Empowering patients to pick the right plastic surgeon.
For most patients, the decision to have plastic surgery is a significant one that they research thoroughly before deciding if the procedure and its risks are worthwhile. In the past, patients have sought the opinion of their GP, friends and family about their surgical options. Increasingly, patients are using medical websites, review sites, forums and social media to help make their decision.
While the internet has empowered the patient-consumer with information, this information can be overwhelming and misleading. We still encourage patients to seek the opinion of their local doctor, friends and family as they are real people that they know and already trust. Dr Amira Sanki and Dr Ilias Kotronakis feel extremely honoured and privileged when their patients thank them with cards, presents, letters and positive reviews, but they are not permitted to share them on this website.
The Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) does not allow posting of testimonials on a doctor’s website. This was a ban that was put in place to help counteract fake testimonials used by other surgeons. Unfortunately, there are currently no guidelines or laws in place to prevent cosmetic clinics from faking their own reviews on independent websites.Southern Aesthetic Plastic Surgery would therefore like to warn patients using review websites to be careful of what they are reading. Dr Sanki and Dr Kotronakis are very fortunate to have patients who are passionate enough to talk positively about their surgery. Negative reviews can unfortunately happen in any surgeon’s practice. We have seen negative reviews of many surgeons that we would trust to operate on ourselves and our family.
Why do these occur? Some reviews are simply fake and have failed the validation system of the review website. Other reviews are from patients who have had an excellent result but are dissatisfied because they had unrealistic expectations of what plastic surgery can achieve for them. This group often attempts to attack or hurt their surgeon by posting multiple bad reviews under different names. Finally, a negative review can be written by a patient who had a problem after their surgery or required revisional surgery. Complications of plastic surgery can happen to any patient and any surgeon and are thoroughly explained to patients beforehand. A problem of surgery is something that leaves both patient and surgeon extremely disappointed, and a good surgeon will go out of their way to ensure that the problem is corrected.
Ultimately, the best way to pick the right surgeon and procedure is to ensure you leave your first consultation feeling comfortable and well informed. Your surgeon should explain the procedure, its merits, risks and alternatives and whether they believe it will offer you the solution you are seeking.
We wish you the best of luck in your search!