Botched???
Are you an unlucky patient with a bad result after an aesthetic procedure?
We are very sorry that this happened to you! This website is meant especially for patients in order to avoid this from happening…. But that does not help you, we understand, and we will give you some tips here.
Your own doctor
If something goes wrong the first and most important person to contact is the doctor who did the procedure. He or she knows exactly what is done, what choices they made and why, so they are best placed to judge how to resolve problems. Complications unfortunately happen to every plastic surgeon, but we are trained to deal with them and find the best possible solutions. There is no plastic surgeon who likes an unhappy patient, so most of our colleagues will do everything in their power to make you happy.
Your Clinic
If you are no longer on speaking terms and remain unhappy with the results offered by your doctor the next logical step is to approach the clinic where you have been operated. Often the doctor is part of a team and sometimes another member is better able to look from a neutral perspective and can help mediate. Most clinics have someone who is responsible for complaints so please address these.
Order of Medicine
Doctors are registered in the town, county, province, region where they are working. This will be different depending on the country you live. But plastic surgeons are registered, you can check the training and registration in your country through this link. The registering organization generally has a supervising organization who can call doctors to order, suspend their license or stop them from practicing. If you cannot find a solution with your doctor or clinic you can address your complaint to this organization.
National Plastic Surgery Societies
If you need help finding this organization, you can always contact a national society of plastic surgery in your country, if you want to know which one exists in your country, follow this link. These societies are scientific societies, they are not the police for plastic surgeons, so do not expect them to solve your problem! However, they can help you and direct you to the correct authorities.
Move on
You can be sad, angry or remorseful after a procedure that did not give you the outcome you had hoped for. Unfortunately, complications happen, even to the best doctors. Any serious doctor will acknowledge that and will do his/her best to find the best possible way out. If after multiple attempts you are not satisfied, it is wise to move on. Look for an alternative, someone with more experience, with more empathy! But realize that it is always more difficult to repair someone else’s complication than starting fresh. So, don’t expect them to do it for free. It is not an easy step to move on, but for your peace of mind often the best.
Prevention
Aesthetic procedures are MEDICAL procedures!
It is not because you decide you want something changed, you pay for it that you always get what you want. Because you have to do your homework as well and make sure that your doctor is properly trained and has experience in what you want, only then they can check whether you have the right expectation and what procedure is best for you and in what environment that procedure should be done. We list only verified Real Plastic Surgeons guaranteeing at least a proper basic education in Plastic surgery.
Conclusion
It is always sad when people do not get what they were hoping for, and even more if complications occur. The most important thing is to be aware that you are not buying a luxury toy that can be exchanged for a new one if you do not like it. It is always a MEDICAL procedure which should be approached with scrutiny. Check out the credentials of your doctor and make sure he/she is a real plastic surgeon.
When things have gone sour, please address your doctor, his team, the clinic, or order of medicine in your country. We hope that in the end, you find a real plastic surgeon that can help you feel good about yourself again.
Dr Ivar van Heijningen for realplasticsurgeon.eu