Are You a Satisfied Consumer?
Experience and honestyIt's vitally important to find out just exactly what experience your doctor has in dealing with a given condition. Ask about problems which come up with cases like these. Look for eye contact, anxiety, evasiveness. Ask about numbers of cases done, how many recently, years doing them, and recent upgrades to the doctor's education in this specific area. Don't be shy in pressing for details. It's your beauty and health we're talking about.
Cosmetic surgery experience
Dr. Kivett has been doing cosmetic & reconstructive plastic surgery since the latter 1970's. He was one of the earliest practitioners to identify himself as a cosmetic surgeon in Sonoma County. He founded a cosmetic surgery center in Santa Rosa in 1984. He was one of the first American born and trained physicians to travel to France to study liposuction from the originators of the liposuction technique in the mid-1980s. He took four additional hands-on courses that same year before he touched his first patient with that technique. (She did well and went on to become a senior international weight-lifting champion.) Later he published a book on liposuction to help his patients understand what they're really getting into.
Cosmetic surgery training
Dr. Kivett's plastic surgery training program was rated at 99th percentile among American residency programs for the quantity of cosmetic surgery trained. He has performed literally thousands of operations in this category. Ask the other doctors you interview if they can say the same.
Non-surgical alternatives
Although surgical procedures can be more lucrative to a cosmetic surgeon, many times they aren't necessary. Chemical peels, Botox and natural and synthetic wrinkle fillers in many cases can do just as well as part of a total body beautification program. In addition to nearly a decade in practice as a skin cancer and esthetic dermatologist prior to the eight years of plastic surgery training, Dr. Kivett studied dermatology for three years, including under UCLA's Dr. Howard Murad, a pioneer in creating a very successful skin care line of his last name. Thus Dr. Kivett feels quite well qualified and confident in dealing extensively with skin and body beautification.
Fulfilling expectations
Ask to see before and after photos where applicable. Then use a sharp eye. Is the lighting the same? Is the patient frowning before and smiling slightly afterwards? Is make-up carefully applied afterwards? One former practitioner had a great photo set of a "surgical transformation." One newspaper ad had the same. The problem was that the photos showed only nice lighting, good make-up, hair styling and a smile. It's now against the law in California to advertise with such deceitful or misleading photos.
"Visiting" doctors
Several doctors commute to Sonoma County to "mine the local largesse." A few even fly in from back East for a few days per month to operate on patients and then leave again. Sonoma County folks deserve better. Besides, being a transient physician is considered by national surgical societies to be unethical and against medical professional codes.
Full service facility The only place where size matters is the size of patient satisfaction. Look at what (formerly) little Starbucks did to giants Nestlès' & General Foods' coffee sales. We offer a certified operating room. (How can we not? It's the law in California). We also have overnight care programs involving Santa Rosa hotel stay arrangements. We offer the same amenities as the others in this field do. Full-service face and body medical spa treatments. The full range of cosmetic and reconstructive surgical procedures. Attention to wellness medicine, weight and nutrition, etc. What's key is in your treatment as an individual with exquisite attention to what your underlying needs are.
