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Mission Statement |
Dr Silverstein's Philosophy:
I enjoy my medical practice and the friendly relationships that develop between our patients, their families, and our staff. We make every attempt to achieve ideal results and take our responsibilities to our patients seriously. It has always been my personal and professional objective to provide quality medical care, individual attention, and give the best information available to assist my patients in achieving plastic surgery goals.
A Moment with...Dr. Paul Silverstein
Dr. Paul Silverstein is well-known throughout Oklahoma City and beyond: in fact, his clients come to him from all parts of the United States. He is sought after for his extraordinary experience and technique, something that one acquires after performing 6,000 breast augmentations. A man so accomplished that a local burn center is named after him, it's not surprising that patients have flown him across the world to commit his talents to improving their lives. He spared us twenty minutes of his busy schedule to answer some questions for our readers.
Question: Under what circumstances should a woman not have breast augmentation?
Dr. Silverstein: Women sometimes have augmentations for the wrong reasons: the most common reasons are that it will attract men or it will keep a wayward husband. It won't work. She's the one who'll be carrying these implants, hopefully, for the rest of her life, so it's got to be clear that she does this for herself because she wants to have it done.
Question: So during your first consultation you actually interview them to see their real motivation?
Dr. Silverstein: Absolutely. I do not accept every patient that I interview. I ask how their husbands feel, and sometimes they bring him to the interview, which makes me feel very comfortable. If they come alone, I ask how any other significant other in their lives feel about it. The best answer from a husband is "Honey, you're doing it for you, not me, and whatever you want to do, I support you in it." The next best answer is, "Honey, if you want to do this, that's fine, but I'm going fishing!"
The major part of my practice is women between 25 and 40, who have had a couple of kids, and now they want to look they way they did before they ever nursed a baby. They lost some of their breast tissue and they're looking for a little bit of lift and some projection. These are the ideal candidates. The other ideal candidate is the girl who had no breast at all, she's a 32 AA. For these women it does a tremendous amount for self confidence, their personalities really change. They become more outgoing, they're more likely to socialize and they're happier.
These women are also the most difficult to do, they need the surgeon with the most experience, so you don't see the edges of the implant coming through the skin, you minimize rippling and you have to discuss with them the whys and wherefores of putting the implant behind the muscle or the breast. These are the most difficult patients, but they're also some of the happiest.
Question: What do you think of the Internet as a form of referral in the place of word of mouth?
Dr. Silverstein: I think it's excellent. If you look at my website, you get a whole history of who I am, where I've trained, what my expertise is in and what I'm like. If you get word of mouth from a friend who had it done, or knows someone who had it done by doctor so and so, you have no idea what kind of a doctor that is, and there are many doctors out there doing this procedure who have no business doing it. They're untrained. They charge a low price and women go to them because of that and never check out their qualifications. When they get into trouble, they say "Gee, I wish I hadn't done that", but then it's already too late. The Internet allows the woman to find out who exactly the doctor is.
Question: What are the main things to look for in a plastic surgeon?
Dr. Silverstein: He has to be trained in plastic surgery and board certified by the American Board Of Plastic Surgery. No other board. Other boards are fly by night, weekend courses: you pay your money and you get a pretty diploma to hang on your wall. Above all, they should call their local hospitals and see if the doctor has privileges to do cosmetic and plastic surgery. The county and state medical associations know the doctors who have the most complaints against them. They should also call the American Society of Plastic Surgery and they will provide a list of board certified surgeons in their area. They should also call their own family doctor, someone they know and trust and see if this plastic surgeon is reputable.
Question: We find from our readers that once they've had augmentation, they become interested in other forms of plastic surgery as well.
Dr. Silverstein: Yes. I've been in practice for 26 years and one of the most thrilling compliments is to have a woman I performed surgery on 25 years ago bring in her daughter for breast augmentation. I have a significant number of families that I've taken care of and it's very rewarding to me to see they still trust me, still has their implants and are now bringing me their daughters for their implants. Sometimes I joke that I'd rather do an augmentation on a young woman than a face lift for an older woman, because I know that the younger one will keep coming back!
I'm a teacher, I'm a good surgeon and people frequently ask me, what were my goals? What were my standards in life? I tell them that I wouldn't do anything to you that I wouldn't do to a member of my own family. I would treat you with respect and dignity, and I would not do something that I felt I didn't do really well. I stay current and I do the best job for my patient.
Apparently, Dr. Silverstein does what he does very well, indeed. His warmth and humor are contagious. His experience is vast and his dedication to his patients keeps his calendar and his staff very busy.
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