How to find best surgeon for a nosejob

August 5, 2007 9:17 AM

How would you go about finding the best plastic surgeon for a nose-job?

I want a nose-job, it is very important to me that it is done right. Where/how would I find the best surgeon for the job (preferably in the US). How much does the procedure typically cost? Thanks!

posted by JamesJD to clothing, beauty, & fashion (7 comments total)

Where are you located? What changes are you envisioning? (Smoothing out a bump on your bridge, for example, is a very different surgery than narrowing your nostrils, for example.) Costs can vary quite a bit based on both these factors.
posted by scody at 9:40 AM on August 5, 2007

I live on the East Coast but I'd be willing to fly out to California to do the procedure. It would probably be removing a bump, and possibly thinning the area well above the nostrils.
posted by JamesJD at 10:26 AM on August 5, 2007

Do you have any wealthy friends? I think it would be helpful to ask around about favorite plastic surgeons. And then cross-reference that list with recommendations from your primary care physician. The same names will probably start coming up again and again.

Just an example -- I'm thinking about getting my saggy eyelids done in the next few years. I asked my optometrist for names, and then I asked some rich older friends for names, and the same two people kept coming up as the go-to people in San Francisco.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 10:52 AM on August 5, 2007

There are some destinations that have become famous as locales for cheap, high quality plastic surgery for thousands less than it would cost in the states. I think Brno is one such location. You might want to look into it.
posted by Deathalicious at 1:03 PM on August 5, 2007

One way of finding a surgeon is to open the phonebook, and start working your way down the listings.

Pretty much everyone does free consultations. Schedule ALOT of them. You are picking someone to cut your face, so you want to make sure you trust them.

During your visit, ask every question you can think of. How long have they been doing it, where did they intern, ect...

An important question when asking how many times they have done your procedure is to ask the SEX of the recipients. Some doctors have a tendency to do more procedures on one sex then the other.

Also, find out where they will do the procedure. Hospital or Surgical center. Better in a good hospital, OR a hospital run surgical center. Unless you are going to a top name in say LA or new york, do not use anyone who does the procedure in their own inhouse surgical suite.

Another thing, pay attention to the little details. How is he/she dressed. How do they carry themselves? How does the office look? Sparkling clean? The waiting area? Is it nice, well designed and layed out?

A person who pays attenton to the little details is the person you want. Even look at the reading material in the waiting room. Are the magazines current? Or are they months and months old... Little details...
posted by petethered at 4:02 PM on August 5, 2007

Oh, and obviously google them once you narrow it down. See what papers they published if any... what newspaper articles are found about them.

And once you get REALLY close to choosing, there are services where you can pay a fee ( 20$ if I remember ) where you can check the surgeons history.. any complaints, lawsuits, ect.
posted by petethered at 4:04 PM on August 5, 2007

YesTheyreFake.com is an excellent resource. If you scroll down the linked page, and click "locate a surgeon in the US," there are a lot of suggestions for researching doctors. Also, they appear to have fairly well-researched referrals as well.
posted by TG_Plackenfatz at 6:01 PM on August 5, 2007