Your Surgeon Wants Better Results for You than You Do

At my practice in Denver, most breast reduction patients walk away feeling completely satisfied with their surgical experience.* As their surgeon, I share in their joy, but I also challenge myself every time to do a bit better. In part this is because of my perfectionist tendencies, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts. But it turns out that I’m not the only surgeon who feels this way.

Are We All Perfectionists?

According to a recent study published by the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), breast reduction patients rate their satisfaction levels very high. In fact, 90 percent of respondents reported they thought their results were either “good” or “very good.” Their surgeons, however, rated their own satisfaction levels with the exact same surgeries a bit lower: only 60 percent of the procedures rated a “very good” opinion from the actual surgeons.

Does this mean that, as surgeons, we’re all putting out subpar work? Or are we just our own worst critics? It turns out our criteria for determining what makes a “very good” surgical result differs from the patients’ definitions.

I believe women undergoing breast reductions in Denver aren’t looking at results the same way their surgeons are. Surgeons are thinking in terms of millimeters when it comes to nipple placement or scar size. Patients are thinking about how their clothes fit, and whether their back pain has been relieved.

Achieving Optimal Results

Although I’m glad to find I’m not alone in my obsession with perfection, this doesn’t mean I’m going to start relaxing my standards. I want every patient who walks out of my door to rate their procedures very close to 100 percent happiness rating.

*This information is for education only, and is not meant as a guarantee of results. Your results may vary.