It's about a guy who got tired of living in his dark, noisy apartment, eventually coming to the conclusion that the low rent wasn't worth his low perceived quality of life.
He ends up moving to a co-op in another part of town where he pays a bit more, but gets a great deal more, and finally achieves harmony with his home.
There are many close parallels between this story and the process of selecting a qualified surgeon for your aesthetic improvement, especially in these challenging economic times....
Too often I think, we see in media outlets that it is in your best interests to negotiate a low price with your health care provider, and shop for the lowest price. While this may be okay to do when talking about a hospital stay, where you are likely to get the bill after the care has been provided, I'm not so sure this is really in your best interests when looking for aesthetic surgery. The difference has to do with the effect aggressive negotiating on the part of the consumer (the patient) has on the quality of care provided and the potential outcome experienced.
Because hospital stays are first billed to your insurer, and you do not see a bill until after the fact, any aggressive negotiating will not affect the quality of care you receive. This may not be the case when talking about plastic surgery, however.
Over the past few years, I have definitely noticed a change in the way things get done, and have been aware of some surgeons "cutting corners" to lower costs and therefore make their fees more attractive to patients. In some cases this may mean relatively low risk (to the patient) behaviors like re-using non-sterile items meant to be disposable. In others, however, it means not having available the people, supplies, or resources necessary to deal with a problem should it arise- or rushing to complete surgery... compromising your safety or the chances of achieving your goals.
My perspective is that aesthetic surgery is about feeling happy and peaceful with your appearance... We're not curing cancer or trying to save your life.
Because I have this (I believe healthy) perspective on my profession, I don't ever think it makes any sense to take unnecessary chances. I built my state-of-the-art Orlando Plastic Surgery Center with the intention of providing the highest quality of care, understanding that I would not always be the lowest priced option my patients have.
My goal is always to give my patients the very best chance of achieving their aesthetic goals in complete safety, and through a positive experience they look back on warmly.
It is important as patients and providers of aesthetic services for us to realize that when we apply too much financial pressure to the system, sooner or later, something will have to bend- or break.... defeating our initial purpose of being safe and looking great.
I meet patients weekly who had surgery performed by a surgeon chosen because his fees were "affordable", only to realize after surgery that the experience or outcome left something to be desired. They then are in the position of being less happy with their appearance than they started, and now need another procedure (at greater expense) to achieve the goals they set out with.
Further complicating this issue is the fact that your first procedure is often going to be your best chance at getting the lovely outcome you want.... In other words, achieving your goals through revisions after a less than ideal outcome may become more and more difficult, depending on the details of what is done.
This is not to say that paying more will guarantee that you get what you want- and even the best among us would tell you that we can't hit the proverbial home run every time... But as with any other professional, the best quality work usually does cost a bit more.
Bottom Line- Choose your aesthetic surgeon based on their education, training, experience, integrity, personality, and their body of work (that is, their outcomes).
Choosing based on the costs will usually have you reliving the axiom that you usually get what you pay for- and wishing you had paid a bit more to get what you wanted.
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