Stages of Consultation
A good consultation includes the following steps: (1) understanding the patient's expectations and motivation; (2) detailed assessment of facial anatomy; (3) creating photographic documentation; (4) presenting possible options and alternatives; (5) explaining the risks, benefits, and costs of each option; (6) allowing time for decision-making (no pressure for same-day procedures).
Points to Understand About the Patient
"Why now?" — Is there a social event, or is it a chronic condition?
"Who influenced you?" — A celebrity photo, a friend's result, or your own photo?
"How much time and money are you willing to commit?" — The reality of maintenance should be discussed.
"What have you had done before?" — Previous interventions, their results, and satisfaction level.
"Health status" — Autoimmune diseases, allergies, medication use, pregnancy/breastfeeding.
Expectation Management
Are the patient's expectations realistic? Is the desired outcome possible with their anatomy? A patient might ask for "lips like celebrity X"; however, if their mouth bone structure is very different, this result might not look natural. In this case, either the expectation becomes realistic, or the treatment does not proceed.
Saying "No"
A good physician does not say "yes" to every request. Situations where "no" should be said: (1) the expectation is anatomically impossible; (2) the patient is making a decision during an emotional crisis; (3) they haven't seen the results of a previous procedure yet; (4) their health condition is not suitable; (5) the patient's expectation is inconsistent with the physician's value system (desire for excessively exaggerated results).
These "no's" lead to short-term disappointment for the patient but long-term protection. In my clinic, I end 15-20 consultations a year by saying "I don't recommend it" — this is approximately 5% of all consultations.