Efem Notes
Why I Don't Recommend the Same Treatment to Every Patient
Sometimes, during a consultation, I encounter an interesting situation.
A patient arrives knowing exactly what they want.
“I want lip filler.”
“I need under-eye filler.”
Sometimes they even explain which treatment should be performed, why it should be done, and how much should be used.
I do not find this surprising. Information has never been more accessible. People research, watch videos, and read about other people's experiences.
However, aesthetic medicine is a unique field. Because sometimes what we perceive as the problem is not actually the real issue.
A patient may be concerned about tired-looking under-eyes. Yet a careful facial assessment may reveal that the true cause is volume loss in the mid-face rather than the under-eye area itself.
Another patient may believe their lips are too small. But when you evaluate the face as a whole, what is actually needed may be better chin support or improved profile balance.
This is why I never begin a consultation by deciding which treatment I am going to perform.
First, I try to understand:
The structure of the face.
The ageing process.
Skin quality.
Facial expressions.
And most importantly, how the person sees themselves.
Because aesthetics is not only about anatomy.
How people feel when they look in the mirror is just as important as facial anatomy itself.
One sentence I have repeated countless times over the years:
“I can perform the treatment you are asking for. But it may not be the treatment I would recommend.”
Sometimes the best approach is a completely different treatment plan.
Sometimes it is waiting a few months.
Sometimes it is doing nothing at all.
Great aesthetic outcomes are not created by the right procedures alone.
They are created by the right decisions.
This is why we never look at every patient through the same lens.
Just as no two faces are identical, no two treatment plans should be identical either.
Perhaps that is one of the most rewarding aspects of aesthetic medicine.
Every face deserves a fresh evaluation.
Every person tells a different story.
