In this PSC Case Files, board certified plastic surgeons Dr. Richard Restifo of Orange, Connecticut and Dr. Craig Colville of Toledo, Ohio discuss a patient of Dr. Restifo’s who desired a positive change to her breasts but didn’t know exactly what it was that she needed. This is an situation often faced by surgeons, and what separates great surgeons from good ones.
In this specific case, the patient was dealing with a distorted abdomen, likely from diastasis, and a three-way breast asymmetry: her areolas were different sizes, the fold of the breasts were at different places on the chest wall, and the breasts differed significantly in volume. The importance of the consultation was apparent in this case, as the patient really didn’t understand the above, but knew that something was “wrong” and desired correction. It was then on Dr. Restifo to connect what she thought with what he saw, to discover what she wanted, and then to chart a course to achieve that goal.
This is why surgeons will often say that the consultation is more important than the surgery itself. In this PSC Case Files, Drs. Restifo and Colville zero in on the consultation process and show why its critical for patient and surgeon to understand one another to achieve fantastic results.