Dr. Steve Samuel’s thoughts on cosmetic surgery:

"Since cosmetic surgery is not aimed at saving life or improving physical health, and the aim of the surgery is to improve how the patient feels about his/herself, the result must be achieved as safely and predictably as possible. The surgical plan must be individualized to the patient."

Dr. Steve Samuel MD, FRCSC

How we see ourselves is very personal. There are people who are considered beautiful but are unhappy about their appearance, whereas there are those of us who may be viewed as unattractive but are very content. The latter are the more fortunate.

When patients seek surgery to improve a physical feature, they must know what exactly bothers them and it is the surgeon’s duty to communicate with the patient in order to clearly identify what goal should be aimed for during the surgery. For example, women who seek breast augmentation have different images in their own minds as to what size of breast would make them feel attractive. Therefore it is important that what would please the patient is clarified before surgery. Within the range of what is technically possible, reasonable and safe, the surgeon must aim to achieve the result that would be pleasing to the patient. The same approach applies to other surgeries such as nose operations, facelifts, and various body contouring procedures. Individual surgeons have different philosophies in their approach to cosmetic plastic surgery. We have all seen surgical results that look obviously operated and sometimes distorted. Dr. Samuel aims to achieve a surgical result that looks as natural as possible. This is especially important in nasal surgery and rejuvenative facial surgery but is a principal which should be observed throughout the plastic surgery field.

If it becomes apparent to Dr. Samuel that the patient is either unrealistic in his/her expectations or that the benefit of surgery would be relatively too little for the extent of procedure the patient is seeking, then he will advise the patient against surgery. Otherwise the main beneficiary of the surgery would be the surgeon, not the patient. Dr. Samuel and his staff encourage their patients to clarify all questions they have relating to their procedure. His explanation to the patient about the surgical procedure, the pre and post-operative course and all other relevant factors is aimed at giving the patient a thorough understanding of what they will experience. This makes the entire process more comfortable, less intimidating and more rewarding.