Here I am going to discuss my goals and ideals when working with patients. My approach is based on results, safety and enjoyment.
Facial sculpting and balance has become a passion of mine. It is something I am good at and it makes patients happy. As with any profession we become good at what we like doing and we like doing what we are good at. DrC “When you are able to do what you like, and are good at what you do, then you like what you are good at, and that is when you become great. The goal is to become great.” My main thing, what I want, is happy patients. When they are happy I am happy. Who doesn’t want to be happy?
It all starts with results.
Patients want to get what they want. We all want what we want I suppose but particularly when they are paying a lot of money they want to be satisfied. I have learned that the key is to establish goals and expectations. Expectations for me as the surgeon and expectations for them as the patient. I do my very best to be clear with every patient. There is no game here. I ask them what they want. I try to make sure they are being clear with their goals and then I tell them what I can offer them, and how I feel I can best get them there. It seems simple but in the cosmetic patient-surgeon relationship this is key. It is the goal to “results” and it is the goal to making us both happy. Since facial sculpting has become my niche I have mastered the techniques to get people what they want. From fillers, to threads, to neurotoxis, to neck lipo, lasers and radiofrequency tightening techniques. I take it as my trade to learn everything I can about these techniques and select the ones that give patients the best results the quickest with the least amount of downtime and pain. (roll “happy song” by Pharrell Williams…).
Getting people to their goals must be done safely.
As a surgeon safety is of the utmost importance to me. It really is ahead of results to be completely honest but it just isn’t as sexy so I put it second for sake of sexiness on this list. Who cares if I get you to your goals if you are not safe ?! This starts with the preoperative set up prior to undergoing treatment. I have developed and borrowed from other surgeons preoperatively protocols that reduce infection, limit swelling and speed up healing times. Every surgeon has their own techniques for this but it is a conglomerate of evidence based medicine that leads to the best outcomes. Intraoperatively during the procedure it really is about the team approach. The surgeon, the assistant, the front desks staff are all intimately involved in making sure the patient is safe and the procedure goes as planned. From pre-sterilizing the room to making sure the ventilation is safe and the instruments are cleaned properly there are a lot of moving parts. Check lists and protocols are pivotal to safe surgery and procedures. We have learned this from the NASA approach. Humans make errors and the best way to limit errors is to double check and to check again. Confirm and execute. I am the captain of the ship and it must take off and return safely.
As far as enjoyment goes, my goal is to have patients come to me for the life of their cosmetic needs.
I want that to be always. I develop friendships with my patients and I enjoy treating them and I think they enjoy being treated by me. Not to sound corny but it really is a relationship. We end up spending a lot of time together and have fun while we are doing it. If I am able to accomplish the first two tasks (results and do it safely) then enjoyment comes easy. The things I have learned that make it more enjoyable for patients is # 1 make it as painless as possible. That is physical pain and the entire patient experience. It has to be smooth, on time and an enjoyable process. That is what keeps people happy.
As you can see it is full circle. Good results done safely leads to enjoyment and happy patients that return for more results and safety! That’s all I have to say about that.
Reach out if you have any questions at all!
Last Updated on August 28, 2023 by Dr. Benjamin Caughlin – Facial Sculpting Surgeon Chicago
