Choosing the right plastic surgeon

Choosing to get plastic surgery is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life. There are a lot of factors to consider. The most important factor is choosing the right plastic surgeon. You need to be sure that the plastic surgeon is board certified with sufficient experience. A study about choosing the right plastic surgeon was published in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The most influential factors were recommendations from doctors or friends and surgeon experience.

Dr. Nick Marsidi of Bergman Clinics, Bilthoven, the Netherlands stated, “It seems that the greater the experience the more confident patients are for a better result.”

Dr. Marsidi used a market research technique known as conjoint analysis. This was used to assess the factors that affected each patient’s choice in plastic surgeons. The study researched the choices of 150 patients. There was a variety of characteristics that the patients considered. Patients were asked to rank the value of cost, travel time, surgeon experience, clinic size, method of referral and online presentation.

Out of these given, patients rated surgeon experience as the most influential factor. This ranked the highest at 36 percent. It was determined that patients prefer surgeons with at least 10 years of experience. Method of referral ranked as the second most important factor with a rating of 21.5 percent.

Dr. Marsidi stated, “The most preferred method of referral is by the general practitioner, followed by referral by a friend or family member.” Advertisements on TV, radio and magazines were least influential.

Travel time ranked third with a rating of 14 percent. The study revealed that patients prefer driving less than one hour to see a plastic surgeon. The cost of the procedure ranked next at 13 percent. Patients tend to remain price-sensitive. Most are only concerned with getting quality results.

Some patients do find it influential for plastic surgeons to have a strong online presence, although it only had a nine percent rating.  The size of the clinic was least likely to influence a patient’s decision. It only had a six percent rating.

“The most preferred clinic would be with a specialist that has over ten years of experience, is recommended by the general practitioner, costs 15 percent less than average, with a travel time between 0 and 30 min, is a local clinic and has an extensive online presentation,” concluded Dr. Marsidi.

If you are considering undergoing plastic surgery in Las Vegas, Dr. Reynolds may be the right surgeon for you. He completed extensive plastic surgery training at a 6-year integrated plastic surgery program at Penn State. He is a board certified plastic surgeon with a wide array of expertise. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Reynolds, contact 702.410.9800.