My philosophy in plastic surgery is based on a few fundamental beliefs. Plastic surgery, first and foremost, is surgery. As such, it has to be approached with the greatest respect and attention to safety. Not all patients will be good candidates for plastic surgery from a health standpoint. Those patients who are excellent candidates, however, should also be aware that limits must be set to reduce the risks and maximize the results whenever possible.
Plastic surgery is discretionary surgery. It is a desired pathway toward meeting new appearance goals for an individual. Because all individuals will have unique sets of appearance goals, it is necessary that they become full partners in the decision-making process with their plastic surgeon. I believe it is very important to help educate patients to make them better decision-makers. A close doctor-patient partnership will allow each plastic surgery consumer to attain his goals more consistently.
Plastic surgery should be based on a set of rigorous academic standards and state of the art, proven technologies. It is a field in constant evolution. The plastic surgeon must always keep up with advances in the field and never stop assessing his work. However, his practice must always remain patient-centered and never technology or procedure-centered.
Finally, excellent plastic surgery care involves emotional as well as physical care. Patients place their trust in their plastic surgeons to do what is best for them. It is a privilege for me to be given that trust and to take care of each patient as I would wish to be taken care of. The greatest professional rewards and satisfaction, I believe, come from always doing my best, from doing the right thing, and from sharing my own humanity as a plastic surgeon with other human beings.