If you’re considering plastic surgery, arming yourself with the right information is key to getting a good result. If you’re wondering how to find the best plastic surgeons online when researching surgery, it’s important to know that not every piece of information is good information. Many of the surgery topics online need to be written by experts, but are not. Below, we discuss three reliable, high-quality websites to look for the best plastic surgeons.
Researching Plastic Surgery? Check These Sites First…
1. Spend Time On RealSelf.com
RealSelf is an incredibly expansive resource that’s dedicated to plastic surgery and other forms of aesthetic medicine, such as cosmetic dentistry. Individual physicians can build profiles on the site and interact with users, answering questions from patients (and window shoppers) around the world. RealSelf also lets patients tell their stories in blog form, posting photos along the way.
After surgery, they can leave reviews on their doctors’ profiles and mark their procedures as “worth it” or “not worth it” to give future patients an at-a-glance overview of their chosen procedure. Be forewarned, though: With its before-and-after pictures, patient reviews, and endless list of questions you didn’t even know you had, RealSelf can easily take up quite a bit of your time. Nevertheless, RealSelf.com is a great place to find the best plastic surgeons online, it just takes time and patience.
2. Visit Vitals.com For The Best Plastic Surgeons Online
If you’ve already determined that plastic surgery is for you and you’ve progressed to searching for surgeons, Vitals can be a great starting point. This site lets you narrow down your options by specialty and then by metro area, so you can find someone close to home or in other cities if you’re willing to travel for your procedure. The platform invites patients to write reviews and distills each doctor’s qualifications into sections that are easy to navigate, so you can review his or her education, professional affiliations, and board certifications quickly. Once you’ve developed a shortlist, you can start browsing individual practice websites.
3. See The Surgeon’s Own Website
No matter who you choose, the surgeon’s website is an absolutely essential resource. Pay attention to the technical elements of the site. Does everything work properly? Do links lead to the promised pages? Do photos load completely? Is it attractive and modern? An efficient, user-friendly website can indicate an important attention to detail.
Users typically head to the before-and-after photos first, and for good reason: The gallery gives you a concrete way to examine the surgeon’s skills. While you look at photos of patients who have undergone your desired procedure, pay attention to the gallery itself as much as you take note of individual cases. A few things to look for:
- An array of cases, with variations in patient age, body type, and more
- Similar lighting and poses for both before-and-after photos
- An explanation of the techniques used during surgery, such as implant style or incision placement
While you’re at it, explore the surgeon’s background, see how the staff is portrayed, and delve into individual procedure pages. A good procedure page should provide an overview of what you can expect both before and after surgery. The liposuction page, for example, on La Jolla plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Chaffoo’s website features before-and-after photos, a summary of the different types of liposuction he uses, and guidelines for a healthy recovery.
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