstructive surgery are similar everywhere in the world. A good experienced surgeon, with a plan, will do a great job! When you find one that you trust, review the plan with another experienced surgeon and act on it! Also, it is totally okay to have different doctors for different parts of the plan but make sure to follow through with it until the end!
Anan Foundation 