Part of what makes elective plastic surgery such a perennial discussion topic is that it is, in fact, elective. No one has to get their Ozempic butt filled and lifted. No one has to get Botox. These, and the myriad of other fascinating transformations available, are things you can choose to undergo. And millions do! But just as you can walk into a plastic surgeon’s office and sign up for a surgery, so too can the professionals themselves decide who they want to take on as a patient and wheel into the operating room—and who they don’t. Whether it’s due to underlying medical issues, unrealistic expectations, or just a bad attitude, we asked a handful of plastic surgeons the most common reasons they turn patients down.
1. You’re a bad medical candidate.
This is perhaps the most obvious reason a plastic surgeon will reject you. If you’re not medically fit to survive and heal from a surgery, you probably shouldn’t sign up for one. (It’s also worth remembering that your perception of your health may differ from your doctor’s.) Cosmetic surgery comes with healing and risks that are really only appropriate for people in stable, excellent health, notes L. Mike Nayak, a board-certified surgeon in St. Louis, Missouri. This might mean that if you’re on oxygen, a blood thinner, or have another pre-existing medical condition that could make surgery or recovery difficult, a surgeon may decline to take you on as a patient—an outcome that is most likely in your best interest.
2. You have unrealistic expectations.
Daniel Kaufman, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Miami, told the Daily Beast that he turns patients away for having unrealistic expectations on a weekly basis. This usually happens when patients bring in inspirational photos and ask him to make them look identical to the original. Such visuals “are great in terms of giving me an idea of what the desired look and outcome should be,” Dr. Kaufman said, but added that patients should always be advised that their final results will always vary.
“In some patients, I see that their expectations for surgery are such that I could never meet them,” ultimately leading to disappointment with their results, Dr. Kaufman said. “In these cases, it is best to deny the surgery, as a patient with unrealistic expectations is almost bound to strain the doctor-patient relationship.”
“In some patients, I see that their expectations for surgery are such that I could never meet them.”— Dr. Daniel Kaufman
Unrealistic expectations can also apply to recovery timelines, Dr. Nayak points out. In some cases, patients may have thought their recovery would only take a week, when in reality, it could be more like a month. Allowing yourself ample time to rest and recover is a crucial factor in getting your best possible results.
3. Sorry, man—you seem like a “SIMON.”
“There is an acronym used in plastic and cosmetic surgery called ‘SIMON,’ and it stands for patients who are single, immature, male, obsessive-compulsive, and narcissistic,” explained Paul Rosenberg, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Most surgeons try to avoid these kinds of patients, as they are perceived as a higher risk for dissatisfaction and lawsuits. “I never like to turn away business, but after so many years in practice, I firmly believe that who you choose not to operate on determines your level of success, both professionally and personally,” Dr. Rosenberg said.
While a so-called SIMON is by definition a man, Dr. Rosenberg noted that men aren’t the only challenging patients—these specific red flags are simply more commonly seen in men.
4. You’re asking for trouble…
Sometimes people come in and ask for either outlandish or unprecedented operations, too many procedures at once, or surgery that is more than the body can tolerate. In these cases, Dr. Kaufman said it’s again best to deny the surgery and explain that the procedure could be detrimental to the patient’s health. If they are amenable at this point, it’s possible to suggest changing the surgical plan and approach to a more realistic, safer alternative. A good surgeon will be willing to have those difficult conversations, but—as anyone who’s watched an episode of Botched is well aware—not all will.
5. …or you’re causing trouble.
It should go without saying, but being rude and confrontational to the staff at a plastic surgeon’s office is a no-go. Jimmy Sung, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City, recounted a story to the Daily Beast in which a potential patient threw her credit card. Why? The staff had tried to collect her information for a co-pay, and her initial payment was declined. These rude surgery seekers are persona non grata, Dr. Sung said, adding that “they need a mirror for some insight, not plastic surgery.”
Honestly, being mean to a bunch of people who have the power to change your whole appearance is probably not the best idea. (To that point, we’d urge you to be kind to hairstylists, barbers, manicurists, and makeup artists. Ideally, you’ll do this simply because they’re human beings, but if that’s not enough of an incentive, you should at least do it because they have the power to make you look terrible.)
6. You are simply too unhappy.
Plastic surgeons, too, can catch a vibe. In assessing a prospective patient, sometimes, it’s just “something about their attitude or something about the way they present that makes you feel like, ‘This is going to be a very stressful person to deal with,’” explained Dr. Nayak.
“Plastic surgery makes happy people happier. It doesn’t make unhappy people into happy people.”— Dr. L. Mike Nayak
“When you take on one of these patients, you are committing to them for the long term—as soon as you operate on someone, you are bound…it’s a two-way decision,” Dr. Nayak told The Beast, adding that there are limitations to what any procedure can accomplish. “Plastic surgery makes happy people happier. It doesn’t make unhappy people into happy people. If a person is a super unhappy person in general, you’d have to be pretty narcissistic to think, ‘Okay, yeah, but with me, they’re gonna be real happy.’”
Bottom line: It’s a good thing to come across a plastic surgeon with standards for safety, decency, and realistic expectations. Letting someone operate on your body who says yes to everything and doesn’t raise their well-Botoxed brows at the above could lead to serious trouble for both of you down the line.
The post 6 Reasons Plastic Surgeons Will Reject You as a Patient appeared first on The Daily Beast.
