According to a recent study, men who are dissatisfied with their rhinoplasty procedure often have difficultly explaining why they do or do not like the results of their procedure. The study, which originally was published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal, reviewed 2,326 patient reviews of their rhinoplasty procedure published on RealSelf.com. The researchers determined that females were both more likely to be satisfied with their surgery, and more able to articulate exactly what they like about the results. The most common explanation offered by men who are satisfied with their procedure is that “they felt the surgeon listened to them.”

This reasoning is largely representative of the fact that communication is key between a plastic surgeon and his or her patient. While modern predictive imaging programs can aid in allowing both the surgeon and the patient to agree on what the final result will look like, it is still incredibly important that the surgeon takes time to understand exactly the type of changes and the degree of change that a patient wants out of a rhinoplasty.

The study also noted that some of reasons why men were dissatisfied with rhinoplasty procedures include: “a residual dorsal hump, an under-rotated tip and a nose that was too small.” It is important to note, however, that these are all matters of the degree of change rather than the type of change. In many cases, this means that dissatisfaction can be corrected with a revision procedure that can complete the original goal that a patient had in mind.

Of course, all plastic surgeons should take the time to truly connect with and understand the desires of every patient, so that the patient has realistic notions about the likely outcome of the procedure and toe ensure that it is completed with satisfactory results the first time around.