Is there a part of your body that isn't in harmony with how you feel and you'd like to improve it? You want to, but then you remember all the horror stories about plastic surgery with less-than-desirable results. After all, how you look is how you present yourself to the world, and often how others interact with you will be determined by your outward appearance; hence the saying, "A good dress and a good countenance are powerful recommendations." So, it's a big deal!

In this reading we will look at the three most important steps when choosing your doctor:

1. The most important thing is to maintain the good health with which you arrived.

2. After taking care of your health, you must choose the doctor whose results you like the most.

3. Price is always a consideration; only you know the value of your health and the results you desire. That will guide you to make the best investment!

If you have a wedding or a job interview and want to look your best, you won't go to the gardener to do your makeup. He or she probably won't have the experience to achieve the result you want. If you've broken a tooth and have an awkward smile, you won't go to your hairstylist to fix your smile. Finally, if your car's brakes fail, you won't go to your favorite chef to fix them because you'd be risking your life!

Changes to your body are a matter of far greater importance than the examples mentioned above. You are surely in good health, and it's understandable that you want to continue enjoying that good health while also looking better in certain situations. It would be a tragedy to lose your good health and also suffer an unfavorable aesthetic result.

There have always been charlatans who claim to be "experts" or who say they can help you achieve what you desire. Because they lack true expertise or the genuine qualities to help you, they are excellent salespeople and very skilled at marketing. However, now, with the ease of social media, they have become a real danger, as their reach can be much greater, and what's at stake is people's well-being . The Royal Spanish Academy defines a charlatan as a person who talks a lot but lacks substance, engages in sales, and loudly advertises their wares.

Since its inception, plastic surgery has been the only medical specialty focused on altering the body's appearance, serving to bring inner peace or satisfaction to those who are uncomfortable with their looks. This could be due to the loss of a nose in an accident, being born without an ear, losing a breast due to illness, excess skin after pregnancy, breasts that have lost their youthful shape, changes in their appearance that have occurred with age, making them look angry or tired when they are not, or simply because they know they can improve their appearance.

As a medical specialty whose patients are healthy individuals, plastic surgery is one of the specialties with the most demanding and rigorous training, since the motto of every doctor is " first, do no harm ." It is easier to avoid harming a sick person than a healthy one. This is why, historically, plastic surgeons have had a specialization before entering the field of plastic surgery.

Plastic surgery training requires a minimum of two years of training in another surgical specialty, followed by a minimum of three years of training in the plastic surgery specialty. Because of the importance of caring for a country's population, those who complete the full training receive certification or "board certification" from the plastic surgeons' association in the country where they completed their training.

Therefore, the wisest course of action for all those self-proclaimed "experts" who only display diplomas or certificates from courses that don't last at least five years in total is to greet them politely and run for the hills. To verify that they actually completed the training they claim to have made, the best course of action is to contact the plastic surgeons' association in the country where they say they trained and confirm that it's true . This is very easy with today's technology and given the interest countries have in protecting the health of their populations.

I'll tell you about the case of our plastic surgeon, Dr. Paul Ouddane. Since there was no plastic surgery training available in Guatemala, he decided to go abroad to train. Plastic surgery training opportunities, besides being very few in the world, are highly sought-after (it's the most sought-after of medical specialties). He chose to train in Mexico, like most plastic surgeons in Guatemala, because of the similarity between the Mexican culture and physiognomy and that of the Guatemalan population. This was done with the aim of being able to better serve his patients in Guatemala, since obviously, designing the eye contour of a Japanese woman is not the same as designing the eye contour of a Guatemalan woman.

In Mexico, approximately 40,000 medical doctors (general practitioners) wish to complete their training in this beautiful country each year. Of these, only approximately 9,000 will be selected to pursue training in a medical specialty. Of the 9,000 positions granted, only 72 are for physicians to complete their training in plastic surgery at one of the 17 hospitals where training is available. Upon completion of this training, only 80% of those who complete it are certified by their peers, the Mexican Council of Plastic Surgery, to practice the profession.

As you've just read, it's not an easy path, and not everyone who follows it is fit to practice. Therefore, it's no wonder we find so many "self-proclaimed experts" or, as they have been called throughout history, charlatans.

Now that you have chosen your certified plastic surgeon, to avoid unnecessarily putting your good health at risk , comes the most difficult part: choosing the one who, in your opinion, can help you achieve the desired result.

To do this, ask plastic surgeons to show you high-quality, unaltered photographs of patients . Also, schedule appointments with at least two plastic surgeons to see who you feel most aesthetically compatible with. Trust and a good rapport with your plastic surgeon are essential for a successful outcome.

Finally, and perhaps least important, is the price . It's crucial to ask your plastic surgeon what the quote includes. Generally, the cost covers the pre-procedure lab tests to ensure you're in optimal condition. Then there are the surgeon's fees, the assistant's fees, the anesthesiologist's fees, the operating room rental, the cost of supplies used during surgery, the cost of post-operative medications, and follow-up appointments. Once these two points are covered, each patient understands their budget for this significant investment in their body, which is their window to the world. Always keep in mind that financing options are available and will be presented to you after your consultation, allowing you to achieve your desired results without being limited by what might seem like the least important aspect of this aesthetic experience.